Night shift.....

We were supposed to move the Honda Sh to my mother's garage, because the lorry is coming that place tomorrow morning. So, we decided to both travel on the same bike, with Buleku's ruck.... We'd better not to. The tyre just deflated after about 3 kilometres. We tried to fix it with spray repair foam, but no way. I think we got a big nail or something, and we were too heavy maybe....

So, as the tyre deflated here


Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

and we are supposed to arrive here....


Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

i feel a BIT disappointed.

Anyway, we managed to walk for a couple of km to the beloved garage, and finished fixing the last few things.

We even decided to use two motorbike trunks because it's really too much to pretend storing all the things we need under the seat or in the front panel.

And, as it was impossible to find the plate to fix the bag properly on the grid, i decided to use 4 screws directly on plastic support....this is a thing i've been waiting to do for ages, don't know why :-)

Now, in 4 hours we'll be ready to put our little motorbikes on the lorry to Genova, hitting the town at 10\10.30 but we have one more task to accomplish: fix the tyre, and it's not that simple. You need to completely remove the exhaust and a couple of other things to have the rear wheel in your hands.

So i'm printing all the Genova's tyre shops for motorbikes, we gonna call on our way, hoping that one of them will be open and ready to do the job.

Tha adventure is starting. 

Hit it.




 

I love hardware stores...

It's not the first time i'm jumping here and there in Milan to find the very last piece to fix a motorbike. And it's always quite funny in this period. Everyone is fighting to buy the last minute present, or book the last minute flight to somewhere, while u are running from one hardware store to another in search of a puncture repair kit, or some elastic bands to fix your luggage (that still has to be packed up, by the way....) or that particular screwdriver u really miss...

Only good news today. My passport was waiting for me in TNT traco shop downtown, they did not bill the shipping, i got almost everything we need (that i'm not sure to find in Marocco).

I was really surprised about the anti malaric pills: 53 euros for 12 pieces. LSD trips are cheaper and have less contraindications. Anyway, we need them. And it's quite impossible to get discounts in pharmacies.

And what about it's name: Malarone. That is to say: Malar One. But that way in italian it's so funny...And it's almost like the way we sometimes call condoms: goldone. Coming from Gold One, the first brand of condoms brought here by US soldiers during WW2.

Now just doing the last washing up, using all the heating sources (radiators, hairdryers, oven, microwave....) to dry all the needed t shirts, socks and underwear....

Malarone Formula:

Goldone Audio :-)

Almost there...

Just finished fixing our two steel horses, but i realized the spare traction belt i bought for my Aprilia scooter is incorrect. I hope tomorrow my local broker is open, to change it. They're supposed to last for 10k km more or less, but i prefer to have another one just in case....

They got new brakes, new belts, new spark plugs and a deep cleaning of the injections. We gonna get some spare tyres in Tanger or somewhere in Marocco...

Anyway they're running really fine by now. I'm sure they can do it till Mali or wherever we decide to land in Africa ....

Fox Racing Honda Factory T-Shirt - Small/Black
MetroRacing Aprilia T-Shirt - X-Large/White

And BTW.....

There is a strike in Genova port, from where we are supposed to leave by ferry, because one man got killed "parking" the ship we have to take. Was just in the "previous round" on Genova\Tangeri\Genova route.

After all this bad luck, i can't wait to get on Marocco roads once again.

And get some warm after freezing here in Milan.


Aprilia Scarabeo 50.













Honda SH 50.

Win Some, Lose Some

The week has been a real swirl of bad luck.

We lost 3 days of ride and am now leaving only on the 29th by ferry from Genoa and will arrive only on the 31st.
New Years in Tangier! Woo Hoo! Seems cool but it's not completely positive seeing as we loose 3 days of drive.

It's interesting to summarize what's been happening these past days before our leave.

6 people got kidnapped in Mauritania, people are so worried that the Africa Rally got cancelled.
Milan was covered in snow and is what impossible to do anything.
A lady tried to hug the pope and ended up putting him in the hospital for surgery.

... the last one has nothing to do with the rally but it's just interesting news.

Shit happens.. but we're completely jinxed.
It's not only the world in general telling us not to go but also our luck.
I'm starting to think that someone is doing these things on purpose so we don't actually go on the rally.

What happened so far?

1. We lost the keys to the motorcycles.
So we had to open the SH50 and Liberty up because we didn't just loose the key to one of them of both of them... of course.
2. Aprilia and Honda brokers are closed until January 11th.
Meaning we couldn't get a new set of lock and are not running around with the starter plugs with twisted fuse for contact.
3. Had to fix bike in cold rain and snow. Red gave blood for these bikes.
4. I got my vaccination then forgot to take the certificate with me.
5. Red's passport got sent late from Rome.

Eccetera. Eccetera.

It's been a long week.. and I need a break from all of this pre-rally preps.

Seeing the glass half full..

Or maybe crossing Mauritania is the only choice?

Still waiting for any kind of answer from the shipping company. Even our friends attending the Dogon Challenge are quite desperate...

Maybe the right way is to arrive to Nouadibou, jump on the so called "longest train in the World" (http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1041601500/mauritania_x4x.jpg/tpod.html) crossing the desert to the capital city. From there, who knows?

I think we'll have 2 safe solutions: give some money to a police car to come with us till Rosso (Senegal Border) or put both moped on a local plated truck, to run the 200 km from there to the border.

We're lucky compared to our mates using the car: we can put our little motorbikes almost everywhere, even in the back of a big SUV from Nouackott to Senegal border...or maybe find a little ship straight to Dakar....

We will see how things will be going when approaching the border Marocco\Mauritania.

Better go to finish fixing the Honda Sh 50 now ;-)

Trouble ahead

6 people missing in approximately 10 days.

The latest is an Italian/Burkina Faso Couple kidnapped nearing the border between Mali and Mauritania.

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE5BJ1PX20091220

We're adventurers but not looking for sure death.

Possibility of shipping ourselves from Nouadhibou to Dakar in Senegal, instead of passing through Mauritania.

Red has seen possible Cargo ships that heads to the capital of Senegal but we have no confirmation of direct navigation of a triangulation to Cape Verde before ships heads East for Dakar.

There is also document issues with my Indonesian citizenship.

Solutions are none other than informing ourselves and trying.

Goooooooooooodmorning Africa !!!

When you feel like the world is at the palm of your hands, nothing is impossible.

Meet Simone a.k.a. Red Pilot, life time driver, rally-crazed, mind for mechanism and logic. He is 33 and has a notable record of 400.000 km drive.

Meet Chesa a.k.a. Buleku , life time dreamer, rally virgin, fish in past life, ready for adventure on land. She is 28 and had a surpressed wish to simply walk the earth and reach the notion of Baraka.

Grand ideas are often those that others consider as sheer folly.

RED FOLLIES

Upon organizing possible adventures in the world for New Years, RED stumbled upon a rally called DOGON Challenge and coincidentally meet Alessandro, one of the rallyist parting for this adventure, the same night he wrote him for information via site http://www.dogonchallenge.com/en/node/114

RED, a long time lover of adventures, was trying to organize a possible drive, with a military van he purchased during Summer '09 (http://www.bunker-wollenberg.de/technik/Fahrzeuge/GAS_66_R118.JPG), from Ulaan Baatar to ... the west, who knows where. However, the trip requires a minimum amount of people and those interest (including BULE) did not reach the minimum amount.

The Dogon Challenge is an adventure from ITALY to MALI in 2 weeks. Seeing as it was late and RED couldn't organize the passage carnet for vehicles across countries it seemed impossible, but not to RED. He'd part with a 50ccl scooter where no carnet is needed.

BULEKU FOLLIES

New Years to her was meant to be in the middle of the sea, since Mongolia might not come through. Navigation with a 13 meter boat from Canaries to Capo Verde. Sailing is her passion.

She's never been in a rally before.
She's has time limits due to work.
She has never driven a motorbike before.
But her most important quality is that she says, 'Why Not?' to almost any stupid ideas and so joined immediately when this plan was formulated.

This acceptance to go on this adventure and heartfelt want to finish it lead to life changing experiences including quiting her job and passing the 8 iron to fix motorcycles.

RALLY

Tangiers-Fez-Rabat-Sauria-Marrakech-Agadir-Western Sahara-Nouakchott-Another Desert-Bamako circa 6000km, on 100 ccl for 2. Average time 55 km/h.
Can we make it in 15 days in time for the Dogon Festival?