T987
TRAVEL
[987: 6,5,4,3,2,1,0 we have lift off]
I am finding AirBnB to be an impressively effective, and affordable, means of booking accommodation anywhere in the world. So far I have had stays in Singapore, Scotland, England and several places have just been booked in France - for my upcoming Tour (July 23rd to August 4th - stay tuned) to Base Camp EU. The above link gives you the opportunity to get some sort of discount, which I think I benefit from too - I haven't looked in to it properly yet.
I am also using an excellent website for locating and booking campsites. I've only just started using it but it seems pretty straightforward to me - the truth of that statement will be if everything goes smoothly whilst touring. You can certainly find some great spots out of cities for around £10 per night. Check it out Pitch Up.
Ground Control to Major Tom.
Commencing countdown engines on.
I reckon I should add a countdown to my Motorbiking Playlist...which starts off with Jesus Built my Hotrod, followed by Born to Be Wild (then it gets embarrassing, so I won't tell you until we know each other better) before ACDC kicks in to make me feel like Iron Man!!
My touring routes will mostly be Point-to-Point, so once I've gotten to a destination, I'll be off the bike for a day to walk around and take in the sights and sounds of wherever I may be. It won't all be biking on here...I've got plenty of security for my motorbike so that I can confidently park it up for an extended period of time and take a bus, boat or train trip wherever possible.
I've just finished writing up the lead page for T358...how amazing is this for technology:
My iPhone 3GS has albums on it that I haven't yet added to iTunes. When I realised that this morning I immediately wanted to add The End, by The Doors, to my Born2bWild@Night playlist (yeah...daytime riding and night time riding must have their own soundtracks). So...LaCie Fuel HDD has my iTunes folder on it...connect to MacBook Pro...copy all five of The Doors albums over to iTunes...let iTunes Matchdo its magic...then place The End, at the beginning (oh the irony) of my night riding playlist...wait a second and it is on my phone right where I want it to be for the next time I head out in the dark. Amazing!
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ADVENTURES:
I was born in England but reasonably swiftly taken over to Iran by my mum to join my dad (who had been working there for a few years). A revolution started (not of my own making...but I'll get around to starting one some day - all in good time) so we moved to Hong Kong. Most summers a trip back to see family in England was made; which was brilliant because the two countries couldn't be more different. Living in Hong Kong, and being middle-class, meant that as a family we could afford to take holidays in Asia with reasonable frequency. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan...I'll count Macau and Guangdong (China...don't think they would let me in after making Transmission 6-10). A ski trip to Canada led me to seeing snow, at the age of 13 (had my birthday there too....what a hoot), for the first time since a time I don't even remember. Actually...my memories seem to start from the moment we arrived in Hong Kong - I've no recollection at all of Iran.
I think I mention some crazy travel plans on the Who the heck is this guy? page. Mostly they didn't materialise, but I've been blessed by having various girlfriends from foreign lands that have taken me to places in Italy, Spain and Australia (got family there too). Other than France, Brussels, Zurich & Geneva, Malta and Andora, I've not seen much of Europe at all - hence the desire to ride on over there.
In 2002 I took part in a Raleigh International expedition to Costa-Rica and Nicaragua. Filming Transmission 6-10 took in Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong and New York. Other than my crazy 3 day trial by bike in California etc, I've not really seen that much of the world...and yet, compared to most I am extremely well travelled - and I am very grateful for those opportunities.
FUTURE TRAVEL:
Once I have had my fill of Europe on Tatsu (though there is the possibility of parking it up for a while and heading off with a backpack...if I can afford it Support this site...whilst my parents are settling in to life in Australia (they are building a house out there once the UK residence is sold), I will take advantage of having a base south of Sydney and family & friends in Melbourne, to do a motorbike tour of Oz.
The United States is definitely on the cards at some point. I've a friend out there who is in the movie making business...I'd love to work for him one day, so I reckon Tatsu and I might take a sea voyage over there (I've always wanted to make an ocean crossing) and spend some time on the freeways and lesser known parts of America. With an Uncle in Canada it would be rude to not head up there for a bit - might hire a car for that one. Then who could resist heading south of the border (assuming Trump has build his bloody grotesque wall) and emulate Che.
That leaves, well, an awful lot of earth left to explore. Baby steps.
THE CONCEPT:
You can't really tour on a motorbike without the travelling bit now can you. This website is far from just about motorbikes and biking, even with touring as a basis. Wherever I go I shall seek out tourist attractions, and even more keenly I shall seek out places of interest that the locals suggest...who wants to read about the same-old-same-old. It would be continuing a long standing tradition for me to go to places and actually miss seeing the most famous thing there...not always on purpose, just the way things have panned out in the past.
Museums. Monuments. Parks. Palaces. Europe is full of theses and more...join me from the comfort of, well, wherever you might be.