Wednesday 30 May 2012


The monument on Mount Nemrut 
we stayed in the bunkroom at the top of Mount Nemrut.
we had a nice evening meal before getting to bed . we awoke at 4 am to walk  to the top of mount Nemrut to watch the sunrise.

we arrived at Mount Nemrut just before the sun set


Gobekli Tepe 





cappadocia





We had a number of sights that we wanted to see while in Turkey.
Those being Cappadocia,   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia
Gobekli Tepe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe  and

Mount Nemrut http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nemrut

We camped at Cappadocia and I awoke at 5am to watch the 30 plus hot air balloons take off . Leigh and I  went for a walk and found that people are still living in some of the caves.
Well Turkey as turned out to be a real surprise to us . The people are so nice and helpful. For instance we stopped at a filling station the other day and asked to use the WC. they let us and then make us Tea free of charge. every time we stop to fill up they ask if we would like a drink.

while in Turkey Leigh seems to have taken a liking to GUNS ..


 

Monday 28 May 2012

Entering Turkey was not to bad.

The boarder crossing took us about a hour in total. we had to buy insurance at a cost of 50e and another 15e for our entry visa.

Our ride into Istanbul started off ok,but soon the traffic started to build up. To say it was Manic is a understatement !!!!

Thankfully we arrived at the Istanbul Bike club to a very warm welcome. Mehmet was there to welcome us. The club members were fantastic. our bike was parked in the club house and we rented a apartment from them for the 3 nights that we were to spend in Istanbul.

Monday night Mehmet took us all out for dinner to a traditional Turkish meal.

Tuesday was very hot and Mehmet had planned a tour of the old city for us. The transport system in Istanbul is excellent and were arrived at the Blue Mosque after a 30 minute metro ride.

After spending the day sightseeing Mehmet took us down to the sea front to the best fish restaurant where we had another great meal.

On Wednesday morning Adisz took us  to a local outdoor store to replace some equipment. On our return The club had a Party for Adisz birthday.

We had a fantastic time In Istanbul.I tend to not like being in cities but I must say if you get the chance to visit Istanbul take it,you wont be disappointed.

Thursday Morning we said our farewells to Mehmet and we were all sad to be leaving.
 Adisz lead us through the Back  streets of the city to catch the Ferry from Istanbul  to Yalove.




Thursday 24 May 2012

we heard this sad news today.

http://www.rferl.org/content/japanese-tourist-stabbed-to-death-in-siberia/24590105.html

Its is a bit of a worry as we will be passing through this area later on in our trip.

Our Thoughts go out to his family and friends .
We spent 3 Nights at Motocamp Bulgaria . we had decided to leave on the Sunday morning and thankfully when we awoke the rain had stopped and the sun was out.

We had a short ride to a camp site not far from the boarder with turkey

Soon after putting our tent up we had a massive thunder storm  very loud and very wet. 
MotoCamp Bulgaria is a excellent place to stay.

The food and rooms are excellent and we were looked after very well.

Millen had already posted out our old tent to Motocamp and it had arrived the day before us,so at last we had a tent with us again.







Tuesday 22 May 2012

We its been a great ride so far.

we left Bosnia in the sunshine . Our route would take us through Mostar and onto Sarajavo . I had wanted to see Mostar when we were touring this part of the world back back in 2008 but did not get the chance.

So this time it was a must. we arrive early which meant that the place was quite but it also meant that all the so called tour guides made a beeline for us. This kind of spoils the place. we just wanted to walk around and look at the old town and Bridge but it was made difficult being pestered by so many people.

There are Young men that dive off the bridge , We did not see any as they wait for the tour buses to turn up and charge them 25e a dive.So if you get there make sure you have your camera ready.

The cloud was building as we left Mostar and it was getting cold. By the time we were in Sarajavo it was very cold which was a shock after the 30c we had had in Italy.

It was a shock to see just how many buildings are still damaged from the war which ended some 17 years age.
The traffic was easy going for a large city despite the heavy snow that was still present form the day before when they had 6in over night.

We  had intended to cross into Serbia today but due to  a land slide which blocked the main road we had to take a detour over a forest track. This is when I made a big mistake of leaving my bum bag behind ...Doh..

It had 2 cameras , 500e , my leatherman . we stopped to take a photo then realised that it was missing. we speed back to where we had stopped but it was gone. I thought that would be the last I would see of my things. Leigh convinced me to ride back to the last small village we had passed through. While passing through the village a man waved us down and there in the boot of his old car was my bum bag with everything inside . How happy I was. I gave him 50e which took us ages to make him take it. we had a brew and then set off back through the forest. The man and his family were out side there house all waving as we passed. Thank the Lord for good Honest people.

So with losing 3 hours and the rain starting we stopped at a hotel just before the Serbian Boarder.

We awoke to very heavy Rain . we had no tent so needed to get to Motocamp Bulgaria where my son had  posted it to .
Back in 2008 this  Serbian boarder wanted 80e for us to cross. I was awaiting the same again but this time they just stamped our passport and we were in.
It was a hard un eventful 13 hour ride in rain . We arrived at Motocamp Bulgaria after 10 pm and thankfully Iain was opening the gates for us as we arrived. 

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Well after two day stuck in the Hotel in Rijeka due to the roads being closed to to very high winds . we managed to break free at 430 am and ride around the closed road signs. The coast road down Croatia was stunning , a must ride road. Now were at BBB in Vitina staying with Nick ivanka. Leigh and Ivanka have just nipped out to re stock with Wine for our evening meal cooked by Nick. Thanks to Sam Manicom for telling us about this great Biker's Hostel .



Sunday 13 May 2012

Monday 7th May
Well we would like to say a Big thanks to Craig Basil Hazel Mick Val Debz Colin Bob Dazco Fritz and Bev  for meeting us for a ride to wet wang for fish and chips before we headed to the Ferry in Hull

The weather as been excellent ,Hot and sunny , that was until Saturday night { 12 }
we had a very strong storm that ripped open our tent at 5am. It was a bit scary tring to hold the tent down while grabbing all our kit in the dark.

We found shelter in a Beach Bar, before heading to a near by hotel to dry out . we now hope the weather will improve
Millen will be post out our old tent for us to collect in Bulgaria .

Tomorrow we hope to head south towards Dubrovnik weather permitting .

Dazzer and Leigh



Sunday 6 May 2012

Great to see you and Nick today, thanks for coming up to see us. Hope you both enjoyed the trail on your way home. here is Nicks Photo
Sunday 6th May

well after yet another attempt at re packing our kit we managed to lose some items.

I do hope Leigh wont miss her tooth brush and lip gloss ;-)

Joking apart. we moved a few items around and also removed a few and now all seems to fit well.


It  was nice to see Martin and Nick Sykes  turn up for a chat and brew today.

At last we have  finished all the last minute packing and  moved it into the storage room.

8pm and we going to walk down the shop for a bottle of white wine and a can or two of old English Cider.

Lets Start as we mean to carry on....TTFN

Dazzer and Leigh .

Saturday 5 May 2012


Saturday the 5th May
I took the Yamaha out for a test run to check out how it would handle with all our kit on it.
after a few tweets to the rear shock and dropping the front forks 20 mm it felt to ride well.

While having dinner with Craig in Penny Garth Cafe at Hawes , I had a txt from swidders saying " just checked your tracker and you have been in the cafe far to long " ... very funny, its almost like being back at work with the Big brother is watching you !!!

The tracker seems to work very well and will allow family and friends to check in and see where we are .

Tomorrow is our rest day after spending a lot of this week packing away the last of our things.

Monday morning at 9am we have some friends calling here for a Beacon sandwich and a brew before we all ride over to the cafe at Fimber to meet up with some more friends for lunch.

Come mid afternoon we will take the back roads down to Hull ready to catch the ferry at tea time.

Not long Now..

Friday 4 May 2012

Friday already . we had been hoping to have this week as a rest but its not worked out that way.

Today were repacking the bike, just to see if we can pack it better. this will be the 4th attempt !!

over the weekend were spending time with our families ,

Sleeping seems to be the hardest thing to do at the moment. your tired when you go to bed, then you lay there thinking what have we forgot to do so were both just looking forward to setting off on Monday and what will be will be.

Dazzer and Leigh

Thursday 3 May 2012

Hello.
On our journey we will be carrying a Spot Tracker.
This will allow anyone to check our where we are in Live time.
here is the link for you to Check out.

Thanks   Darren and Leigh

  http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0xq4FYjjPIEff6vGQRL7qrHbEL5dTT9EX

Wednesday 2 May 2012


Great news . Our Passports were returned today with our Russian and Mongolian Visas in them.
4 Days till Departure .