1 April. New Zealand.

This is just an short entry to record I have made New Zealand.
The shiping experience was satisfactory. Delivered the bike to a depot in Brisbane and it obviously got to the boat.
Went to retrieve it and got the usual red tape bulldust, however found a helpful guy after a day sitting in their office and on Wednesday the 1st ( yeah April Fools day !) collected the bike and headed south. Great ride down to Taupo. Stayed the night and the next day to the ferry to the South Island. Spent a night with family, and then on to a small village in the centre of the South Island after a stuning ride through the Buller Gorge to the West Coast then over the Arthurs Pass in the Southern Alps. I had forgotton how beautiful it was.
The next day it was a ride to Bluff. Made it at dusk as the sun set. Oysters and beer as I had promised then I just crashed.
Sadly the weather was poor for photography so I will cobble something together, but the beauty of the little country is so great that I will have to ride south again to get some good pics to show.
So the journey is over.
Sad that it is complete and also great joy.
I will write an epilogue but for now a big thanks to all those that have been in touch during the ride. It was great to have your company.
nzl04

Brisbane 23 March

After a rapid ride across Australia, 3500k in 5 days I have made it to Brisbane.

It was a strange feeling to be in Aussie after the crowds of everywhere else. First class roads, and no one on them. No traffic at all. In 5 days I was overtaken by about 10 vehicles. It was wierd. Also Australia is so flat. I came down one hill nearing Brisbane. The rest was flat. It ranged from flat and dry to flat and green and flat with trees........just no people.

There was little to see or observe on other than the dead animals on the road. There were so many of them. Mainly Wallabies, or Kangaroos, but also an Emu, a Fox, some Dogs a Cat and birds but so many it was amazing and smelly as you may imagine.

There were lots of birds (live) and a couple of what I took for Eagles. Huge birds. Must have stood as high as the handlebars. What an impressive bird. I did see other live things as well you will be pleased to note and a bushfire by the road. Not a person anywhere, just a merry blaze !

So I have made it across Australia.

Now I put the bike on the boat to New Zealand.

So its then on to Bluff to complete the journey of Top to Bottom !

nzl04

Darwin and no bike 13 March 2009 !

The boat is due Saturday 14 March (a day late).
Customs do not work Saturday or Sunday apparently.
They do work Monday I assume, however to clear a motorcycle through customs and quarantine, will take them three days.
Astonishing that after all of the countries I have visited, all the borders I have crossed and the longest time it took to enter anywhere in the world by boat, plane, or land, was 5 hours, yet in Australia it takes 5 days from the date of arrival in the Port.
Amazing really.
nzl04

Indonesia

Finally left the bike on the wharf after returning to the Woodlands border for my stamp. Getting there was fun. 8 lanes of bikes about 1kilometer long to cross through the border, and that was a quiet day.
So I flew to Jakarta. It took longer to get from the Airport to the Hotel than it did to fly there. I was so lucky to meet a couple of locals who took me under their wing, booked me into their Hotel, took me in their Taxi, and then to dinner. What a really nice couple. Jakarta is hellish big crowded and dirty, plus it floods.
I took the train to Bandung. It was great to be able to look out the window and watch the countryside pass by. It was lush, green, intensely farmed with paddy fields scrambling up the hillsides. People working, planting harvesting and busy getting on with life. It was a great trip. The warnings that abound about travel in Indonesia seem to be overdone. The railstations and public places are habitred by the usual "hustlers" taxis, hotels, etc but when I finally found the taxi company I wanted which was Blue Bird ( Having been told often "no Blue Bird here") I also then got to the Hotel I had identified in a travel book. The people at the Hotel were great. The Hotel was great. I stayed the night and the next day I paid for the petrol and was taken for a tour. We went to the volcano which was clouded in rain sadly but again the countryside was magnificent. The rain forest, the nurseries, (by the mile) the villages, the gandening, the fruit trees, just a most pleasant place. Sadly as I said it was very wet.
So I stayed another night and went for dinner with the two guys from the Ahadiat Hotel, such a pleasant place to stay, and we were entertained by a local band playing pretty good music. A good stay.
Next day away early for the 8 hour train ride to Yogyakarta. This is also a most pleasant city and the ride throught the mountains and plains of Java was just great. Lots of rice and just so many busy people planting harvesting weeding, and caring for their fields.
Yogya as it is called has a Palace which was closed for the public holiday but I went to the most significant historical site in the southern hemisphere the book says, the Temple of Borobudur.
Then it was away to the plane to Bali. Short flight and a short ride to the beach at Sunur. Not an "upmarket" place but pleasant. I managed to get some sand and sun and a trip to the local Volcano. Again I greatly enjoyed the countryside. The plantings, the tress, the almost manicured look of the hillsides that contrasted with the rubbish everywhere else sadly. So after 3 nights it was time to move on to Darwin.
I am having trouble deciding whether Indonesia is a place I would want to visit again. To be able to ride the bike through the islands would be great but it is a nature ride for the beauty of the countryside. I would like to have seen some of the wildlife and that may be a reason to return.
Why people come to sit on beaches is still a wonder to me.
nzl04

11 March Reflections on entry and exit, Singapore

My frustration with Singapore was complete. What a bloody awful place. The rules, the nonsence, the ticket clipping. Where should I start !
I arrived in Singapore and was "waved" through customs after having my panniers "looked in" and assumed all was in order. The path through immigration and customs was amazing. A dedicated bike lane with hunderds if not thousands of bikes.
So I went to the shipping agent. I was told that I could not export the bike due to not having completed the Carnet. However in order to complete the Carnet I first had to visit the AA to buy insurance and a Certificate to allow me to use the vehicle in Singapore.
I suggested that I did not want to do that and "was there another way" ? Yes I could pay an extra $50 and get a certificate that would allow me to ship without the Carnet. Great so I went to the Port. There I was stopped. No Carnet. Go back to AA I was told. So I did. At AA I was chastised for not bringing the Carnet to them before entering Singapore. That is the system. Arrive in Malaysia and go to the border. Leave the bike in Malaysia, and go to AA in Singapore. They will "validate" the Carnet and issue insurance and Licence. Return to Malaysia and collect bike. Ride to customs and immigration and exhibit Carnet which they will stamp. On the way back to Singapore find and hire an electronic card reader which is attached to the bike to enable fees to be collected if visiting the CBD. I somehow forgot to do that. Return to shipping agent and get anothet "letter" to enable Port entry pass to be issued ( after fingetprinting and photgraph). Enter Port. Process Carnet. Told by Customs that I should not ride bike in Port. Told by Port Police that I cannot ride bike in Port even 500 metres to loading shed. Can I push the bike I asked. No not permitted ! I ask Port Police to ask "Boss". Head office reply "too dangerous". So I now wait for two hours for a tow truck to arrive. We load the bike on the truck. Drive 500 metres and unload in shipping agents shed.
That process took me three days. The only reason I went to Singapore was to get the bike to Australia, having established that my plan to ride Indonesia would fail as I could find no way to get from Bali to Dili where I could ship to Oz. Talk about a buggers muddle !
nzl04

3 March Singapore

I left my beach resort after a day of walking in the sand, swimming and having a day off. It was great. Went to the south of the peninsula, a fishing town of Ringit, and enjoyed a crab and fish lunch. That was great. The blue crab in Georgetown however was better if you ever go to Penang.

So on Monday I headed for Singapore. The ride to Johar Baru the southern entry point was very pleasant, the roads in Malaysia are good.

The fun started when I approached the City, as all reference to Johor Baru disappeared. I rode round for an hour looking for any indication that Singapore was close, and nothing. There is the odd sign for Woodlands, which is I astablished the first town on the Singapore Island.

The Malaysians certainly do not like their neighbour it seems, but are happy for the tourism they bring.

The motorway system on Singapore Island is comprehensive however thay have yet to work out that signs help.

Crossing to the Island was interesting, there is a bike lane, and once on it the reason becomes apparent. They cross in their hundreds. Only problem is that even with my distinct appearance they ignore the formalities. So I was "inspected" with a look in one pannier and then "waved" through customs where I should have had the Carnet stamped. The AA in Singapore are living in the past. They said when I got the email from them, that I should have left the bike in Malaysia, travelled to Singaopre AA in the City to have the Carnet validated, then return to Malaysia to collect the bike and get my validated Carnet stamped as I crossed the border, so I could in turn the next day take it to the wharf for shipment.

They also isue a data card for paying tolls and Insurance so perhaps that is the real explanation.

However the Carnet was not stamped. The shipping agent says they can provide "documentation" that will allow the shipment ( at a cost of $50 Sing) so here we go, I am back in the world of petty officials and lots of pointless rules. I better get used to it because it gets worse, Australia is next.

Apart from that it is fascinating to be here. There economy is built on nothing, just providing a service. They do not even have sufficient water to survive, and they recycle an enormous proportion of it. Still building huge buildings, still busy it seems, lots of expats, Aussie accents everywhere. But it is great, it is vital, and energetic, and it is warm, very warm.

So I want to include a pic or two that will reflect the last two days.

nxl04

27 Feb Kluang Jahor State Malaysia

I have been sitting in Melaka trying to organise a trip to the jungle on the worst internet connection I have had to tolerate for a while. The Holiday Inn has not got its act together at all.
So I tried Indonesia, Serawak, Bornoe, the Malay Highlands this time by rain and could not get the timing right or the information I needed to actually endertake the trip.
So finally I spotted a gap in the clouds and was off. It has rained every day. I didn't get far. just down the coast and then inland to Kluang.
The coastal strip in Malaysia is very fertile, and would appear to grow just about anything. Sime Darby however have a considerable number of Palm oil plantations. There are crops of dragon fruit which I can assure you are the fastest and most effective laxative I have ever experienced. The food in general is a disappointing mix of Malay, Indian, Chinese, and about everything else as well. Never mind it is tasty.
I hope I can find some shots of Melaka which is also a confusion of flavours Dutch Portugese British Asian and lots more as well I think. Melaka has a reputation as a good tourist location, perhaps earned in desparation as there is not much going on for the visitor in Malaysia it appears. Like about every city I have ever been to it has a "new mall" full of "international" tenants, from McDonalds to Hush Puppies, and the inevitable food halls, and shops full of what I call junk, but noticably empty of patrons. The shops are empty of people eveywhere. The Hotels are empty.
Its an odd feeling.
nzl04

Holiday Inn Melaka Malaysia

I have observed I believe that I considered there was now an undercurrent in most of the recent countries I have visited, that feels like "go home white man".
It started in the south of Iran. The north was good and the welcome was genuine I felt. In the south the welcome smile lasted a split second.
Then in Pakistan the welcome was there but no warmth.
However India was worse. There was no welcome, just an enquiry, where are you coming from ? Or whats your name. A response to either question did not elicit much more communication.
Thailand as I have mentioned is no longer the warm welcoming country it was however Cambodia felt more like Thailand used to.
Malaysia, the welcome is indifferent. Motorists/bikers give me the "where you coming from" but the people in the street in the hotels and the shops, plain indifference bordering on something less than a welcome I felt. I am an oddity because of the bike however.
So today when I was loading the bike which had been parked at the front door of the Holiday Inn with 24 hour security, and near the Bently owned by the "Boss" I was not expecting any suprises. I left the cloth that I had washed the bike with to dry on the pannier, and it was there that I found someone had taken a crap in it and left it there.
I don't know what thet says about the Malay culture, the Malaka society, or the Holiday Inn security but it does make me feel that my intuitive feeling that colonists have left behind some bad feeling is correct.
As this USA sponsored financial decline worsens, I feel that the white man welcome in some of these badly affected countries will get less pleasant. There is no hiding the fact that you are not a local. Unrest is on the increase already in most of the places I have visited.
Just my opinion.
nzl04

Malaysian images

Some pics.

Penang to the Malay Hills and Malacca

I got away from Georgetown and headed for the Cameron Highlands. Just a really good ride through the flat land of the Malaysian coastal strip then climbing into the hills.

Not a long ride but a good one.

The Cameron Highlands is a popular place for Malaysians. It is pretty, it is cool ( but high humidity )and has a holiday atmosphere. Met a biker from Singapore, he and his 5 mates had ridden there for the night.

It is full of rather tatty high rise Hotels and some "old style Tudor" hotels from Colonial times. A pleasant place but what a relief to be riding in the trees on good roads.

The Cameron Highlands is the tea growing area.

Next day I headed down to the plains again and the rains. I got wet ! Firsy time I have had rain since Albania. As usual I watched the sky, and shot into a service station to shelter. It cleared and I was away through the trees again and suddenly it fell down. I got drenched. So I headed back into the hills this time to Frasers Hill. Other than the rain it was another great ride. Up to about 1000metres and again an old resort area. Poor and expensive Hotels. In fact the place I stayed in could be styled an old dump. Never mind the fan ran all night and the riding suit got dry.

Next day down the mountain on more magnificent riding thropugh coconut plantations rubber plantations, and all sorts of trees and bamboo.

Sadly also more rain showers, so I got to spend some time in bus shelters.

Riding Malaysia is pretty good. And the roadside food stalls are pretty good. Spicy food, cheap, tasty and with tea.

So in the afternoon I did manage to find the waterfront at Malacca and an expensive Hotel.

And that is where I am as the rain showers continue. I will make a run to Singapore when it clears.

Malaysia is a place that seems to have as many Chinese and Indians as Malays. I am unsure that the relocation of other races is a good idea. I am yet to be convinced that moving large numbers of Asians and Indians to New Zealand is of any benefit in the long term. It sure does make NZ like every other country in the world and I ask myself why a European Tourist or an American if they can afford to travel any longer, would want to come to NZ to eat Indian and Chinese food.....stay in foreign owned and staffed Hotels, and end up like I am in Malaysia thinking .......where are the Malays ?

The world is becoming a multi cultural motorway with a McDonalds at each end in a Shopping Plaza the same as the last one ( they are all the same) and Shell stations every 50 k along the way. The same roads the same plants and lanscaping the same advertising the same lighting the same signs, the same same same......

If New Zealand has any future it is in tourism, we have little else, and that means creating a Kiwi feel ........is it already too late ?

What I have seen and NZ needs to make the investment, and that is roads are not upgraded they are retained and new motorways built near the old roads so the locals still have a road and those that want a motorway also have one. It transforms the countryside.

It also makes cycling and walking possible. If NZ has a future that is where it is, eco or green tourism ( bad names but individual travel on foot or cycles) ....or is it too late.

nzl04

20 February in Penang

The ride from Thailand to Malaysia was simple. The border crossing was to say the least casual. I did track down someone that finally stamped an exit entry in my passport and Malaysia was similar. Did get a stamp but no one looked at the bike or the documents, so hope I can get out when the time comes.

And the time is taking longer as I can not find a ferry to take me and the bike to Indonesia. There must be one. Failing that its a boat ride direct from Singapore to Darwin. That would mean missing Indonesia, Bali and Dili and that would be a pity, so lets see what happens.

Malaysia is hot and busy. The motorways are toll free for bikes. Fortunately as I had no local money. Thought I was pretty snaert until it came to the bridge to Penang. Toll 1.40 Ringit, so after 10 minutes of smiling and shrugging they finally accepted 20 Baht and let me cross.

Penang has very much the "colonial" feel, similar to Brisbane. Its a pleasant place but very warm. The "location" or where am I on the blog actually does show my position on Google Earth, and if you zoom in far enough yesterdays Spot send was by the pool I was very pleased to be in !

So its more searching for ferries and then perhaps I may get to the Highlands. The Hill Country Estates, where the "Brits" escaped the heat apparently and grew Tea.

Sounds interesting.

nzl04

Thailand 18 Feb

Well my visit to Thailand is almost over and I have mixed feelings.
It is not the place it was not so many years ago, an opinion shared by so many of the people I speak to. It is more commercial, less friendly, fewer happy people, in fact it has been a big disappointment. Even the food has lost its fascination, or seems so.
I left Bangkok and rode south to Hua Hin on the inland coast. What a shock. Europeans mainly German, all obese, many couples but also many of the sort I saw at Pattaya a few years ago. Blokes my age with Thai girls under 25. It is very unattractive.
So on I rode down some magnificent roadways. It was a pleasure to ride on such a good surface, polite drivers and they even obeyed the rules of the road, wow ! However it was a flat boring ride. Its about 700k from Bangkok to the port where the ferry leaves for Ko Simui. And that was where I went for a couple of days rest for the leg. Its a lot more of a worry now that its oficially broken.
However a few days on a beach never did anyone any harm. Beer swiming sunburn mossies, the usual complaints.
So today it was a ride south, 300k to what turned out to be a suprising city on the sea, Songkhla. Old and interesting (a bit like me really) plus a Tourist Resort on the seafront with special rates. And I soon found out why having asked about facilities, pool, sauna, gym.......wow I was hooked. But the pool was closed, as was the sauna, and the gym was well........
In the spirit of the last night in Thailand I wanted to leave on a happy note despite no swim no sauna. The dining room had a singer, and I was one of three occupantsin a room that would seat 200. The Thai green curry prawns was great, as the singer burst into the Everly Brothers, now that will date a few of you and yes they were popular back in ..., however his rendition of "Ever Rusting Ruv" was cerainly not true to the original. The intentions were good.
I see on the news that President Obama has mortgaged the future of all of the USA to pay for 5 years of consumption that they couldn't afford then and can't afford to pay for now. It is a staggering turn of events. The US is broke, so they will print some money to pay off a dead horse, which will fuel inflation and that will make it all OK. Can't actually see how myself.
However whats this got to do with Thailand, a lot. Tourism must and will be affected. Who if they got a windfall tax refund would spend it on a holiday overseas ? So many of these "tourist destinations" will be very badly impacted. The unrest that is apparent already ( a Policeman was blown up in his car a few miles down the road from here). It will get worse. Trade will suffer. The world will be a very uneasy place for quite a while I fear. The fallout from this "bankers cock up" will be with us for a lot longer than the politicians expect. For my two bobs worth I would put the Banks into Liquidation. Sue the employees for the Bonus payments that any fool could see were unsustainable and let them feel the pain as well. However in a real world things are different. Just as morality has flown out the window so has accountability.
Pics to follow ( sorry)
nzl04

12 Feb still in Bangkok

There was a time when that would have been a plus, "stuck in Bangkok", but now, I am unsure. The happy Thai people are less happy. The tourist is not greeted warmly, but commercially, and the costs have gone up and the service has gone down. All in all its disappointing and "over-run" with tourists.

I felt Cambodia was where Thailand used to be. Happier people.

So I went to Angkor Wat. The getting there and back was a bit of an ordeal. A backpacker trip in a mini van really. The border crossing just silly. It seems there is a desire to make the crossing unpleasant, why I can not understand, it will not stop people.........but the roads in Cambodia were worse. They are having trouble creating a decent road, however once at Siam Reap (or wherever) where Angkor Wat is, the city is a vast array of some of the biggest Hotels I have seen in a small community, dozens of them. If there is any doubt that this is not the economic engine of Cambodia then forget it. Thousands of people and dozens of Hotels spending US dollars. The Cambodian currency is given as change.

What can one say about Angkor Wat. It has a world wide image. I went there to see if it had a "feel", and to see it. For me Matchupichu had no "feel" either. Great to look and and ponder mans inhumanity to man !

The place is in my perception a number of walled religous buildings. The area is about 1 km square. Inside a "Temple" and really small for external image of the place. There seemed to be little internal space, not the sort of place 500 monks could fit into so it left me with many unanswered questions really. No question the place is dramatic and the structures impressive even amazing, the delicate stone work and the images ....... Built around 1180 I believe, about the time of the crusades so it was an interesting time.

I took some pictures having gone there for sunrise and sunset so I hope I can capture some of the beauty of the place. The soul I am sorry I couldn't find or picture. I guess in short there was no sense that many people were actually here and doing things despite the size and beauty of the construction. I did really enjoy the forest that has taken over however. The trees are magnificent.

Pleased to have gone there however.

nzl04

Bangkok 7 February a bikers bitch.

I have been through the entry debacle.

Pic 1 is the manual handling at Nepal.......slide it and lift it courtesy of about 8 small Nepalese.

Pic 2 is the strip needed to change the water impeller. Take off all protection, pipes, covers, expaust pipe, considering that the water pump/impellor is the single most troblesome item on a Dakar having to spend an hour disassembling the bike to access it makes little sense. I have had water pump issues 4 times so far. 2 mechanical (BMW) failures, two mechanics failure.

I can still not get an answer from Thai Air as to my freight cost. Estimate $350 (US) actual $850 (us). I think I was robbed and I believe the freight forwarder Eagle Eyes has a pretty good business of tricking foreign riders. Come to Nepal for cheap freight to BKK ....yeah !

So then it was my turn at the Bangkok BMW dealer. The biggest dealer said "we might fit you in next week" so I went to the other guys.

Two days..........later I got out but at a fair price I reckon ! The main problem was my water leak. My mechanic ( with no English ) was sure it was the seals on the impeller shaft, and he was right. It seem there was a bad job done in the UK.

Then there was the matter of the tyre and tube I had carried 20,000k, the tyre fitted but the BMW dealer in the UK had supplied the wrong tube ! So the old one went back in.

If this depression puts BMW out of business great !

I have said often enough that the main problems with a BMW is BMW themselves. Incompetent is a word that springs to mind !

I went on theweb to get a GPS map. Garmin have a Thai map, but it is out of date apparantly and still costs $400, but the Southeast Asia Map which I need is only supplied from the US on an SD card. So if you want the map when you are in Asia hard luck. You can have it in the US however !

If there was a thing I really wanted from this depression that the US have put the world in, it would be that companies like Garmin (and Motorrad, BMW bike servicing) go out of business and let someone with a focus on customer service get into the market. They deliver a bad product, out of date before its released and there is no way you can actually talk to these people, or even email them !

BMW have turned their dealerships into "sales centres". You are a customer if you are buying something but if you want service you are a just bloody nuisance. Their bike design is "rubbish" as well. put water into the radiator I have to ;

Take off a luggage box at the rear of the bike

Take off a hatch cover, to release the seat,

Remove the seat,

Take off the indicator light ( at the front) 4 screws,

Undo 3 screws to take off the front left body part,

Then access the radiator cap.

Thats supposed to be good design for a touring bike, not a commuting bike, this is for rough road long distance where you may actually want to check the water. Its a bit like taking your clothes off to blow your nose.

They do not supply sufficient tools to repair a punture (or put water in the radiator). Or a centre stand which made oiling the chain difficult or fixing a puncture absurdly difficult (lie the bike down !). Anyone considering a new 800GS would be well advised to look at the cost of getting on the road before buying one to go touring ! Like, bike protection, racks for panniers, tools, I had to change, handle bars, suspension, fit centre stand, change panniers (plastic to metal) and those metal panniers are just plain dangerous to the legs in a slow/stationary fall. Touratach should acyually be sued for that design. The rubbish required that Touratech supply to make the 650 GS suitable for touring is just silly, including the hand protectors that break if the bike falls over.

Well that must be enough.

Its actually pleasant to be in Bangkok agian. I love the food and the calmness of this place.

nzl04

1 - 4 Feb now in Bangkok

Well I spent a day in the goods store at Kathmandu packing NZL04 into a large tea crate. That was pretty much a shambles but we got it done.
I had the pleasure of a walk through the"old town" where my packing mate advised me "white face in door price double" so any plans I had of assisting the Nepalese economy went west.
So I walked and watched the other white faced "donors" and eventually wandered back to the Hotel. There is little to do or see in Khatmandu ( for me). The mountains are the attraction and I can see why. They are special for sure.
So my last night in this part of the world. After a poor meal last night and a fair fuss, tonight at the insistence of the manager, I had the Nepal special, soup, main, desert, and it was great. even a Carlseberg.
So I made the airpot in time. It was very odd being in a confined space with so many people.
I no longer enjoy the "thrill" of flying.
I was collected at the Airport, for once I had booked ahead.
Being nearby it was easy to return to assemble the bike , which took most of the day. I would like to quickly run through the process as it was a circus.
Go to airport and, eventually, find Thai Cargo. Not many Thai understand "Thai Freight" it seems.
So I was dropped at a cafeteria. There a man wanted to take an order for tea and "talk" to me. Another tout however showed me to the actual Thai Freight office.
There I was told that I needed to go to Customs, next building up stairs.
At next building up stairs I was to go get two copies of "everything"....next building.
I found a lady with a copier in next building and got two copies of everything and returned.
I presented the two copies of everything and was told "we closed for lunch come back 1 hour"
So I went back to "next building where there was a cafeteria that worked on the coupon system.
I inspected the stalls and saw what I fancied, fish rice and greens.
I purchased the coupon and returned.
I ordered and was asked for 1 more coupon......so back I went for another coupon.
I returned received my meal and enjoyed a VERY spicy lunch. then waited.
About 45 minutes later I returned and sat andwaited. Soon I got my papers. And some directions.
First go to Customs and pay bill. That meant first going to "inward goods" showing my documents, receiving a bill and returning to the cashier to pay. Then having paid returning to Inward goods for the documents. So I did.
Then it was up 4 floors to security where I presented my documents and was presented with a bill. Pay at cashier down there, so I did. And I returned and received a pass to allow me into bond.
So I walked to Thai Freights huge shed. We walked down rows of dock gates until at one I spotted my tea chest. I was able to convince them that was mine so some young chap in the office grabbed my papers had them processed and we left, and so did he.
A supervisor wanted to know what I was doing, so I said as directly as I could papers taken, bike here, no tools......so we went for a walk to find the man with the hammer. This was after being assured by the freight forwarder in Kahtmandu there will be people there to help...yeah !!!
So I set to my tea chest, and out she slowly came. I called for help to get the bike on the centre stand as it had no front wheel. That accomplished it was "put her back together".
That took me a while.
Eventually it was done and the bike ran allways a good feeling when it starts.
Then my "man" with my documents came back with a customs man and said we go. No I said I go when I am ready and at that point he advised me that his services were 4000 bt.. The ensuing row had many parties arrive to "mediate".
So it was finally a ride down the goods dock to many shouts of encouragement ( this is the second of these Bond store rideouts) and they really do get quite excited by the bike.
A short ride to customs. Two young girls who had no idea of what a bike was so eventually I got the helper out of the way and we found the information they wanted.
Then it was my turn for a suprise, having insisted on having the Carnet, and copies of the carnet when it came time to process it they said we do not use Carnet.....
Last it was time to "pay" the man that I discovered was not an employee of Thai but a freelance hustler, so I paid 400 bt a whole lot more than I should have.
Customs were fine and I was out the gate. Found some fuel and after one very odd ride and being 100% lost took to the back streets and using the GPS as a guide actually found myself on the other side of the river from the Hotel. There was a footbridge and I was at the Hotel.
Today I rested !
Tomorrow I go in search of the BMW dealer. Typical BMW dealer reaction to a traveller. Come back next week we are very busy.
I have learned one thing about BMW worldwide, after the bike is sold they do not give a damn !
Thankfully however there are exceptions. The guys at Tunbridge Wells tried, failed but tried, but the BMW dealer in Hasselt in Belgium is the BEST BMW dealership in the world and I have seen a few. Head office in Munich is good but wouldn't you know it they do not carry stock. 1 item on display 1 in store and thats it. If you are the second buyer that week hard luck.
But I digress.
I am in Bangkok in the suburbs. Tomorrow its the city.
Soon I must fly south. Time is racing by.
nzl04

30 January Nepal and Khatmandu

Wow what a ride !

It started pretty rough as there was a strike. Some civil servants were being transferred and objected. So they stopped the traffic. Burning tyres, burning branches across the road and angry young men that were obviously not involved but representing the threat to world peace. Stupid young men.

These ones had sticks and as I was passing took a swipe at me hitting the top box.....

I was pleased to be away and soon into the foothills.

Again the advice on road conditions was more than a bit off whack ! It started well enough as I climbed into the foothills. A magic climb up the mountainside to 1930 metres, and a glimps of the mighty Himalayas.

Well then it got rough and I say really rough. The locals were managing it on their light bikes but for me it was a "handful".

I spent a whole lot of money going on an "adventure" ride labeled the pretentious name of the "World Tour". I had more adventure on this ride than the whole Goat riders debacle. What a ride. It had everything including a water crossing, steep ups and downs and a surface that ranged from stones, to dust and everything between.

It was just amazing and 24 hours later I am still feeling stretched muscles, and no I didn't bite the dirt but I inhaled plenty of dust !

Khatmandu was a shock. Its slums on the river and its full on commercialism. Hotel was good though. Internet, clean, and polite people ! Goodmorning can I help you sir ! Culture shock.

Hope I got some OK pics of the ride and the road. The shot with the bike has a background of road not a shingle slide !

nzl04

Before I go some rural images

nzl04

29 January Patna to Nepal

My last day. It has been rough and tough. The roads bloody terrible to fantastic, the countryside, I loved and the cities I hated. The attractions other than the Taj Mahal were frankly disappointing. The poverty and the dirt and the rudeness just plain unpleasant. As my Granny said politeness costs nothing. Perhaps they have the wrong Grannies ! They sure do have something wrong to live in such poverty and be so miserable.

However the last days ride included the dreadful and the wonderful.

Lets see what inages I can create that reflect the countryside.

Even getting across the border was a shambles. Immigration do not have lighting, so riding past is easy. Customs was a man in the street that stopped me and took me to an unlit office for processing the Carnet. I do not have a passport stamp I said. You do not need one, just go ! I objected but was told to move on.

I was sent back by Nepal to find the Immigration (Police) and get my stamp. Well there you go.

So you guessed it I was again loking for a Hotel in the dark. And I found one and the man was smiling and said welcome ! Aaah a new land !

nzl04

28 Jan Allahabad to Patna

I was up early to see the sun rise at the Sangam. No transport. Fortunately I decided against taking the bike.

The Pics are the tent town, well part of it, a small part of it !

The publicity says 80,000 people were there two days prior on Anniversary day. It that was 80,000 then I am astonished. I reckon there must have been more than half a million still there.

I rode into the "camp" and after a Kilometer was nowhere near the river so I headed back and looked for the bridge out of town. It was just bewildering how big this site was.

I frankly still have trouble believing the size of this riverside campsite. If it was a misprint and there were 800,000 then it would not suprise me.

I was heading for Veranasi where the sacred Ganges flows past the Gats, where Pilgrims wash and float their dead and so on. So as usual I rode right past the city and NOT A SIGN DID I SEE. So being the sacred being that I am I took this as a sign and kept on going.

I was fortunate because I had several hours of beautiful rural riding.

Then I paid. The usual truck jam at the usual rail crossing and 40k of horrible road in the dark to find a dump called a Hotel with rude staff. I think they practice rudeness. Every question is met with a blank expression. After repeating the same question often more loudly there comes the reponse which as far as I can tell is exactly what I had been saying. Then a type of communication takes place.

Now that I have left I can say frankly if there is not an anti white resentment alive and well in India then I am totally mislead. I have not in all my travels mixed with a more humourless, sourfaced, unhappy unhelpful, people. Their arrogance that they speak english and what ever I speak is not, is frankly bewildering.

So I stayed a night in Patna with increasing optimism that my India ordeal was nearly over. The truck is "broken down" and there it sits with the driver asleep in the shade beside it.

nzl04

27 Jan to Allahabad

What a hell of a day. I got the "dinkum oil" on the road to take......well of course when you get over the hill you just pick up speed so a was off and running and not realizing I was on the wrong road.

The pics, the "bridge" and party of the beauty of the paddy field. The rural area is great.
Sorry about my humour but I couldn't resist "port and sta'board"

Well I got the firsyt 25k right then I must have missed a turn. I had ridden the "bad" section I was warned of, and then came a really good road. The countryside was like nothing else. Magnificent. And you know what no traffic, I should have known better.

Soon the good road got a little narrower, then even narrower, and finnally pretty bad just before it petered out in a river bed.

That was a ooohh shit moment. Then I realised people were walking and not out so I carried on and there was a approach to a culvert through which the water was passing and suffient hard fill to ride over. So I did.

The far bank revealed a suprise, as there was a swing arm barrier manned by a bunch of kids. They asked for 30 rupee. I just sat there. After a while they were getting uneasy so I offered 10 rupees which was accepted and away I went.

The road improved as well. So that was good as I made the half way town. I was then back on the actual road.

So then in succession I got good bad, over a hill on good, bad, over another range of Indias version of the Swiss Alps, or what Yanks ( we need to call them something because American covers a continent) call twisties, then bad, then atrocious, then 10k of truck jam. They are a nightmare. Trucks all over the road. Often caused by a railway crossing that they close for up to 40 minutes at a time. So then the trucks line up on the left and cars and bikes line up on the right totally blocking the road. Yep you can see what happens when the barriers go up. Not much ! What a crazy business.

So again I arrived in the dark.

Allahabad is the point of confluence where the Ganges and the Yamuna and a mythical River the Saraswati meet at the "confluence" which are special to Hindu's and this one the most sacred, known as the Sangam.

So I was here to "see" that.

nzl04

Tigers

You thought I didn't get a picture I guess !

nzl04

26 January is Anniversary day in India

The small town of Tala no exception with a ceremony at the school of singing and dancing.

I was also interested in getting the washing done ( well it was Monday, washing day !).

Then the highlight a safari.

I should have had no greater expectation really but I did. After the pathetic performance in the other two parks this was supposed to be good, but when you put a youth in a jeep and let him loose on a closed road what do you expect. Yes a very erratic and rough ride. So we raced round in the trees, the only person having fun was the driver. We saw precious little wild life until the call went up Tiger ! and the race was on. 25 to 30 jeeps taking whatever path they could to find the tiger that had been seen. Soon there was a crush of jeeps reving, people talking phones ringing, cameras flaching as this Tiger ( they couldn't decide wether it was male of female which suprised me) strolled out of a creek bed, rolled in the grass and wandered back into the bush !

That was the show folks.

nzl04

25 January Jabalpur to Tala (Bandhavgarh Park)

I was pretty annoyed to find the grinning twit with the cover off the bike. The Hotel staff did what they allways do apologise and then nothing !

You will see how attractive and interesting the rural roads are.

The road was just a ride North. I did ask about the "other route" but was assured it was a bad road. They were wrong of course, I got the bad road.

It is easy to forget Indians do not travel. They have no concept of where they are on a map, and the next town may as well be in Pakistan for all the interest they have in it.

So I passed a cricket match, that was good, and then found the town. Finding the way out was more difficult because they have no signs and no idea of where the next town is or even its name ! So it was ride and hope.

It didn't take long for the road to deteriorate finally into no road really at all, just dust and stones loosly connected by random pieces of tar seal and potholes but that was after it got dark.

The evening light in the countryside was of course great. This place is really pretty in the evening off the main roads with people going about their lives.

I had other works to do to get the last 35k in the dark with vehicles with no lights, trucks tractors, bikes, carts, the usual, including trips off the road to avoid the oncoming monster as it loomed out of the dark.

I did find Tala. It is a "reserve" town including the Maharaja's now Hotel. He was the one that found and bred the white Tigers which he sold to Zoo's around the world. ( None in India I was told !) He didn't get to be Maharaja by mistake !

So my lodge was found and a price negotiated. And a great nights sleep. You actually have to pay a lot more to get a decent clean bed and a quiet sleep, but even then there are no guarantees.

nzl04

24 January Amvarati to Jabalpur

I am on a mission to make the miles. Its a long ride today and no matter who I ask I cannot get them to agree to a "secondary road". No wonder the main roads are so conjested. It will be about 420 k so I decide not to rebel and head to Ngapur. This would be the most European city I have seen so far. Street signs, curbing, paving, shops, trees without animals under them, some semblance of order and tidyness. Sadly I am just passing and as hard as it is to get round or through a city here I managed this one loosing only about half an hour backtracking.

Sorry I have the wrong pictures. These are typical scenes however. The way out of town is obvious by the road ! and the ladies are everywhere, in great colour, usually carrying something.

The road to Jabalpur is countryside but main road, so trucks, villages where the road disappears and reappears on the other side.

The evenings are a great time to ride with the setting sun and the colours but then it turns to black pretty quick and if a Hotel is not found by then ...problems, because they have no real signage. Anyway I got lucky after trying one place that said "park on street very safe" a journaist said he would take me to a place and he did.

After lengthy explanations and pleadings, "please do not touch the bike" I came down the net morning to find some grinning car park attendant with the cover off showing his mates "his" bike. His explanation, was he was cleaning it ! I really am getting to hate these lying little fukkers.

So another night another Hotel and no internet. Well done India.

nzl04