The long road to Nha Trang

I caught the bus from Da Lat to Nha Trang, what a great experience. The road came down from the mountains and went through a number of construction sites, the driver often blowing his horn at bull dozers working on the sites and signalling them to get out of the way. We stopped a couple of times in the middle of nowhere so that the driver could check the fuel level with a stick (see pic). I saw the level at one bit, and it didn't look like there was much in, not to worry, we stopped at a petrol station where he put in ...............15 litres of diesel.

Da Lat - Next day

Came inland a bit today in order to find evidence of the 'American war' as its known over here. This led me to Da Lat in them theer hills, theres just nothing to see of the war so i went on a city tour, these are a few pics i took, once again once again, nothing much to see kid.

Cu Chi tunnels 27/09/09

I had a trip around Saigon today, went to the famous Cu Chiu tunnels and fired 10 rounds with an AK47. Heres a few pics of the tunnels and a bit of ordnance.

A passage to Vietnam

Anyone know a very good electrician?

I arrived here around 9pm local time, found a hotel for $15US a night, had a couple of bottles of beer from the mini bar and pushed some zzzz's out, the time difference having caught up with me.

Next day i went for a visit to 'Independence House', or whatever its called. I remember seeing on TV a few times the scene of the NVA tank crashing through the front gates, well, heres the building and heres the tank that did it, and some more random pics.

A passage to India

I have had the bike sorted, new tyres, chain + sprockets, oil + filter change, that'll be $853 please Mr Powell. The guy also adjusted the rear suspension a bit, the side stand wouldn't quite clear the ground when i put it down, meaning that the bike was very upright on the stand. It was inevitable what was going to happen so i had the suspension sorted. Another problem i have to contend with in India is the fact that the very young mechanic put on the chain 2 links short. This means the chain is too tight, with no means of slackening it off. I only noticed it when i took the bike to be boxed up, far too late in the day to be changing it.

The bike was boxed up, that'll be $220 please Mr Powell, and was taken to the shipping yard by a courier, that'll be $77 please Mr Powell, only trouble is the ship has been delayed by 4 days, tant pis mes amis, that'll be $1126 for the shipping please Mr Powell.

The boxing up process.
After i had got rid of the bike i set about getting out of Darwin, aka 'drunkards city'. I asked a travel agent about a visa for Vietnam, he say '4 days kid'. I found a way round it and got it in 2 hours. Although it was a stressful process, it enabled me to go to Vietnam.

18/09/09

The next morning I found the bike shop where I had a bit of post sent to and enquired to see when they could fit new tyres, chain and sprockets and change the engine oil and filter. I had to get the logistics right as I needed to know when/if I could get the bike air freighted to India, did it need to be crated, can anyone crate it? I then had to find the shipping company to ask the same questions, then had to find customs to see if they could stamp my carnet. It was all a complicated process, the only bloke in Darwin to crate bikes is off on holiday on Tuesday, the air freight man can't get a reply from one of the air lines, problems problems, but they will get sorted one way or another.

I also had a great idea, I am going to put an advert at the local marina to see if I can work my passage to India or through Indonesia, we’ll see Eddy.



People just seem to park their boats anywhere up ere kid.

The next day

Magnetic termite mounds, in the background mate.

My thoughts were now on the next leg. I decided that I would head for Darwin to try and get the shipping/freighting sorted. I had a stop off at the famous magnetic termite mounds, where I met Belinda and her husband. Belinda works in the office in Townsville where I used to work, small world. I also had a quick swim at Buley water hole.

On the approach to Darwin I stopped at a camp site to see how much it cost, $30, quite expensive. I carried on into the town centre to find a backpacker place, I found one in the town centre for $30 a night. I booked in had a few pints and went to bed.

Random pic

















Buley water hole, no crocs, sharks or jelly fish ere kid.

16/09/09

WWII airstrip

Hot and sunny yet again. I was expecting a short ride toady. I set off from Mataranka around 9am and headed for Katherine Gorge. After arriving at the gorge I had a look at where the action was at. The camp site looked unwelcoming and the canoe hire was expensive, so I decided to move on. A quick look at the map and I made the decision to ride up to Batchelor. Batchelor looked a bit like Katherine on the map, waterfalls, lagoons and boat hire.

On the way up I diverted to a place called Edith. I had to call in at this place as my grandma was called Edith. I stopped, had my tin of sardines and got back on the road. Every now and again I would come to a WWII site of interest, maybe an airstrip, camp, mill, hospital etc.

I eventually ended up at the place called Batchelor. A scruffy camp site with a pool was chosen and I pitched my tent. I got talking to Al Hildred and his wife, who were from just outside Brisbane. Al was taking his wife on a tour of Australia, she only has 6 months to live, lung cancer, non smoker. Al had seen my bike and wanted to know more about my trip. He even invited me to stay at his place if/when Ii/we return back to Oz. lights out at 9.45.

WWII mill

And the next

Very short run up to Mataranka today, about 200km. this is the home of the hot springs. I booked into the backpackers and went for a dip. This was a welcome relief from the constant sweat I was experiencing everyday from wearing my Frank Thomas riding gear. Met Ronan and Ann Marie yet again.

Today saw the return of the headache I had been experiencing, think it may be connected to not having a proper pillow when I sleep at night as the pain seems to be connected with my neck. Mr Frank Thomas makes exceedingly good motorcycle gear but his leggings just weren’t meant to be pillows.

Tomorrow I plan to ride up to Katherine. I don’t really want to go to this place as the name brings back bad memories, but I will go and see whats there anyway. The bike is running great, never misses a beat, but the gearbox continues to give me plenty of trouble. I checked the oil level today, it has not used a drop in just over 5000km. so, why am I carrying 1 litre of spare engine oil?

I also met 2 other bikers today, I last saw them in the middle of nowhere sometime last week. They just don’t want to talk to anyone. In psychological terms, I believe they are totally dependant on one another and won’t allow anyone to enter their little private world.
The bloke on the scooter. I found out today that the guy was the first guy to run from north to south Australia, and the first guy to run east to west Australia. This latest challenge for charity is to scooter from north to south Australia, straight down the middle, not bad for a bloke who is………..70, yep, 70.

Mataranka springs

And the next

Hot and sunny, again. Rode up to Daly Waters. The 570km seemed to go without any problems. I have decided to cruise at 90kmh, this gives 20km/l as well as racking up the miles more easily. I found the famous Daly Waters pub, paid my $5 and pitched my tent. The pub is well known for people hanging all sorts of things on the walls and ceilings. I stapled my fake Australian driving licence to the wall.

I got talking to an Irish couple, Ronan and Ann Marie. They were travelling around Oz in a bright yellow estate. This was the third time i had seen them, Australia may be big but it certainly is a small world. That was that, lights out kid.

Police cells at Daly Waters

The next day

Camping at Wycliffe Well

Hot and sunny again. I cleared off from Alice around 9.30, went for a quick look at the telegraph house and moved on. About 40km out of Alice i saw a guy on the other side of the road on a scooter, one of those things that you stand on with one leg and push with the other. He was as happy as Larry, whoever he is. He gave me a huge wave and went merrily on his way, no shirt, no water, nothing. One of my biggest regrets is that i didn't pull over and have a chat.

I did about 370km today, its really hard work riding in these conditions, constantly sweating and trying to do anything to make the ride interesting.I stopped at a camp site called Wycliffe Well. The place appears to have one of the highest incidences of UFO sightings in Australia. Pictures and stories from newspapers adorn the walls. One woman even reckons to see aliens every night, yeh. Had an early night, about 9pm as tomorrow is about 570km up the road to Daly Waters. The chain is now looking really worn, will it last mon ami?

I also met the Luddingtons from Nottingham, they were taking a year out to tour the world. http://luddsontour.travellerspoint.com/85/

The next day

Hot and sunny again. Woke up early and had a great idea. If i went to the rock before 8am, the wind may not have gotten up sufficiently to close the climb. I rushed about and got to the base of the climb around 7.45, closed again. I returned back to the resort, packed the tent and cleared off.

Once again, once again, the road was relentless and tiring. I stopped for fuel and lunch a couple of times before reaching my overnight stay in Alice Springs again, this time i booked in the local youth hostel.

I parked the bike up, did a bit of washing, had a shower and went to see what was special about the town called Alice. 'Nowt special ere' i thought, so ijust went to the local pub for a couple of drinks then went back to the hostel.

Even though i had a mattress and a pillow, i still had a rubbish nights sleep, but the headache seems to have eased a bit.

Year 45! 11/09/09

Hot and sunny, yet again. Today is my birthday so i decided to stay at the Ayers Rock resort for 2 nights, this would allow me to have a bit of a rest day, as well as visiting The Olgas and The Rock without my riding gear on.

I headed out with just my shorts and t shirt on, i know its not big and its not clever. It was a scorching hot day, even at 10am the temperature was well up, made worse by the wind blast. Someone told me later on that the temperature had been 36 degrees that particular day.

I got to the Olgas after about a 45 minute ride, parked the bike up and went for a walk up the gorge. The walk took about 30 minutes. The surface of the rocks were an amazing sight, masses of erosion caused by the sands of time.

After the Olgas i headed back for Uluru. I drove all the way round the base of the rock looking for where you can climb to the top. I couldn't find where to go so i gave up and went to the cultural centre, where i had pie and chips for dinner.

After lunch i found where the walk commenced. However, i was slightly disappointed to find that the walk was closed due to high winds.

Came back to the camp site where i had a dip in the pool, the headache once again causing me a problem. I then gave the bike a once over to check everything was ok but found the gps wire has cracked, which i taped up and shoved a couple of cable ties on for good measure, job's a good un.

Later on i went to the Pioneer bar and treated myself to a fish and chip supper, accompanied by a couple of pints, then came back to the tent at around 9.30, then good night Vienna.

The Olgas

The Rock

Day 6

Hot and sunny today. Left Alice around 9.30 after having a few words with the guy who was stuck in a time warp. He was convinced that the CIA, FBI, Interpol and MI5 were following him, even thought I was in the SAS, what a bizarre guy, Rae did warn me.

A relatively quiet run down to Stuarts Well, where I refueled and treat myself to a bottle of orange juice and a mars bar. After Stuarts Well another opportunity came to take an unsealed road to Kings Canyon. I turned onto the road, confident that the bike would manage ok.

However, 16km into the road the surface suddenly became much more uneven and corrugated. The alternative was to ride on the edge of the road on the bull dust or turn round. After a close escape I once again turned round. The poor bike just wouldn’t be able to cope with the constant shaking, not to mention my legs being able to take the impact when the inevitable happened.

After another couple of stops for some very expensive petrol, I reached Ayers Rock. I quickly pitched the tent and went to the observation post to look at the rock. The observation post gave a great view of the rock, it would do wouldn’t it? I took a photo of it around 4pm and then another just as the sun was going down.

Tomorrow is my birthday, what about that then kid?

Typical dirt road

Day 5

Quite a short day today, only about 350km. I decided to stop at Alice Springs to see what all the fuss was about. On the way to Alice I crossed over the Tropic of Capricorn. I found the ‘Stuart’ camp site and booked in.

Dave at the Tropic of Capricorn

I checked over the bike and lubricated the chain, no problems anywhere. I then made the spare chain 2 links longer, just in case the other one breaks, which it could.

After putting up my tent I went into Alice and updated the blog site. Returned to site, had my pot noodle, had a few tins of beer, had a bag of peanuts, sent a few texts, then lights out.

Day 4

Hot and sunny today. I left Camooweal about 9.30 after another awful nights sleep. Could be something to do with adapting to the outdoor life coupled with, well, being an awful sleeper anyway, whatever it is, its causing me a major headache.

The road from Camooweal to Barkly Homestead was much of the same, featureless, flat, barren, no bends for miles and miles on end. The bike seems to be performing well now I have shed a bit of weight, its now doing about 20-23 to the litre. This obviously greatly extends my range if I keep the cruising speed down to about 80ish, it also puts less strain on everything else.

The cheap chain continues to be troublesome, I have to constantly keep an eye on it by looking down at the floor and checking the shadow it makes as I am going along. It always seems to be bouncing around. Yesterday I altered it by another 2 notches and today I altered it by another one. I hope it lasts out, but if not I have a spare.

After refueling at Barkly I headed for a place called 3 ways. I think this stretch of the road was the straightest I have been on up to now. The first leg was about 50km without bends, then a couple of bends and then another 60km straight followed, how relentless. I checked the tyres at the same time as checking the chain. Indeed, they have started to ‘square off’ very nicely.
Another fuel stop at 3 ways then I was off again heading south towards Uluru (Ayers Rock).

‘Don’t stop at Tennant Creek’ John the bowler advised me before I set off. I reached Tennant Creek and carried on without stopping, ‘Thanks John’ I thought. Just after Tennant Creek I saw a sign for something or other, which was only 5km down a dirt road. Once again, once again, the unsealed road tempted me. I set off down the dirt corrugated road. It nearly shook the bike to bits, so again I reluctantly turned round, beaten again.

The run down to the camp site at Wanchope was more of the same relentless straight roads. A quick visit to ‘Devils Marbles’ was had before I reached the overnight stop at Wanchope Hotel. The hotel had a small camp site in the back garden. Seven dollars it cost, not bad considering it had very good showers and toilets.

A rest in the shade

Day 3

Overcast and cool today. After a poor nights sleep I set off around 8am. I wanted to get to Alice Springs by diverting via the unsealed roads from Boulia. After talking to a few locals, and the fact that the bike was heavily overladen, and the fact that it was only doing about 15-18 to the litre, and the fact that after off loading my spare 5 litre fuel can I only had a range of about 380km, and the fact that it was 460km to the nearest fuel stop, I decided against it. Although I was a little disappointed, I believe it was the correct decision. The bike just hadn’t been prepared adequately enough to take on such a trip along unsealed roads, c’est la vie mes amis.

After reaching the first fuel stop of the day at Dajarra, I was still itching to get onto the unsealed roads. From Dajarra I could have taken an unsealed road to Mt Isa, which was about 160km long. I asked the guy behind the counter what he thought.
‘Don’t go on there mate, the road is covered in bull dust’,
‘What’s bull dust?’ I asked,
‘Very fine powder that’s about 3” deep, worse than sand and it will have you off’.

I thanked him and we said our goodbyes. However, I couldn’t resist, I had to have a look at this ere bull dust. Now I have always found sand difficult to ride on but this stuff was really awful. I rode on the road for about 1km, then weighed up my chances of making it another 159km. the chances were against me reaching the end without breaking the bike, or my leg. With great reluctance I turned round and headed back to the main road.

Approaching Mt Isa, I, and a road train driver, got a fright. Just coming around one of the few bends in the road, I met a road train. I have learned from experience and advice just to pull over and wait until they pass. No time for that, the road train left just enough gap for me to slip down the side of hin, missing him by inches, sorry, millimeters. Played my ‘get out of jail free’ card for the day I thought. Below, a typical roadtrain.

After refueling at Mt Isa, I decided to press onto Camoowheal. Just as I came out of the garage, no drive and a nasty grating noise. Rolling to a stop at the side of the road, I went through what could have gone wrong. I instantly thought that it must have been the gearbox giving up, suspected the gearbox from the beginning. I put it in first gear and tried to set off gently, just a nasty grating noise. ‘It’s your chain mate’ a workman shouted. I got off the bike and saw the chain had slipped off the rear sprocket. ‘What a relief’ I thought. Within 5 minutes I had it sorted and adjusted, ‘No worries’, as they say around these parts.

The run to Camoowheal was fairly uneventful, except for hitting a massive bump in the road. I pulled up to give the bike a once over, no problems, just made the front wheel even more buckled that it already was. A bit further down the road a couple of bikers overtook me, they were heading to the west coast, it had taken them 30 years to get the trip sorted.

Day 2

Hot and sunny today. I set off from Winton about 09.30 and headed for Boulia, about 360km. with the way the bike is getting through fuel, this was going to need both of my spare fuel tins filling, about 15 litres. The bike seemed very heavy but manageable considering I also had 8 litres of water, which is quite heavy.

The road to Boulia was a single track affair for most of its length. Every now and again it would widen out to 2 lanes. A number of roadtrains passed in the opposite direction, the best way to deal with these is just to pull up and let them pass. Not many vehicles use this road, only about 20 cars passed in the opposite direction, with only a couple overtaking me.

About 170km from Winton I came across a roadhouse called Middleton, which was essentially in the middle of…………….nowhere! I was going to ask the guy behind the counter if he remembered the good old days before the ghost town but decided against it. A burger was ordered and eaten, then I refueled with my spare fuel and headed for Boulia. The lengths of the roads are just phenomenal, the roads just disappear into the heat haze. Not much sign of life either, a few dead kangaroos, lizards and an emu running about.

The weather is very hot without a cloud in the sky, this has the tendency to make you sweat like a kipper. When I take my riding gear off, my arms and legs are running with sweat. Its all good fun though, beats working for a living.









Random image of camping.

And he's off!

Here we go, set off from Townsville around 09.15 on the 5th September 2009. It was an unusual feeling, one that I have never had before, probably because I have never set off on a trip like this before.

This was the first time the bike had been loaded up like this. Coming out of Townsville, I started off cruising at around 80kmh. I experienced a bit of vibration, this was probably to do with the slime I put in the tyres, as well as the front wheel having a massive kink in it. When I ascertained that the bike felt ok, and nothing had fallen off, I increased the cruising speed to about 90kmh.

I pulled in at Charters Towers to refuel, I thought the bike had used a bit more petrol than normal but left it at that. Leaving Charters Towers I again cruised at around 80-90kmh. however, I got a bit of a fright when it went on to reserve at only 190km, usually it should do about 240km before it goes on to reserve. No problem me thinks, the reserve should get me to the next petrol station. Wrong! About 40km later I ran out of fuel. I have only ever ran out of petrol once in 29 years of motorbike riding, this was to be the second time. No problem, after a splash and dash with the spare fuel I had in my can, I was off again.

After filling up at Hughenden, I worked out that I had done about 15km to the litre. The weight of the luggage is really hitting the fuel economy. The run from Hughenden to Winton proved to be even worse fuel economy than the last tank full, going onto reserve after only 184 km. tomorrow sees a distance of 360km between fuel stations, should be very interesting indeed. Other than the fuel economy the bike ran really well, but the gearbox seems to be giving me a bit of a problem, feels really negative and clunky, will it last?

One of the bungy straps rubbed against the metal fuel can, needed to cut it and tie it back together, good as new kid.
Refuelling at Hughenden

Nearly kick off time!

Here is the bike in full touring attire, it looks pretty overloaded but its not that bad. However, i still have to fill up the 10 litre fuel container and the 5 litre container for the trip into the outback. I imagine that i will be able to get rid of the 10 litre can before departing from Darwin to Chennai, 'We'll see', as Eddy Brewit once said.
I have also had some injections/tablets to guard against a few nasties, these are;

Yellow fever = $115
Hep B = $100
Cholera = $98
Malaria =$10
Gloves = $60
Helmet = $100
2 X Dry sacks = $34

This is a picture of the family before they set off back to the UK on the plane on the 1st of September.









A trip on the good ship 'NILA' around Maggy island was also undertaken in order to say last goodbyes to Pat from Tazzy, note the 'For Sale' sign.

Me sailing the good ship 'Nila'

My son Lewis sailing the good ship 'Nila', with Gary and Alan hanging on for dear life on the stern.