it's been a long time coming out with the final version of just where and when we'll be doing what. after poring over countless maps, forum pages, Lonely Planet guides, it's not exactly the most interesting route to take I'll admit, but the compromises seem justified; four months is a really short time for this and the routes been tailored significantly to balance interesting bits to see and do as well as maximal chances of success. Main considerations are the minimum number of international borders, preferably no need for a Carnet de Passage, friendly officials and cancer centres to visit, no recent outright killing in the streets, (civil unrest permitted). without these constraints the route would have looked a lot different and a higher chance of never coming back. of course everybody who has done anything like this before will know that like any battle plan it will all go to pot within three minutes of contact, but it's nice to have something to hang your helmet on.
what this means is no india and pakistan, which means no Karakoram highway, assam highlands, veronasi, darjeerling, and some broken promises to very encouraging indian and Pakistani collaborators. one of these days we will find time. on the other hand the need to find other cancer centres have opened our eyes to not so traditional collaborators in Almaty, Urumqi, Chengdu and other places that hopefully will make up some of what was lost.
now that the route is settled things are starting to swing quite rapidly. Next week we'll be holding a charity dinner to explain to some very generous donors the aim and rationale of our little ride and what it might be like; the week after as we approach the breast cancer awareness month (traditionally this is October) we go to press to announce the trip and what can come of it, in january the shakedown ride is a 5000km round trip to chiangmai to see what falls off the bike and when we return some fairly intensive afternoons at the mechanics' to get up to speed. then the final change with new oils, chains, suspension, cables, batteries, and off we go.
with everything falling into place the sensation has shifted from not whether or not this is possible - we are convinced that it is - to one of whether we'll manage. so much has been invested in terms of time and costs, of explaining and cajoling and pleading, that the worst fears are starting to come to mind. something truly inane, indefensible and absurd. like, right after a gala send off, main fuse blows half way on north south highway and we spend the night in malacca. stuff like that. won't look good in the book. on second thoughts, that would look good in the book.
what this means is no india and pakistan, which means no Karakoram highway, assam highlands, veronasi, darjeerling, and some broken promises to very encouraging indian and Pakistani collaborators. one of these days we will find time. on the other hand the need to find other cancer centres have opened our eyes to not so traditional collaborators in Almaty, Urumqi, Chengdu and other places that hopefully will make up some of what was lost.
now that the route is settled things are starting to swing quite rapidly. Next week we'll be holding a charity dinner to explain to some very generous donors the aim and rationale of our little ride and what it might be like; the week after as we approach the breast cancer awareness month (traditionally this is October) we go to press to announce the trip and what can come of it, in january the shakedown ride is a 5000km round trip to chiangmai to see what falls off the bike and when we return some fairly intensive afternoons at the mechanics' to get up to speed. then the final change with new oils, chains, suspension, cables, batteries, and off we go.
with everything falling into place the sensation has shifted from not whether or not this is possible - we are convinced that it is - to one of whether we'll manage. so much has been invested in terms of time and costs, of explaining and cajoling and pleading, that the worst fears are starting to come to mind. something truly inane, indefensible and absurd. like, right after a gala send off, main fuse blows half way on north south highway and we spend the night in malacca. stuff like that. won't look good in the book. on second thoughts, that would look good in the book.
|
|
Country
|
City/ town
|
Km
|
Nights
|
Date
(Depart)
|
|
|
|
|
14,043
|
51
|
21 Mar 2014, Fri
|
|
|
Singapore
|
|
|
|
21 Mar 2014, Fri
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
238
|
2
|
23 Mar, Sun
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.
|
Thailand
|
Hat Yai
|
530
|
2
|
25 Mar, Tues
|
|
|
|
Surat Thani
|
340
|
1
|
26 Mar, Wed
|
|
|
|
Prachuap Khiri Khan
|
360
|
1
|
27 Mar, Thurs
|
|
|
|
Suphan Buri
|
420
|
1
|
28 Mar, Fri
|
|
|
|
Lampang
|
500
|
1
|
29 Mar, Sat
|
|
|
|
Chiang Mai
|
106
|
2
|
31 Mar, Mon
|
|
|
|
Chiang Khong
|
320
|
1
|
1 Apr, Tues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
Laos
|
Boten
|
410
|
2
|
3 Apr, Thurs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
China - Yunnan
|
Mohan - Mengla - Jinghong
|
180
|
2
|
5 Apr, Sat
|
|
|
|
Kunming
|
540
|
1
|
6 Apr, Sun
|
|
|
Sichuan
|
Yibin
|
585
|
1
|
7 Apr, Mon
|
|
|
|
Chengdu
|
275
|
1
|
8 Apr, Tue
|
|
|
|
Jiuzhaigou
|
530
|
2
|
10 Apr, Thurs
|
|
|
Gansu
|
Langmusi
|
365
|
1
|
11 Apr, Fri
|
|
|
|
Labrang
|
185
|
1
|
12 Apr, Sat
|
|
|
|
Taer
|
480
|
1
|
13 Apr, Sun
|
|
|
|
Xining
|
400
|
1
|
14 Apr, Mon
|
|
|
Zhangye
|
670
|
1
|
15 Apr, Tues
|
|
|
|
|
Dunhuang
|
595
|
2
|
17 Apr, Thurs
|
|
|
Xinjiang
|
Hami
|
480
|
1
|
18 Apr, Fri
|
|
|
|
Urumqi
|
600
|
2
|
20 Apr, Sun
|
|
|
|
Horgas/ Korgas border
|
650
|
1
|
21 Apr, Mon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
Kazakhstan
|
Almaty
|
337
|
3
|
24 Apr, Thurs
|
|
|
|
Taraz
|
552
|
2
|
26 Apr, Sat
|
|
|
|
Tashkent
|
300
|
2
|
28 Apr, Mon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
Uzbekistan
|
Samarkand
|
370
|
3
|
1 May, Thurs
|
|
|
|
Buxoro (Bukhara)
|
280
|
1
|
2 May, Fri
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7
|
Turkmenistan
|
Turkmenabat (Farab
border)
|
130
|
1
|
3 May, Sat
|
|
|
|
Mary
|
230
|
1
|
4 May, Sun
|
|
|
|
Ashgabat
|
300
|
1
|
5 May, Mon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
Iran
|
Bajgiran (Bagaran)
|
44
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Bojnurd (Bognurd)
|
220
|
1
|
6 May, Tue
|
|
|
|
Gonbad-e Qabus
|
224
|
2
|
8 May, Thurs
|
|
|
|
Sari
|
249
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Chalus
|
180
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Karaj
|
216
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Zanjan
|
260
|
1
|
9 May, Fri
|
|
|
|
Tabriz
|
350
|
2
|
11 May, Sun
|
|
|
|
Maku (Iran-Turkey
border)
|
280
|
0
|
|
|
|
Country
|
City/ town
|
Km
|
Nights
|
Date (Depart)
|
|
|
|
|
6,111
|
30
|
21 Mar 2014, Fri
|
|
9
|
Turkey
|
Dogubayazit
|
58
|
1
|
12 May, Mon
|
|
|
|
Kars
|
240
|
2
|
14 May, Wed
|
|
|
|
Erzurum
|
200
|
2
|
16 May, Fri
|
|
|
|
Malatya
|
480
|
3
|
19 May, Mon
|
|
|
|
Capponiciae/
Cappadocia
|
550
|
3
|
22 May, Thurs
|
|
|
|
Ankara
|
275
|
3
|
25 May, Sun
|
|
|
|
Istanbul
|
454
|
1
|
26 May, Mon
|
|
|
|
Edirne (Demirköy
Yolu/D535: border to Bulgaria)
|
271
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10
|
Bulgaria
|
Yambol (from Edirne,
Turkey)
|
66
|
1
|
27 May, Tues
|
|
|
|
Omurtag
|
99
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Popovo
|
43
|
1
|
28 May, Wed
|
|
|
|
Ruse
|
72
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11
|
Romania
|
Giurgio-Ruse Bridge
(Danube Bridge; border)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craiova
|
208
|
1
|
29 May, Thurs
|
|
|
|
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
|
112
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Timisoara
|
221
|
1
|
30 May, Fri
|
|
|
|
Cenad (border to
Hungary)
|
74
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
Hungary
|
Szeged (via Mako)
|
50
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Godollo
|
184
|
1
|
31 May, Sat
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13
|
Slovakia
|
Zvolen
|
153
|
1
|
1 Jun, Sun
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14
|
Poland
|
Zwardon (border)
|
151
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Wroclaw
|
289
|
1
|
2 Jun, Mon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15
|
Germany
|
Dresden
|
252
|
1
|
3 Jun, Tues
|
|
|
|
Hamburg
|
494
|
2
|
5 Jun, Thurs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16
|
Denmark
|
Padborg (border)
|
158
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Nyborg (Great Belt
bridge)
|
175
|
1
|
6 Jun, Fri
|
|
|
|
Øresund Bridge
(Peberholm)
|
136
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17
|
Sweden
|
Jönköping
|
322
|
1
|
7 Jun, Sat
|
|
|
|
Karolinska Institute
|
324
|
2
|
9 Jun, Mon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Flight
|
1
|
10 Jun, Tues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18
|
Singapore
|
NUHS
|
|
|
12 Jun, Thurs
|
