Enroute to Alicante

Maintenance woes

Well, we are officially a day behind schedule after discovering a major risk on Ty's bike.

Whilst working on fixing the carburettor, he observed some very significant movement near the back wheel. The entire rear wheel was wobbling precariously and metal shavings were all over the swing arm. His rear wheel bearings had disintegrated completely and the whole assembly could have collapsed at any time.

It was a bit chilling, given that we had spent much of the day tearing through twisty mountain roads with huge potential for catastrophe.

Toll Avoidance

There is something magical about breaking camp in the pre-dawn and then riding through the mist until day breaks. The light grows from deep shadow into soft purple hues, with fields and hillsides slowly taking shape around you.

With three hundred kilometres to cover today, we broke the back before 8am and stopped for breakfast at a roadside diner. With full bellies and time to spare, we were ready for a fun diversion.

Occasionally Gary's tight fisted parsimony pays off big time. In an effort to avoid his incessant whinging about toll fees, we exited the motorway just prior to the little town of St Joan.

This led us through some of the best mountain riding I have experienced, with perfectly smooth tarmac and an endless procession of tight twisting corners hugging the mountainside. It is obviously the local biker's playground, with literally dozens of bike riders out with precisely the same intention of scraping corner after corner.

Steamers

After a few days on the road, washing had become something of a priority. We all took an opportunity last night to wash our clothes in the sink and hang them around the room for airing. All apparel was dry this morning with the exception of James' items. Reluctant to pack them away wet, he decided to apply technology to the problem - and it almost worked. Microwaving solved the problem of damp t-shirts and underwear, but sadly melted his nylon socks. There's nothing quite like the stench of melted nylon imbued with Eau de Feet for breakfast.

A rough start for some

Ty's run of fortune continues unabated. The bike stubbornly refuses to run smoothly, and we are increasingly concerned about taking it into the desert. The suspect is the carburettor, and we have exhausted our own pool of mechanical knowledge trying to resolve this issue easily. The next step will be a full carburettor rebuild, but this requires tools, time and a clean working environment. Tomorrow will see us arrive in Alicante which is a major city and should offer appropriate facilities for an hour or so.

The hilarity stepped up a notch this morning when Ty announced that his rear pannier was sealed so well that he could hear the hiss of air when he pressed it shut. He savoured this thought for a minute or so, until Gary said "are you sure that it's not something leaking inside". A look of horror shot across Ty's face as he leapt for the bike and fumbled with the locks. In closing the lid, he had pressed down on the trigger of a spray can of WD40 lubricant. He's a big guy, and can sometime struggle to fit into his clothes - but they slip on MUCH easier now.

The day progressed otherwise smoothly with a 300km ride down through Tarragona, skirting the perpetual traffic snarl that is Barcelona, and finishing at Playa del Moro on the coast.

Carina had pre booked the hotel for us and really excelled herself this time. We are travelling off season, so some truly stunning deals are to be had. An image of tonight's resort hotel is attached to this post and has cost us the princely sum of 35 euros.

A walk along the oceanside promenade capped off a pretty tranquil day.

A very late night (2:30am) meant a sluggish start this morning, not helped by Carina cooking a sumptuous spread for breakfast. As a result, it was nearly 11am by the time we had got ourselves fed and packed and fed some more.

What a great feeling to wheel the bikes quietly out onto the French lanes nearby James' house and

Sack of doom
Perpignan for lunch

Garuda insanity

Trials with Garuda Airlines continued unabated for our Perth to London flights.

Having already endured a couple of reschedules, I was paged to attend the Garuda desk at Perth Airport for important information. When I presented myself at the desk, they sombrely informed me that my seat had been reallocated meaning that I would not be sitting alongside Ty and Gary for the trip. I resigned myself to this and accepted the replacement boarding pass, only to note that it was for precisely the same seat as the one I was already holding. Bizarre, random, Garuda.

The Jakarta to Amsterdam leg was uneventful - really really uneventful - because the inflight entertainment system was offline. After the 6th assurance of 'just ten more minutes and it will be fixed' we all resigned ourselves to ipods, etc. Indeed, the system remained stubbornly inoperable for the remainder of the 17hr flight.

Fortunately, the technical and administrative inconveniences were more than compensated by the lovely and gentle Garuda inflight crew. Even dealing with one irate and entirely unreasonable customer, they remained calm, smiling, and very hospitable.

The landscape outside is barren in the extreme, and a stark reminder of the riding conditions we will encounter early next week.