|
Latest News
April 2008
I can hear Bernard exclaiming "Ouch" from the computer room followed by sharp
intakes of breath. "HOW MUCH!" follows shortly. Then I hear the "I'll give you a call back when I win the Lottery" line he has been known to use. His other
favourite is "I don't want to buy the factory which make them, just the parts
themselves please."
He has a whole list of one-liners to trot out when he thinks
capitalism is going a bit too far in its search for profit.
I laugh to myself as I climb the stairs to take part in the inevitable - and
latest - negotiation and calming down procedure. As I enter the room the
computer chair creaks as he swivels towards me.
"I'm dying here Cath, absolutely dying" he exclaims. "Correction, we're dying
here Cath, call the undertakers please, I'm ready to go now, I can feel my life
force being sucked out of me."
He continues as he's on a roll now.
"I may as well just cut my wrists." "The
price everything is enormous and this is before we even go. We
haven't turned a wheel yet and thousands are disappearing."
I usually make various supportive noises at his worries over everything
financial. He really does worry.
He worries about parts. He worries about
breaking down. He worries about communication, accidents, wrong routes, money,
illness, medicines, hurricanes, tsunamis' and toothache. And he worries about me. Actually he worries
about me everything around me really. If he was going on his own he would not worry so
much. I know this and we have talked about it. But he seems to have 5000 things to do and he's trying to do
everything as there is nobody else. Just me and him. But we soldier on.
Each time we talk over the latest round of expenditure he grumbles as I
convince him to order the various bits and pieces. He resists and tries to find
another way around the expenditure. Usually he realises I am right (I am a woman
after all) and there
is no other way but to the pay the price and get the correct part / bit / of
equipment rather than some 'make do' alternative.
 He half jokingly (I think) tried to convince me the other night that bubble
wrap would be as good as buying an Airhawk seat. He actually said large bubble
wrap would probably be better. He was fine about buying the seat until he found
out it cost ("another £130"). At this point the subject of bubble wrap came up.
Needless to say, he gave up. I think it may have been due to me telling him, in
no uncertain terms, this was a
non-starter!
"I going back on the phone to have more blood sucked out of me."
He
sighs as he climbs the stairs back into 'World Tour HQ' as we call it. His
footsteps are heavy on the stairs and sometimes I can hear the heavy tread of
disappointment and frustration in these steps at some rejection from a company
whom he has approached for assistance. I can hear the worry and concern in his
voice about the latest problem to be solved; about all the things he thinks
about around the trip.
From the kitchen where I stand I can hear the sound of the phone being lifted,
the beep of the keys being pressed and then his voice starts talking down the
phone. So it is that the whole process starts all over again.
Occasionally he will disappear outside to blow smoke rings and calm down
before launching into another long call about something or other. He cajoles and
tries to convince the person that a charity world ride by a blind woman deserves
some financial trimming on the capitalist principles of making more profit than
he considers to be decent.
Having listened
to this scenario (often) recently I know some he wins and some he loses. At
times he considers it a 'draw' as some small leeway is given; usually free
postage for several hundred pounds bit of kit.
Where will you be sleeping?
People have been mailing us with
kind offers of accommodation from around the world and many have asked about
this aspect of the trip i.e. "Where are you planning to stay each night?" A
small explanation therefore for you.
Due to the fact that all of the
costs are being born by Bernard and myself we are seeking to, obviously,
minimise the costs as much as possible. Therefore we will be camping as much as
possible; much like we did during our trip from
Land's End to John O'Groat's. It should
significantly reduce the costs. I think it is important to say that none of the
sponsorship money people are collecting will be used to fund the trip. Not a
penny, not a cent.
Money and documents
The International Carnet for the
bike has now been ordered from the R.A.C and paid for (costing £995 for this one
document alone). The Carnet is an 'import/export' document for the bike which is
required for several countries (Iran, Pakistan, India, Australia, and
recommended for use all through South America). Each country has a 'tarif' which
they apply to the vehicle and this generates an amount of tax they would claim
if the vehicle was sold while in their country. For example, if a vehicle was
sold in India then there would be a 500% Tax applied to the sale! For example,
the bike we are travelling on is 18 year's old. The market value is around
£1000. Thus the tax levied would be £5000 if we sold it in India. If it was a
£10,000 new bike then it would be £50,000! In this case cheap is good!
Most people take out a
specialised insurance policy to buy the Carnet although you can approach it in
different ways (if you have lots and lots of money in the bank then your bank
will act as guarantee). If you take the insurance route this means you end up
paying 10% of the 'taxable figure' (in our case £500 instead of £5000) and then
you add on other costs. These include the Carnet document itself, Government Taxes at 5%
- thank you HerMIt or Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes for adding this on as
well. Plus there are other,
refundable deposits etc. and so you end up with the figure of £995. The R.A.C very
kindly deducted some of their costs due to the fact that Cathy is doing this
trip for Charity and so they applied a reduction on this basis.
Our sincere
thanks to Paul Gowan of the R.A.C for his asistance and help in sorting through the
paperwork! He really did make the whole process extremely simple.
The Carnet document itself has a
triplicate page for each country where it will be used. The bike is stamped in
and out of the country (and pages are taken out at the border - one for in and
one for out) and we will be left with one (our) page. Once we hit the
Panama canal then this document is no longer needed and we can post it back to
the UK.
Equipment and costs
 Many, many parcels have arrived
at World Tour HQ in recent weeks. Like an excited school boy Bernard has
unpacked them to reveal multifarious parts. These have ranged from motorcycle
clutches to small boxes of screws along with various other bits and pieces the
likes of which I know not.
I have felt (and had described to me) a motorcycle
'black box', sender units, two-phase coils and countless other such like parts;
all with such reverent enthusiasm. New panniers (Hepco and Becker 45 Litre) have
been purchased along with a similar size back box.
For the motorcycle enthusiasts out there
there will be a list of all the items purchased in the last few weeks posted on
the site in the coming weeks. We have included
costs as Bernard believes this is important information which may be useful for
other people planning such an expedition. Most overlanders do not give this sort
of information and yet it is important to help others who inevitably ask the
question "How much does it cost?" We will keep you up to date and feel free to
contact us about any questions you may have not already answered on this site.
Currently we are trying to source a
satellite phone for safety reasons which is proving expensive in itself (about
£750 for the phone itself plus various connection charges at £7 PER MINUTE!).
At the moment it is Bernard's main source of
concern as he pictures the scenario of being incapacitated himself which leaves
me as the our source of contact. Obviously there are accessibility issues
involved at the point as my own mobile phone has speech installed on it yet we
may (probably) have no signal in some regions. He is still working on this
aspect even as I type this. It is another problem to solve!
Carrying of Spares and other
paraphernalia (by
Bernard)
 It is really hard to know what is
going to be useful. I agonise of what to take - I really do. I wake up in the
middle of the night and some part pops into my head and I reach for the writing
pad beside the bed and furiously scribble away in case I forget by the time I
wake up. An emergency dental repair kit was one which woke me up about three in
the morning a week ago!
In the end I seem to have cut it
down to the main electronic units of the bike, a full gasket kit, spare bulbs,
two work shop manuals, an electronic parts manual for reference (on the laptop).
Other small ancillary bits will also include a set of HT leads, a carburettor
diaphragm, spare jets (different sizes to account for altitude), and two oil
filters. Main parts so far have included a trigger unit, black box, and spare
ignition coil. I dare say it isn't finished yet!
The bike currently has a complete
new clutch assembly, all new brakes and in the coming weeks the cylinders
will be taken off to renew gaskets and to have various seals upgraded. My hands
are starting to look distinctly 'mechanical'.
Several people have asked about
how often myself and Cathy get out and about on the bike and so a few words.
The main bike for the journey has
been in bits for some time now and so we have not been together on a bike since
the Land's End to John O'Groat's trip last summer. From a
personal point of view I use a bike every day for work.
I started using the bike when the
traffic around Merseyside started to get a bit silly in terms of travel times.
Also, once the cost of parking was nearly costing me as much as my mortgage I
thought enough was enough!
And so it was the Yamaha was
dusted off and brought into play.
All I have to do now is dodge the
infernal speed cameras sprouting like mushrooms in every hedgerow. Not that I am
any form of speed freak but it is SO EASY to get done these days between fixed
units, mobile units and CCTV on every lamp post! Food for thought - there are
four million CCTV cameras in the UK; more than any other nation in the world.
"Well Mr Orwell, what do you think about that?"
Eye
findings (by Cathy)
As always life has not proved to
be simple. Complications occurred with my left eye operation and several visits have
occurred back and forth to the hospital where copious amounts of drops in little
bottles have been issued. I am now on drops every two hours but all being well
they will finish soon (please, please, please!)
Biscuit and the big question 
Many people ask me
what is happening to Biscuit (my Guide Dog)
when we set off on the journey.
Usually, it is the very first thing they
ask! Before any other aspect of the journey
is raised a voice says "But what is
happening to Biscuit?" It seems that Biscuit
has her very own following out there in cyberland. Soon she will be endorsing
products and services and making guest
appearances on TV shows; being lined up for
articles and then finally an autobiography
(entitled "My Life and times as a Guide
Dog") will be planned.
You get the drift?
Biscuit and the separation.
Biscuit and I have been inseparable since
she became my second guide dog and the
parting will not be easy. In fact it will be
very hard. While there is no doubt of this,
if you have tracked the updates over time
you will be aware that Guide Dogs have very
kindly allowed her to go back (for the
duration of the trip) to her 'boarders' who
live in Chester.
Sandra and Ian have a special
relationship with Biscuit which I will come
onto in a minute but first a little
information about the role of a boarder for
Guide Dogs.
Boarders do a vital job for Guide Dogs
and are always in demand. Boarders
themselves do a range of tasks without which
the whole process would be very difficult,
if not impossible.
Boarders vary
across a range of activities from Holiday
boarders,Trainee guide dog boarders,
Emergency boarders, and to what are called
'Other' boarders.
It is not always possible (for various
reasons) to take your dog with you on
holiday as a blind person. For example,
several years ago I took part in a sailing
holiday and my previous Guide Dog Petra was
boarded while I was away. I could relax and
I knew that she was safe and well and being
looked after in a loving home. It makes a
difference when you can relax and know that
your dog is fine. The relationship between a
blind person and their guide dog is far, far
beyond the normal dog owner relationship
(which can be profound in itself).
With Trainee guide
dog boarders the person is involved in
looking after a dog which is in the final
10-12 weeks of its training. This is also
sometimes called "bed and breakfast" as you
look after the dog in the evenings and at
weekends. It’s ideal for someone who works
during the day as the dog is completing its
training during working hours and returns to
you in the evening.
Emergency boarders
are very much as the name would imply. In
the event of the owner being hospitalised
(with nobody to care for their dog) then the
emergency boarder would be called into play.
This role is usually of a short-term nature.
'Other' boarders
are people who live near the Dog Supply
Units and are able to look after dogs in a
variety of circumstances: it could be that
the dog was distressed in kennels or hasn’t
made it as a guide dog and needs a temporary
home until Guide Dogs we can find it a
permanent one.
Sandra and Ian
 So it was that Sandra and Ian were
Biscuit's boarders during her training and
she is so firmly attached to them and has
never forgotten them at all!
We have visited
their Chester home (socially) on several
occasions and the same events always happen.
When we pull up and let her out of the car
she leaps the three steps, races up the path
and through the front door like a missile.
Rushing around the house she reintroduces
herself with a definite "OK I'm here now,
let's play, but first stroke me lots and
lots; then we'll go and investigate the
garden."
During our two test runs for this journey
(Select
here for photo album Alps and Pyrenees
in 2006 and
select here for Land's
End to John O'Groat's in 2007)
Biscuit stayed with Sandra and Ian. They
both consider Biscuit to be 'part of the
family' and they have a real soft spot for
her. I can think of no better place for her
to be than with them. They board other dogs
as well and often comment that having an
older 'Guide Dog' in the house settles and
calms the other dogs they board who are in
their final training.
Last week-end when we visited they also
had 'Mitch' (a black labrador / retriever)
and were acting as emergency boarders as his
owner had been taken into hospital for a
period of time. Thus Biscuit and Mitch
introduced themselves and then took off
around the (large) garden. Happy doggie
heaven is the only way I can describe it
really. My own Guide Dog trainer (Nick)
bases his dogs with Sandra and Ian and he
will be working with Biscuit while we are
away to keep her skills sharp. Thus she will
be surrounded by people who will love and
care for her and she will also have lots of
company in terms of other dogs.
I really can't ask
for more. Biscuit will be happy and cared
for and this is all I need to know.
Sponsors.
 Our
sincere and grateful thanks to Dolphin
Computer Access Technicians who have been in
contact with us several times by phone and
email in recent weeks.
Dolphin will be supplying a lap top,
specialist software and bits and pieces of
hardware for Cathy while we are on the road
to enable communication with the world
through the internet. I would be true to say
that the company have been an enthusiastic
(and constant) supporter of our
journey since day one.
We cannot thank them enough for their
support.
This support and encouragement has
stemmed right from the top of the company
(Chief Executive Noel Duffy) all the way to
their marketing division and technicians who
are currently sourcing equipment.
Select here for
article on Unicorn Motorcycle Tours .
Watch this space for further news.
Select here to go to top
of page.
| 
