I started my RTW trip properly when I bought my Himalayan in August of 2019. Since then, just over 3 years later, I have visited every country in Europe that I wished to see and covered about 34,000 miles (57,600 km) doing so.
In covering those miles I have ridden for just 98 days of actual travelling, which averages out at around 350 miles (590 km) per day. 98 days of actual travelling in 3 years, not a lot!
The reasons for this are quite evident. The insanity that was, and in some places still is, Covid 19 and all the associated restrictions on travel that were largely directed at those like myself who opted not to take the gene therapy injection. These restrictions have severely impacted on my ability to travel as I had planned to.
I do not nor have I ever, imposed my beliefs or opinions on any other person. I may have expressed my beliefs and opinions strongly to others but I have always respected another persons right to hold and express a different opinion than I. However, the insanity that Covid 19 brought to the world was to have the beliefs and opinions of others imposed by force on me and those like me who refused to take the injection. Like many others, I was demonised, castigated, ridiculed, discriminated against, told that I was a murder, a granny killer, etc. etc. I was neither shown tolerance nor compassion and I was shunned by the some of the injected people that I met or knew. I was nothing more than the devil incarnate and this point of view was encouraged in the general population by those in positions of power assisted by their friends in the media.
However, the truth was (and still is) that I was just an ordinary person for whom Covid 19 held no fear. I was and still am healthy, and during my travels I never contracted anything that made me ill. As this blog attests to, I travelled widely in Europe staying in lots of different places, meeting and interacting with lots of different people, in many different countries. Whenever I could get away with it (most of the time), I never wore a mask and I also never washed my hands with the sanitising “gels” that were everywhere. Just like I had previously done, before all of this madness, I used ordinary soap and water.
Now there are probably still some people who on reading this will still believe that I was some sort of “asymptomatic” carrier of disease who was or is responsible for causing the deaths of many, many, people by my conduct and as far as I am concerned they have the right to believe that just as I have the right to believe that I was not, nor am I, responsible for spreading disease and thereby causing the death of anyone.
However, had the Covid 19 plandemic “Pantomime” not have been staged, the 34,000 miles that I have travelled in the past 3 years would have taken me on my intended route across Europe, through the Stans to Vladivostock on the Pacific coast of Russia, back to the towards the Stans, through China, in to India, all the way down to the South of India, and back up to Nepal. God only knows where I would be now 3 years on if I was able to travel as before the pantomime.
Instead, each year I rode backwards, forwards, and sideways around Europe, for 3 years, hoping that I would be able to continue my travels to the East and each year being disappointed at the prevailing insanity preventing me from doing so. The Himalayan only let me down twice, once with a piston seizure cause by a loose oil jet within the crankcase and once with a failed injector. It performed well on all roads and in all conditions, and in my opinion, much better than a 411 cc bike ought to have.
So 3 years on what are my options?
Well now that the pantomime appears to be getting fewer audiences, it looks as if it is about to close. However, in its place armed conflict seems to be the order of the day in the countries to the East of Europe. Russia v Ukraine, Armenia v Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan v Tajikistan. What about going through Iran I hear you say? Well, Iran is refusing entry to passport holders from the UK (me) the US and Canada. Then there is Afghanistan, well it is controlled by the Taliban. Iraq is also controlled by the Taliban so that’s also out. Syria? no I think not. The prospect of any way East opening up anytime soon does not look like a good bet so I have to come up with another plan, I think I might be on to plan J or K by now but I am not sure.
It seems highly likely that I shall have to fly the bike to another country from which I can continue my trip. That sounds like a good idea until one starts adding up the costs. When I bought mike bike in August 2019 it was 1 and 1/2 years old with just over 2,000 miles on the clock and I paid 3,200 pounds for it. It is now 4 and 1/2 years old with just over 36,000 miles on the clock. The maximum resale value is probably somewhere in the region of 1,500 pounds. The cost to fly it to another country outside of Europe starts at around 3,000 pounds. I think the term “not economically viable” sums it up. So, I have decided to say goodbye to my trusted steed and leave it in a good home here in Spain along with all of my tools, bags and spares.
The only other thing that I shall be sad to see go is my Dainese Antartex bike jacket. I bought it in 1997 for 700 pounds and it has been the best piece of motorbike kit that I have ever owned. It has served me well but it is now past its best and time for it also to retire.
To be continued…….