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<channel><generator>iloblog 1.0</generator><title>simonblogenglish Feed</title><link>http://blogenglish.simonontour.de/</link><description>For all those who stayed at home and those who care...</description><item><title>Australia</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=16</link><description><![CDATA[  Crossing the border to Australia  02.07.09-08.07.09 getaway somewhere     in Australia  Enough "Vacation", I cannot believe it, I miss my bike and looking forward to drive the last 4800km I get to Darwin.   The very last leg of my trip starts now. I'm very close to fulfill my dream of riding my bike to Perth.   With mixed feelings. I really got so far already? I'm happy... see you soon, Yours Simon    I M A D E I T, on the 15th of July I arrive in Perth, Australia after 23.349km - grateful, content and happy.  The dream has become true!!  Tomorrow - really - I'll continue writing because what would be my last leg without again really adventurous stories...? Stay tuned. Simon     08.07.09 Darwin  According to the scedule my bike should have arrived with the ship from Singapore yesterday and I have to get it on the road as soon as possible because the flight back home is booked and in Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Insia, Nepal,... I went a little - haha - dilly-dally. The airplane is supposed to arrive in Darwin at 4:17pm, the AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) closes at 4:30pm but it's said to be at the airport. That will be a tight schedule and I really don't want to challenge the good luck that I had during the whole trip but the plane arrives 20 minutes early (what's up with that?!?) and at 4:17pm I run ("Sir, the airport is the other way") - they think I'm trying to catch a flight - to the AQIS to get the papers done and to make an appointment for tomorrow. Finding a Backpacker was easy because there is only one real main street in Darwin. Looking for a bed in a Backpacker is a harder thing to do because it's high season, party time and I feel like on campus. The first two BP are booked out, the third one has one free bed (no, you can't see the room before) in a 6 bed dorm. I take it and I don't need to tell you guys how the night was - I wouldn't have needed a room... Funny thing - I meet Dave and Chris (two Australian Guys that are driving from London to Perth and I had met them before in Pakistan and then again in Thailand). Their car is coming here in the same container as my bike. So close before the end of the trip we have a big "hello", we share stories and tomorrow we want to experience the "adventure" AQIS together.    09.07.09 Darwin  I
get to the Shipping Company on time at 10am and Dave and Chris are
already there. At first everything works out well, I fill out the
papers, walk to the depository with a harbour pass, helmet and an
employee (James) and there I see my bike. "Don't touch" because it's
not "free" yet. Ok. They work on Chris' and Dave's car intensely, they
take out all the pads and I sense something bad might happen. James
says that the AQIS guy (Pedro) always has to find at least something,
otherwise he doesn't feel "good". Thats Ok I think and during the
breaks I always try to do some smalltalk with Pedro who originally
comes from Venezuela. While he keeps on tearing the car apart it's nice
that the customs check my bike and stamp my carnet. We've overcome the first obstacle and so we're having lunch. AQIS with
Pedro is booked for 2pm and of course Pedro finds something on my
bike/luggage as well - even though I had spent hours to even get the
dirt out of the tent poles. James helps me out and goes over it again
with his superpowerheyI'mevengonnablowoffthepaintofyourbikepowerhose
and at 3:30pm I'm done! How wrong can you be...I have to go back to the
office to pick up my approval documents and when Toni (with an "i" it's
female and with a "y" it's male I learn) looks at the computer screen
there is a NO for approval. The story to come up now will be in the
book then - it's too mutch for this blog. Just this mutch: it can take
up to 72 hours to get the bike out of there. Why? None of the custom
officers can or wants to tell me that. I'm devastated, my schedule is
lost and why is it such a problem to cross the borders of the last two
countries? Dave and Chris are good to go and hit the road, awesome.
Back to the backpacker, check in again, dorm again, no sleep again.   10.07.09 Darwin  I do everything to get the bike out because today is Friday and if it doesn't work out today it will on Monday. My flight back home is leaving to Stuttgart on Sunday 19th at 7:20am and I don't really know how to make the 4.800km in six days and actually I don't want that. At around noon I finally get the bike, customs are content (of course there is a bigger story about it) and then I have to go to the "TÜV" to let them check if my bike is roadworthy at all. It is, even though my license plate appears in the documents with a "D" for Germany. I go to some kind of authorizations office with the document to get the necessary insurence. Drama, drama, drama baby and around 2:30pm I hit the road south to Perth. I pop the corks and it doesn't take me long to get out of town, alone on the road. It takes about 50 dead kangaroos until I see one alive. I stop 60km behind Kathrine at a camp site (in this case it's a parking lot next to the road), put up the tent (finally again) and get invited for supper from my camping neighbours Bill and his wife. We're having kangaroo stew.   11.07.09 60km behind Kathrine  The night was...great! I wake up from the birds' twitter, the sunrise is impressing! While I'm packing my stuff Bill brings me a cup of tea and I leave at 7:30am after Bill reminds me of driving carefully because of all the kangaroos. I don't know exactly what he means but I'll find out soon. It doesn't take long until there is a kangaroo standing on the side of the road. It probably wants to become a stew because it starts running across the road right in front of me. That was close. Today I drive the longest leg of my trip - 934km. I drive through landscapes there you can turn around 360° and you won't see one single house, no hills, nothing. The horizon is the limit. Sometimes I drive about 100km without seeing any other vehicles - I'm wondering if this is the right road! I start feeling really free - just like "the sky is the limit" and this is what I wanted the end of the trip to be like. At night I again enjoy camping atmosphere with an impressing sky full of stars...   12.07.09 117km behind Halls Creek  When the wind comes from the front you can smell the dead kangaroos a long time before you actually see them. And there is a lot of them. When it comes from behind the smell comes along with you and that's disgusting. Sometimes the wind is so strong that I can't feel any head wind going 120km/h. A whole new experience.  I come from the Northern Territory and get to Western Australia and here they have special quarantine regulations - it's not allowed to bring fruits, vegetables and things like that to Western Australia. It's a leg of 900km again today. In former times - some bikers among you might remember - it was a common thing to greet other bikers on the way. Here in the NT it's the same thing but with cars and even the highway patrol! Today I can't find a campside, so I decide to camp in a floodway on the side of the road. But right before dark a parking lot comes up. Two oversize trucks and two cars are already there. While I'm putting up my tent (I'm in the middle of nowhere here) I hear noises from a chain saw. One of the truckers got his chain saw out to fell a tree in order to be able to have a campfire. The men are really lusty (what the f... you f... eatin the f... and just get the f... out of the f...) and it's exactly that kind of people that you don't want to meet. At first I think that it's a mistake to not have camped out there somewhere. And as I've experienced during the entire trip - negative things turn out to be positive and I have one of the best nights of the trip. The guys are really on the ball and after they finally started speaking understandable english we're having a lot of fun.. Thanks for everything, Tinsle, Loyd, Adam and Trevis.   13.07.09 300km before Port Hedland  After a trucker breakfast I keep driving in the direction of Perth - with the sunrise. It's after only one day and another 800km only 1200km away. The further I get south the colder the nights get and I have to get my bike clothes back out that I had worn at the beginning of the trip - gloves included. After another day - the antepenultimate one of the trip - I notice that I lost my license plate and I write (no other way to handle it) the letters with a Sharpie.   14.07.09 about 300km before Canarvon  Go to the Police, go to them before they come to you, that's what an ecperienced camper tells me and in a way that makes sense to me. I shouldn't have done it, with this situation I'm asking too much of the local police in Canarvon. Reams of phone calls, discussions how to deal with this we finally agree that I get an Australian license plate. I'm laughing. In the end I have to go to a seperate room (after about 1 hour) and Officer Kym first looks at me and then tells me that she gives a "damn shit" about how and what I do now and that I should just keep driving. She smiles. Ah ok, we understand each other. I get my documents and get out of there. Of course I don't get pulled over and everything works out well until I get to Perth.... Almost there, so I can slow down and enjoy the moments, let the trip go through my head again and have to be careful not to become melancholic. I almost made it - in the sense of "what, I'm already there?!?". I spend my last night with baked beans, a campfire and a shooting star...    15.07.09 32km before Geralton  The last day of the journey has come, the night was really cold - no rain, thank god. On the last 500km to Perth I'm in the best mood and get lost - like some kind of a final gag.  At 2:45pm and after 23.349km I get welcomed in Perth in a very nice way. What kind of a great feeling is that...  I dreamed my dream!   Now this goes out to all those who 've been thinking of me during this extraordinary trip, believed in me, kept their fingers crossed, backed me up, stayed tuned, wrote me emails and SMS, to all those who supported me in all possible and impossible ways, I mean all of YOU and I only have one appropriate word:  T H A N K S !!!!!!!!!   It would be good if I could find the right words for some kind of a conclusion. That doesn't work though because concerning the ride the trip is over, concerning the blog and the stories - not for long time yet. You can then read everything else in -after my tour-.   Actually it wasn't really planned but so many of you encouraged me and I can't and don't want to ignore that. YES I'll write a book and YES it will be exciting, funny and there will be many new stories to be read. I plan on publishing it before Christmas 2009. Write to my new email adress book@simonontour.de and you'll get information on the stage of the project, how far I got, when it will finally be published and many more informations.   Oh, another thing, around Australia and South America is supposed to be great with a bike as well   - at least that's what I've heared.  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:34:42 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Singapore</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=15</link><description><![CDATA[  25.06.09 - crossing the border to Singapore    Around 2pm  I get to the border for the first time. To get out of Malaysia is way too simple again. A quick chop, no carnet, nothing and of course everything on the bike lane again. Getting through a maze of roads over a river and on the bike lane, too. They wait until 50-100 bikers are there and then they open the border. Reminds me of the start of an enduro race. Everybody is shoving and pushing, everybody wants to go first. It's simple to get into Singapore, got the chop, then I'm supposed to buy an Autocard at the customs office. Thats some kind of toll card that every vehicle needs. Ok. I go to the customs and when the officer comes up to me with a pile of paper I suspect something bad. He asks if I have an autocard. No, how should I? If I have an insurance? Sure! Yes but does it look like this one here? and he shows me one of the papers. No but the bike has a worldwide insurance. How was it covered in Malaysia? Well - here, with the worldwide insurance. That doesn't count here. Ok. Then I get asked if I have an ICP (International Circulation Permit)? No, of course I have not. Anyways, where and how can I buy it? OK Sir,
you dont really like to hear what I am telling you now and I am very
sorry for this!   Well, I have to get out of Singapore (a lady drives in front of me in wiggly lines so I can't pass her on the customs area and gets me out of there), then I have to go to Malaysia and buy an insurance for Malaysia(!) and Singapore, get back to Singapore (without the bike of course, so either cab or bus), go to ASS or ADAC somewhere in Singapore, buy the ICP, get back to Malaysia, pick up the bike and get back to Singapore.   It's 3:30pm by now.  The ASS closes at 7:30pm. I have the name of an insurance company and because I'm just so damn lucky I take the right exit and also find the insurance company. Happiness!!! I run inside, buy the insurance (really easy to do) and get told that the bike and the stuff on it are very insecure here and might get stolen. What am I going to do about that? I lock it all and decide to take a cab back to Singapore because I don't want to waste a second. I don't even take time to change my bike clothes. Needless to say that this would be the most expensive cab ride of my life.  An employee of the insurance gives me a ride to the taxi stand,  it's 4:03pm  and I go to Singapore for the second time. On the way I tell the driver that I will only pay when he makes it until 7:30pm. At the entrance the officer takes like forever and when we explain to him what our destination is he laughs at us. Traffic jam in Singapore...The driver is highly motivated - maybe worried about his money - drives like a maniac and again I'm lucky - he knows the AAS building, the way there and all the shortcuts!   At 5:16pm  I talk to Doris at the AAS and give her all the necessary papers. A colleaque tries to make a joke saying that the insurance from Malaysia is invalid here but my sight makes him forebode something evil and he stops that. I'm soaking wet from sweating. Before Doris writes the ICP she has to call the shipping agency to make sure that I will take the bike back out of the country. Friends, what do you think?!? That I'll stay here??? No way! Now I'm holding a piece pf paper in my hand - size A5 (10,5 x 21 cm;-)), got some Singapore Dollars less in my pocket and get back on my way to Malaysia. While we're driving back - all relaxed - we see a multiple crash on the other side, followed by a big traffic jam. What an irony, I don't believe it. The Malaysian customs officer asks me what I'm doing because I'm crossing the border so frequently today. I tell him, he gives me his mercy, I'm back in Malaysia and get a ride to my bike.  Oh yes, when I was at this insurance company in the afternoon I asked them if I could leave the bike here. They said no because they are only here until 4pm and nobody wants to be responsible.  Now it's 6:30  and there are the same people still sitting there! Anyways when I get out of the cab I hit my head and get a 5cm long graze on my head. When I get to the bike I notice that among other things my VFB key pendant is missing. I have pretty mutch enough for today. At my third time getting into Singapore I get into the wrong lane (the one for biometrical data) and when I'm backing up I rip off one of the hand protectors.  But the best thing is still to come (I think): When I get the third (!!!) entrance chop the officer says that I can go. I ask: really go? I don't have to to anything else yet? No, I can go. I don't have to go to customs or anything? No, I can go. Real quick I think of what would happen if I did so and just went. I go to the customs office anyways and I project all my displeasure on a lady that first lets me walk up to her for about 100m and then walks back with me to the bike because of the identification of the license plate. Even my bike clothes are wet, I look bad. I'll not tell you guys the rest but in the end they take care of me - almost in a pathetic way and they hand me the autocard which I can't use - why? I don't know and I really don't want to know. I made it? Haha, next thing is luggage check. Of course I have to drive to a bike check point again. Did I just write "drive"? I have to shove the bike through there and show them what I have in my boxes and stuff which is not a problem with all those little scooters here. But a motorcycle with almost 400kg? I barely make it over the speedbumps, I'm on the ropes and I get real mercy, I can see that in their eyes. "What do you have in your boxes?" Sparepants, clothes.... Where are you coming from? Germany. They wave me through with the fastes arm move that I've seen in a while.   Around 8pm  I'm in Singapore, driving down the highway towards the skyscrapers and lights......   26.06.09 Singapore  I sleep over at a friends' house during these days - very friendly. When I wake up in the morning I'm still like numbed from yesterday. By far this has been the most stressful border crossing ever. I'm back to "civilization" and so detoxed that in addition to the breakfast I order a Latte Macchiato with a "tripleshot" espresso. How my stomach liked that - you can imagine. Just this mutch: not very good. In the morning I have an appointment with the Shipping Company who is supposed to ship the bike from Singapore to Darwin. I take the TCP and the TYE (thats the famous abbreviation of the roads and highways - nobody knows their real name) and so I get to the Keppler rd. and I'm there. That was simple and thank god it will go on like this. After 1,5 hours of paperwork I can either drive directly to the harbor or go there some other time - which would mean tomorrow. I decide to go some other time because I've heared about the very strict rules when you want to get to Australia, so I want to clean the bike again first - if possible. I drive through the city and when I get back I spend a very long time cleaning the bike - in the end I even pick out every single little stone from the tires.    27.07.09 Singapore  Today it's saturday and I'm supposed to be at the harbor at 10:30 and then a little earlier because it's always so crowded where they hand you the passports. I get there and - nothing. Everything goes well, an employee gets there and he organizes a tow-car because on harbor ground no vehicles with two tires are allowed to drive. So I have to get the bike on that tow-car and once it's up there it slips back down. It takes four people then to get it to stay up there and secure it with tension belts. Then 3 custom officers check the carnet but they don't even look at the bike. In the meantime it starts to rain. The rest of the ride to the docks goes smoothly, they measure the bike, get it ready and pack it. I spend the time until the 07.07. as a pedestrian. As a tourist I get taken to different sights and "enjoy" the heat and humidity.   28.06.09 Singapore  I make plans for a getaway because the ship gets to Darwin at the 07.07. and then it takes another two days until the container gets ashore and another day to get through customs and quarantine. I go to a family party with friends today and I learn how to eat soup with chopsticks!   29.06.-02.07.09 Singapore  The Shipping Company wants money from me yet so I go into the city again and get rid of the rest of my Singapore Dollars. Compared to shipping with an airplane this is a real bargain. I decide to stay in Singapore until the 02.07.09 and I can say that I really enjoy it. Driving with a bicycle and a car and of course walking I can really say that I like Singapore. At the 02.07 I fly to Australia for a getaway...  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:43:50 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Malaysia</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=14</link><description><![CDATA[  23.06.09 Songhia  As I've already said (better: written) they have an extra bike lane. And then there is a tourist office where I can get a map finally. 2 days to Singapore? No way. Here everything is nice and green and clean and well organized - during the whole ride on the highway. There are hundreds of people only taking care of the highways. Almost clinical. And the highways are fenced in because you have to pay tolls. Not bikers though! They pass the toll stations without paying. Funny procedure! Today I'm driving to an island (Penang) and check in at a hotel named Peking. After that I go around the island. Nobody can tell me how many kilometers that would be. One guy says 30km, the next one 120km - in the end it's 80km. One of the most amazing rides that I did so far. The island is great. As soon as you're out of the city the road has curves, it goes up and down, you pass the ocean and beautiful beaches and then it goes back into the jungle. Finally I lose some tread on the edges of my tires. I feel like intoxicated and I lay in the curves that I almost get seasick. Never experienced anything like this before... Bikers, go to Penang! And if you're not a biker, come here anyways and rent scooter, you won't regret it!   24.06.09 Penang  Another big leg leads me to Melacca. It's the second city that was recommended to me and I'm not disappointed, find a guesthouse which is ok and prepare for Singapore. Tomorrow yet the last 250km. I'm in a very good bikers mood today. No, not because it'll be over soon, it's because everything has worked out so well so far. At night I walk around the city (as I do often) to get a feeling for the country and the people. Again I notice the discrepance between tradition and modern spirit. Here the old, cute little individually designed house - one next to another one and then not even 100m away a huge shopping mall. The traditional city - beautiful. The mall as well, just not for me.    25.06.09 Melacca  What a beautiful day. There is no sun in Malaysia since I got into the country (it's misty) but I can still enjoy the highways and it's great to be able to just enjoy the last couple of kilometers before the ride will continue in Darwin. Sometimes I have to read the blog because I can't believe that I'm already here. Enough of philosophizing. Packing my stuff to go to Singapore....  In the end I got to Singapore at 8:00pm and I first have to regenerate. I barely find any words for what I experienced during my entry here. In the end I was in Singapore 3 times in order to be in Singapore! Haha the last piece to Singapore is simple....and in the end the biggest challenge and stress situation of the whole trip. Let me summon up this almost unrealistic story for yu guys and then I'll get it ready for the blog.  I noticed that everybody here speaks in "shortcuts". A conversation was like this:1)Where do you go? 2)Kuala Lumpur, 1)Where? 2)Kuala Lumpur! 1)Ah, KL,
2)No Kuala Lumpur, 1)Kuuaaalaaaaa Lumpur!, 2)Yes, 1)Ah, KL!  and the whole thing with this asian accent...   
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:19:04 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Thailand 3</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=13</link><description><![CDATA[  19.06.09 Vientiane  If I crossed the border at the same spot every time they would greet me with handshakes by now. I haven't seen any motorbikers in Asia so far. Now I'm going south and hope that it won't rain too mutch and that the transport difficulties will be solved soon. I'm really worried about that.   Enjoy the blog for the rest of the time and what's on my mind: I get many emails saying that I should write a book. Do you really want to read a book about my trip? Sure, as I've written before, I've experienced a lot more that I can write in the blog (funny stories but also sad and hard ones), but a BOOK?   On the way to the border I get lost because there are no signs saying that the right way leads over the Lao-Japanese friendship bridge. When I ask an old man if this is Thailand and make a sign with my arms, he maked the same sign, nods his head and I keep going in the direction to Thailand but not to the border. The custom officers get done with me rapidly. Not that you guys think that I was the only person there - no, there was a lot going on but still it didn't take long. This was not the case with the Thais though. The poor girl at the customs has probably seen a carnet for the first time and the people in the line behind me didn't look too happy either. All in all it took an hour and I was done. Meanwhile I talk to an American and he wants to sell his 1000 BMW to me. Today I try to make as many kilometers as possible. Furthermore today I want to afford a really good hotel. I don't always want to smell and have mudd, humidity and things like that (yesterday some mice visited me). I'm lucky because after about 350km I check in at a DusitPrincess hotel and I really get anything I want. Awesome. I decide to get a haircut which was not a good idea. No, I don't have pictures of that and I will (not) write more about this later. I spend the rest of the night in my luxury room.   20.06.09 Nakhon Ratchasima  That's a life in such a hotel... I have a wonderful night with air conditioning. In the morning I go to the breakfast buffet, eat many different things and then stay with the french toast. It's been a long time. BUT this is a special case and will remain an exception - don't want to weaken the authenticity of the trip. This means that tonight I'll sleep in a 3rd- or 5th guesthouse again.   Guys, I'm in Penang right now (23.06.09) - beautiful island, top three on my list, will write more about it, in Malaysia, short on time. First of all thanks for all the nice emails for my birthday! THANKS!      It's worth to drive an extra 200km to get around Bangkok. Looks complicated on the map but it's almost really simple. Probably the routine! I wanted to get to Ratchaburi and I get there right on time so I can walk around at the market for the rest of the day. I buy some souvenirs - my luggage will explode pretty soon.   21.06.09 Ratchaburi  Today I "eat" kilometers again and on the map I can't see if the road is supposed to be a highway or something else - all the roads are red. When I stop to get gas, foreigners ask me how to get to this and that hotel. "Nobody speaks english here" - I laugh. It is how it is, I never find my guesthouse right away, somebody always has to show me the way. Then I check in and when I walk around in the area around the guesthouse I notice that there are dozens of hotels in that area.   22.06.09 Chumpton  In Thailand I've tried to buy a map of Malaysia but it didn't work. I better "eat" as many kilometers as I can today since I dont know how big Malaysia is. Good decision. I can see that southern Thailand is a lot poorer than the north and down here there are less people living. I'm astonished to see women wearing veils again. Not as extreme as it was in Iran but very dominant (here they dont have to be black though). Concerning the riots - I can't see anything like that. Close to Sura Tani a bee thinks that it must poke me in the chest (of course driving with an open jacket at 35°C). It doesn't hurt as mutch as a German bee does (yes, I have experiences) but the pain remains a lot longer. When I get to Songhla I'm again very lucky with the hotel - normally I wouldn't even take a look at it with my butt.... I move in a couple houses down the road.   23.06.09 Songhla  I think: just about two more days to go to Singapore. When I get to the border I see a place to wash the bike and I let them wash it while I'm having thai breakfast. That may sound a little snobbish but here everybody does that. And all the dirt has to get washed off, otherwise they wouldn't let it into Australia. So all the muss and dirt is gone, the bike looks great and my breakfast (guess what) was great.  I want to get some gas to get rid of the rest of my Bath but there is no gas station! I'm on reserve! Now I know why. In Malaysia gas is a lot cheaper. Here at the border they have an extra lane for bikes! And again everything went very quickly. On the Malayan side they didn't even want to see my papers...  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:30:18 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Laos</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=12</link><description><![CDATA[  15.06.09 Ban Pakxon (Laos)  Here formalities are simple as well - no problems. But there is a huge difference between Thailand and Laos regarding being organized and stuff like that. It's sunday so I have to pay an extra fee because the official opening time is from monday-friday. I notice that here everything is greener, there are more trees and plants around and there are even rocks and mountains which I haven't seen during my time in Thailand. I again dare driving aside of the regular road and get remunerated with a great landscape. The following 3 days will be the most beautiful days of my trip - regarding the driving.   16.06.09 Lak Xao  I can't really sleep well because there are grasshoppers that sound like a buzz saw and they are at least as loud as one. I keep driving and the pavement changes inro red mud, pebbles, mud, rocks and so one. A real challenge. I get through jungle areas without anybody being around. Once I get to Lak Xao I'm the only guest in the only guesthouse. I walk around the market and then something really funny happens. They sell everything here on the market and I happen to see some soccer pants with the VFB Stuttgart logo! I can't believe it, record it and try to explain why the "Falang" (long nose) is so happy. Unbelievable, those little funny coincidences. On the ride to Vang Vieng a filling station attendant talks to me in German. He came to the DDR in 1980 and stayed there for three years as a skilled worker. When I tell him that the country no longer exists he looks at me funny and probably doesn't really understand. Then I ask him, how many more kilometers I have to go to Vang Vieng and he says 85. It emerges to be 185 kilometers. Long ride but I get remunerated with a great accommodation.   17.06.09 Vang Vieng  Tubing and party seems to be the only thing that the people here like to do. They sit in an old tire, drift down a river, atop over at one of the numerous bars along the shore, drink and keep going. They do that the whole day.   18.06.09 Vang Vieng  Enough party. After updating the blog I decide to drive to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. But then the weather puts a spoke in my wheel. It rains heavily, just like during the past two nights and I hope that it will stop soon, otherwise it doesn't make mutch sense - driving in the rain wouldn't be just stupid, here it would also be extremely dangerous. Then I leave and suddenly I get into heavy rainfalls. When I find a place to take shelter I'm already soaking wet - in spite of the rain clothes. The rain is just unbelievable. When I get to the capital Vientiane somebody calls "Hello Stuttgart" and I wonder who that is. Years ago I experienced that friends of mine from Stuttgart met me on the street in Asia. It emerges to be harmless - it's Peter from Heilbronn who lives here. "You know, fifteen years ago I had to leave quickly"   19.06.09 Vientiane  Today I'm driving to Thailand again (I have enough of the rain, it's rainy season here now) and then instead of going to Chiang May I will head to Singapore right away. The further route is making problems. The transport from Singapore to Darwin is so expensive that I have to figure out someting else. Actually I didn't want to go to Perth directly but it seems like that's the best thing to do. The third possibility would be to ship the bike back to Germany from Singapore. I don't have time to ship the bike (with a ship) from Singapore to Darwin or Perth. Let's see what it will be! Inge from the shiping agency is working hard on it.  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:59:04 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Thailand 2</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=11</link><description><![CDATA[ Crossing borders has become routine for me and nothing really happens except a luxury car from Stuttgart Zuffenhausen crossing my way.   12.-14.06.09 between Prahsat and Surin  Relaxing, not doing anything really, enjoying the family for 3 days. That does so good.   Norbert:  Many years ago I met Norbert in my agency being a big travel agent for Asia. Back then he invited me to Surin where his wife lives in the country with the rest of the family. When I first got here the entire family (with the neighbours' kids) picked me up from the airport with a pickup (100km away!!!). Hospitality here is unbelievable. Here I really got to know Thailand and I love it.  Going to Laos today - full of energy and food.   Crossing the border to Laos     
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:53:35 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Cambodia</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=10</link><description><![CDATA[  SOUR SDEY Cambodia  04.06.09 Poi Pet (Border) Health authority greets me and wants to make sure that I dont have the swine flu. They stick a thermometer into my ear (34,3°C) and they tell me "Sir, you are cold!" and laugh. Then they send me to immigration. There I buy a visa and they have three categories, 20, 25 and 40 USD, depending on the length of stay. I take the one for 20 USD/14 days. Then I get a chop and also here - everything is easy. Until now nobody wants to know anything about the bike. I'm supposed to go on for 300 m for customs but nobody really cares. So I go there where a lady is getting her nails done and doesn't feel like she's in charge. This goes on for a while and I decide to just leave because it's hot and I'm sweating. Nobody cares. I check in at a hotel close to the border and everything is fine. I go on a tour around the streets at night (no pavement, mudd and chuckholes full of water). I almost fall, people laugh. Maybe important to say: here they drive on the right side again!    05.06.09 Poi Pet  I never thought that I would be sitting in an internet café tonight. In general there are a lot of things that I would never had thought about, what did I know about Cambodia?!? Anyways I feel fine and that's important. My tour today will lead me to Siem Reap, about 140 km. In addition to the heat comes humidity. Now I decide to drive just wearing my trekking pants after I had driven the past 10.000 km without gloves already.  What did I know about Cambodia except from the Red Khmer and Poi Pol? Nothing. You guys? It's great here. I get to Siem Reap and find a fantastic, cool guest house with swimming pool off the road. Really, when you think the people here live behind the moon, you do so yourself! Sure in their eyes we are rich people from the west but don't think that here is nothing but distress. People here know exactly how to deal with tourists. Siem Reap is not very big, the markets are manageable and the paths on the markets are tiny. On the left there are street kitchens, here the people and me, and on the right side Cafes and restaurants for the tourists. I'm now really infected with the travel flu and if I didn't have a couple of responsibilities I would just keep going. Responsibilities as my wonderful basketball club BBC Stuttgart www.bbcstuttgart.de ((with all it's wonderful players that get chased from all over Baden-Württemberg - without cuccess of course) and we're looking for coaches and players!) and my cute little advertising agency SIDIADvertising www.sidiad.de (yes, of yourse we're happy about new jobs, also as long as I'm gone) and löast but not least my wonderful, in the meantime pretty big and soon even bigger family www.....*just kidding*. But don't worry, the flight back home is booked but how it's gonna go on until then is open. Tomorrow I'll visit the Angkor Temple (world famous) but there is not only one temple, there are many more! That will be interesting.   06.06.09 Siem Reap  I just get back from eating fish curry, after that papaya salad (the third one today but that stuff is just so good) and a fresh made coconut-, mango- pineapple-smoothie. I know, too mutch but it was sooooo good! The bill was ok, too, 4,50 USD! When it goes on like this I'll gain all the weight that I've lost so far.  I was at the temples all day today. You pay 20 USD, show them your ID and then you have the whole day to visit all the temples. How big the area is? I guess it's many square kilometers big - like a national park (I went in there with the bike and drove like 30 km). There are also wats outside of this - like 70 km away. I started at the Angkor Wat which leads you to the Angkor Thom with the Bayon Wat. I drive the whole way, visit 7 Wats which are all different from each other and I stay until they kick me out. The most wonderful Wat was Ta Prohm, a Wat where during centuries the trees grew into the walls. It was around 5pm and whe sun was going down and the light got broken by the trees and walls. Amazing. I was the only tourist there, it was an exciting atmosphere with many, many noises from the jungle that stopped like on command and then started again. I would really not have wondered if an old Khmer would have come out of the ruin. It was fantastic, very adventurous, unbelievable. One of my best sight seeing tours so far.   07.06.09  Yesterday I met Andrea from Ohio at dinner who knows the language and the area here. She tells me to go to a certain "floating city", Kampong Kleang, about 40 km out of Siem Reap. I do so. At first it's a normal road, then it gets bumpy (still with pavement), then without. I get over a bridge, then the road is very bad. I'm thinking of turning around when another bike appears and gives me signs to follow him. So I take a ride into the landscape and it ends up at a river/sea. Little villages on sticks on both sides of the road, little kids wave goodbye to everybody. Awesome. I take many pictures, make a little movie and get invited to a house boat where a family is eating. We talk with hands and feet and it works! I don't go on a boat trip to the houses that are on the water though, I don't like the water so mutch right now. Andrea was right, no tourists and really nice people! I spend the afternoon with fixing the bike, writing the blog and making plans.   08.06.09 Siem Reap  I plan to drive to Pnom Penh, about 300 km. The alarm of my bike goes on at 3:30am, I wake up. I see that the gardener who waters the plants at this time has played with it. The ride is good, the only problem are the many moped drivers that stick to no rules at all. They get in the lanes from the right, from the left, without looking! So I get "in touch" with one of these maniacs at a speed of 80km/h. I see in the mirror that he doesn't care at all. Once I get to Pnom Penh I cross a big bridge, the Japanese bridge, then the city splits up into lake- and riverside. I had that already in Nepal. I check in at an affordable guest house, let someone get me a visa for Laos and walk around the city.   09.06.09 Phnom Penh  My plan for today - getting up early and drive through the city with the bike. I do that for about 2 hours until I get into rush hour and I'm melting away also due to this unbelievalbe humidity. I get toasted! From the engine underneath and the sun above. I take a nap and then go by foot and I get to the most impossible areas and situations. Some markets strain my tasting and smelling nerves a lot and I almost throw up - not only once! They sell gold, bananas and stuff between fish and meat. Everything is laying around in the sun and there are garbage hills that nobody seems to bother about. On the streets there are a thousand mopeds, some bicycle drivers, tuk tuks and luxury cars - premium brands. In the afternoon I want to go to the "killing fields" where the massacres of 1972 took place, I decide not to, get back to the hotel and five minutes after I get there it starts pooring heavily.   10.06.09 Phnom Penh  Today I'm driving north, this time on highway 5 before I will get back to Thailand. At least that's the plan. I everything works out I can tell you guys what's up.   16.6.09 Just a quick update - I'm not lost, married or in an accident. After I left Cambodia I didn't have internet in easter Thailand and here in Laos either. I had a great and interesting time, great landscapes and I'll write about that tomorrow (as long as I survive tubing).    11.6.09 Battangbang  I sleep over in Battangbang and it's so hot here what I think that somebody warmed up my shoes. Except from that there is nothing going on here and I don't really know what I'm doing here. Today I almost lose my watch. The problem is that my watch doesn't really work anymore, so it wouldn't be that bad. But on the spot on my arm where I wear it there is a white line now so if I don't have it anymore I would get sunburned really bad, so it still is important. To cut the long story short, the watch got stuck between a bottle and a box and I accidently see that after a couple of kilometers and of course that's the point when I notice that I'm not wearing the watch at all... Oh boy. On the way to Surin, Thailand I want to take a shortcut but after 25 km I turn around due to the very bad road. These 50 km take me 2,5 hours. So I take the normal road (about 250 km to Surin (Thailand) to visit Norbert's family.    
 ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:40:26 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Thailand</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=9</link><description><![CDATA[  Sawadee krap!   01.06.09 Bangkok  Paperwork is done quickly, I meet Tom (this time a Tom from London, I've met him in Pokhara before) at the baggage carousel. We both share a cab into the city with another tom (seriously!). The two Toms go to Kao San Road, a tourist road with party all night long, I go to a place further beyond. I've been here a couple times before, the last time was 1,5 years ago but so mutch changed! It's unbelievable! And it all seems so organized and controlled which is of course not true. But after India and Nepal this is exemplary. I get sucked into the city and I look forward to a foot massage, green curry and the whole city. The hotel where I've slept the last times is booked out, I keep going and find a nice, quiet, safe hotel.  02.06.09 Bangkok  I have breakfast, get back into the city again, see many things that have changed. Then I go to the shopping mall MBK. 10-15 years ago this was all a collection of little stands and now it became a big mall. I eat a lot, anything and my stomach doesn't really appreciate that. I get a note that I can pick up the bike the next day, which is good. Dave and his brother, two australians that I've met in Pakistan, are here, too for two nights. We arrange a meeting for tonight and then we go to the Kao San Road with two girls from the US and a swedish guy.  03.06.09 Bangkok  It was great meeting Dave but it was also disillusoning. I can bury my plan about isle hopping to Australia. Some ferries only go once a week. I don't have that mutch time. Time, again and again the time. I rearrange my plans and come to this end: tomorrow I'll go to Cambodia for a couple of days, then back to Thailand, then to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, ship the bike again (to Darwin) and then drive down to Perth. Everything should be fine. I start here at 8am without the bike to the shipper at the airport and I'm back 10 hours later with the bike. Everything went fine except from the fact that it's very hot and sticky here. They greet me at the airport saying that it could take about 4 hours of my time. After customs papers were done after 1 hour I was happy and then I got into their lunch break, then the computers suddenly die, I'm out of gas and the people don't know anything about the carnet and and and... BUT also here the shipper is great, an employee gives me a ride back into the city at night so I can find my way. Traffic here is interesting...  04.06.09 Bangkok  I wake up from a plashy noise. This time the room is unter water but not due to rainfalls but because the air conditioner somehow couldn't handle the water. I tell the guy at the reception but he doesnt really seem to care aout it, I don't either, get my stuff together, update the blog and leave to Cambodia (Poipet).   Have fun and I'm looking forward to supplying you guys with new stories. I notice that I really don't have time to write more specifically but I'll find a way to solve this. Stay healthy and see you soon.   I drive another kilometer and get pulled over by the cops. It seems like I crossed a bridge that I'm not allowed to cross. "Mr., fine" I answer yes, everything is fine and ask for directions. This game goes on for about 20 minutes until the stupid guy gives me my papers, laughs and lets me go. I get out of the city (NOT easy to do) and then everything is well organized, the highways have numbers and signs and they are good to drive on. Awesome compared to India/Nepal. I stop at a street café (a long straight road with rice fields on each side and then like an oasis there is this café and nothing else around it) and then I go to the border. Once I get there I can't believe my eyes, it's like at a fair. Party and lots of people, most of them by foot. To get out of the country is not a problem. In general here everything seems to be easy going.  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:27:16 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>Nepal</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=8</link><description><![CDATA[  Crossing the border to Nepal  20.05.09   Najhagaoh, Suhlaphanta Wildlife Reserve   Today it's been two months since I started my trip and sometimes I can't believe it myself that I got this far and that I'm on my trip at all. Really a good decision. Today I'm driving to the Bardia National park, I got the adress of a good spot from a french couple. The ride was as exhausting as never before on the trip, I don't know why. Unfortunately everybody here tries to screw you. When they give you change they give you Indian Rupis - of course less worth or they give you less or or or... I think that's too bad. The resort is beautiful but I pay for food three times as much as for the room (actually I want to sleep in the tent but mister, the room is a lot cooler). This is no fun and I find out that I'm more successful when I'm unfriendly. Do I want that? Of course not.   21.05.09 Bardia National park  Mister, the room is cooler! If anybody here in Nepal ever says that to you, you will know that there is something wrong! Heading to Pohkara and sleep over somewhere close to Tansen. For supper I have fried vegetables at the side of the road. (Now I'm on the way into the mountains again, the last days was sea level). My bike jacket that I put over the bend, fries, too. Oh boy. It's afternoon already, so I look for a place to sleep and find a beautiful platform that is separated by a little river. I check that and drive through the river which is as deep as the tire axis of my bike. I put up my tent and I'm happy when it starts raining a little - cooling down. I fall asleep when it gets dark and wake up due to heavy rain falls. Checking the floor of the tent - everything is ok.   22.05.09 10km before Tansen  It's 2:25am and I think that I'm lying in a waterbed. It poors. Underneath my tent there are 5cm of water! I decide to get dressed in order to be ready and to get out of the tent in case of emergency - nonsense of course. I panic a little, there is nothing to take shelter. A quick thought about the river. The tent is robust. Happy about that, I fall asleep again in my waterbed, I'll have a look at all that tomorrow. In the morning when I have a look at the little river I'm shocked! It has developed into a rapid stream. I'm encased! This can only happen to townies. I make plans and practise being patient. The water is higher than my knees. At 2pm my patience is over and I get myself and the BMW to the other side of the river. Everything works out fine. What an experience. Getting to Pokhara and affording a hotel room.   23.05.09 Pokhara  I enjoy Pokhara, my hotel and some other tourists around me, going to souvenir shops and sending some packages home. Today I'm just walking around, checking the things. Tomorrow I want to go on a 5 days tour to Anapurna.   24.05.09 Pokhara  This won't happen since I again have the "travellers disease". I think it's weird that whenever I eat out there in the wilderness everything is ok and when I eat in a city this happens. However, I want to update my blog and I should really do that. Buying some more souvenirs and a permit for the trek, tomorrow I'll leave.  This means that for a while this will have been the last entry. I don't want to let you guys wait so long but in India it was impossible fo find an internet café or one that works. This morning I've been writing for 2 hours before everything was gone suddenly. I'm happy that you guys like it and I get emails and comments from people that I would have never thought of! Thank you guys a lot and "see" you soon with new stories from Anapurna. Yours, Simon     I'm back and the Yeti didn't eat me! Comment to the hiking tour: WOW! If I had more time I would go for a second time, even though I'm more of a biker than a hiker!    25.05.09 Pokhara  Yesterday it didn't work out to get the permit, so I'll do that today, the store opens at 10am. Everything is very solid here. The taxi picks me up at 9:30am. I pay 2000 rupi for the fee, 4 pictures and 1500 for the taxi in advance, then I go to the post office to abandon my souvenirs and then I get to Nayapull, the starting point. At the post office I experience that packages that are heavier than 2kg can't be sent. They want me to try it at a different sender. I get informed that the whole thing (3kg to Germany) would cost me "only" 109 USD. What a joke. I'll skip the discussions and arguments for now, will get back to that later (worth reading!). Back to the hotel, lodging the package, picking up my sunglasses that I had forgotten before. Stepping on it then. It's the third pair of sunglasses that I either lose or break. What a waste. At 12 o'clock I'm on the trail finally, very motivated. A wonderful hike until to the point where I notice that I walked in the wrong direction. I hate that. I'm somewhere, nobody around and yet a long way to go. That's stressful for me. Luckily I meet a nice sherpa who shows me the way and right on time before it starts raining I get to a great hotel, clean, everything fresh and they sing in the kitchen!    26.05.09 Ghandruk  Today's leg is about 4-5 hours long, I start at 8am, one hour later I'm in Shitan and another 3 later in Bainshekaga. To cut a long story short: today I get lost so badly that after 5 hours I'm back in Shitan. Here this probably sounds very funny but to me it wasn't funny at all. I got attacked by bloodsuckers, my legs and socks look like a pig got slaughtered. I walk until I can't get any further.  I know, pictures would be great. I have them, also from the other countries but it's simply not possible to upload them. I stay tuned though.   The same way back that I came from? Doesn't work, everything kooks the same. When I came to Shitan again I had experienced all stages of panic. I'm wiped out, want to get back down, I have enough and all of a sudden I meet a group of students that are making an excursion and I can join them. Walking to Banthadi - further than my actual destination Tarapani. Today I'm walking 10,5 hours - 30 minutes break. I learn that salt helps against bloodsuckers and that garlic helps against anoxia.   27.05.09 Banthadi  I'm so happy that I didn't go back down, it's amazing, amazing! It's off-season, so not too many people are around. We start early in the morning, having breakfast on 3103m (chicken soup). Timberline is higher, so everything is nice and green here. When we get to Ghorepani I find (the students want to party) a nice, romantic hotel with view to the Poon Hill, Annapurna and the Annapurna mountains. Tomorrow I want to see the sunrise on Poon Hill - meaning that I have to get up at 4am. I don't hope for a good sight too mutch - I believe what the others say. Other than that everything is very relaxed here.   28.05.09 Ghorepani  Everything works out on time, I walk on the Poon Hill for 45min, see a beautiful sunrise - great sight of course. Very impressive and not describable in a blog. After 1 hour I go back to the hotel, have breakfast and go all the way back down - takes me 8 hours. After 6 hours, a sprained ankle I get to the valley, to Nayapull. On the way there I walk down thousands of stairs, I'll be sored tomorrow. Leaving everything behind I really feel good and would love to go on another trip right now. Back in Pokhara I check in at the hotel and right away I run into some old friends - Steve from Ireland and Natalie from Germany (I had met them before in Iran). I take a long shower, eat dinner and go to sleep.   29.05.09 Pokhara   The muscle soreness gets worse - I can't walk up stairs today. I barely dare to give my bloody socks to the hotel lavation. In the afternoon I get them back - all clean and nice. I'm really surprised. Next on my list: internet blog and emails. I take it easy, plan my flight to Thailand, get in touch with the shipper and everything seems to be working out fine. This has to be like this because my visa is running out and my time as well. I don't want to waste mutch of it having the bike somewhere between Kathmandu and Thailand. But as I wrote before, I have a very good impression of the shippers (hello Inge!).   I can tell you guys right now already: time is running!   I'm in Kathmandu, flying to Bangkok in the same airplane as my bike. Kathmandu is great and everything around is interesting. I'll update the blog in Bangkok. Not only the shipping of the bike makes it worth reading. See you soon, Simon   30.05.09 Pokhara  Packed my stuff, organized myself and after fixing the bike a little, I start driving. The first 50km of the road are horrible, I have to get used to this traffic. It'll take me more than 5 hours for 200km. It's weekend and everybody has to get back to Kathmandu. Somehow it seems like the monsun got here at the wrong time. The pouring rain during the last 30km seem to proof that. I want to get to Thamel with its great historic and known old town and a hotel that is recommended. I even find it, it's in the middle of the party zone and has no place to park the bike. I ask several people and find another great hotel outside of Thamel and it's - unbelievable but true - quiet. I check in and meet Tom from Balingen (Germany) who shows me the best italian restaurant. I have a pizza there and it was delicious.   31.05.09 Kathmandu  Early in the morning an employee from the shipper comes over with the guy who is supposed to build the box for the bike. We seem to not have enough time at that point so we'll meet again in his office at the airport at 1pm. I spend the morning walking around in Thamel, do some shopping and then I drive the bike to the airport. They do the paperwork and empty out the tank (almost all the way, since I yet have to get to the cargo building). Once I get there the box builder is not there. We wait for about 1 hour. I thought, he'd come with the box but there were only single parts that we had to put together. At first the customs officer doesn't want to let me pass because he doesn't know what a carnet is and the whole time dozens of people join in the conversation. Long story short - of course it all worked out in the end, the box works and6 (!!!) hours later the bike is good to go. Since I'm so clever, I took some stuff into my carry on in order to save weight of the bike. Later I got told that they charge the volume (520kg) and not the weight (320kg). When I look at the whole thing now, everybody did a great job and I will write more about the shipper (if anybody ever needs a good and reliable shipper I can help!). My ticket to Thailand, Bangkok is booked, I'll take off tomorrow at 1:50pm. Fred, my bike colleaque from Belgium that I met in Iran, is also here.   01.06.09 Kathmandu  Today is national strike in Kathmandu, meaning all stores are closed, no cabs or bikes are allowed to drive, nothing. State of emergency! People walk to the airport, imagine that! No honking, no stress. We (as foreigners) give it a try and Fred drives to the airport with me and my bike. Everything is fine. Imagine me with all the extra loggage on the way to the airport...hahaha. At the airport then it goes all fast and good (except ftom the blackouts). Then I', suddenly on the airplane - feels a little weird after all those weeks on the bike. I enjoy the flight to Bangkok and think about the fact that until now I drove 12000km in order to be like 9h flight away from home. I fall asleep. Namaste!  
 ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2009 15:25:17 +0200</pubDate><category>on my tour</category></item><item><title>India</title><link>http://iloapp.simonontour.de/blog/blogenglish?Home&amp;post=7</link><description><![CDATA[ The chapter Pakistan is over and India welcomes me. Here in the Golden Temple, when I see all the helpers and harmony among the people (at leadt that's my interpretation) I'm asking myself where that's supposed to lead - why is all the stress every day necessary?
  06.05.09 Amritsar   We get there in the afternoon, park the two bikes in the underground garage for bikes. Causing chaos because our bikes are too big. Moving the other bikes around. Taking all our stuff with us (300 meters) and then we hear that there is parking space right by the temple. People pilgrimate around the Golden Temple and there is non stop music, prayers which is really inspiring and somehow calming. Some people take a bath and just take off their clothes. It seems like there is no difference in gender here. I could keep writing about the Golden Temple for hours...   07.05.09 Amritsar   On time at 4am the lights go on for all the pilgrims to get to their prayers on time. We want to leave early, I want to visit the village of the Dalai Lama and also sleep over somewhere there. From there I want to get further north to Leh, the highest road (5600m). It's weird but after a couple days of being somewhere I'm always happy to get on the bike again. Two guys from France accompaign me with their Royal Enfields that they had bought in Delhi on the way to McLeod Ganj. At first we have serious problems to get out of the city and end up in a village with a dead end. Everything is hectic in the city but that changes when we get to the bottom of the Himalaya. Everything green and more patient. Finally!! curves again. I lose the two boys on the way - later I hear that one of them had an accident after he smoked a free "sample". I can only shake my head about that because riding a bike here is exhausting enough. McLoed Ganj is a small village with two roads and totally into tourism. I feel a little lost here because I'm not a pilgrim and not looking for drugs either. I grant myself a good hotel with a view across the entire valley - a real highlight.  Internet, internet, internet - yes, sometimes it's a little hard. I don't know when I'll be able to write more stories, on the 05.05.09 I was told that there was something in the Stuttgarter Nachrichten. I'll try not to let you guys wait too long.   08.05.09 McLeod Ganj   This great fresh air let me sleep fantastic. I have breakfast and walk through the town, visit the abbey and the peoperty of the Dalai Lama. In the morning I was wondering about the "holiday resort" across from my hotel (100m) and then found out that it's the property of the Dalai Lama. Well, that's how it is when you travel without reading but in the end I get all the information. Concerning the driving today is not my day. I have a meeting with a wall and a rock, deform the handle bar and the mirror but everything is ok. I make about 100km today and then put up my tent - in a little village - Gawali. Somebody lets me camp on his property and I go to sleep early. At 10pm some guy wakes me up. He wants to talk with me and drink. But I dont want to.  The roads here are so twisting that it's a 6 hours drive to the next bigger city. When you walk across the mountain though, it only takes you 8 hours!  Oh and by the way - my "longlife warranty thermarest" camping mat breathed it's last - for no reason and without a visible hole.   09.05.09 Gawali   Because of the crash my bike is a little more damaged than I thought at first. I fix it and head towards Manali. A beautiful ride with a great road and landscape. I pull over a lot and take many pictures. I'm very impressed by a tunnel (4km ling) without lights but therefore with curves and cows! They look for colder temperatures in there. In the afternoon it rains for about 30 minutes, a great alternation. In Manali (similar to McLeod, just bigger) I get told that after another 3 km it would be better and so I decide to go there and it's true - really romantic here. But only as long until somebody tells me that the Road to Leh is closed for the next 14 days. Backlash and disappointment for me but I get over that thanks to nice experiences I make here. I make new plans.   10.05.09 Vashisht   The plans go off in smoke because it rains heavily today and I can't do anything but reorganizing, planning, reading and watching TV which is fun after such a long time. It has snowed during the night and I think either way I would not have made it to Leh. My room here also has a great view which I enjoy with Tea and cookies. What a controversial scenery here. Tradition (cowsheds get mucked out with plain hands - without a pitchfork or something like that) meets hightech traveler, souvenir shops and all that within a few hundered meters. Vashisht is known for its hot springs in the temple that one can visit which I haven't done yet though - why? I don't like hot springs that much.   11.05.09 Vashisht   Today I want to get to Shimlar if it doesn't rain like it did yesterday. See you soon and greetings from Vashisht, a village where it seems like it's completely stoned.  Simon      12.05.09 Soja  The sun goes up early here, the night was really comfortable and not too cold. Motivated to drive aside of the mainstream I keep driving up the mountain (more than 3.000m) and then it goes back down in serpentines. Compared to this the Reschenpass is a poor devil! Driving cross-country and after 180km I’m 20 km away from the point where I started. Oh well, the day was beautiful, just the way I like it. Putting up my tent and later a guy cooks for me and even brings the food to my tent. Dal rice, vegetables, I can’t drink the buttermilk though – don’t want to “return” it right away. I have exactly 300 Rupies left – that’s not even 10 USD and I need gas. There are no ATM machines, they get water by pumping. Before I left I bought a big brake disk which has done an amazing job so far. In a little village in the mountains a little boy suddenly runs across the “street” and I miss him by millimeters. Everybody is shocked and his mom first grabs his hand and then a log and smacks him – the boy, not me. I comfort him, breath deeply and keep going.    13.05.09 Sainj  I get breakfast in the morning and then get going. People explained me the way exactly – don’t want me to get lost again. When I’m leaving the village I turn my head around and see many colorful dressed people in a 3 floor house. I wave to them and a crowd of hands and cheering children runs towards me. That was so fair and beautiful to see that I totally forgot to take pictures. But I will keep this picture on my mind, it was so beautiful. Today it happens to me that I pay less for water than the price is. A miracle! It’s elections day in this area so the banks are closed but to my surprise I find a gas station that accepts a credit card! Driving is better with a full tank. After about 280km I stop and sleep in my tent close by a restaurant on a roof. I still don’t know why I was not allowed to use the meadow behind the house. I have to break my principle to only sleep over where women are around. I’m just too tired. My sunglasses are getting feet! And yes, of course, they spit everywhere here (also the women) and scratch their sanctum all the time.   14.05.09 Bansiwala . Here I also get a little omelette – maybe because of the bad conscience of one of the drunk guys who woke me up at night to tell me that their English wasn’t so good. But it was good enough to tell them to immediately get away from me. In general I eat a lot more eggs than usual. After driving a couple of kilometers I get the information that I have a flat tire. I don’t want to believe it and would love to just keep going but that wouldn’t help me at all. And guess what (yes, guys, I’m still lucky) right here a guy changes tires!!! I take it off, he takes the tire off the rim and pulls out two nails! When I get the new tires out of the box I notice that my reserve chocolate is gone. What’s going on here?!? The whole thing takes 45 minutes, then I get going. I have a good feeling and the bill was 100 Rupis – 2 USD. Now that I’m almost out of money I get to an ATM. Everything is fine. The ride is fine and I sleep in my tent again, at a field hospital on the floor. No matter where I spend the night, it only takes minutes until people come up to me. Later one of the helpers takes me to his village – 3km into the land and what was going on here – I can’t describe it, it was simply unbelievably great. I’ll try to catch up on that with pictures and a little video.   15.05.09 Manghera Shakroo  Getting to the border to Nepal (Tanakpur) all bitten by mosquitos. In general the mosquitos here are aggressive. I mean, they don’t get a chance to bite a white butt very often! I go to the bathroom and run right back out, don’t want to get perforated by them. Today I’m facing a really long leg, so I get prepared and make it there, getting to the border at around 3pm. I find out, that this border is only for pedestrians, another border is 15km away. I think this is a bad joke. But it isn’t. 40°C. Billy offers me his help. I explain it to me and he takes me in the direction of the border. Not that I couldn’t find it myself but don’t imagine it like a road, a house and that’s it. No. I have some great pictures of that. We say goodbye and he offers me to sleep over on his farm. That is not my intention but then I’ll stay there for 5 days.   16.05.09 Banbasa  Also here I put up my tent on the roof of the house. Here I do it for safety reasons – I don’t want to get eaten by tigers, snakes or other animals. I’m wondering why they plant so many stinging nettles on that roof – having a closer look at them I realize: that are not stinging nettles. More about that some time later. The rest of the farm is: mango trees, litchi, other fruits, cows, chicken (I eat like 25 eggs in 5 days, part of the traditional food). Everything seems to be busy. It’s very relaxing and hot.   17.-19.05.09 Banbasa  Amazingly I get Billy’s car to drive to the city. This is more exhausting than the whole 13000km on the bike. Driving a car, that’s another story here. Billy’s brother in law invites me for dinner once. For the first time during my trip I drink alcohol and I sleep very well. This is how I spend my time here and I could really get used to this way of life. On the 18th the night is the hottest night ever. I’m sweating so badly, I could never do this much sport…indescribable, unbelievable. Before I decide to get going I give gifts to the kids of the farm and leave India without any problems. I don’t know if I already wrote this, but it’s a saying that you either love or hate India. I can’t say that I hate it but it takes a little more than this to love it. But I’m very positive with India. Byebye India, I liked it here!    Crossing the border to Nepal   Actually I don’t want to leave a negative impression but when they try to rip you off right at the border already and the guy wants 2 USD for the mark in the passport, it’s not funny anymore. I’m not paying but I get the mark. There is the Suhlaphanta national park right behind the border and here is where I put up my tent for the night: right next to a military training area. Two soldiers come up to me asking if I’m not scared. I say no because they’re there and that’s why everything is fine. The night is calm.   
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