Updates from September, 2009

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  The Language Barrier

  Gen 23:43 on September 29, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: BT2009 (24), Communication (3), Language, Preparation (23)

  Since we are travelling through three countries each with their own language, finding phrase books has been one of our many “to-dos”. As my grandparents have a place down in Spain I have some limited knowledge of Spanish and after studying French for three years at school I also know a little bit of that, but if you ask me a question, will I understand? The likely answer would probably be no!

  We have pigeon cards for French and Spanish (small postcard sized guide cards with commonly used words) as well as a small phrase book for each too. It seems that Andorra’s official language is Catalan, but seeing as we’ll only be spending a day at most there we didn’t think it’d be worth bothering as it’s a Spanish dialect anyway. We thought it was best to just leave it at that; there’s probably not much point learning chunks of language when we’re not going to be doing that much talking anyway! We’ll let you know how we get on with communicating as we go… if we can figure out how to ask for Wi-Fi of course!

   

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  Where the hell are we?!

  Gary 23:54 on September 27, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: BT2009 (24), GPS, Maps, Preparation (23)

  It’s all very well saying “we’re not planning a route” and “we’re free to ride where we please” but we do need to know roughly where we are and where we’re heading else we would probably just end up going round in circles!

  We’re going to be primarily using paper maps for navigation, we are old school after all! After looking at lots of different maps in shops and spending hours researching which ones to get online I ended buying three A4 spiral-bound maps which turned out to be WAY too big for my tank bag… clearly my research skills are no better at home than they are at work. I decided to actually ask around to find out what other people would use for a trip like ours and we finally got hold of the right maps for us; the Michelin Reds. We’re taking the following paper maps with us:

  • Michelin red 713 – Great Britain & Ireland 2009.
  • Michelin red 721 -  France 2009.
  • Michelin red 734 – Spain & Portugal 2009.
  • The Best Rides Motorcycle Atlas France.

  To accompany these maps we’ve got a Garmin GPSMAP 60 CSx loaded up with Smellybiker’s Wanderlust Worldmap. Since we didn’t really want and haven’t made a route, we are taking the GPS not to help us navigate but to record track logs for us so we can see and show exactly where we’ve been when we get back. We are using the wanderlust maps which are full of useful waypoints like petrol stations and hotels etc. and just in-case we get in trouble these waypoints should at least get us heading in the right direction again.

  

  Garmin supplies a tool called MapSource to manage maps, waypoints, routes and track logs and as you can see from the screenshots the Wanderlust maps we’re using are not overly detailed so wouldn’t be much use for turn-by-turn navigation even if we wanted them to be. The zoomed-in map below shows that we will be able to get a nod in the right direction if we get desperate for fuel or a place to stay; it also shows that it literally is a nod and not much more. These screenshots show the full MapSource file we’re using for our trip; we only have 24 waypoints and no routes at all loaded onto the device, risky? Maybe.

  

  The general idea of our trip all along has been that we will take each day as it comes; we arrive somewhere in the evening and take a look at where we are using the maps and decide a rough route that we want to take. We will write down a list of rough directions and road names which will then be placed in my tank bag ready for us to follow the next day. I guess that’s about it, not overly exciting I know but it hopefully gives you a bit of insight into the level of thought we’re putting in when it comes to navigation and route planning; not a lot!

  I’ve always loved the idea of taking a trip without really having a plan, we’re going to be unrestricted and we are going to be free; we can go wherever we want, we’ve got nowhere we need to be or get to and that for me is what makes this trip an adventure… Only 5 days to go now and I can’t wait to get on the road!

   
• 

  My Equipment

  Gen 08:43 on September 21, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: BT2009 (24), Gear (3), Luggage (4), Preparation (23)

  You’ll see that my equipment list is very much the same as Gary’s minus… loads of stuff! There is very little I am carrying that he hasn’t got himself.

  

  Documentation

  Passport, full driving licence, E111 card, ferry tickets, bike insurance certificate, travel insurance certificate, V5 photocopy (vehicle ownership document), budget log sheet, mileage log sheet.

  Camping and sleeping

  Therm-A-Rest Prolite 3 mattress, Ayacucho Solar 300 3-season sleeping bag.

  Cooking

  Mug, bowl, knife, fork, spoon.

  Toiletries

  Giant Lifeventure Soft Fibre trek towel (pink), flannel, toothbrush, deodorant, cotton buds, aftersun skin lotion, sun tan spray (factor 25), tampons, floss, sun-proof lip salve, baby wipes.

  Clothing

  Nolan N103 N-Com crash helmet, Hein Gericke Journey Lady GTX (gore-tex) textile suit, motorcycle boots, 1x wicking t-shirt 2x Buffs, motorcycle gloves, high visibility jacket, Merrell Womens Siren Strap sandals, 8x knickers, 2x bras 5x socks, trousers, cropped trousers, 4x t-shirts,  swimming suit, micro-fleece, waterproof trousers, waterproof  jacket, jumper, pyjamas, Life is Good baseball cap.

  Miscellaneous

  Apple iPod, pens, A5 notebook, French and Spanish language phrasebooks, waterproof drysack, Midland BT-2 Bluetooth Motorcycle Intercom, Nokia phone, Nokia phone charger, magnetic foot stand, antacid tablets (Gaviscon).

  

  And there I am packing up my towel! One bag, a sleeping bag, a top box and a tank bag doesn’t seem like much for a 3 week holiday, but then again I guess I’m not packing for a normal holiday!

   
• 

  My Equipment

  Gary 20:24 on September 20, 2009 | 2 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: BT2009 (24), Gear (3), Luggage (4), Preparation (23)

  This weekend was spent working through our gear checklists getting everything ready and packed for the big adventure. The idea was to make sure that everything we wanted to take with us would actually fit on the bikes and pretty much get everything packed away ready to go. We know it might seem a bit early doing this two weeks in advance but we wanted to make sure that we had everything right and that if we came across any major problems we’d at least have a couple of weeks to get them ironed out. By the close of the weekend and after a fair few shopping trips I believe we’re pretty much ready with only a few small things left to buy, we’ve actually been quite productive!

  Over the last few months we have both been working on a checklist that contains the things we want to take, the things we own and the things we need to buy. We took these lists as a base, found and dumped everything on them in the middle of our rooms and started sorting all the gear out into the various luggage we have on our bikes. When I was packing my bike for my trip to Scafel earlier this year I pretty much just chucked everything in anywhere and I seemed to have very little room for manoeuvre not to mention not actually knowing where anything was! Taking this new approach I was actually shocked to see how well everything seemed to fit and how much space I actually had left over because of it, I guess there might be something to this planning malarkey after all…

  

  Below you’ll find a complete list of everything I’m taking on my bike.

  Documentation

  Passport, full driving licence, E111 card, ferry tickets, bike insurance certificate, travel insurance certificate, V5 photocopy (vehicle ownership document), budget log sheet, mileage log sheet.

  Camping and sleeping

  Coleman Avior X3 tent, Therm-A-Rest Prolite 3 mattress, Ayacucho Solar 300 3-season sleeping bag, Coleman Exponent stool, Silverpoint Extreme Pro LED torch, Black Diamond Apollo lantern.

  Cooking

  Coleman Sportster II Dual Fuel 533 camping stove, fuel syphon (home-made solution from Kev), tea towel, 2x pan scrubbers, 2x dishcloths, washing up liquid, 2x camping saucepans, mug, bowl, mini chopping board, serving strainer, wooden spoon, 2x lighters, box of matches, Swedish FireSteel, salt & pepper sachets, Swiss Army Knife, Spyderco Delica 4 FRN knife 2x Light My Fire Sporks.

  Toiletries

  Giant Lifeventure Soft Fibre trek towel, Lifeventure all-purpose soap, flannel, toothbrush, toothpaste, sun tan lotion, skin moisturiser, insect repellent, Vaseline, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, nail clippers, visor cleaning spray.

  First-aid Kit

  20 assorted plasters, hygienic cleansing wipes, 5cm wound pad, 10cm wound pad, Cetrimide cream (antiseptic), microporus plaster tape, 5cm x 4m conforming bandage, 7.5cm x 4m latex cohesive bandage, tweezers, scissors, safety pins, sewing kit, paracetamol, ibuprofen, 4x Steri-Strips, triangular bandage, bite cream.

  Navigation and Orientation

  Michelin red 713 – Great Britain & Ireland 2009, Michelin red 721 -  France 2009, Michelin red 734 – Spain & Portugal 2009, The Best Rides Motorcycle Atlas France, Garmin GPS Map 60 CSx, Powerlet Garmin charger, Smellybiker’s Wanderlust GPS Worldmap, compass.

  Clothing

  Nolan N103 N-Com crash helmet, leather riding jacket, Draggin’ Jeans (Kevlar), Alt-Berg Hogg All-Weather Original motorcycle boots, 1x wicking t-shirt 2x Buffs, motorcycle gloves, high visibility jacket, Merrell Chameleon II Kahuna sandals, 5x boxer shorts, 7x socks (yes, I have more socks than pants), 2x shorts, trousers, 4x t-shirts, short-sleeve shirt, swimming shorts, micro-fleece, waterproof trousers, North Face waterproof walking jacket.

  Bike Spares and Tools

  Puncture repair-kit, Ductape, chain lube, WD40, ROK Adjustable Motorcycle Stretch Straps, spare bungees and straps, spanners, sockets, wrench, allen keys, cross and flat-bladed screwdrivers, magnetic foot stand.

  Miscellaneous

  iPhone, iPhone charger, Powerlet iPhone charger cable, Apple iPod, Panasonic Lumix TZ7 camera, Panasonic Lumix charger, pens, A5 notebook, French, Spanish and Portuguese language phrasecards, 4x spare AA batteries, waterproof bags & drysacks, string, 2x universal plug adapters, Midland BT-2 Bluetooth Motorcycle Intercom.

  

  Right that’s everything going on my bike with me, I’ll get Gen to post her list soon and you’ll notice how much smaller it is and why she was quite happy for me to get the Strom!

   
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  A Room for Two?

  Gary 17:36 on September 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Accommodation, BT2009 (24), Preparation (23)

  I’ve never *really* travelled before, I’ve certainly never travelled in a single direction with no idea where I would be sleeping at the end of the day and on this trip we’re going to be doing it for 20 days straight. We’ll be waking up in the morning, riding our motorbikes for ~250 miles and then have to find somewhere to stay before getting up the following day and doing it all over again.

  There’s going to be a lot of “first times” for both of us on this trip and I think not knowing where we’ll be staying is (or at least was) probably the most daunting one for me; we’re going to be in a foreign country with no planned accommodation; what if we don’t find anywhere to stay? What if we don’t know how to ask for a room in their language? What if the owner turns out to be a crazy psychopath killer and chases us out in the middle of the night at gun point? Ok, that one might be a bit far-fetched but my point still stands; what if it all goes wrong and we don’t have anywhere to stay overnight?

  The closer we get to our departure date the less of an issue this is becoming for me, it sounds odd but I’m not really that scared anymore. I’ve been reading a lot more ride reports lately and people do this sort of trip all the time and much like my thought process when I went caving and crawled through the drainpipe; if other people can do it, why can’t we?

   
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  Documents

  Gen 00:33 on September 19, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: BT2009 (24), Documents, Preparation (23)

  I thought I’d let you know what documents we are planning on taking with us on our motorcycle trip; some of them are essential and some of them we are taking just in-case. We’re carrying all of our own documents separately on our own bikes in A5 zip lock folders but we are also taking a photocopy of each other’s documents in a different zip lock bag so IF something bad happens, we’re prepared! If anyone who happens to stumble across this is planning on riding through Europe on a motorbike for the first time hopefully our list will help; we weren’t too sure what we needed at first either…

  

  The yellow zip lock folder contains all of our own original documents (apart from the V5):

  • Passport – Pretty much a must have item at the docks in France I would imagine.
  • Full driving licence – Got to have one of these in-case the police feel like talking to you!
  • E111 card – If you get into an accident on EU soil, you need one of these to pay for it.
  • Ferry tickets – You’re not getting to France without these!
  • Bike insurance certificate – Illegal to ride without insurance, we’re both covered to ride in Europe by Carole Nash.
  • Travel insurance certificate – This is probably a good idea if you’re taking a lot of gear with you.
  • V5 photocopy (vehicle ownership document) – Don’t want to carry our actual V5s so we photocopied them.
  • Budget log sheet – This is just an empty grid so we can keep track of our spending on the trip.
  • Mileage log sheet – So we can keep track of our mileage and where we’re stopping so we can write about it later!

  The blue zip lock folder contains photocopies of everything in the other person’s yellow folder. The Sharpie is just so we look cool on the internet. I think we’ve got everything but if you think we’ve forgotten anything important that we might need for travelling in France, Andorra, Spain or Portugal… let us know!

   
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  Custom Avatars

  Gary 07:30 on September 16, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Website (3)

  Those of you who have signed up and are having problems changing your avatar, Wordpress uses a system called Gravatar to display avatars for people based on their email address. You simply need to go to the Gravatar website http://en.gravatar.com and signup there using the same email address you’re signed up to 99 Adventures with and then upload your avatar. Any Gravatar enabled sites you then sign up to from now using the same email address will use your new “Gravatar”. Hope that helps!