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“Driveabout”; two month journey through Australia

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  Like most great ideas, mine come from nowhere.     But it takes vision to turn a great idea into action.     And thanks to my family, for not only feeding me the idea, but for turning this idea into action points.     I now find myself on yet another journey of self discovery.     Only this time, it’s one which complies with the Covid restrictions of no international travel, applying for permits for inter state travel, and hoping that the premiers of Western and South Australia don’t hear anyone sneeze in Sydney as both have been known to close their state border on less. Perhaps I should explain.    Over dinner last month, discussing with my family my frustrations of the delays with the work projects I was working towards, and a lack of any meaningful alternative, my family suggested that I fix up my Ford Ranger and drive and discover Australia.    Think “walkabout”, but add a 4X4 and Australia’s VAST outback, and we have a “driveabout”.   On investigating options to convert my Ford
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Tibetan Motorcycle Diaries; Reflections

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Before I begin, I’d like to thank you all for your continued support and shared enthusiasm for these past 12 days circumventing Tibet.   Your support was never lost on me.  So once again, a sincere thank you for your support. Soon after we finished the ride, I was asked how I felt about the whole Tibetan experience.  To be honest, I couldn’t even answer as I was totally overwhelmed with exhaustion; both physically as mentally.   After our 14.5 hour day, where over 4 of these hours we only covered 60 kms of mud, stones, rain, and two landslides, the fact that the ride was “finished” was overshadowed by this exhaustion.  Even now, two days after this finish, I still struggle to hold even a pen; let alone still walking with a wad of toilet paper in my hip pocket (a necessity while travelling through more remote areas in Tibet). Wanting to share my reflections of this journey, I’d like to break these down into three subsequent parts: political, cultural, and spiritual.  B
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Tibetan Motorcycle Diaries; days 8 through 11

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Day 8, Lhasa (3600 meters) to Shigatse (3800 meters), 370 kms By far this was the most picturesque ride since we started back in Kathmandu. Took the historic route through the royal entry into Lhasa, which is marked at the start of the valley at the foot of the mountain range. When I was a boy, one of my favourite books was “Lost Horizons”; a story of westerners fleeing revolutionary China on a doomed airplane which crashed in the Himalayas and stumble on Shangri-La (which means a remote beautiful imaginary place where life approaches perfection, or utopia).  The author’s description of the Himalayas was cemented from then; part reality, part dream.  Well today, this dream was realised as all the beauty the author spoke was seen first hand. Today we rode through two mountain passes, one was snow covered.  But each time we breach +4500 meters/15,000 feet, both the bike and I feel it. Hard to explain, but think of it as a headache from hyperventilating.  You have to remember that a
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Tibetan Motorcycle Diaries; Days 5 to 7

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Day 5, 280 km ride from Shigatse (3800 m altitude) to Lhasa (3600 m).   Today I have a Chinese license and am officially registered as a Chinese visitor.    Couldn’t get into Lhasa without one, given we’re driving motorcycles in (as opposed to a bus).    So if I ever get pulled over from now on, will show my Chinese drivers license and say “No hablo Ingles”.    :)) The drive to Lhasa had us crossing the Tibetan farmland; where we saw grains (mostly barley), watermelons, grapes, a small Tibetan stone fruit, and a Tibetan tear shaped yellow citrus.    And as always, we were greeted by the smile I’ve come to love about Tibet.   Throughout our ride we were approached by the locals who’d just stand around us, as though we were some unique animals at the zoo.    They’d stare at our Royal Enfield’s and smile at us.    With one these groups, I cheekily said, “And how YOU doin’?”      <crickets> It was noticeable once we
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Tibetan Motorcycle Diaries; Days 1 through 4

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Day 1; 170 Kms through national park and through the Nepalese Himalayas, finishing a short 10 kms outside of the Tibetan border.     Introduced to my motorcycle for the next 12 days, a Royal Enfield Himalayas, 500 cc.    An Enduro motorcycle.   The ride was magnificent, but it is truly sad to see that there is still so much work to be done following the devastating earthquake of 2014. What little money they have clearly wasn’t invested to rebuild the more scenic routes.    Which meant that much of the ride was more like motocross than road riding.   This would have been fine were it not for the torrential rain.     Aside from turning the roads into mud fields, exposing only huge base rock underneath, it similarly meant land slides and road collapsing.    And all while riding at high altitudes of the Himalayas.   One road collapse happened literally before we arrived, leaving only a one meter width path to get across.    One of the crazy Kiwis insanely road his 500cc bike a
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