9 August 2011
On a trip like this you go through the whole range of emotions. Some days good, others not so good. On a bike there is plenty of time for reflection.
I like the solitude and independence. Sure you rely on other motorists. You can be so unlucky. But you can also make your own luck. For me riding my motorbike is all about escapism. Running away from reality with the wind in your hair (and hopefully no bees in your eye).
A machine does not let you down deliberately. Buy a good one, maintain it, and it goes unconditionally. Place your trust in it and it will take you where you direct it. It will carry you thousands of miles in relative safety if you ask it to do this. But don’t abuse the power it has. It can bite you. But look after it also. Be kind. No need to ride it at its limits.
Roads also take you somewhere. Sometimes the destination is not as important as the journey. But machines and roads are honest. They are what they are and we all take them for what they are. Some are smooth and others are rough. But you get what you see. No surprises. Some tight bends but you can prepare for these. You always get to see around the corner if you approach it the right way.
Sometimes on a journey the desire to escape from reality is interrupted. Could be a thought, an email, a phone call, a chance meeting. Mostly they take you back to a time you want to escape from. From people who want to make up history and events as it suits them. Back to the times when you were let down by the people you put trust in. But this is life. This is reality. People are not machines.
This blog serves to document my feelings while I am away and to share with others my experiences. Highs and lows. New countries and bee stings. Great roads and potholes. The good and the bad. My perceptions are my realities. And a record for me to reflect on later. When true reality beckons again.
Tomorrow is another day. I will rely on my machine once more and there is always a road to take me somewhere.
Darker days lay ahead
Update: An honest account of how I felt on receiving the blog complaint and rectification demand email from Kalahari George, and in some ways an attempt to justify my position without referring directly to his complaint or demands. Hopefully he and his family would see this and understand the personal nature of my blog – it was almost diary like to me. How dare anyone tell me what to write or how I saw things or how I felt. No real names were used. All posts were at least one day in arrears and our destinations were never revealed in advance nor overnight locations revealed until after we had departed. Kalahari George was very welcome to keep his own blog and write about my peculiarities if he wanted to – I’m sure there would be plenty of material for him to poke fun at. And this was what it was all about. The Turkey motorcycle tour was meant to be fun. My blog was deliberately written to show the humorous side of the trip – everyone was fair game including myself. I was not trying to belittle anyone. My objective was to keep the reader entertained, to make them want to live the trip with me – both the good and the bad. I’d emailed all of my friends encouraging them to follow my adventure through my almost daily posts. And I’d received some very favourable comments and encouragement too.
