Archive for August, 2007
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
Two naughty dogs
They don’t look naughty from their pictures, do they? Sweet Dixie and Delilah, the two Abruzzese dogs we are taking care of while their owners are away. Their smiling faces seem to say “Who, us??? We never cause any trouble!”
We know better though.
This morning we had to get up early to drive over to Fermo, a town about 15km away, to get some booster shots before we head east to Turkey and parts unknown. Up we got at the crack of dawn, downed a cup of coffee and put everything in the car, ready to be the first in line at the vaccination clinic. Money? Check. Vaccination cards? Check. European health cards? Check. Map? Check.
Dogs? Missing.
This is our worst nightmare, losing someone’s family pet while we’re on housesitting duty. And it was very odd for Dixie and Delilah, who never run out of the yard without us. We called their names over and over, then got in the car and drove up and down all the streets and tracks we walk them on, looking for a clue. Nothing.
We felt horrible but we’d searched everywhere and it was still too early to call their owners in the UK and raise the alarm. We headed off to Fermo anyway, with our fingers crossed. It wasn’t long before we were back though, having grabbed the wrong map on the way out, and as we rolled up the driveway who was there but the two dogs, just coming in from their dawn stroll.
They’ve now been sleeping the entire day, leaving us to wonder just what they got up to. Midnight raid of the local garbage cans? A run around with some other doggy friends? Or maybe they just wandered down to the sea for a swim. Who knows, we’re just glad they’re back!
No Comments » - Posted in Italy, Random Ramblings by friedel
Sunday, August 26th, 2007
Indecision and a red tape headache
Here we are, sipping our morning coffee in the hills of central Italy. Stunning views surround us. Patchwork fields, walled cities, long strips of beaches and a sea that changes colour from teal green to dark blue. We should be outside, enjoying all these sites while we have a “home away from home” for the next few weeks. Instead, we’re glued to our computers, trying to figure out the next step of our journey. It should be easy. We should have it all worked out by now. We don’t though. Instead we are just starting to unbury our heads from the sand and now our minds are spinning when we look at the bureaucracy that going beyond Turkey entails.
Iran and the string of `stans are all fascinating destinations to us for a variety of reasons. Of all of them, we have heard tales of generous hospitality for cyclists. We have no fear, despite the often negative news headlines, but which way to go and how to get there? We could try for a visa for Iran but we need a backup plan since chances of being admitted to the country seem to depend on the whims of the person in the embassy on any given day. Turkmenistan is a 5-day visa and so would entail a rush across the country and we need onward visas, so where to get them? Are the dates fixed? How long does it take? Then we realise cycling through Tajikistan means going along the Afghan border. Is it safe and will our family worry? So many questions to answer.
Then we hit on an idea. We will try for an Iranian visa and go straight through to Pakistan. Only two applications and two fascinating countries. Super. Wait. Then we read great accounts of cycling through Central Asia. We don’t want to miss that either. Uuuuuuuurrrrrgh! Such are the quandries we find ourselves in. The information available is sketchy and unreliable and we want to go everywhere and can’t decide on a route.
We have put up a poll so please vote and help us decide. Otherwise we might end up permanently stuck in Europe through sheer indecision!
- 14% - Iran, Pakistan, India
- 9% - Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan
- 6% - Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan
- 34% - Georgia, Azerbajan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan
- 17% - Just fly to Australia!!
- 17% - Georgia, Armenia, Azerbajan, Russia, Kazakstan, (Turkmenistan), Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, China, Pakistan, India
- 3% - I’ve heard fantastic things about Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and not a bad word about the security situation. Then through China to the KKH…if you can, and depending on the time of year a trip to Chitral is well worth it (including the Kalash tribes south of Chitral). Another fantastic route is to head up to Srinigar from Pakistan and over the Zoji La to Kargil and via the Lamayuru Monastary to Leh. Then a trip down from Leh to Manali via the monster passes…just a thought…happy to exchange emails if it helps…cheers (another Mather owner)
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Random Ramblings by friedel
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007
Swimming in the Adriatic Sea
One of the great joys of the past week or so has been dipping our toes in the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea, along with thousands of other Italians. Here’s a short video we shot of us wading into the water, just outside the resort town of Rimini.
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Italy, Video by friedel
Sunday, August 19th, 2007
Show 10: Italy in August
It’s August and we are with the rest of Italy, sunning ourselves by the Adriatic Sea. The beaches here are beautiful; teal green water set against dark blue skies with hardly a cloud in sight. The other night we waded into the water and recorded our latest radio show, with just a few thoughts on our time in Italy as well as an interview with Marco and Manon, a Dutch couple we met in Bolzano. They were touring with their dog, a cute little beagle called Hunter. If you ever thought your panniers were too heavy, try carrying dog food for two weeks on top of all your regular gear! We’ll let them tell the story….
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Italy, Radio Shows by andrew
Sunday, August 19th, 2007
81km Portonovo to Lapedona
The screaming downhill that ended our day yesterday turned into our early morning workout. We huffed and puffed our way up the two kilometers or so of twists and turns and topped the summit, rewarded by fantastic views over the sea from the top. From there it was nearly all downhill to the coast, where we found plenty of Sunday crowds out shopping and heading, as usual, for the beach. We indulged in a Sunday morning coffee or two. The cost is so cheap here in Italy it’d be wrong not to order at least one cappuccino a day. Early in the afternoon we turned away from the coast and into the gorgeous hills of Le Marche to see our friends Tim & Gina and their crew of three kids, triplets!! Once again we sweated our way uphill for about half an hour before being greeted by Tim & Gina with a glass of cool water and a room for the next few weeks. Heaven.
