mark stowe's site

Synopsis of RTW 2006

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:45:14 +0000

I realise that this blog is:
1. Back to front (start / finish)
2. Long and drawn out

So, here is a synopsis of the trip.

On a whim, I decided to ride a motorbike around the world - did not own a bike, did not poses a bike licence and only ever pooed in the woods once.

This blog starts in November 2005 - I was well on the way to arranging all that was necessary to leave home (the UK) on April 01, 2006 and ride east until I arrived home again.

Harwich to Holland, across Europe to the Croatian coast line. Down the coast to Albania, Greece and onto Turkey. I had been working in Turkey prior to leaving and spent a week with my old boss.

Through Turkey and a ferry across the Black Sea to Russia - mad Russia! In Kazakhstan I met 'The Italians' and rode with them for a month until we split - them to China and me North back into Russia.

Tree Planting in Russia and met 'The Russians'. An accident left me on my own again - riding across Mongolia chasing 'The English'. I finally caught the English and spent a long time in UB waiting for John to get a visa so we could travel together back into Russia. North East to the end of Russia - Magadan - along the famous Road of Bones. The flight to Alaska was cancelled, so we flew south to Seoul and East to Los Angeles where we lived in a car.

America was uneventful - San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Anchorage, the Rockies and then New York. Ate mainly at MacDonald's - until NY where we had the best home cooked food. A flight to Portugal to kill time whilst the bikes flew to Heathrow. A few days around the UK catching up with new friends, friends and work colleagues. Brief stop at etribes and my last MacDonald's before I made it home on September 16, 2006.

Stats
25316 miles
1900 litres of fuel (£1100)
167 days
5000 photos
3 tyres (plus 2 that I finished with)
Total cost - around £10-£12k (£4.5k on plane tickets for me and the bike)
How many times we were ask:
        how much $ [the bike] - 472
        How many liters of fuel in the tank
        where did you jump from? - 1

Punctures - 0 (zero)
Falls/offs/drop the bike - more than 20, less than 50!
hangovers - 1
Traffic fines - 2
Greased the palm of corrupt officials - 1


FAQ
The Long Way Round inspired me.
No, no satellite phone.
Yes, bloody heavy - at maximum it weighed 340kg.
42 litres - enough for almost 500 miles.
Not really, just a front fork sealed that I repaired in the US.
No John is not my father or brother…..we just kinda look alike.
No, first time I had been 'travelling' - John had cycled around the world the year before plus other long distance cycling.
31 and John is 43 (as of end 2006).
No, nothing planed…..not unless you have a suggestion and need a travelling companion!!?!??!
Yes, I ride it regularlly
Now, I am doing normal stuff back home – like this, this and this.

Calendar

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:21:16 +0100

One of my pictures has been chosen to feature in the 2008 Horizons Unlimited Calendar.

You can purchase a copy of the calendar from here.

'John's bike on the raod to Jaktusk' June 26, 2006. Exact location here.

More Jealousy

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:18:39 +0100

I spotted a overland bike at work last week....within a few minutes i had spotted a helmet on a desk and got chatting to Dan.

He is leaving the uk in September 2007 to ride his Africa Twin to Cape Town!!

http://brighton2capetown.googlepages.com/

Is this fate?

Tue, 15 May 2007 21:08:44 +0100

Today, i finally signed an employment contract with Ford Motor Company - almost 14 months after leaving, i have a permanent job back with them.

So....i get home a catch up with email and find that Ewan and Charley have just started a new journey - here

They left Scotland on Saturday (May 12) - here

Is this fate? Can my bank account take another trip. Will my new boss find it funny when i tell him i want to leave? Can mother take another summer of worry?

Advice?

From Russia (with Love?)

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 23:41:32 +0000

The Very nice lady that planted a tree for me in her slowly growing forest wrote to me today....

I sent here some pictures of my visit to here 'hotel'....she sent me a letter back with some photographs.......any idea what she has written?

here

Videos added

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 21:25:20 +0000

I have added some videos here.

RTW Talk

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:06:47 +0100

I was asked if i could 'do a talk' to my niece and nephew's school......

Attached (here) is a copy of the presentation - i also showed a few pics and a couple of videos. You can make up your owns words to the slides.....i have no notes to accompany them.

I think it went down well....in that they did not fall asleep and they asked lots of questions and came up with lots of answers to my questions.

My favourite answers were:

Me : What do you think i may have had in my panniers?
5 year old : Sandwiches?
6 year old : Grapes?

I am available to do more talks......rates are negotiable!!!

September 16

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:49:50 +0100

OK....last 'day by day' post......

Rode across town to where it all started.....the One Stop Training Shop to meet Mark and Phil. I partially hold these two responsible for the last six months as they taught me how to ride!!!

Thanks gents!!!

September 15

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:50:59 +0100

Yes...i know i have finished my trip....but some people might be interested....well, i know my Mum will be, so that is one person at least!!!

Rode to Harwich (to meet the person who i hoped would 'run up to me, jump on me and kiss me passionatley (like in the movie Love Actually)'. As i parked up - outside the cafe where i had left the UK months earlier - i was so excited about seeing this sight and thinking 'last time i saw that i was on it'.

However...i was way more excited about seeing Helen. Champagne and sushi for lunch.......now i felt like i was home!!!!

East Anglian Daily Times

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:13:29 +0100

Read all 'bout it..... (see the 'attachment' link below) or:

A LONE motorcycle rider came home yesterday after spending six months travelling the world.

Mark Stowe set out on the open road on April 1 with only his BMW motorbike for company, but ended up making countless friends on his epic journey through 22 different countries.

Mr Stowe, from Stanway, began his adventure in Holland, before travelling through Europe, Russia, across Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia and onwards to Alaska, Canada and finally America, clocking up a total of 25,000 miles.

The former engineer was inspired to take up the unusual voyage after watching Long Way Round, a documentary of film star Ewan McGregor and a friend travelling from London to New York on motorbikes.

Mr Stowe had never even ridden a motorbike before but was so keen to achieve the ambition that he enrolled straight on to a crash-course in riding and never looked back.

Mr Stowe said: “I've learnt that whenever you are having a low, you have to tell yourself a high will be coming along soon.

“You have to expect things to go wrong because they inevitably will at some point.”

One friend he is certain to keep in touch with is fellow Englishman John Yates, whom he met in Mongolia - they are currently planning another trip together for sometime next year.

“It was a lot easier to meet people than I had thought. You have to make friends or you would end up going mad with no one to talk to.”

Mr Croft [Eh...Mr Croft? - ed]was sponsored by the Sudbury-based Internet company e-tribes. He is hoping to work as an engineer again before setting off on further travels, but he said he might need to buy a new bike when he does.

“I wasn't the most experienced of riders when I started my journey - and let's just say the bike is not quite in the same condition now as when I set out,” said Mr Stowe.

Turning left.....twice.....

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:47:02 +0100

25316 miles, 167 days, 1884 liters of fuel and lots of ££!!

September 14

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:58:36 +0100

Rain....woke to rain!!! My last day of riding and it was lashing with rain!! I spoke with 'Geoff the farmer' (Adams landlord) and we both agreed it was about to stop!!!

The M40 was jammed...but the rain had stopped! I filtered all the way down the M40....and rode past miles of traffic on the M25. What was i do here in England?....have not seen jams like this anywhere else in the world!!!

Stopped at my old place of work - had luch with some of the old lunch time group and caught up with lots of other people at work. Asked for a job....will have to wait and see!!

I was now late for my appointment at etribes HQ.....ended up riding like a hooligan across the Essex and Suffolk countryside to make it to Sudbury for 1530. A few pics later and then it was time for some food.....what else....but the McDonalds in Sudbury:

So.....it was now time for the final leg of my trip.....the 15 miles from Sudbury to Colchester on the B1508 and then A1124 - these are the roads i rode almost every sunday last year with Adam and Andy - the best piece of biking road near to my house!!!

Made it home just after 1800.....and pulled left into my drive. Job Done.

September 13

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 23:13:03 +0100

John took me to his local cafe.....it was our last coffee together :0(

I followed him out of town and onto the M23 - i was heading into London. I followed John in his Fiesta....he could not face riding the bike.....'i have done enough travelling on a bike' were his words.

It was a sad goodbye.

Into London.....what an evil ride that was, although it was safer than cycling in Portugal!!! I rode over Tower Bridge and made it into Canary Wharf where i met up with an old friend.

Up the M11 to find the M25 was closed. The next few hours were spent travelling across the UK looking for the M40 and Banbury - where i was going to stay with a friend for the night. Clocked up my 25000th mile....outside a McDonalds...how apt!!!

The English road system was starting to get me down!!! There is just too many roads - bring back Russia where we followed one road for about 2 weeks!!!

Adam took the bike out for a spin.....apparently it was still good for popping wheelies!!

A drunken night at the local pub - my first pint of Greene King IPA....that was a nice moment!!!

September 12

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:42:23 +0100

Woke up at some ridiculous hour - 0730 and walked up to the cafe, next to Carolines school, and had a final cheap coffee.

The flight home was on time - but i had the worst airplane food i have ever had - Ben, to use your term - 'it was a dirty sandwich'. Arrived a little late in Heathrow and walked into the arrivals hall.....for the first time ever (i think) there was someone to meet me at arrivals!!! The person did not run up to me, jump on me and kiss me passionatley (like in the movie Love Actually) - instead, he casually walked up to me and i shook his hand!! It was John!!!!!

We had a final coffee (not starbucks) and then the very nice man from Lufthansa picked us up and took us to the warehouse where the bikes were!!

Martin (the very nice man from Lufthansa) was a star - he had helped us sort out getting the bikes through customs and as we walked into the warehouse the bikes were there and ready to go!!!!

We hit the british roads.....and headed for the nearest gas station!!! How much!!! 91p for a litre of gas!!!! What happened whilst i was away!!!??? A bit of roadrage later (somethings never change in the uk) and we were on the way to Johns house - sussex way (never actually really worked out where he lived....i just followed him!!).

Stayed the night at Johns and met the lovely 'Gail and the kids'. Thank you Gail - eating some nice home cooked food was a really pleasure!

Plans

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:08:14 +0100

After over 5 months of planning, i have finally work out when i will return to my house - and complete the journey.

I will be riding into my drive at around 1800 on Thursday September 14. Then sitting down with a cup of tea - assuming someone will bring along a pint of milk!!

The reason for the super accurate timing.......one vision i have had from the beginning of this trip, and the reason i left from Harwich and not Dover, was that i want to leave turning left out of my drive and return turning left into my drive. I have the picture of me turning left out....i just need the picture of me turning left in...and for this picture i need at least one friend to be there!!

NB: Of course...all plans have the potential to change!!!