October 10th. 2012 Now a more serious movement starts. Today I have recevied some camping staff I bouught from Louis  (louis.de): a tent, motorcycle first aid kit, headlamp, roll bag and an air mattress. Well I´ve been playing aroung to fix the tent, some small issues didn´t work properly (I must admint I´m a bit useless for these things), anyhow, the equipment I have just received seems to be ok.

Next steps: solve spare parts issues (brake pads, clutch lever, 2 oil and air filters, new spark plags, transmission kit (I wont change it now but during the trip), I will try to use the current tires up to Turckey (continental Trailattck, with 8,000 km still in good shape. I think they will last up to Turckey as I will use a ferry, see next paragraph).

Trip up to Turkey:  Guadalajara (small town close to Madrid)- Barcelona. In Barcelona I will ship the bike and myself up to Italy in a ferry; Why? well, I dont want to spend my time paying expensive highways, gasoline and hotels to cross France. Better go straightforward Italy, Barcelona-Liborno, then driving to Ancona and from there to Zadar. I will drive to Croatia and there I will meet an old school friend who is living there.

Other relevant things still to be solved: Visas, Vaccines (lets check what I need in Carlos III hospital in Madrid) and some other small things.

Departure date: Not closed yet, but probably Nov. 15th.

Details on dates, stops,....  Well my plan is not to plan too much (this is not work, this is fun / live)

Why this trip?. I start a new professional adventure in Thailand but before that I want to have a break = 2-3 months travelling. I am sepecially interested in Iran, Pakistan and India (I already know parts of Turckey and I must say it´s a great country, I of course also want to enjoy this country again).

Do I want to demonstrate something?, not really, this is a let´s say selfish trip, I mean this trip is for me, but if I can give a message with this trip, it will be that most of the world is beautiful and safe and full of great people willing to enjoy life and help when needed. World is not all we see on TV or read in newspaper, world is a much better place (well, I hope I can go on thinking the same after my trip :-) )

Only negative side of this trip, I will miss Arancha (my wife) and my 2 children: Pipo and Bella (2 small dogs).

Rgs

Alvaro