So, what conclusions have I come to, and how do I rate different parts of the trip? Well, let's try each country, one at a time.
SINGAPORE:
The popular images of Singapore, the"shopfront" if you will, are the snazzy retail precincts, the fancy hotels, the great roads, the manicured gardens, and yes, it is impressive. We stayed in the parts they don't promote, and got somewhat of a reality check, but I loved it. We should not have shipped the bikes here, because there is simply too much red tape involved in clearing Customs & getting all the authorisations to use the roads. We were told that in the first place, but did it anyway. D'oh.
MALAYSIA:
Overall, I was very impressed with Malaysia. For a start, it is making rapid progress on many fronts. The standard of living is being improved all the time, through education, technology, and infrastructure. I also get the impression that there is tolerance & respect for diversity. That people generally understand that just because you happen to be a Muslim, you don't have to live in a cave & kill everyone who is not a Muslim. (Pakistan, please take note!!). There is also a great road network, petrol is cheap, and the food is excellent!
Highlights. The chance meeting with the local BMW owners group in Penang. A terrific bunch of people and an awsome group ride up to Thailand.
THAILAND:
Our time in Thailand was marred to a fair extent by the problems I was having with my bike. This ultimately lead to us not having enough time to visit Cambodia as originally planned. Nevertheless, Phuket Bike Week was really something, and I would have liked to watch the Songkran aquatic festivities from a safe distance, rather than as an unwilling participant! So I got a bit wet- so what?
Highlights. First, an excellent ride from Phuket up to Bangkok. Second, the taxi driver who burned out his clutch trying to find our hotel- serves him right for taking us through half the backstreets in Bangkok.
NEPAL:
Our first taste of culture shock. Nepal is India's poor cousin in many ways. Kathmandu is overcrowded & very polluted, but nobody appears to be doing anything about rectifying it. I can well imagine that the first Europeans to stumble into the region would have found it very exotic, & the 600 year old temples around Durbar Square in Patan are wonderful.
Highlights. Sitting in a bar next to one of the main roundabouts in Kathmandu every night, being hilariously entertained by just watching the traffic. Then there was the tout outside the hotel who asked me to buy the same tatty stuff every time I walked out for over a week- gold medal for perseverence & resilience to abuse for him. Walking down the street in Chitwan, trying not to upset all the elephants. The British Gurkha museum in Pokhara is a must.
Lowlights. Picking up a severe stomach bug after eating in a silver service restaurant. Not being able to see any of the Himalayas because of the air pollution. Colliding with the goat goes without saying.
INDIA:
Well, it would be so easy to just slag off about what a dump this place is, but I will try to be more objective. India is very different. Most people would be aware of the overpopulation, the pollution, the poverty , the disease, all that stuff. On top of all that, I found that it is totally disorganised to the point of chaos, everything is a hassle, you get no personal space, everyone wants to take your money, and the traffic is appalling & very dangerous for motorcycles. The heat was stifling & the stench was abominable. But it is cheap! And in its own way, it is an interesting place.
Highlights. The Taj Mahal , no doubt about that. To be fair, we did stay in some excellent hotels, with very helpful & courteous staff. We had a narrow escape from the bombs that killed 80 or so people in Jaipur. A day earlier, we had been in the same street for several hours. A sobering experience indeed.
In Bikaner, we were befriended by a bloke who we thought at first was just another tout, but he ended up taking us to look at the old part of the city, and to a Hindu temple which was closed to the public. We would never have seen these places on our own, and he did not ask for any money, or attempt to take us to his cousin's carpet shop, etc.
Even the one & only time we got genuinely lost (leaving Kanpur) was an interesting experience. I still have no idea where we actually went, but I'm guessing we were the first tourists to ever visit several villages.
PAKISTAN:
A bit of a surprise packet, really. We were expecting it to be worse than India in just about every sense, but reckon it was actually an improvement. Of course, it has to be considered in parts, really. Some parts are as grotty as India for sure, and the security situation meant some parts were out of bounds altogether. Even some parts we were allowed to go were scary. The big problem for Pakistan is getting the tribal areas under control, and then educating the population. If schooling is left to fanatical religious clerics, it will take generations to weed out the lunatics, if it can be done at all. We have seen what can be achieved in some of the more populated areas, and that is encouraging.
Highlights.
The Karakoram Highway, and the Hunza Valley were outstanding, & not just for the scenery. We met some wonderful, friendly & generous people along the way. We were accorded unconditional hospitality in some of the most unlikely regions. I recall leaving Dalbandin, when we were both in pretty poor shape. A little old bloke came up & gave me a cold bottle of water, & flatly refused any money from me. We had other people go well out of their way to help us, particularly in DG Khan. These events were quite humbling, & really are moments to treasure. I hope in some small way that we were able to act as goodwill ambassadors for Australia.
Lowlights.
The perennial roadworks, high temperatures & lack of facilities made Baluchistan the toughest part of the trip, spiced up with a little bit of possible danger from the Taliban. Would not have missed it for quids!
IRAN:
This was always going to be a trip into the unknown. The hassle in getting the visas suggested that things may be difficult, and some of the struggle with beaurocracy was difficult. Organising access to funds, changing money & getting fuel were hassles. The punishing temperatures in the east of the country were demanding. We had no insurance cover for the bikes, so there was a big risk there. The military escorts were welcome, but nonetheless a little scary. But once things settled down, we started to enjoy the place, although we found the food fairly plain. I don't want to get into the politics, but at the time of our visit, I was unaware that in 1953 the CIA & Britain engineered a coup which booted out the elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh & installed the Shah. It pays to do some research. Little wonder there is deep resentment & mistrust of the west, at the official level anyway. It could have been a lot different. Anyway, we found all the people we met to be exceptionally friendly & hospitable. I hope that their government does not fail its citizens.
Highlights.
Very interesting cultural & historical sites. Not to mention cheap petrol, excellent roads, & my discovery of sour cherry juice! (I'd like to try it with Bundy). The pastries & confectionery were not bad either.
TURKEY:
Again, a country I was looking forward to, and I was not disappointed. The east of the country is mostly off the tourist radar and is fairly rustic, and there are some security issues with Kurdish separatists. The rapid development of the coastline to cash in on the package tourist trade might be good for the economy, but that's about all. It will probably end up going the way of Spain & the Greek Islands, so visit before it gets buggered up completely.
Highlights.
There were many, but visiting the Gallipoli Peninsula was probably the most significant for me. Goreme was bizzare but very intriguing, while all the places we stopped at along the coast were a knockout. The riding along the coast to Silifke was as good as the Great Ocean Rd, only with less guardrail & more mosques!
Lowlights.
Petrol at $3.60/litre. Substandard road surfaces in much of the country, lots of loose gravel & slick bitumen. Turkish keyboards in the internet cafes take some getting used to.
GREECE:
My first visit to Europe since 1977. The European Union has meant a lot of changes, its virtually one big country now, with a common currency & unrestricted movement within its borders. I enjoyed our run around the coast, & down to the Peloponese. Athens has probably gotten worse, its overcrowded, polluted & still hard to get around, but the underground railway is good.
ITALY:Again, all the areas we visited were new to me. From a tourist point of view, I found the south to be very relaxed & the north to be very attractive. Great food & a great lifestyle.
SWITZERLAND:
Just about perfect I reckon, at least while we were there. Not sure if I could hack the Winters though. Fantastic to catch up with Ivo & Jacqueline, and a pity we could not stay longer.FRANCE:
A quick dash, but no complaints at all. Its all there.
ENGLAND:
Had to break out the wet weather gear as soon as we got there, and then the warm clothes. We only got a couple of days when we could get out to ride around the countryside, & it was supposed to be Summer! However, it was indeed good to renew my acquaintance with the green & pleasant land generally, and the English pubs specifically. The food has gotten a lot better, but the traffic has gotten a lot worse, but you could say the same about Adelaide. Look, I really like the Poms, but its those white buggers I have trouble with.
Had a lot of time to browse around the bike shops, and made a few good value purchases. The Hein Gericke brand of riding apparel looks to be excellent - I don't think it is available in Australia- so we both lashed out there.
Ok thats it, thanks for watching. Until next time - South America beckons!!!
Regards, Mike Green.
