MICKS HOT TODDY!

The next bike ride was to be a ride up the alp's to the Italian bar on the top which served the famous HOT TODDY!

2008 Wrinklies Ride to Russia!

Hi there folks - well, Wrinklies are off again on their trusty BMW 1150 GS. This time to meet some friends( Brendon and Tasha) who have already ridden across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver. They are then air freighting to Japan , travelling around there and then boat to Vladivostok. They are then to transit Russia and we hope to meet them somwhere past the Urals ! ----- That's the plan anyway.They are on a BMW 1200-- and 2 up.

Week 2-3

Harbour at Vada, northern Italy.

11th March – Made an executive decision to travel down Italy’s leg to avoid the snowstorms etc in northern Italy and Balkans. Found small pension right on the harbour at Vada. Bob took the accompanying photo, which his Dad would be ever so proud of.
12th March – Motorway miles to head south. Lovely mountains on left and Med sea on right.

Update

First we rode to the valley where we had seen the Marmots, but no joy today. So we just took a few photos, we then rode up to the top of yet another mountain. A lot of stalls had been set up selling local produce and goods i.e. sheep skin rugs and cheese etc. As we started to ride down the other side the scenery just got better. See photo. After a while we stopped once more for photos, then headed for a roadside bar for coffee and rolls. We all managed to sit at one table watching bikes of all makes and from all over Europe pass by.

Greece

Left Thessolonýka 21/3/06 for Alexandroupolý. The 2 hour týme dýfference and seeýng a road sýgn for Yugoslavýa and Bulgarýa brýgs home how far we are away- but ýt does,nt seem very long sýnce we started.

The shops are stýll open at 9pm and the chýldren out wýth theýr parents. There ýs no graffýttý and everywhere ýs clean. Concrete houses of 2 storeys each wýth verandas.

Week 24 - 28

August 17th – started talking to a lady with a crash helmet who appeared at breakfast time. She was from Sydney (although originally from Bexhill years ago) and was touring round the coastal roads for 5 months. She’d come off her bike (F650GS), and it was being fixed at the same BMW dealer. So we swapped stories, realized we had a lot in common and got on really well. Lizzy was also responsible for our first trip in a police-car with Perth’s finest!

Update

Dinner eaten, Rocket off to bed, i decided to have a look around the site. There was one guy keeping watch at one of the bars, he invited me over and gave me a pint of Lager, which i gladly accepted. His English was as good as my Italian, lousy to say the least. After a beer or two i wished my new friend a good night and headed back to the tent. I made a small fire put on some tunes and sat under a sky full of stars and chilled, while Rocket knocked out a few zzz's. The weather was still warm and dry and the skies clear.

Alpine and Balkan areas

Went through the Tarn Gorge in France on 2/ 8/ 06 with tunnels of rock over the road to Vallance. The heighest point here was 1,00 metres. This is wonderful biking country and it is nice to see more bikes on the road and they acknowledge you as you pass. We have only seen one other family from England since we started on this leg -- i think we will forget how to communicate with other people soon !

25 degrees and petrol 1GBP but you really need to fill up when you can.

Beach in Cotonou - Benin

Pakistan

I really enjoyed Pakistan. The scenery was amazing and the people were by far the friendliest that we have experienced so far. The decorated trucks were fantastic and the truck drivers were really proud of their decorations. It was amazing that the average speed of these trucks was only around 20kmh. They loaded them to the hilt but drove accordingly. It was dissapointing to have to have the escort all the time but they were really nice blokes (with a couple of exceptions).Pakistan

Update

Riding to Lago de Atitlàn

I get a great suggestion from a fellow biker, a typically friendly Guatemalan who very untypically rides a Honda 600. The road he suggests is seldomed travelled because unruly rivers keep taking out the bridges. He assures me the road is asphalt and the rivers can be crossed. True to his word, the highway, although not well signed at the junctions, is paved and is a treat. This is real Guatemala, untouched by commercialism or tourism. Tiny villages, fields of ripening crops, and locals herding their bramhas along the roadside.