Diary & Travel Reports by Simon Milward

21.01.00 - Lap of the Med. instead Fri, 21 Jan 2000 16:23:29 GMT From: simon @ millennium-ride.com To: sponsors @ millennium-ride.com		2k/01/10 Libya visa problem 99/12/26 I'm outa here 99/12/26 Tracker info 99/12/23 Yes I'm still alive ... 99/10/ Hello Sponsors 99/09/23 Millennium Motorcycle emerges as a Sponsor Monster 99/09/06 Medical 99/07/28 Engine swopping 99/07/17 Tea-table survival & Gambia 99/07/11 Note to Sponsors with pin badge 99/06/12 Bike moves & Budget 99/05/04 things fall into place 99/04/10 TV and the first jabs
Chios, Greek Island 21.1.00    [50kB 619x400] [478kB 1772x1164] MESSIMA - TAKING THE BOAT FROM SICILY TO MAINLAND ITALY Well I’ve decided to give up going round the world and simply stay here for a few years. Only joking! It is nearly deserted here, the most lively place being this internet café (a far cry from the bustle of summer and tourists). Looking out of the window across the harbour the setting sun is highlighting the harbour against the dark mass of Turkey just 20 km away, to where I shall take the ferry at 08.00h in the morning. [32kB 629x400] [283kB 1772x1127] SICILY EN ROUT TO EGYPTTHIS - SCENE COULD BE THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS - SICILY IS CERTAINLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PART OF ITALY    My schedule has gone completely to pieces. Refusal of the Libyans to let me in, despite table thumping and my best attempt at indignation and criticism, forced me to ship to Scicily (what a beautiful island, the best I’ve yet seen of Italy) from Tunis. I then rode 400km to Bari on the east coast non-stop and missed the Patras (Greece) boat by an hour and a half. During the day stopover I found the chance to unload my excess clothes (T shirt & sweatshirt) into a humanitarian aid consignment bound for Albania. The 200km ride from Patras yesterday brought me to Pireas near Athens and I jumped immediately on a boat to Chios here, declining the crossing to Haifa in Israel which was four days later. There seem to be no boats to Egypt at this time of year to suit my plans. On arrival here I find that the town had received its first snow for 30 years - just my luck - I rolled out my sleeping mat and kipped on the Town Place at 04.30h, and awoke to the sounds of people crunching the ice as they walked across it! So, the long route to Cairo it is and which means missing the end of the Dakar rally by more than two weeks! My only slight worry is that the Saudi visa expires in one month. However I have felt an inexplicable pull towards Turkey, Syria and Lebanon even since the early days of planning, I should have listened to my heart a long time ago and saved some time and money. So although I didn’t do the lap of Iberia, I’ll be doing nearly a lap of the Mediterranean (save Libya, didn’t want to go there anyway) before I head out to Iran and beyond. Anyway the Tunisia experience was not at all wasted. It gave me gentle introduction to Arab culture and a pointed education about the Middle East conflict from a Palestinian refugee (Jamel) who runs a stationery shop in Hammam Chatt whose thought the ideal solution is 6 year’s anaesthesia for all in the region. He suggested I visit Lebanon to talk with the people there if I really wanted to find out the score. His friend gave me a copy of the Koran - in order to understand Arabian life it is useful to learn of the Islamic faith - though when Greek sailors saw it I thought they were going to freak out! Comparing it to the early Books of the Bible it is clear where blame, if any, lies for the mess. Anyway at least at this stage I understand the main differences between the Christian and Muslim faiths, the latter not accepting that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he was merely a prophet along with Mohammed, who came long in the 5th Century AD with the new religion. My copy of the Koran weighs about 2kg compared with a few hundred grams of the miniature Bible - not so good for fuel consumption or luggage space!

[34kB 586x400] [319kB 1772x1210] THE WORKSHOPTEAM MOTOBOULAS 1ST CHANGE OF ROTAX TIMING BELT

I changed the timing belt on the Rotax engine today at Moto Boulas here in Chios (the first of about 20 times in total). Lo and behold there was a copy of International Dealer News in the workshop so I was able to show them what FEMA did, nice one Robin, will I find one in every back street motorbike workshop all over the world?! I also did the valve clearances and and another few odds and sods. Then I bought my ferry ticket and the guy insisted on us drinking as few glasses of Cutty Sark together. He is restoring a 1936 Benelli motorcycle - has been doing so for years (know the feeling?!)

Tomorrow in Turkey I’ll try to avoid the 500km ride to Ankara to get the Syria and Jordanian visas as that would be even further off track and much colder. I want to ride to Syria via the coast road. Inevitably though Ankara it will be!

I’m off to find some cheap food and a room, failing that I’m itching to make a campfire and might just ride out to the hills, clear some snow and pitch the tent. At least then I can reduce some weight by eating one of the pre-packed meals that Mum insisted on equiping me with!

Every day that passes I’m getting more settled in to this Ride and it’s great to actually be on the move again.

Got the get back to the bike now, it’s parked outside the police station but you never know unless your eye or your bum is on it!

Simon

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