Travel Blog
Kia Ora!
Welcome to the travel blog of Sarah and Robert. We are both currently in New Zealand, though in hectic preparations for a 9 month journey across 3 continents on a BMW R100GS PD...we hope you'll read the adventures as we prepare, (no doubt stress) and live the dream.
12 weeks to go
Date: 4 November 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
Reactions to our approaches and applications are slow, way too slow. We are running out of time and we still dont know what our final budget is gonna be. There are still some huge items on the list, like a new laptop, external hard drives, the new digital SLR’s, the new panniers and shock absorber for the bike. Not to mention the final check-up and possible repairs.
I think, we had been a bit timid, too reluctant to approach all these companies again after the brochures went out. Maybe because we were thinking that the brochures were persuasive enough, we waited too long.
Of course, now with the benefit of hindsight, we made a mistake and should have followed up with each of them much much earlier, by email, by phone. Our emails and brochures leave it open, what kind of support we were inviting, and we now know that people understood us to be asking for money, which was ironically the last thing we wanted. We have chosen the companies because of their products, which we would like to endorse and take with us on the trip. For some of them there is simply no alternative as they are among the best on the market, notably when it comes to bike equipment, like shock-absorbers and panniers.
So we decided to launch a second round of approaches to (new) potential sponsors, and this time, things worked much smoother. The nightly sessions in front of the computer became shorter and the co-operation with Anthony, the friendly copy-shop owner who has been doing all our printing, also became more and more routine. Dropping of the memory key in the morning, picking up the brochures in the evening. Then emails, posting, follow-up via phone, sometimes even by personal visit. Lets see what happens now.
Trivial problems have occurred on other fronts too. I need a new passport for the trip and processing time in Berlin is at least 8 weeks. Thats would have been (just) ok, but before I can apply for a new passport, I need to get my Returning Residents Visa organised. Processing time for that: 2 weeks. Then there was the question of a Denial of Citizenship confirmation for the German Authorities, confirming I am not a NZ citizen. Processing time: 4 weeks. Added up, I knew I wouldnt be able to get my new passport before we leave.
But again, as with many problems, things started to sort themselves out. The denial of citizenship wasnt necessary as I had been in and out of the country less than a year ago. I can get a temporary passport within days and can apply for it together with the final one. Even better, the final one can be forwarded to any German embassy around the world, so I can pick it up on the way. Now I only need to figure out what to do with the Iranian Visa, which needs to be stamped in the passport before we leave – but which passport?
October
Date: 25 October 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
The last four weeks were just a blur. So much has happened, so much stuff to do.
Our list of potential sponsors consisted of 13 companies and six motorcycle magazines, based in Germany, New Zealand and Australia. We decided early on that it was important for whoever we approached, to have our brochure in hard copy. After all, emails are easily deleted, put away in some folder and forgotten, whereas a nice, glossy brochure attracts attention and can also easily be passed around for discussion.
But we still needed to rely on email as our primary communication channel, so, after having researched (internet, phone calls) a contact person, the emails went out, brochure attached, advising that hard copy was posted too. Problems with the printer at the copy shop meant we also had to do all the brochures twice, ie one email version with, another for printing without our scanned signatures, to be signed by hand. A minor, but time consuming detail as ‘pdf-ing’ just one brochure, which has at least 1MB, had Sarah’s laptop working for 5 minutes at a time. Just to get all the emails ready, with double- checking spelling, grammar, attachments, took us hours and we spent days in a row working on the computer till way past midnight.
We also had to take time differences and distances into account. No point in emailing German companies when the brochures were still 10 days away. So these brochures went out, but the emails were scheduled for the week after, hopefully coinciding with the arrival of the brochure or a day or two early. Follow up with Germany was also only possible in the evening, with +12h time difference meaning we had to wait till at least 9;30pm to allow for people to arrive at their desks.
As with everything you have been working on for long and with great anticipation, you expect things to happen immediately after. But of course they dont because no one has been waiting for you. So reactions to emails and letters were slow, and the first ones to come back were rejections – nice ones, but still rejections.
One of them who immediately understood the potential of our trip and our thinking was POLO, one of Germany’s biggest motorcycle equipment stores. Within days we had a deal and they have now become our main sponsor and supporter – something of which we are very happy about and very proud of too.
The Australian Road Rider also came on board, and Peter "The bear"'s open and disarming approach made our decision easy to agree to exclusive publishing right for him for the duration of the trip. Interesting enough, despite phone calls and emails, none of the Kiwi motorcycle magazines has come back to us yet...
Besides all that, our normal lives continued, working from 9 to 5, commuting to and from work, gym, catching up with friends. I also spent quite some time selling Andre’s stuff and dissolving his household belongings. His car went to a friendly East-German carpenter, who was desperately looking for a van and happy to have finally found one. Packing his personal belongings, emptying and cleaning his room, was also very time consuming. So was the building of the crates for his XT500 and personal effects and getting it all ready for shipment. Without the help of James and Greg, two of Andre's close friends, I would have never managed. And without Norbert’s efficient expertise, I doubt the crates would have been done in time as well. But everything worked out, and just last week the freight company picked up the 300kg motorbike and 450kg (!) personal effects crate.
I got my last vaccinations and the bug too, slowing me down for half of the month. The parcel with the $300 worth of spare parts from Germany remains missing, so I had to order it all again. Contact with Stefan has become increasingly difficult as he is bogged down with work, so the website and the CMS remains a worry whether it will be finished on time. Plus we need the German translation fairly soon as POLO wants to hook up with our site and establish a link for their readers.
Dunno when I am supposed to do that. I have a feeling that more late nights are coming up;-/
September
Date: 30 September 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
End of September. Where are we now?
The site is ready to launch. Finally, eventually. The last weeks havent been easy for us, just waiting and waiting for Stefan to finish. As much as we understood that his new job demands most of his time, his initial time frame – end of July/beginning August – was way too optimistic. The dissapointment about that broken promise put also quite some strain on Sarah's and mine relationship.
But now the excitement is back and the last days have been busy getting the brochures ready, drafting and redrafting letters, checking and double – checking addresses and getting final changes in on the site. Even with such a long time before to prepare for this point, there are always things happening at the last moment. After finding the right copy shop (which took another day of research and asking for quotes) and getting ready to print, it turns out that the printer at the shop has a problem with our PDF's and prints lines where there arent supposed to be any. The guy at the shop had no explanation, and Sarah couldnt fix it either. As the lines appear around our scanned signatures, we have now decided to take them out and sign every brochure by hand.
Getting contact persons for our potential sponsors overseas also took time. Lines were busy, people or email addresses not available. We have to work with what we have got now and hope that we reach the right person at a right time.
Out of all times, the parcel from Germany with the ordered spare parts to finish the bike, is also delayed. Normally it takes 8 - 10 days from Germany to New Zealand, but not this time. It should have arrived last Friday and I had hoped to finish working on the bike on the weekend. That went through the roof again, now I have to wait for another week to do it. Mist.
We've got the first proper maps covering Middle East and India and now also a first idea of the distances to cover. Whereas Iran and Pakistan look fairly easy to get through as there are only a couple of major roads, India will be mind boggling. Its such a vast country and by the time we arrive, it will be so hot that driving during daytime will be almost impossible.
Vaccinations continue on a fortnightly basis and we soon have to book flights, storage and transport.
I talked to one of my old friends Bulli last night on the phone and gave him an update. He laughed when I told him about crossing Pakistan and Iran and suggested that he should record me saying that "Pakistan might be a bit tricky." And that when we are trying to get into Myanmar, he will be out hiking in the Swiss Alpes.
Talking about putting things into perspective.
August
Date: 2 August 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
Stefan has been running into problems with the site, so the old timetable is out of the window. The letters are typed, the brochures compiled, the potential sponsor contacts listed. Everything is ready for launch and we still have to postpone and postpone again. Its demoralising to say the least.
There are problems on other fronts too. The vaccinations are getting far more expensive than initially expected, with the main reason being the vaccination for/ against Japanese Encepahilitis. A sickness so rare that the chance of getting it is around 0.5% But its also one which is quite common in the areas we are going to travel through. And its also one which, once contracted, only leaves you with a 50% chance of survival. So what to do? Run the risk and save $400? Other question: is your health worth $400?
Then there is the problem with the Carnet. A Carnet works like a passport for your vehicle and let you get in and out of a foreign country without having to pay import taxes. Its issued by your local automobile association which, in case something goes wrong, ie the vehicle doesnt leave the country, vouches for and will cover all expenses/taxes.
Unfortunately, the New Zealand AA has made some bad experiences and requires a bank deposit up to 500% of the value of the vehicle. Plus the fee for the Carnet. In our case, because we are travelling through Pakistan and Iran, we are in the highest bracket and would need to deposit $28000. Which we dont have.
Getting into China also seems to be almost impossible. According to the Chinese Embassy, an invitation and the itineary from your tour operator is required for the processing of a tourist visa. So thats out. We found a travel agency in China who agreed to organise us a visa, in conjunction with a organised tour. For the modest amount of USD 23000.
Well, as Stefan put it: if it were that easy, anyone could do it.
Some Light
Date: 28 June 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
Stefan is an old friend.
We've known each other since our first study days when we shared a dreadful, run-down basement together. The landlord was a crazy old bitch, who had lost her marbles a long time ago. She also had two degenerated poodles, who, almost like their mistress, were yelping and humping each other all day. There was no heating, no shower and we had ice on the inside of our windows in winter. Achja, and it was expensive too, but we were first semester rookies, so it worked fine.
Stefan studied something for Magister, I could never work out what exactly, and I studied law. I drove a big second hand Mercedes 200D, he had an old bicycle. My TV was bigger than his, but he always had his room full with girls. I went to lectures and kept records of my notes. He was always at another party and needed the weekends to cure his hangover. We were as different as one could ever be. What more can you ask for to become friends?
For some reason, we never got out of touch. He went to Hamburg and worked for this hotshot multimedia agency, I started working as inhouse legal counsel. I then went to New Zealand and he to Namibia. Emails kept us in contact. And now he is back in Hamburg, looking for a job, knows our predicament and is prepared to step in and do our site.
Something which started in a basement in Goettingen almost 17 years ago seems to come full circle here.
Life is funny sometimes.
End of June
Date: 25 June 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
Things have been idle over the last couple of weeks. Literally. Haven't had time to do anything much. Not much to do either. The letters are ready, the lists compiled, the equipment selected, vaccinations sorted. Whats missing is the site. Still.
Shit, I wished I would understand more of all that website design stuff.
End of May
Date: 28 May 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
The second draft is in and this time it looks much much better. Still not exactly what we wanted, but very close. And very representable. There are still some bugs, of course, and most of the pictures are not available yet, but thats minor stuff which can be sorted later. At least we have a plattform we can work from. Even Sarah is quite optimistic, which makes me feel better too as she will be managing most, if not all, of the updating and uploading.
Did some extensive research on visa requirements too. Fortunately, most of the countries we are going through allow visas on arrival, meaning we can arrive at the border and will be (hopefully) granted a transit visa on the spot. Myanmar, though, still remains a headache. The only way of entering is on foot and/or with an organised tour.
It's not that we are especially keen on visiting it – the problem lies in the fact that Myanmar is on our way to India. And the only way around it is going through China, which, according to contradicting information on the net, is a) impossible or b) hugely expensive.
Well, no one said its gonna be easy, right?
25th May
Date: 25 May 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
The designers have come back to us. Apparently stage one of the site is ready and can be reviewed any time now. Unfortunately, Sarah is about to leave for her last holiday to Myanmar before leaving Thailand for good. That means she wont be able to check the work for at least another week, rather 10 days. The deposit is due, though, but we will probably wait with the payment till we have seen that the design is what we wanted.
Now with the first expenditure coming up, the trip has suddenly become real – its not just an idea, a dream anymore, it has become a thing of its own. A project with us as the main participants. Although I have only told a few people and friends about what we are up too, the topic comes up more and more often, even in normal, casual discussions. Its not only us doing it, its also the others expecting us to do it.
Not that I want to go back by any means. Its just that we have already reached a point where we can't backpaddle anymore, even if we wanted to.
Gulp.
1st April
Date: 1 April 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Anxious
The weeks are passing by so quickly. Too quickly. The decision to go is one thing – its actual implementation a completely different one.
So many things are to be considered and every step gets you deeper into the details till your head starts spinning. Its like zooming into an area from outer space with Google-Earth. You start with the big picture, going overland from SE-Asia to Germany. Then you look at how many countries are involved. What is a good route? Do you need visas? Can you cross on a bike at all? What vaccinations? Where to best ship the bike? Which freight company? Where and how to store our stuff, ie household things? What equipment do we need? How to pack it? Digital cameras, laptop etc are quite sensitive. Is there enough space for two on the bike anyway? And when shall we find the time to read something ABOUT the countries we are going to?
Christ.
The good thing is, I know that things will work out over time. You just have to start somewhere and dig yourself into it. Step by step things will fall into place, although it looks like there is always another detail more to consider. The problem is, there is never enough time to do all the things you wanted to do prior to departure. It is always going to be hectic in the end, you never finish. You just finish what you really need to do, the essentials, and when you are finally on your way, on the plane, then theres time enough to be nervous or anxious. There isn't, won't be any time beforehand, theres simply so much to do.
The Beginning
Date: 7 January 2007 | Posted by: Robert | Mood: Stressed
Maybe it all started in that little chinese restaurant on Lambton Quay. Maybe it all started when I decided to go to New Zealand to do my Masters. Or maybe it all started in Africa when I first experienced what it means to be free – to be on the road with no fixed destination in front of you and the knowledge that you have time. Time to stay for a day. Or a month. Time to think, time to ride, time to take you places you have never been before.
I only wanted to travel for half a year, having read too many travel stories in motorcycles magazines, wanted and needed a change after my studies. Six months became a year and since then it has always taken me back, on the road, on the bike, going places. I thought I had lost my travel bug in Africa, but boy, I had been so wrong.
And when I had finished my studies and my time was up, it was only natural to think about driving back from New Zealand to Germany. Wouldnt that be a nice touch to such a year abroad? Shipping the bike to India and following the old silk route back home, through the middle East. When I told Sarah about it over lunch in that cheap restaurant with the good food, the only thing she said, was: "So, why have I bought a plane ticket to Germany then?"
It was a wondersome, beautiful thing to say and I have never forgotten it. It so much captured everything about her and our relationship that it stuck with me. We didnt do the trip then for many reasons, but its idea survived. So much has happened since and in a way we are back in that restaurant with no idea whether it will work out and what will happen to us.
It might be crazy, it might fail, we might fail. But there is no turning back now, we have to go or it will be another dream dreamed in vain. The bike has gotten older, but essentially it's still the same, just with more scratches and dents – just like us.
And ready to go wherever the road might lead us.
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