So this is my final post and I am writing it from my mom's home in Slough, England. I returned home to the UK with my beloved motorcycle around 4 weeks ago...
In total
I was gone for just over 5 months
I rode through 19 countries
Covered 11,000 miles
And happily did the whole thing with just maps
This final post has taken me ages to write, maybe because I'm not sure on what to put in it, maybe because that means it's all over, anyway... My last post was about arriving in Dubrovnik, Croatia. So in this one I am going to only really briefly write what happened from Dubrovnik to Slough.
So here we go!
Miles and I stayed in Dubrovnik with Miles' brother Fraser in his apartment which he shared with Maria. Both Fraser and Maria worked at the Fresh Sheets Hostel, where we also spent quite a bit of time. Fraser always had a very a cool and happy aura surrounding him, a characteristic I really liked to be around. Maria and Fraser were a lot of fun and very hospitable and I felt like I had already known them for years.
I was planning on staying with the gang for 2 maybe 3 days, time flew by and I think I was there for 10. I had a great time hanging out in Dubrovnik with Miles. I finally got some much needed rest from the road. We had our coffee and burek every morning and met some pretty cool people at the hostel, people I really hope I will meet again. We all happened to hang out for quite a few days in Dubrovnik which really just made my whole stay there. There was quite a bit of drinking, some swimming, kayaking, hiking, a pirate cave, the city walls, a bombed out hotel, an island, of course Irish snap and a lot of fun!
Some of the gang in the main street
Our little walk of the city wall's
Another Pirate Cave
Tom Foolery
With Julie and the Captain in the Bombed out hotel
Arun, what else can I say?
Miles and I borrowed a couple of Johnnies kayak's and paddled out to a little cave
The old city of Dubrovnik
Catching up on much needed rest
Fraser
After 10 or so days in Dubrovnik Miles caught a flight out back to England to meet with his younger brother Emmett. I stayed two days longer with Maria and then packed up and left for Zadar which is in Northern Croatia. There I met up with Fraser who had left Dubrovnik on the bus for his adventure with his two brothers to the Ukraine. Dave, a good friend of Frazers flew in from Sweden to hang with Frazer for a week. We all stayed in Zadar for two nights and then left for Ljubljana the capital of Slovenia. I arrived earlier in Slovenia than the guys and got settled into another hostel. The ride into Slovenia was cold. Very cold. I had all my gear on and was packed with layers.
I ended up staying for 6 days in Slovenia, mainly because I knew it was my last real stop before home. In Slovenia, I hung out with Fraser and Dave again in Ljubljana who arrived a day later than me. We explored the little capital, hung out in bars, had fiery drinks, smoked shisha and had a pretty good time, I did love our conversations over the shisha pipe guys.
Later on Arun, part of the Dubrovnik gang came to join us. We all had a great time hanging out, and I really liked little Ljubljana, I was sad to see everyone go.
Eventually, after much personal persuasion I decided it was time to head home. I left Slovenia and decided to be home within two days. As you can imagine, it was cold, very cold. I made long, long runs along motorway routes through Austria, into Germany, to Belgium then on to Calais. I slept for one night in Koln, Germany. I pulled into a little village just outside the city and rode around until I saw someone who I felt had a kind face... Soon after speaking to them and convincing them I was not some crazy, murderous biker... I was crashed out, exhausted in the family's spare bedroom... The next thing I remember I was having morning coffee and breakfast the next day watching the mother and father getting the kids ready for school, (thanks for the much needed warm rest, coffee and breakfast).
I made my final push for home that day, again I was wearing every single item of clothing I owned and was still freezing cold, my brain was rattling and body was numb from the severe monotony of motorway riding whilst cold. It felt like I had been riding for ever, my whole body was continuously vibrating, fingers were shaking and I was constantly battling with my eye lids, screaming at them to stay open. I needed to concentrate on the road signs and know which exits to take in advance as the long motorway roads were not easy to turn back on yourself. I did not enjoy the last ride back, it was in a sense, an emotional one. All the greatness of my trip lay in the warmth of the east, not here on cold, hard German roads.
In the Slovenian countryside
After much determined and hard-core riding I landed in Dover, I rode off the ferry boat and my tires touched English Tarmac. The gentle pit pat of rain started to land on my visor, the sky was grey and I couldn't feel my fingers. I pulled into a petrol station to fill up. I was met with a stern face and realized I was not going to be offered tea, coffee, cigarettes or a warm bed for the night... It was strange to be back. Now I was just another biker.
Although, being honest I was not happy to return, I was looking forward to seeing all those I left behind. Also a feeling of pride came over me, mainly I was proud of myself for not dying out there, also I was proud that I rode all that way on my own, unassisted, through some crazy places, got myself out of some awkward situations, did it without a GPS, made friends for life, imprinted memories, learned a hell of a lot about myself and most importantly I realized what I am capable of. Finally I am proud that I actually did it, my point being, I have heard so many people on my trip, before and after say that they want to do something like it.... Or they wish they could, usually followed by: if only... The if only's were then followed by a multitude of similar, usual reasoning's such as: money, family, friends, work, guts, time.... None of which I believe, if they really, really, deep inside wanted it they would go for it regardless, nothing else matters.
I'm glad I did the trip I wanted to do, exactly how I wanted to do it and I did not become one of those that just talk about doing it.
Of course, the trip would really be nothing without the people I met along the way. So many people have asked me whilst I was gone where my favourite place was. I always reply with the same answer.
It's never the places I remember, I don't remember the churches, castles, pirate caves, seas, cities, mosques, streets, statues, mountains, cliffs, hills, roads, forests, lakes, rivers, views or sights... They all become blurs, they all look the same once you've seen a dozen. I will only remember them when I look through my photos. Instead of the place it is always 100% the people. Places I've visited are not prioritized by the sights but the people I've met there and that is what is most important to me when traveling, people.
So in effect I wanted to use this last bit of my final post to thank all those people (most of whom will never read this but..) who helped me out along the road, as friends I will remember everyone.
Thank you to:
Jean and family - for taking me in, feeding me, letting me use your shower and the morning coffee. It was a brilliant start for my trip.
Peter, Bernard and Anne - for kindly trusting me, letting me pitch up in your back yard and for the morning coffee. Also thanks to your neighbours for the biscuits.
German farmer and family - I loved that latte with a passion. The huge packed lunch you gave me, all the fresh orange juice and of course your farm hand who shared his beers.
Greenhouse lady - I turned up cold, tired and messy, thanks for the comfort of your warm, dry green house!
Nina - for the 3 nights I spent in your cool apartment in Frankfurt, all the wine, the pizza and the unlimited supply of cherries
Klaus - for the 2 nights in your apartment in Bamberg. For taking me out with your friends, showing me around, the beers and the late night movies... Also that weird ham flavoured beer
Helena - for being my second mom and treating me like a son, truly... Just thinking about all that food you force fed me... Thanks!
Stephano - for letting me shoot your crossbow :D
Robbo - for letting me shoot loads of guns
Barney - for the cool axe
Rusty - because you know I love you
The Talbots - Richard and Julie, I was supposed to only sleep in your garden but you took me in and gave me a bed for two nights, fed me, serviced my motorcycle, taught me about my bike and helped me again whilst I was on the road. I loved staying with you guys and especially your stories... I still tell people your stories! And I use the Ileaveforsyria expression when I ride off! Also thanks again for the bike trousers, without them, in the cold, soaking wet mountains of eastern Turkey I would have literally frozen my nuts off, so me and my future kids say thanks so much! For everything!
Stephan and Luda - for making me breakfast every day for over a week whilst I slept in your neighbours garden and for all the free coffee in your cafe, oh and of course the cake.
Romanian family on the Hungarian border - thanks for the road map, for the fruit and water
Monica and family - amazing level of kindness from Monica, don't really know what to say! Serious kindness, it was such a pleasure.
Istanbul motorcycle club - thanks guys for letting us stay in your apartment for those nights and taking care of our bikes
Motorcycle shop - to the two guys that drove around busy istanbul for us for half an hour to find our place
The young Turkish lads on the beat up old bike - who in the middle of the night let us follow them to the campsite I was looking for
Levant and the Iznik motorcycle gang - super cool dudes, thanks for showing us around Iznik, the unlimited tea, all the stickers, the songs, the music, the huge dinner and the place to sleep... Brilliant time with you guys
Russ and Caroline - well basically congratulations and thanks for inviting us to the wedding!
Buggy rental - not so much a thanks, more of a sorry
Restaurant owner in Tusucu - thank you for letting me sleep in your place and for feeding me!
Bulent and the Mersin Bike garage - Bulent, thank you for being such a cool dude, buying me dinner, taking me to the bank and for sorting me out those tires! Also thank you so much to your wife for the purple stone necklace for luck, I havent taken it off and I am still wearing it now.
Fidel - For taking so much time out of your busy day to sort everything out for me in Antakya
The Russian dude at the Iraqi border - For showing me around
The Iraqi border guards - because you guys were cool, nothing else to it
Iraqi hotel owner - For dropping your room rates by such an amount and wheeling my bike into the front foyer of your hotel and also for buying me presents
Bonnie - For letting me and Anthony sleep in your apartment
Canadian Iraqi dude - For driving us around the mountains at night, for the ice cream and tea and pizza
The young three Kurdish dudes - Who let me follow their car when I was lost in Erbil
To all the Kurds I met on the long roads between cities - for giving me tea and fruit
Athena - for taking me in when no one else would, also to Addonnis for being such an interesting dude
Svetlana, Ljbucia, Makedonka and Dime - I love all of you, cant wait to come back!
To all the countless people who invited me into their homes and places of work and business for tea, breakfast, lunch and dinner
Fraser and Maria - for letting me stay in your apartment for so long and being such cool people, also thanks to Fraser for being such a damn good cook
All of the petrol station attendents in Turkey - for all the hours spent on the forecourt of those stations be it in the middle of nowhere or up a mountain, drinking tea and chatting away with you guys all over the entire country... and for all the times I was given breakfast of course - Turkish petrol station attendants are the best!
Everyone who let me pitch up my tent in their garden or on their farm, or in a couple of cases in their neighbours garden
Everyone that gave me a warm bed in their own homes, for trusting me like that
All of the Iraqi military and police for being so cool, I want to see some of those photos one day appear on the internet, enough were bloody taken!
All those random people I met on the side of the road who pulled out fruit, food and water from their own bags
The men in Turkish villages who would becon me in to share tea
Men walking with donkeys on dusty old roads that would always share fruit
The million and thirteen men, women and children who gave me directions
Turk the Tortoise - for the chat
Finally thank you to everyone who took time to read all of my ramblings! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing it.
So the trip and this blog is finally over, that's that. I learnt a lot about people, keeping cool, taking it easy, how not to panic no matter what, dealing with difficult situations and how to get by on your own. Things and skills that I would or could never, ever be able to develop living in my home country. Those things can only be learnt out there on the road.
The beautiful thing about it is that truly anyone can do it and I really hope that at least one person that read this entire thing decides to. All you need is a pair of balls and then your good to go!
The road awaits you, life awaits you, people await you, Adventure awaits you... so what the hell are you waiting for?
