Back to Singapore...

Our last few months have been filled with food, wine and even an engagement, far less of a struggle compared to the earlier part of the year.  We are happy to have returned to Singapore in one piece, and after one more final delay our trusty vehicle has also made the journey home, by flight of course.  After a month in Greece, a month in Italy, a proposal in Lake Como, a few weeks in Germany and Austria with family and finally shopping for an engagement ring in Belgium we happily arrived in London completing our lengthy journey across the world.  Over 45,000km and 15 countries we are happy to be returning to the real world although I am sure this isn't our last BIG adventure.  Thank you for all the amazing support.

Crossing the Bosphorsus

So after 10 months on the road we finally crossed the Bosphorus at Istanbul, the ancient border between Asia and Europe. After weeks of delays in Eastern Turkey we were finally back on the road and ready to escape the heat and dust of the middle east and hit the sun and sand of the Mediterranean beaches. Cappadocia, Nemrut Dagi, Troy, Efesus, and Bodrum to name a few were fantastic places to explore with Istanbul being a grand finale to our Anatolian experience. Few cities in the world could hold a candle to the grandness of its Architectural and Historical legacy and we were definitely sad to be leaving when we packed the bike and headed west towards Greece.
After almost 20 land border crossings involving hours and hours of wrangling with corrupt officials and senseless bureaucratic red tape, it was great to cruise straight through the Greek customs/immigration without even having to stop! Taking a ferry straight to the islands from Kavala we chilled out for a few weeks in Paros, Naxos and Santorini before heading back to the mainland. Apart from regular upkeep oil changes, brake pads, air filters etc the bike hasn't had any major problems that couldn't be fixed on the road but I was still keen to get a full service in Athens as the last one was done in Singapore 35,000 km ago!  Only 15km away from the BMW service shop the read wheel bearing disintegrated chewing out the rear wheel and rendering the bike unrideable. It was almost ironic that after coming so far the bike managed to have a serious brake down so close to help...not that we were complaining..if this were to have happening in some of the other middle of nowhere places we had been through it could have spelled disaster!  After some TLC at BMW Athens we are ready to go and have been slowly making our way up to the Igomenista on the continental mainland checking out Mycenae, Olympia, The Delphic Oracle and Meteora before we take a ferry to Bari in Italy where we will be endeavoring to eat ourselves to death through cheese wine and all good things Italian!

We apologise that the link to make a donation on this site has not been working for quite some time.  Unfortunately I was not notified and completely unaware.  If you previously attempted to donate but failed you can now do so using the updated link.  All final donations are really appreciated, and thank you again for supporting our worthy cause!

Massive delay....

Today will officially be the beginning of our a third week in Van, Turkey.  A pleasant, small town located near Lake Van, Turkey's largest fresh water bowl with a surface area of 3755km2,  once the centre of the Armenian kingdom of Ararat from about 1000BC.  Pieces of history scattered around the lake can be explored offering glimpses of their ancient magnificence.  However one must use your imagination and even better have a decent map and guide as these sites can be a challenge to find.

Unfortunately for us, reasons for such a lengthy stay in Van has nothing to do with these historical locations.  After an aggressive six weeks riding through Central Asia the bike is in desperate need of repair with a failing rear suspension and both tyres are near being bald.  To continue on with the body weight of two persons plus our kit would basically be road kill.  You would think that organising postage service from the UK to Turkey would be a less than arduous task but after copious amounts of time and money it has be proven otherwise.  Our original package was officially declared missing after a two week wait, which we were fully refunded.  A second package was resent minus our replacement rear suspension due to being out of stock, followed by a third package carrying our rear suspension from an additional source now both using trusty DHL.  To our despair the second package is now being held in customs with no guarantee of release and the third package once again seems to be missing!

Alas, yesterday was a happy day!  Believe it or not the officially lost original package with all our required parts magically arrived.  Beer and wine for everyone!  Mention and gratitude to our hospitable hotel manager, Tettvic at the Hotel Garden Van is a must.  Thank you for your patience, exceptional breakfast everyday, a great night out plus all your assistance throughout our stay.

So finally, after a day of repairs and an early start we will continue on our adventure through Turkey and into Europe.  First stop being the town of Diyarbakir, a town immersed in Kurdish pride and crammed with history followed by a night under the stars in Numrut Dagi National Park as we attempt to use a newly purchased tent.  Unfortunately it is now a race against time due to the incompetence of the international post however there is no doubt that once we finally hit the delightful mediterranean coast line with all it has to offer our frustration will diminish.

Central Asia

So after leaving Bec in Tehran I had 900km of desert to get to Mashad, one of the Holiest cities of Islam. Not a distance I look forward to riding again in a single day again!

The big draw card for Muslims in Mashad is the  massive mausoleum complex of Haram-e Razavi in the centre of town. The pious make a pilgrimage at least once a lifetime in order to wrestle and clamor like wild animals a mosh pit to get close enough to touch the tomb of Iman Reza who was martyred in AD 818. Even the women, who are generally pretty reserved were ripping into each other in order to step up to pole position. Pure chaos!

Then there was the unreserved out poring of grief with people of both sexes literally bawling their eyes out as they held their hands palm upwards in supplication towards the tomb….remembering the poor Iman and his poisoned grapes and pomegranate juice. Definitely one of the stranger places ive been too.

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan visas in hand I headed for the border and the promise of a beer in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan really is an odd place. Calling itself a democracy it couldn’t be further from the truth, with a shocking human rights record, blanket govt control of the media and cops/army absolutely everywhere it doesn’t seem to be trying to hard to show that’s its not  a police state. The Capital Ashgabat has a  strange sense of sterility and the feeling that’s the Govt is trying a bit too hard to make the place into a utopian paradise, resulting in a feeling that everything is artificial and fake…a very soulless city.

TM has reserves of gas and oil in the Caspian and its from the receipts of these that the govt has built their white marble Disneyland. Apparently they are not big on proprietorship with the govt owning all the property, leasing it out at a nominal fee to the people. One guy told me that the average rent for an apt is about 10$ a month! 

Natural gas is free…so people don’t bother to turn off their burners, and petrol is heavily subsidized by the govt down to about 30 or 40 c a ltr. In order to keep their National stock of women, Turkmenistan girls cant marry outside of their country….another guy was telling me a story that one guy he knew was in love with a local girl so he went to plead with the govt to let them marry. Their response: he was deported out of the country and not allowed to return for 15 years and she had her passport revoked for 5 years. Probably not the answer they were looking for!

Next stop 550km to the north for me was Konye Ugrench an old Korezm capital that was raised to the ground by Ghengis Khan ( along with just about everything else in Central asia predating the 13^th C) but keeping a few of its ancient monuments. On the way to the UZ border anyway I was glad to didn’t detour too much as there aint much there. Plus it seems that the govt leaders decided to spend all there money in the capital seeming to forget about the rest of the country giving the place a real desolate wasteland feel. Barren and dusty desert in the centre and an air of depression and resignation that your country has forgotten you exist in the north mixed with far too much vodka make this a place easy to leave…

Eager to move on after much jumping up and down that I didn’t have a mech passport for the bike (whatever that may be) I left poor TM behind and crossed to Uzbekistan, making a beeline the famous Silk road city of Khiva. Chocked with ancient  monuments etc it’s a great place if you love History and architecture (which I do) and the same goes for the cities of Samarkand and Bukharra. The only problem with these places is that their packed with European pensioners on package tours! The last place I wld have imagined them to be. Maybe it was fellow countryman Marco Polo travels that inspired the bus loads of Italians to sally forth..but whatever the reason I was very glad to have the motorbike and the ability to get away from the epicenters of these toursist bonanzas.

After a few days in Khiva I headed north to a place known as Elliq-qala, or 50 fortresses. In the middle of the desert maybe 150km north of Khiva its dotted with the remnants of a very different time, when the climate was very different and the empire of Khorezm one of the strongest in the region. Very dilapidated ruins of several massive castles and a few settlements are all that remain, but the fact that they are well over 2000 years old is pretty impressive. The only problem with ruins that old however is because of the adobe mud bricks used for construction, they tend to almost melt away into the ground, requiring a lot of imagination to get a feel how glorious they would have been in their day.

Regardless getting the heavy boxes off the bike and screaming about these ruins in the middle of the desert and then hunkering down for the night in yurt was pretty cool and wont be forgotten soon.

So now after riding from one side of UZ to the other im sitting in the Capital Tashkent after being here for a whole week(!!) getting my Kyrgyzstan visa. Not a lot to see here but its damm good to be back in a western sytle city with all the mod cons, real coffee (not Nescafe) internet and decent bars/clubs. Im sucking it up while I can cause from tmrw its back to the bike and life on the road

We have been out of touch...

It is great to finally update our site with our latest video and let you know what's been happening.  We have been out of touch due to the Internet blockages in Iran, making it impossible to access certain bank accounts, FB (of course), even Blogger.  These incomprehensible differences between countries is a great reminder that even though we are all human beings of the same earth we are in fact world's apart.  This became even more apparent as we journeyed deeper into ancient Persia.

Being a woman, the daily frustration of the essential need to keep myself well covered was intolerable.  The Iranian Desert heat is no ideal environment to be covered from head to toe, what can I say, I am Aussie gal who is use to having fun in the sun.  Additionally, my right to speak freely and be treated as an equal is something I will never again take for granted.  It is rare for an Islamic man to shake the hand of a woman or even touch in gesture any other than his wife, and general conversations are very male dominated with a woman standing quietly on the side lines.  My initial need to have my say was soon diminished as downward glances put me in my place, allowing Aj to take his manly role.

As I look back on my time in this ancient land be assured that these irritations seem somewhat minimal when I evaluate the magnificence of this beautiful culture as a whole.  Our frequent, lengthy rides through the desolate Iranian desert allowed our imaginations to escape to a magical time when the exotic and extravagant ruled the sand. 

The breathtaking cities of Yazd, Shiraz and Isfahan filled with secret passageways, bazaars overflowing with gold, underground tea houses and the scent of sheesha seem to take you deeper into ancient Persia, the daily call to pray being a serenading hypnosis.

I have now left Aj while he takes an extremely aggressive loop through Central Asia following the old Silk Road route till returning to Tehran, Iran where we shall once again be reunited and continue our journey into Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and Europe.  Please watch our latest video that I had great trouble uploading, The Big Ride Part Two (Pakistan and Iran), just above.

Big Ride in central Iran

Dear readers of Becky and AJ's amazing journey!  I am Becky's mum Bianca, writing this post on her behalf as she is unable to do so.  They are now well into the centre of Iran!  Luckily we have been in touch by remote emails when and where she could connect BUT certain laws in Iran prevent them from accessing websites!  Quite interesting!  How different our lives can be from country to country!  In that part of the middle east the people do not enjoy the freedom of the "world wide web" that we so take for granted.

As her loving and protective mother I am happy to report that they are both safe and experiencing parts of the world that most of us can only dream of.   Sometimes a harsh and tough environment but they are determined to complete their goal.  I am so proud of their guts and motivation!  I will now enclose some of their very recent travels from an email Becky wrote me this morning!

"We have been riding mostly through desert, heading towards central Iran, currently staying in a place named Yazd, a very romantic desert town full of back streets, hidden bazaars and tasty delights.  Next stop will be the ancient city of Persepolis and Shiraz.  Interesting overnight stops so far have included a night in the desert out at the Kaluts, recorded as the hottest place in the world during summer followed by a night sleeping in a cave!  After riding through a sand wind storm, just terrible, we finally arrived in a village where the entire town lives in man made caves over 2000 years old.  We really felt like we were in the Flinstones... I kid you not!!  It was awesome!
The people are amazing and it is great to finally have a break from the constant police escorts experienced in Pakistan.  Persia is a magical place where gold is bountiful, the tea tasty and greetings extremely warm and friendly."

For everyone that knows my Bec, the thought of her sleeping in a DESERT and a CAVE in IRAN is just mind boggling!  How brave are they!
Becky will continue to update their Big Ride blog as soon as she is able and thanks everyone for their support and donations!  In the meantime I will keep you updated until she can!

Written by Bianca Urwin 29th March 2011

Our long journey to Quetta… (Part One)

I can’t believe it… (sigh)… we have finally arrived in Quetta.  Since our arrival a few days ago we have been indulging in modern luxuries such as hot shower, cable tv and other amenities with great appreciation and gratitude.  Since departing Islamabad, our days seem to be a continuous struggle, both long and exhausting.  Nevertheless, everyday greets us with the bizarre and unexpected, never to be forgotten.
 

The significant hospitality of the Islamic people is overwhelming.  During the past week we have been accommodated by locals, offered meals and given gifts.  Making our way down south we arrived in Bahalwalpur to rest for the night only to discover that every hotel in the entire town was at full occupancy due to a local festival.  As darkness shadowed I began to fret as Aj suggested we find shelter in a residential building site.  Some local boys at a wedding celebration took notice of our vehicle and started making conversation, we stressed our concerns and without hesitation they lead the way to some additional hotels that were also fully booked.  After much discussion in a language we couldn’t understand they insisted we spend the night with their friend’s family.   Initially hesitant but knowing we had no choice we accepted the offer.  A night was spent in their family home with approximately 15 members and staff.  The girls giggled as they showed me school photos, asked me questions about western fashion, played with my hair and offered me gifts.   After a good feed, a decent nights rest and finding space for my new bag full of bangles, we said goodbye to our newly found family, laughing as they all waved as we drove out the gates.  Hilarious. 

The very next day, we found ourselves lost as we attempted to find Derawa fort in the Cholistan Desert.   As aggravation once again began to fester, a local on a 70cc motorbike veered in our direction asking our destination while riding beside us.  We bellowed the location and after an enthusiastic signal in another direction we found ourselves sitting back as he lead the way.  Our afternoon was fun filled as we explored, rode camels and enjoyed chai all at our new found friend’s expense, of course we insisted otherwise but were adamantly refused.  Our day was completed with a feast at his rudimentary home with wife and five children, none of who spoke English.  We said our goodbyes and made our way to a nearby rest house that he once again insisted on paying for but to his despair was denied, and we would have slept moderately well if it hadn’t been for some very persistent and annoying mosquitoes. With an early start we were back on the road once again feeling astounded by this incredible Pakistani hospitality, such amazing generosity from people who are living in something the size of matchbox, with no hot running water, no normal kitchen facilities, no flushing toilet, walls that need painting from years of built filth and a mattress so hard that it also doubles as a dining table. 

 

Pakistan. A great holiday destination?

I would like to share with you an article written by Kauser Hassian a chief reporter for "World Problems" magazine and freelance writer.  For ten years he has worked with foreign correspondents allowing them access to restricted areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also works with Prince mahir Ullah Khan as part of the "World Welfare Organisation", a Peshawar based NGO.  

The truth is that Pakistan really is a great holiday destination. Be prepared for a warm-hearted welcome and expect the unexpected.  Pakistan is truly a place for adventurous travel. Although these days you will predominantly see Pakistan in the headlines because of security concerns it remains a favourite holiday spending spot to many discerning, intrepid travellers. Every year a large number of young travellers, mainly students and backpackers make their way to Pakistan because Pakistan fits the needs of adventurous souls. It has everything an adventurous traveller seeks... exotic markets, historic palaces, spectacular scenery and friendly people ready and willing to share their lives and culture. Pakistan encapsulates a great variety of attractions. From hidden bazaars in the narrow streets of Peshawar to the impressive Mughal architecture of Lahore that rivals the more well known Mughal monuments of India. The Northern areas of Pakistan, now called as Gilgit-Baltistan, are a favourite of foreign tourists, full of beautiful mountains, snowy peaks, lush green pastures and some of the longest ranges of glaciers in the world. This area is also a home to three great mountain ranges, (Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalaya), the great K2 mountain and the long Karakoram highway built by China and Pakistan in friendship.

Pakistan is such a diverse region, it was a crossroads of various religions and settlements long before the creation of the nation that exists today. Deep in the Hindu Kush mountains of North West Pakistan lies the remote and picturesque district of Chitral and the colourful Kalash valleys - home of Terich Mir, the 14th-highest peak in the world (25,550 ft), and of the legendary pagan tribe Kalash. The Kalash people live in three isolated valleys in the remote mountains of Hindu Kush range. The culture of Kalash people is unique and completely differs from other ethnic groups surrounding them. They are polytheists worshipping their ancestral gods and hold colourful religious festivals of music and dance where they drink wine and sacrifice animals. Their women wear black gowns, and headgear decked out with cowrie shells, buttons and crowned with large coloured feathers. The men wear Shalwar Kameez, the traditional Pakistani dress. Their origins are lost in the mists of time but are said to descend from the soldiers of Alexander the Great, stranded and established in foreign lands.

Don't let your imagination run wild and start thinking that coming to Pakistan will mean that you are stepping into a scene from James Bond or Die Hard. Bad things can happen to anyone anywhere in the world. There may be a higher risk than walking down the street in a Western city but just the other day I encountered an Australian traveller Mr Paul Roberts from Sydney, Australia wandering in the old city of Peshawar by himself and he didn't look terrified. He had been here for more than a week and he was enjoying himself - meeting locals and learning about the culture (green tea!!) I talked to him and to find out how he feels in Pakistan. This is Paul's Pakistan experience.

"Any local will tell you that the period since 9/11/01 has seen a dramatic drop in the number of tourists to Pakistan. This is a shame because the people of Pakistan are overwhelmingly some of the most welcoming and friendly people you will find anywhere on the planet. Despite battling decades of entrenched corruption and in more recent times the advent of militancy within its borders, the greatest asset of the country is undoubtedly its people. In particular Peshawar is a diamond in the rough. Located less than an hours drive from the passage to Afghanistan, the Khyber Pass. I found the inhabitants of the city most hospitable group of people I have experienced in any country in the world. As a relatively seasoned traveller I would strongly recommend any intrepid journeyman with an interest in cultural exchange visit Peshawar, the chances of getting caught up in a blast in the short time you are in Islamabad or Peshawar is very, very slim. You are much more likely to be hurt due to some of Pakistan’s erratic driving techniques. Peshawar is a beautiful city and welcoming to guests! Come and experience the amazing hospitality of the Pashtoon culture. I doubt you could walk around the city all day and not be invited for at least one cup of tea!"

Too cold...!

We have finally returned to Islamabad after a very hard few days on the bike venturing through the Swat Valley and down the Karakoram Highway.  I have no doubt that if it were a warmer season that my experience would have been more of a positive one, however due to my lack of enthusiasm for cold weather especially whilst a passenger on a motorbike,  I found it intolerable.  Hours were spent in a frozen, fearful lock as we slid through mud and slime thick roads that had previously been wiped out by the floods.  I can only imagine the incomprehensible force as a massive sheet of water made its way through the valley cleaning out everything in it's path.  I was pleased to see UNHCR emergency tents set up along the banks of the river where aid had been supplied to those who had barley anything left.

A night was spent in hell as we slept without power, hot water or heat in the world's worst hotel to finally hit the road again in a wind storm.  Due to the tight security of the region we were required to ride with a police escort for over 200km at only 40km hour... grrr.... this was a very long day, till we finally reached Islamabad.  A perfect night at the Marriott Hotel was much appreciated as we sat and feasted drinking ourselves silly, the hotel being one of the only drinking holes in the entire country we didn't hold back.

Please see my recent interview with Prince Mahir Ullah, Pakistani journalist and humanitarian worker, as we visit a Afghan Refugee Village now uploaded on this site. 

Amazing Pakistan...

We have come to the end of our first week in Pakistan.   Unexpectedly my fondness of this surreal land is only enhancing as we journey deeper.  Mohammad's Qur'an states that Muslims must be kind to all travellers, but this genuine warmth and incredible human spirit I am sure is more than any ancient teaching could bestow.  On only my second day of being in Lahore when we were still adjusting to our new found location, we strolled through the local bazaar and I clumsily tripped and stumbled forward regrettably tossing an entire street merchants display of sunglasses into the air.  Cheap, designer copies were splatted over the path in front of me and I instantly felt a moment of fear as I looked at Aj and he shamefully shook his head.  To my surprise in moments I was surrounded my locals offering me their gentle hands in support and kind smiles.  The merchant refused any money even as I scanned the scene and spotted glasses that had been shattered.  This was incredible to see and for my first time in Pakistan I was able to experience their beautiful human spirit, soon to be one of many.

Several days later we find ourselves in Peshawar, where we have been faced with busy streets and constant stares.  It would seem we are the only foreigners in the entire region and our presence appears to be appreciated. 

Today we went to our first Afghan Refugee Village with local journalist and humanitarian worker Prince Mahir Ullah Khan.  On the drive out of town we made a short stop at a sacred location named Phandu where a holy sufi saint lays to rest.  As we made our way through hundreds of randomly positioned graves covered with individually placed stones, we reached the centre mausoleum where he now sleeps.  It is believed by the locals that diseases including Hepatitis C and Jaundice can be magically cured in 3 weeks if they journey here to pray, completing their visit by placing a simple necklace purchased from the entrance on a nearby tree.  There were literally thousands.

Our time at the refugee village was well spent documenting and taking photos, we were once again overwhelmed with the warmth and kindness of these beautiful people.   A short film of the camp is currently being edited and will be on our site soon.  

Surprisingly sane Lahore

After being pumped with all the travel warnings and negative media coverage concerning Pakistan we were expecting to be riding into something half resembling a war zone. However the reality so far has been totally different. Coming from India where the streets are awash with cow shit and rubbish the first thing we noticed was how clean the roads were...makes us think this has something to do with beef being back on the menu! While there is a strong Police presence everywhere the place does not feel uptight or unsafe and people seem to be going about their daily lives as normal. Everyone is extremely friendly and always quick to shake your hand, but usually that is after we have told them we are NOT from America which is usually their first question. Im sure it would be different if I was, but I am Australian and very glad for it.  

This is Lahore however, which im told is the safest and most liberal city in all Pakistan. Im sure tomorrow when we head north through Islamabad to Peshawar we will get to see a different perspective on things, where in the tribal areas things are apparently a lot more volatile than here. We will have to go through numerous Police checkposts so im sure if things are too hairy they wont allow us through, if which case we will turn around and head down south towards Multan and Uch Sharif on our way to Quetta where we are picking up our Iranian visas along with a new set of TKC80 tyres being delivered post restante to the GPO(hopefully!!) 

Aj and Bec

It has been tough...

We have finally arrived in Amritsar, about 35km from the Wagah border where we will be crossing into Pakistan tomorrow around noon.  Yesterday was extremely tough.  We managed an aggressive 520km in 10 hours, no mean feat on India roads.  Our eyes are puffy and suffering from the constant exposure to dust and dirt that was almost blinding after such a long day on the bike.  We entered the chaotic town of Amristar, home of the Golden Temple, around 8pm in the evening, and were greeted with the normal mayhem of turban toting cyclist, cows blocking our path, dogs barking, children begging and the standard hysteria that our vehicle guarantees. Our trusty Lonely Planet guide ensured a safe place to stay, although to my disappointment and frustration the bathrooms rusting shower nozzle greeted me with only a sad dribble.  That was the end of the line for me after too much filth and exhaustion, and as the tears began to swell my beloved Aj came to the rescue, as he always does.  After a room upgrade and a satisfactory rinse, our heads hit the pillow.  Today has been a day or organising as we are in desperate need to replace the bike tyres as we are already burning through the rubber extremely fast after only a month.  Unfortunately Pakistan is not an ideal location to have any bike concerns.  Alas, we are unable to find any stock here in Amristar so to our despair we are most likely to have to order them directly from Singapore and have them flown into Lahore.  My next post will be once we cross the border and hit Lahore, Pakistan.  Wish us luck!  Please note that the GPS tracker will not be working till we are in Pakistan.

and onto Pakistan..

So we have had a great 3 months riding in India and Nepal so far. We started in Calcutta then went north through Sikkim, Nepal, Uttaranchal, and down to Delhi where we parked it for a month while we spent Xmas/NY in Europe. Since picking it up in early Jan we have been riding around Rajasthan and am heading north now from Jodhpur for the Indian/Pakistani border crossing at Wagah road, which we plan to cross on the 14/2.


Its been an awesome ride so far but am really keen to get into Pakistan and see what's really going on. Its hard to tell just where is safe to travel with so much crap published in the media but im sure we will have a lot more color once we get to Lahore and speak to the locals. Assuming the north is not too dangerous to travel we will head up to Islamabad then across to Peshawar and 'up the Khyber' (as long as its not being done to me!!) before heading south to Multan, Uch Sharif and down to the ruins of Moenjodaro before heading into Balochistan and its capital Quetta, where we will pick up our Iranian Visas before heading to the pak/Iran border at Taftan.


We have loads of great film and Photos that were gonna upload shortly and if ur keen you can also follow us using the Spot GPS tracker (see links). As great as India is things will be getting more more interesting from here!


AJ and Bec