Practice makes perforations

I spent the weekend riding as a final prep-run on the bike. Whoever said "practice makes perfect" lied. I've burnt a hole through my panniers on the exhaust side (combination of cheap panniers and poor fitting on my part).

When I got home and emptied the pannier, I could smell cooking. It turned out to be my jeans.

Mental note: If you take the gas cannisters with you, put them in the left pannier, away from the exhaust.

Nic has agreed to use her industry sway and give me a sample of the wonderful Marmoleum that she sells (flooring). Since it has great fire qualities, carrying a piece of floor at the bottom of my pannier should hold things together for a couple of weeks on the road. I don't think the panniers will last the whole trip, but we'll give them a go.

I stayed the night at Wyke Down Farm surrounded by moo makers...

Whispering future

• Nic and I have handed over our UK passports to the Russian Embassy in the first of many visa battles in the trip.
• Someone has decided to take my room in the flat.
• I have handed in my resignation.

It is all go on the leaving front then... my room looks like a closing down sale.

I came to the UK with only a pack, and after ten years I will leave with just the same. I am not sure whether revelling in such underachievement is the right thing to do, but it feels fantastic. It is more poignant with the odd coincidence that the day we leave is exactly one decade since I arrived in the UK.

Ten years ago I came to the UK full of ignorance, happiness and hope. It is fabulous to know that ten years later I leave with Nic, still full of ignorance, happiness and hope.

Licensed to thrill

I've just passed my practical motorcycle tests after a week of intense riding with an instructor in the Direct Access course. Yay-o to the max.

We trained on GS500 bikes...


When I first got onto an open road on those things, I slammed back the throttle like I was on my bike and it leapt forward like a leopard chasing a kill. I had to clutch onto the handle bars to stay on the bike. I was grinning in my helmet the whole way. Fabulous.

The training and test were surprisingly tough.

So, now that I have a full motorcycle license, I can theoretically ride one of these...



However; since it isn't about the speed, but the slow wandering around the earth, I think I'll stick with my lovely bike...



Now that this mistake of not having a full motorcycle license has been fixed, Nic and I can concentrate on arranging the trans-mongolian and getting ready for the big trip together.