OH MY GOD IT'S NEARLY FEBRUARY

There's just one week of January left! Having been going so slowly for so long time has speeded up to such an extent I worry we won't be ready to leave on April 11th. Ridiculous really but sometimes its difficult to control how I feel. February is such a short month and then March will be upon us and that's it really, we'll be leaving before we can blink. I haven't read many blogs that recount these kind of pre-match feelings but for me it's important to explain that as fortunate as I feel to be able to be taking this trip, as excited as I feel about cycling to the other side of the world, it's also quite scary all be it in a good way.

We have a list - it's quite a long list and it was written a while ago. All the things we need to get sorted and buy before we leave. It should be getting shorter but it seems actually to be getting longer which is quite worrying. We have begun dealing with many things on the list but don't feel we can cross them off until each task is completed. So I think I am going to write a few down here to make me feel better. We have organised a new bank account that doesn't charge for drawing money out abroad; we have started our inoculations (unfortunately realised that one of the jabs we need will need a booster in 5 months time which means we will need to be able to explain in Italian what we want - ho hum all part of the experience; I have a feeling that phrase might become my mantra for when things don't quite go according to plan); we have purchased our rack packs, folding bowl, road morph pump; we have signed up to flickr and face book; we are now signed up to Couch Surfing and Warm Showers - something I will write about in more depth later but which in brief makes me reassured that not the whole world is as messed up as I sometimes think and a reflection of how the world could and should be (sorry if I sound like a priest giving his Sunday sermon but it's how I feel at the moment); I have booked my leave so I can finish work even earlier, nearly three weeks before the ferry leaves which is reassuring.

Even though we do have most things under control I still feel moments of sheer panic, deep and empty pits in my stomach. I have even begun to have night time imaginings (not technically dreams or nightmares because it's normally when my mind begins to wurr before falling asleep) about being disturbed or attacked while wild camping. As a result I've begun to look up camp sites in Northern Spain and the South of France even though I know we can't afford to camp every night - especially when considering the state of the pound at the moment. Not sure if a psychologist would approve but as a way of keeping everything in perspective I am going to list top five things I am most looking forward to and the top five things I most fear.

TOP 5 GOOD THINGS (no particular order):

* Waking and sleeping with the sun.
* Seeing so many different parts of the world.
* Carrying everything we need with us (I am quite a hoarder back home)
* The people we will meet
* Slower pace of life

(There are many more I know but don't want an endless list)

TOP 5 FEAR FACTORS:

* Leaving the dogs
* Wild camping
* Getting hurt, attacked etc
* Getting bitten by a dog or snake or some other unpleasant
* Coping when we are ill, down or fed up.

You see just writing them down makes me feel better and seeing them in written form makes we feel like I'm actually a bit of a wuss. Leaving the dogs will be especially hard - Megan in particular as she is nearly 12 and there's a realistic chance I won't see her again. She is such a stoic little dog and I am sure once we are gone will be perfectly happy so I am in fact worrying about how I will feel rather than her well being but the thought of that last hug goodbye already wells me up.

Now I wrote earlier that I wasn't going to write a list of things we are taking but I have now changed my mind. We have learned so much from other people's experiences it seems unfair not to share ours fully. So next time I will post of equipment lists - obviously you can skip them if you find them boring or unhelpful. Also I appreciate there aren't many photos yet - obviously we haven't left yet but I think I may at least post some photos of our bikes - by then we may even have given them names.

INTRODUCTION

I can’t really remember exactly how we decided to cycle to Singapore. No doubt Bridget can remember in exact detail but for me it’s all a bit blurry. I think the seeds were perhaps sewn at the time of our planned investment in a (vet) practice in Manchester and the hoped for purchase of a very big and scarily expensive house to match. This planned new lifestyle was genuine and well intended – but was with hindsight clearly not meant to be. It came and went but was a necessary part of the journey. It was I think an early indication that we had itchy feet, that we were ready and prepared for a big change in our lives. We just happened to be looking in the wrong direction.

And then came Nepal. I had a second chance for a job with the World Service Trust – a fantastic opportunity to produce a radio programme linked to the up and coming constitutional elections. It’s not often you get a second chance for something so special and worthwhile and I think I convinced myself it was meant to be. Of course it was not. I was deeply disappointed having dreamed a life in Kathmandu and pictured myself living and working there. But it was the punch on the arm I needed. It gets blurry here. I do remember casually asking Bridget if I should ask my boss for a career break. I can’t remember when and can’t remember how long it took me. I remember the asking and being really, scarily, surprised how long it took him to say “no problem”. (I won’t go into all the self doubt stuff about why was he prepared to get rid of me without so much of a “I’ll think about it”) I also remember Bridget being extremely surprised when I told her. She hadn’t, I think, taken my suggestion seriously nor expected me to act on my own suggestion.

So we had our career break but we hadn’t decided what we were going to do. So how did we end up deciding to cycle to Singapore? Initially we decided to launch our travels from China. I was lucky enough to be working at the Paralympics and we thought we might stay out there. At this point in the decision making process we were being influenced by the fact that we had sold our house and could quite easily send everything into storage and not worry about money. It seems obvious now we would never have been ready in time and we would have made a huge mistake had we tried to rush everything. We may not have thought so at the time but when the sale of the house fell through it was really a blessing in disguise. It forced us to slow down, take stock and chose more carefully what we wanted to do. Again if you want to know the details of how we decided to cycle you’ll have see the footnote by Bridget.(1) My memory tells me I asked Bridget in a throw away manner and she was so excited that it became impossible to take the suggestion back. I am sure that is an abbreviated version and at best vague if not down right untrue. But at some point we made a decision to cycle around the world and from then on it became extremely exciting. We suddenly had a huge number of decisions to make. The route, the bikes, what to take, what to do with the dogs and the house, what tent to buy etc etc

(1) The decision to cycle evolved from a round the world trip that included cycling through south east asia (something Tim and I have always wanted to do and bought the lonely planet guide for). Initially the plan was to get a couple of bikes and make our way from China down to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos

THE ROUTE

It’s at this point I should confess to being somewhat of an anorak, some might say slightly anal and also not as brave as I would like to think. The internet became my best friend and as I discovered blog after blog it became quite clear we were not the first to undertake such an expedition. The amount of useful information is astounding and terrifying in equal measure. Forewarned is forearmed but a little knowledge can scare you shitless. I think we managed to choose the route quite quickly. My cowardice had already ruled out the Turkey, ‘istans route, (a decision, in my mind, vindicated a few weeks later when Russia and Georgia fall out again and start a mini war). But apart from knowing where we didn’t want to go we had little idea. So we treated ourselves to a new atlas and tried to work things out. Bridget had Tuscany, Japan and Vietnam on her list and we both wanted to visit Carcassonne. As I refuse to fly with Ryan Air this seemed like a good time to take the city in. When we looked at the world map and took that into consideration it became suddenly clear. A ferry would take us from Pourtsmouth to Bilbao. We would then travel through the Pyrenees into France and up to Carcassonne. We would then pick a route along the south coast and into Italy. Having travelled through Tuscany, around the Amalfi coast and across to Bari we’d then get a ferry to Greece and head north through Romania, Bulgaria, the Ukraine and into Russia to Moscow. (At the time of writing Russia and the Ukraine are at a standoff over gas pipe routes to West Europe and so we don’t know whether this will be possible but that is I suppose part of the adventure) If we do make it to Moscow we’ll then take a train to Vladivostock and a ferry to Japan. More cycling in Japan and another boat to China. Some cycling in China (time allowing) and a train or plane to Vietnam. Then Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore. Plane home job done. Unless the money hasn’t run out and my boss is understanding enough to allow a small extension. We decided the route months ago and it hasn’t changed once which makes me think we have picked the right route for us.

MEGAN AND PATELEY

I suppose this is as good a time as any to mention possibly the most difficult part of deciding to spend a year away. Deciding to leave the dogs. Megan is an 11 year old choc lab and Pateley a two year old black lab. Both are delightful and both doted on by both Bridget and me. My parents had said they would have them when we were hoping to move to Nepal (that also would have been for a year) but after a difficult and upsetting conversation I discovered I was wrong to assume they would be able to have them while we cycled. For them helping my career was different to helping me take a career break and their situation had also changed. They had bought a camper van and were planning their own expedition around Europe. I admit to being shocked when they told me they couldn’t have the dogs and I didn’t handle the conversation very well. I couldn’t see the difference and couldn’t understand why just a few months ago they had been prepared to help. I think my Mum was especially upset, perhaps feeling she was letting me down but looking back now I know she was right and that I was being unfair. There was a difference and things had changed.

Bridget and I soon found an alternative home for the dogs. They will now have to be separated for a few months but in typical fashion my Mum has now come up with a compromise solution. She says she will now have the dogs when she gets back from her travels around Europe. So what that means is that from April to Sept they will be looked after separately by friends but then will go to my parents. I feel bad and hope that I haven’t inadvertently pressurised my Mum and Dad into doing this for us but at least we both get to go on our adventures. It will still be very difficult to leave the dogs but at least we know they will be in good hands.

THE BIKES

The internet is laden with info on bikes and what to look for. I read a great deal and then read some more and still wasn’t sure what to go for. For every plus you could find a minus, for every positive comment you could find a not so positive. In the end I suppose it came down to price. We had a budget and for our budget the choice narrowed considerably. We knew we wanted a touring bike and that it should have 26” wheels. We didn’t want to buy another mountain bike and weren’t prepared to convert our own. We wanted steel frames, a proven brand and wanted to try before we bought them. In the end we decided on Thorn Sherpas. We’ve had them a while now and I am very happy with how mine feels though I haven’t ridden it fully laden. (Bridget hasn’t been able to ride hers much yet) It is a lot heavier than I had expected but hopefully that will mean it and the steel racks will be strong enough.

I have been reading a blog (www.projectbike.com) about a similar trip and Matt also has a Thorn Sherpa. I am now getting somewhat concerned as he seems to have suffered a number of break downs – often with the gears, the chain and wheels. In true Tim fashion I am now fussing that we have made the wrong choice and that we really should have splashed out on Rolhoff hubs.

JANUARY 2009

All this brings us up to date. It is now the beginning of January. I have handed in my resignation and our ferry is booked for the 11th April – Easter Saturday. We will arrive in Bilbao on Easter Monday and then we are on our way. How I feel flits between excitement and fear. The time now will fly I am sure and we still have so much to do: insurance, banks, inoculations, tenants, mortgage, etc and also more shopping for more kit. We are at the banks on Tuesday and hopefully by the end of the week we will know how much our mortgage will be while we are away and what we need from our tenants. We are hoping Ruth our lodger will be able to stay in the house and find someone to share. That depends of course on just how much our monthly mortgage payments are. Interest rates are lower now than ever before but the banks are not being the quickest at passing on the cuts. In fact I am sure the the Halifax is deliberately not being competitive to off load clients. We will see come Tuesday.