Preparations

Preparing to traverse the Central Asian landmass with its many "-Stans" has proved a frustrating and tedious business. We will be travelling through eight countries ( Turkey, Georgia, Azerbijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tagikistan, Krygystan and China) and I require a visa for every one. If you have had the experince of acquiring a Shengen visa recently - multiply the level of bureaucracy and red tape by a factor of 10 and you are approaching the process in which I am still immersed. As I write, my passport is with an "agent" in Ankara, Turkey doing the rounds of all the previous USSR countries. A legacy of paranoia exists still, as visas for these countries require "Letters of Invitation" which have to be approved by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. I have resigned myself to the fact that I may well have to set off without all the required documentation and hope that somewhere en route I can be legalised. China ,too, is being very awkward due to the influx of foreigners for the Olympics and they are prepared to give me a visa for 3 months which means it will be expired by the time I reach Beijing. Oh well- so I may be extradited- but at least I will have arrived!!

The new adventure

My dear friends-

I have been stable in Knysna, feet on the ground for a year and a half ( except for a little side trip to Marion Island..) so before the wanderlust dims and fades, heaven forbid, I am frantically preparing for the next adventure. But this time I have slightly more credibility as it is a - sort of- job. I am the Medic on a cycling expedition from Istanbul to Beijing, starting on the 26th July and ending in a chilly Beijing on 12th November when the city will still be reeling from the Olympic hype. The expedition company is well known to me - it is Tour D'Afrique who first lured me into trans continental bike travel in 2006 when I rode Cape to Cairo and achieved EFI status. ( EFI ? --every f-----g inch )

Being a member of staff brings with it a new perspective and new challenges. Thankfully, the group is small - about 22 members, so hopefully, less chance of medical emergencies.