January 2010:
I am collecting Ideas for this years trip. Why not Up to the North? To Murmansk!!
17 August: Jerusalem!!!!!
I made it!!! After 5 weeks and more or less 5000km I arrived in Jerusalem (Israel). 3 weeks earlier as planned but not 1 day to early. I couldn t stand this heat anymore, the desert is not made for bikers. Between biking, drinking and sleeping I havent done anything else. Headaches because of the sun and stomaches aches because of bad food in Syria. I am now very very happy to finish and will now walk around, relax, take some pictures, rest, have a cold beer, stay in a hostel and put the clim to max, have showers and buy stuff I dont need. Like this shirt: Shabbat. Just do it!
15 August: Jordan
I went through Jordan a little bit faster as supposed. The Army didnt like to have me in the West Bank, they just put me and my bike on a tank with a big machine gun and drove me to the dead sea. So I biked around 100km in Jordan while the army drove me around 120km during the night . The next day I was already at the Israely border. I didnt even stay 24hours!!!!
10 August: Halab (Syria)
That was easy to get in!!! Very surprising! Welcome to Syria! I arrived at 13.00 in Halap, 60km from the border, and 40degrees. i felt like a sausage must feel on a barbecue. So I took the decision to spend this night in a Hotel. And of course I took one of the best :-) Hotel Ramses, 4 stars, a bathroom bigger as my room, Tv, Internet, a Lady came to bring my things to the laundry and I a had a 3 course dinner in bed :-))) I put the clim at 13degrees so now I have to wear a jacket. Till tomorrow then i will bike again in the Sauna direction Damas.
9 August: Gaziantep
Finally I reach an end! 50km to go to Syria. I prefer to bike in the desert than climb up once more only one of these walls! The Turcs are very nice people but now I am happy to leave them, after 6 days of honking cars, shouting welcomes, clapping hands, 1000 cars have passed and ''supported'' me trough their country. Now i want to pass some quiet moments on my bike, not having to wave back while suffering one of this uphills!
6 August: somewhere
Life is different here. When i make a break it needs 3min to have at least a dozen man sitting around and asking questions about everything all the time, even that we don t understand each other. While it is 38 degrees and i am suffering under the sun, the women are dressed up like i would'nt be in wintertime!? And the Anatolian Mountains are Bikers Hell. From sealevel up to 2000, down to 900 up to 2200 down again to 1300 up to 2050 ..., thess are not real mountains, these are walls sometimes around 20%. It is my first tıime that i had to get of my bike and walk (and not only once)
3 August: Trabzon (Turkey)
I really didn't think that this old, dirty, rosty russian ferry boat would make it across the black sea!? But after 13hours shipping we arrıved safe in Trabzon and at 10 in the mornıng I had my first Kebab :-))
1 August: Sochi
I made it to Sochi :-))) with the worst stage ever. Soo much uphills, soo small roads, sooo dirty poluating old cars passing me. I got completely black from old Diesel! I think it is more healthy to sit in a bar and smoke then to bike on russian roads! But now i checked in in a hotel, not easy without knowing russian and they dont speak a single word of luxemburgish :-)
My ferry to Turkey is leaving on Monday 3rd, unfortunately there is no ferry to Georgia! That gives me 2 days of holiday on the beach :-)
20July; Somewhere Russia
Sooooo many flies, mosquitos, little black flying spots. They are everywhere millions!!! The big ones they bite out a piece of your skin while the mosquitos suck your blood! Impossible to pee!!!! While peeing you loose 1l of blood and at least 100g of meat eaten by this flyes while the little flying black spots go into your ears, nose and who knows where,.. !
Putting up a tent looks like an old / Bayrischer Lederhosen Tanz / while trying to put it up you start with the right side and you clap the mosquitos on your but, then clap them on your leg, then clap them on your head! Now the same on the left side, clap them on your but, on your leg, on your head. And the whole procedure again and again and faster and faster!!
17July: Russia
Wow, I am in! First, at the Letonnien border, you receive a paper at the 2nd control you have to show this paper, then at the 3th control they take it away from you. So you are ready to go to the Russians. First they give you a paper which you have to fill out but is in russian. At the 2nd control they fill it out for you because you dont know what to do and then they put a stamp on it! The 3th control is the most difficult because you hacve to declare your car and after 15min they start laughing beacause you dont have a car. You can go now to the 4th control where they take away you paper and then: Welcome to Russia! I took me 1hour but with a car it can take up to 3-4hours.
15 July: Riga
J-0! The worst part of the trip is done! The plane didn't crash, my bags have arrived with me and my bike seems ok.
Very unusual! In 2 days Russia :-)
14 July:
I have the visas, my bike is ready, my things are packed and the russians are waiting for me! I am ready to bike!
11 July: -4
4 days to go! Never was so completely out of shape! I hope the tyres won't explod under my weight!!
8 July: Waiting
I will leave in a couple of days, the 15th. Nervous anxious excited
June: Ready!
YES! I have the Russian Visa + the Syrian Visa :-))
I start to pack my stuff and my bike is ready
Mai 2009: Planning
Things are rolliyng! I am trying to get a visa for Russia and Syria but have already the flight. Leaving the 15th of July from Brussels to Riga
January 2009: New Trip
Planning a new trip for this year.
From Tallinn through Russia until Jerusalem