5 Months to Go (ish)

Life is moving so fast as the moment, that it is all becoming a bit of a blur!  With in that blur are some key things that have changed in the plan, some for the betterment of the trip, some that will make things a little more challenging.

The Overland Event

The biggest impact on life right now is the decision to start spending time in a caravan.  The story of how this came about is a long one, but ultimately, the need to prepare Sofia for life style of no immediate access to TV and internet comes to the forefront as she will need to start to find other ways to occupy herself.   It will be a huge adjustment for her and one that is better to happen before we leave when I can give her the attention, than when we are on the road and I have a million things to focus on.

Safari through the New Forest

 

The plan has changed in other ways too, not least because there is definitely an escalation of ‘trouble’ in the world.  I certainly expected at some point that Egypt and Turkey would be more directly subject to events, however, I believed that would be next year, long after we have past through.  The issues are still mild in both those countries, however, the a yellow flag is raised for me and so not only have I been looking for alternative boats to take us across the Med but will look to seeing if we can bring the timeline forward a little.  Either way, I plan to have a definite date of departure in the next few days, either with a pre-booked crossing or a plan to arrive in port (Italy or Greece) and find a way across when we get there.

Encouraging Sofia to look and see!

One thing I am certain of is that we will not be cancelling as I fully intend to we get through before any serious escalation occurs.   And as happens with changes like these other aspects change to meet the requirement.  The best one being the school I would like Sofia to go to on our return, who have started their assessment process earlier initially to ensure that we would be ready for December, but clearly this will allow and earlier timeline to occur as well.

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OMG! What to Choose – BMW or Ural?

It’s no secret that I am coming into the motorcycling world a complete noob, not to mention no prior deep interest in mechanical terminology like ‘horse power’ or ‘cylinders’.   To me if a machine works, use it, if it doesn’t, get a new one.

Suddenly with this project, all this stuff matters, and not only that, advise given is to try out lots of bikes and get experience and build a preference.  Erm, with no license, this is hard to do.  So I have followed a journey on cold facts, and interestingly, in many respects, I am not sure that preference would have helped me make the right choice, only an emotional one.

The first thing I learnt very quickly was that the bigger the numbers the bigger the bike.  I also learnt very quickly that not all motorbikes have chains, like bicycles.  This was a fact I latched on to quickly, because I know about chains on a bicycle, and when it comes off, it can be a fiddle to get back on – heaven knows what that must be like on a motorbike!    The other type of motorbike has a drive shaft which sounds much simpler to me, safer, and less likely to go wrong.

So looking at bikes with drive shafts, I immediately honed in on two motorbikes that are designed as adventure touring bikes with this configuration – the BMW 1200GS and the Ural (all their bikes have this configuration).

BMW 1200GS with a sidecar attached

You really couldn’t get to bikes more opposite on the spectrum of what is available.  Its like saying that the choice is between a Bentley and Lada car (if Lada’s where still in production) literally.  The BMW 1200GS has every comfort and convenience accounted for on those hazardous roads around the world.  The Ural is a solid Russian bike that hasn’t changed much since inception in the 1930s, it was built to last.  It has only been in the last year or so that they have included fuel injection as standard, a modern technology that now means that ‘software’ has finally made it onto the Ural.  Thankfully the Ural, much like Skoda did in the past, has looked outside of its knowledge base for these upgrades, and in this case I believe that the fuel injection has been supplied by Ducati.

So there we have it. Large choice, suddenly diminished to 2 bikes.   I chose the Ural.

1- Sidecar fitting on the BMW changes the standard structure of the bike so that it is no longer supported by warranty.  This is actually a very important point.  I know many say that the BMW will never break down, especially to the degree where BMW would have to get involved.  Personally, with my daughter in tow, I’m not sure I want to take that risk and ride into Africa on belief alone.

The Ural on the other hand is specifically designed with the sidecar, and with the fuel injection upgrade, they now provide warranty cover.  All thumbs up with Ural.

2 – Fix-ability is a major issue with the BMW.  The motorbike has so much technology now that really you need to have diagnosis tools, software programming degree, and 5 years working in BMW to even have a chance of fixing anything more major than a flat tyre on the road.

Ural Gear Up

The Ural, however, is still as simple as it can be.  Not as simple as the carburetor version, but you still have a good chance off fixing most problems with the bike on the road, and if you can’t do it yourself, you can probably find someone with a spanner who can. Strike 2 to Ural.

There are other minor graces of the Ural over the BMW, but needless to say, to me, travelling with my daughter in some remoter areas of the planet, my confidence will be much higher with the Ural.  Ok, so it isn’t fast, it isn’t sexy, and it doesn’t have 5 suspension options controlled by a panel on the handle bars, but it works, it gets from A to B, is a lot of fun and if it lets me down, there is a real chance of being able to fix it.

Thank you to everyone who has given me advise over the last few months!  I really couldn’t have gone through this process with out your input.  If the sidecar wasn’t in play, I think the BMW would have been my top choice.

The First Month of #Planning and I’m Still Here!

I think those who know what an expedition like this involves in terms of planning, fully expect me to give up, and as time goes on I can understand why!   The scope of what is involved with a project like this is quite overwhelming, and to be honest, its success is going to rest on the valuable support that I receive from individuals and organisations to make it happen.

Of course the most overwhelming aspect is time.  Linear time is just so constricting, and I am having to use all my understanding about it to overcome this.  Yes, I dip into frustration, as somehow the desire to have overcome all obstacles in one moment gets greater focus, but remembering that actually it is in that moment that I must be most focused on simply feeling good, because that is when all the obstacles are overcome.  Confused?  well spiritual practice can have that effect!

Budgeting has also been a challenge as I look to cut back the budget as much as possible as well as decide on a more realistic timescale for the journey.   I had pulled together a budget over the Christmas period, it was rushed, but good to get an idea of what was going to be involved.    I was hoping as I started to follow the route in more detail, that I would be able to bring the costs down a bit.  This is turning into a swings and roundabouts exercise, as I am finding that I can cut costs in one area, but discover costs in another.   I have followed the route so far to Mozambique with this method, and thus far have managed to save only a couple of thousand – which might sound like a lot, but in light of the project as a whole, my target was more in the park of ten thousand!  I have yet to cover the other countries, however, I suspect I am heading towards a similar result.

The focus of the budget has been the journey itself.   The other option is that I start culling equipment that I feel is important, but can actually do without.  For example, a solar panel and battery to ensure we always have contingency power.  I have been offered paniers to borrow for the bike with will knock off some more (Thank you http://www.trailquestadventure.com/) .  Secondhand general camping kit has also been offered – which whilst not hugely expensive – will help out a lot (again thank youhttp://www.trailquestadventure.com/) .  The bike itself is another area to save £££, ideally a new bike with side car that I’ve had time to run in, however, It may be possible to find a second hand bike that might just make the journey.  The risks of this are clear, however, it may be one of the best ways to reduce the cost.

Ha!  it is a struggle going from best case to worst, and probably a bigger struggle than the trip its self.   Well worth it though, as at the end of the day it is the trip that is most important and I’m prepared to make it happen by taking the steps necessary.

The Big Decision!

Thinking in the Clouds

I’ve decided to go on Safari with my daughter! Yay!  and it sounds so easy when I say it like that.  In many ways it was, because the circumstances seem to match, like this was the perfect window in life to do this with my daughter.

The first major travel experience I gave my daughter was earlier this year.   It was a cruise, which was an ideal environment for her to safely explore her independence.  It was a huge success.   She not only discovered her independence, but, with a little encouragement, opened herself up to new experiences with out any resistance at all.  It was amazing to watch.  Even a boring coach tour for several hours was ok.  I discovered a whole new aspect of possibilities and experiences that we could now do together.

The wonder lust first seriously bit me about a month to six weeks ago…

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