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sv-wolf wrote:a huge pile of travel issues, like how to avoid American drones, local gunfire, bandits, ............swamps, etc.

REALLY???!! Gee, I didn't know you were coming to New Jersey!!!

LOL. I knew it would be safer to go East, JS. Thanks for that confirmation.

I’ve been investigating the health risks of travelling in Central Asia on the web, and here is my conclusion: I am definitely going to die. The opportunities offered in this region for being killed by any one of a million bugs, parasites, animals (and possibly people) seem exceptionally generous. Most of the bugs are unknown to me and have strangely effervescent names, but they each promise a florid array of symptoms to accompany me to my dramatic end. Many of them, the web informs me, I will contract as a result of an intimate exchange of bodily fluids with a stranger. (I had no idea that Central Asia would prove to be so exciting.)

I am currently considering my final words. I need to work on this. I can picture the scene now. My dying words will be heard, in the crisp mountain air, by a wrinkle-faced minder with twinkly eyes and high Asiatic cheekbones, while the shadow of a mighty snow-capped peak slants across the grassy slopes towards me in the setting sun.

Sigh!

I couldn’t have imagined a better way to go if I had thought of it myself.

sv-wolf wrote:I’ve been investigating the health risks of travelling in Central Asia on the web, and here is my conclusion: I am definitely going to die. The opportunities offered in this region for being killed by any one of a million bugs, parasites, animals (and possibly people) seem exceptionally generous. Most of the bugs are unknown to me and have strangely effervescent names, but they each promise a florid and elaborate array of symptoms to accompany me to my dramatic end. Many of them, the web informs me, I will contract as a result of an intimate exchange of bodily fluids with a stranger. (I had no idea that Central Asia would prove to be so exciting.)

I am currently considering my final words. I need to work on this. They will be received in the crisp mountain air – I picture it now - by a wrinkle-faced minder with twinkly eyes and high Asiatic cheekbones, while the shadow of a mighty snow-capped peak slants across the grassy slopes towards me in the setting sun.

Sigh!

I couldn’t have imagined a better way to go if I had thought of it myself.

Final words? On such a trip and adventure? Easy, just need two: Worth It!!!!!!!

LOL! Thanks. I like to think so, ceemes.

I have decided to be unremittingly positive about my plans from now on and suck happy juice even out of the most conventionally disastrous of situations. That's really why I'm going anyway. If I survive and the money holds out I may even end up in the States/Canada. I'm travelling east, and you guys are east of here as well as west. (No getting away from you.)

Talking about happy juice. I'm sitting here listening to Blue Nile. The best pop group ever: the only pop group ever to write music worth listening to over and over again. Sheer genius. They just make me happy. Happy! happy! happy! Super-happy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO1qB0_GsZ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0wkO0aTtec

sv-wolf wrote:


LOL! Thanks. I like to think so, ceemes.

I have decided to be unremittingly positive about my plans from now on and suck happy juice even out of the most disastrous of situations. That's really why I'm going anyway. If the money holds out I may even end up in the States/Canada. I'm travelling east, and you guys are east of here as well as west. (No getting away from you, is there?).

Talking about happy juice. I'm sitting here listening to Blue Nile. The best pop group ever: the only pop group ever to write music worth listening to over and over again. Sheer genius. They just make me happy. Happy! happy! happy! Super-happy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO1qB0_GsZ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0wkO0aTtec

If you make it to the Greater Vancouver region of BC, you will not be lacking in places to stay. I've comfy lazy boy type recliner that is perfect for kipping out on and I am sure Blues and Doc will make ya welcome.

Hi ceemes

Having spent the last week imagining my forthcoming life, camping out among mosquito-infested swamps, crossing endless freezing rivers and enduring all the weather that Asia can throw at me, your lazy-boy recliner sounds extremely inviting. You never know. I may make it that far. I certainly hope so. I met Mike and Andrea while they were over here. It would be great to meet the rest of you guys as well. Many thanks.

Take care

My laptop froze solid today, like an ice lolly in an Arctic blizzard. It was annoying but not entirely unexpected. Six weeks ago my anti-virus programme started quarantining about a dozen different Trojans a day, causing me to wonder whether I had offended anyone. The attack lasted for about a week. Then, two weeks ago, ad-ware began to appear all over my web pages, obliterating everything. Three days ago those web pages started crashing, and finally, this morning, nothing was working at all - except my facebook account, which was 100% fine. (Huh?)

Luckily, we have an independent, computer shop in the centre of Hitchin, owned and run by a couple of the most good-natured and helpful geeks you could hope to meet. Their prices are decent, too. While I was in the shop, arranging to have them clean up the hard drive for me, I noticed a reconditioned mini-laptop for sale, with a sturdy, rubberised case, perfect for rattling around inside a motorcycle pannier. It looks like it will bounce better than I do. It was soon paid for and in my rucksack - another item ticked off my travel list.

Trying to make sense of all the dozens of mods available for the DR and the dozens of different firms offering services has been no easy matter. By the end of November I'd contacted endless suppliers, put questions up on internet forums, read page after page of bumf and was still none the wiser. The more information I acquired, the more confused and uncertain I became. Eventually I decided to go with my gut feeling and see where it took me. Over the years, I'd seen the stand of a small company called Zen Overland at adventure bike shows. Several serious round-the-world riders had also recommended them to me. So, I gave them a call. There followed a long conversation with Gabriel, the owner. Gabriel was endlessly informative and not in the least bit pushy. I told him what I was planning to do; he gave me advice, and then offered to do some research for me and come back with a selection of options. Since then, we've agreed a price to custom-build a rack for the DR and provide a set of hard panniers. He is also going to reinforce the sub-frame for me, fit an Acerbis 25-litre tank and quote me for customised bash plate and engine guards. When I take into consideration shipping costs on a lot of the off-the-peg mods for the DR, his estimates work out a little more expensive, but only a little, and he guarantees a higher-spec job in each case. As people tell me he does damn good work, I have no reason to think otherwise. The only downside is that the company is based just outside Wells in Somerset, which is about 150 miles from where I live. Getting the bike down to him is an issue. At first, I'd thought of riding it down and getting a combination of bus and train back, but it will probably be cheaper to employ a courier. I'm currently trying to find one that will take the DR down there after the New Year.

Deciding on the right tank for the bike proved to be a particular headache. An Aussie company called Safaritanks produces the largest tank for the DR at 35 litres, and I was tempted to go for it. The more I read and thought about it, though, the less it looked like a good deal. It costs well over twice the price of the Acerbis, and the forums mention a number of problems. It has fuel-slosh issues under acceleration and braking; it's a bad fit for the DR, even though it is supposed to be designed for it; and it's a nightmare when it comes to maintenance. In the end I decided against it. Twenty-five litres would be more than sufficient for most of the trip. Only for a couple of short sections would I need to carry more - 30 litres max, I'm told - and a jerrycan tied onto to the back will sort that nicely. That's the theory, anyway! Until I do the trip, I'm dependent on best advice and guesswork.

The next thing on my list was to get my body back into shape after six years of office work and slobbing out. That meant signing up at a local gym - not an easy decision. I've joined gyms twice before and hated them on both occasions. The first was in Hitchin. It was unfriendly and stank of testosterone and steroids. The all-male conversation in the sauna was... well, unbelievable. The second, in Stevenage, had a frantic kind of air to it and was kitted out with speakers that blared Radio 2 at you all day long. I took out a six-month membership on that occasion. I barely lasted three weeks. The gym I joined recently, though, is different. It's friendly, laid back, and the sound system is muted. The staff are not pumped up, and they don't have power complexes. It's owned and run by the local authority. That makes it cheap for me because I can get an age concession. (God! it feels weird saying that!) And it is only fifteen minutes walk from my home. Having now done half-a-dozen two-hour sessions, I'm think I'm already turning into an addict. I'm remembering just how much I loved running when I was in my teens and twenties.

Next job on the list is to decide what camera to buy. (I might then be able to start putting up a few pics here again.)

This is a company I've dealt with. If they're not in their shop, they're out riding hard somewhere...

http://www.bestrestproducts.com

sv-wolf wrote:My laptop froze solid today, like an ice lolly in an Arctic blizzard. It wasn't unexpected, but it was annoying. Six weeks ago my anti-virus programme was quarantining about a dozen different Trojans a day, causing me to wonder whether I had offended anyone. The attack lasted for about a week. Then, two weeks ago, ad-ware began to appear everywhere on the web, obliterating everything and driving me to distraction. Three days ago web pages started crashing, and finally, this morning, nothing was working at all - except my facebook account, which was 100% fine. (Huh?)

Luckily, I know a great, independent, computer shop in the centre of Hitchin, owned and run by a couple of the most helpful and friendly geeks you could ever hope to meet. Their prices are decent, too. While I was there, arranging to have them clean up the hard drive for me, I noticed a reconditioned mini-laptop for sale, one with a sturdy, rubberised case, perfect for rattling around for months inside a motorcycle pannier. And if I drop it, it looks like it will bounce better than I do. I'd been looking out for something like this for several weeks, so it was soon in my rucksack - another purchase ticked off my list.

A couple of weeks ago, I contacted a company called Zen Overland which specialises in kitting out adventure bikes. I'd been trying for weeks to make sense of all the dozens of mods available for the DR and the dozens of different firms offering advice and services to the point where I'd almost lost the will to live. Finally, I decided they were the people I needed to contact. They weren't entirely unknown to me: I'd seen their stand several times at small motorcycle show and several serious round-the-world riders have recommended them to me over the years. A long talk on the phone with, Gabriel, the owner, convinced me that I'd made the right decision. He was informative and helpful, without being in the least bit pushy. I told him what I wanted; he gave me advice, and then offered to do some research for me and come back with a selection of options. As a result, we've agreed a price for him to custom-build a rack for the DR and provide a set of hard panniers. He is also going to reinforce the sub-frame for me, fit an Acerbis 25-litre tank and quote me for customised bash plate and engine guards. When I take into consideration shipping costs on a lot of the off-the-peg mods for the DR, his estimates hardly work out more expensive, and he guarantees a higher-spec job in each case. The only downside is that the company is based just outside Wells in Somerset, which is about 150 miles from where I live. I get a good feeling from this though, and their prices are good, so I'm going to get the bike couriered down to him early in the New Year.

Deciding on the right tank for the bike proved to be a particular headache. An Aussie company produce a 35-litre tank for the DR, and I was tempted for a while. The more I read and thought about it, though, the less like a good deal it sounded. It costs well over twice the price of the Acerbis, and the forums mention a number of problems. It has fuel-slosh issues under acceleration and braking; it's a bad fit for the bike, even though it is supposed to be designed for the DR; and its a nightmare when it comes to maintenance. In the end I decided against it. I wouldn't need it except for quite short sections of the trip and, when necessary I can always carry a few extra litres of fuel in a jerrycan.

The next thing on my list was to get my body back into a decent state of fitness after being weakened by six years of office work. That meant signing up at a local gym. It wasn't an easy decision. I've joined gyms twice before and hated them on both occasions. The first was unfriendly and stank of testosterone and steroids. The all-male conversation in the sauna was... well, unbelievable. The second seemed frantic and was kitted out with speakers that blared Radio 2 at you all day long. It drove me nuts, and I didn't stay. This gym, though, was a different experience altogether. It is owned and run by the local authority. That makes it cheap for me because I can get an age concession. (God! it feels weird saying that!) It's friendly, laid back, and Radio 2 is definitely optional (bring your own headphones). And it is only fifteen minutes walk from my home. Now, having done half-a-dozen two-hour sessions, I'm think I'm already turning into an addict. I'm remembering just how much I loved running when I was younger.

Next job on the list is to decide what camera to buy. (I might then be able to start putting up a few pics here again.)

Gym's.....I know what you mean.....belonged to a couple with the express idea of getting back into some sort of normal shape and ended up getting po'ed at the steroid boys and the anorexic beauty queens. Once when on a stationary bike trying to peddle off a full pizza pounds, I had one of those those anorexic beauty queens bend over from the waist in front of my neighbour a right steroid boy and begin lift weights as if she was trying to fly, guess she was showing off in front of steroid boy...got a good shot down her top and bugger me, if my moobs (man watermellons) weren't bigger and better shaped then hers.