Riding Solo from Edinburgh to Kathmandu

[cyprys]

hello Adventurers,
this is my first photo report so please be gentle with criticism

It all began like any other dream. You sit at your work and think about leaving all this behind and start a new chapter. After being across Europe twice (transalp an GS) i wanted to do something more exciting than this. How far east can you go? i was asking myself. Siberia or nepal?? I am a hinglander you know...so the decision was quite easy. Now planning...getting visas...sorting out CdP....prepering my bike...collecting money...persuading my wife that this is what i want to do and that it's safe and i will be looking after myself. I did lie a wee bit....i have lost 30 Pounds after 3.5 months. I do not call that looking after myself;)
Mr. X...I quit-i said to my boss. It felt great. now it's just me , my bike and 12 000 miles of adventure. Marcin is going east!!
After few meetings with my friend I decided that i want to help someone by ding this. By writing my blog I have raised money for Orphans in Kathmandu Valley.
I left on 31. August and got to Kathmandu on 4th December 2007.
This is just a photo report. Actually i am working on a full report.
enjoy

just outside my house at around 8am.

i left around 9am heading to Dalkeith where i previously worked. I was supposed to meet with few fellow GS'ers who wanted to ride with me for couple of hundreds of miles. My first destination was Oxford, just 360 miles down south.

minutes before heading to glasgow where few other guys were waiting. From Left...Kenny, Al, my wife Ewelina, Andy, Kenny R., Leny, Me, Bruce, Skyenet, Konrad & Ania. They are getting married in April...

time to leave. I have lost about 40 min in Dalkeith after realising that i forgot my maps!!my friend kenny jumped on a V-strom, got to my house breaking all the traffic rules and got back with my maps. I had no gps .

lovely scottish roads. Heading down south. Kenny R. risking his balls overtaking seeing oncoming traffic.

Kenny after bringing my maps took care of my wife who tried to tape as much as she was able to.

about 8 bikes left edinburgh and followed me to glasgow.

leaving Glasgow. After millions of handshakes it's about time now to leave for Oxford.

[theturtleshead]

Go,on yer sel Big yin I hope you packed a Haggis for the orfans and a bottle of Agua de Vida as we call it here in Ecuador
Albert theturtleshead

[cyprys]

saying bye bye to my lovely wife. She did cry a wee bit.....

Kenny and Kenny and me. Just 3 minutes before.I have to admit that it was very sad watching my wife dissapearing in rear mirror. She and both kenny's turned back and headed for Edinburgh. The journey has just begun,

After 8 hours of murder i got to Oxford. It was raining like hell. Wind was blowing horibly , traffic ( british cannot drive in wet) was horiffic. Closed to Birmingham i was stopped by Police having used hard shoulders. Actually i was following a police car doing the same. They can...I musn't. He asked me what the hell i was thinking ? i said that it is raining, i am soaking wet (which was true) , there is still long to go and it want be long before dark. He was not letting me go though. I thought for a moment that i will end up with A hefty ticket but eventually he let me go." join the traffic and follow it like others"-he said. "damn". I far as I could see there were cars MOVING 3 MPH. When I couldn't see him any more i went on hard shoulder again and continued. Got to Oxford late afternoon. Found my friend Misiek, parked my bike, went into his kitchen, opened the fridge, took 2 lagers and fell on the sofa.

The very next day we met Heikki Kovalainen, Renault F1 driver then and McLaren Mercedes pilot this season. Good Luck Heikki. Always liked flying Fins. Keke...Mika..Heikki...and my favorite Kimi!!

next day I left around 4:30 am to make it to Dover and catch my ferry across to Belgium. In Dover i met a couple. Mikewas riding a Varadero 1000 and Lynn F650 Gs. They were on a trip to Black Forrest in Germany.

Finally on a boat.

1.5 hours later I was in "europe". My goal was to get to Heidelberg. There were some friends of mine I haven't seen some time. It was about 380 miles through Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. It took me about 8 hours even with no speed limit in Germany. Weather was shite..Found my friends flat no problem. It was very late but we decided to go and see the castle at night. We took a bottle of wine and two glasses with us. It was a pleasant evening.
"some people just leave rubbish behind so please be so nice and take an empty bottle with you, ok?"-german guard told us. I hate littering myself so it did not even crossed my mind.

[Chanderjeet]

This is superb. Which route did you take ? What all countries ?

[AKjeff]

[cyprys]

Originally Posted by Chanderjeet

This is superb. Which route did you take ? What all countries ?

hi. i would tell you but would you read this report if i had??

[cyprys]

I spent few days in HD mostlt visiting friends and drinking good german wine and beers with them. HD is not the place I would like to live in but very charming at first sight. For me it's just to small. Some of my friends have got kids now, some others finishing PHD's or working for big companies. What are you doing Marcin? Nothing-i said. I just quit few days ago.

street of Heidelberg. They all look the same to me.

River Neckar separates the old town from very posh new town.

I used to live in Goettingen so I was looking forward to see it again.There is something about this wee town. Maybe it has got just a sentimental value for me, nevertheless I smiled when I was living HD. I took B37 and then B45 to Eberbach, route was fantastic. L524 through Neckertal-Naturpark was everything I needed. Beautiful twisties and smooth tarmac.Lot's of tight hairpins and stunning panoramas.It was first time since I left, not on Motorways. Every corner brought a smile to my face. After 5 hours i saw TV Mast on the top of the hill. I knew I was closed. 10 miles down the road and i started to feel great. I did recognised every junction, every building. I did also remember all the shortcuts. Got to Pawel and Renata easy.

I decided to stay in G. for couple of days. In fact it were 4 days. Good fun seeing familiar faces in familiar place. There was party after party.

[cyprys]

I had a wonderful time in Goettingen but it was time to move on. My brother lives in Berlin and he could not wait any longer to see me. Harz is a fantastic part of Niedersachsen. It was planned to go this way avoiding motorways and enjoy mountain scenery. After 20 miles it started to rain horendously. I stopped to put my waterproofs on next to a LIDL shop. I hoped for better weather because he roads in front of me should be the best roads so far. I got to Herz Hills and climed few sumits in pouring rain. Ride was far away from pleasant. I couldn't stand it anymore. Rain was joined by thick fog. I could not see further than 3 feet. I was moving forward at 10 mph. That's enough I thought. I continued on 81 looking for a motorway sign. I found it and joined A 14 to Magdeburg. Few Hours later I was aproaching Berlin from West. I have been there few times but never on the bike or in a car. I have never been to my brothers flat either. I knew he lives in Tiergarten and the easy way to find it is to find The Siegessäule. I was heading to city cenre and then I saw on the horizon. After I have found it it was super easy to fiind the street.
We spent few days wandering around city, taking photos, drinking in public (which is allowed) visiting tourist attractions.A friend who lived with us in Goettingen moved to berlin so he joined us as well.

Berliner Mauer.

Bundeskanzleramt.

The House der Kulturen Der Welt. (house of world cultures)

Bundestag.

Das Brandenburger Tor

Berliner Dom.

Arek, my brother maciek with wife marta and this idiot is me.

[cyprys]

Originally Posted by Chanderjeet

This is superb. Which route did you take ? What all countries ?

kiding. I rode through UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Slovakia,Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India (Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh) and finally Nepal.

[cyprys]

to be continued...

[philofax]

Originally Posted by cyprys

to be continued...

[SS in Vzla.]

[GB]

Best wishes for a safe journey!! Thanks for the intro

[Chanderjeet]

Originally Posted by cyprys

hi. i would tell you but would you read this report if i had??

Yes ofcourse

[cyprys]

Berlin is a fantastic place. you can spend many days walking through the city discovering new places. I spent 2 days just on taking photos, trying to get my night shots better It has got enough Museums to make even the toughest museum lover tired. It has got a specific atmosphere which makes you wanna love this city. Times flies though and it was time to leave my brother and mrs. brother and head for poland.

When I got to Krakow I was in seventh heaven. This is THE City. I have spent most of my life there and the love is still there! This is definately one of the most beautiful cities in whole world.aaa....and is over a 1000 years old!

On the way to Krakow I paid a visit to my mums sister. She lives near Wroclaw and still has a little farm with cows and pigs. Lovely...

St.Mary's Church and Sukiennice (cloth hall).

Sukiennice and Old City Hall.

Old City Hall.

St. Mary's Church.