About Me – Contact Me
So, who am I and what am I doing? Well, my real name is Richard but a lot of people on the net know me under different nicks, the latest is TravellingStrom or TS for short, I have also been called many other names as I grew up, some not so flattering 🙂 This is me enjoying another of my favorite pastimes, reef fishing.
I intend to ride my motorbike around Australia where I have spent most of my life, then fly with the bike to the American continent and tour around there. After that, get us to the UK, go through Europe and head back home via whatever route is available when I get there that is reasonably safe, I would expect the Stans and then Asia, possibly China and then back home. If things change for the better in the middle east, I would like to check out a few of those ancient places. I figure that if I do the trip in this direction, I will have most of my funds available while in the most expensive parts of the world, ie, US, Europe. Then when the funds start to get low, I should be in the Asian sector where you get more bang for the buck. That means I can still travel at the same comfort rate as before, or maybe even better, you never know.
I am at this stage heading away on the 1st August 2008, my first goal is Cape York, or as far as I can get on a heavy pig of a bike up nearly 1000km of dirt anyway. Then proceed west to Broome, south and back east, hopefully do some of Tassie when it starts to warm up a tad. I do not have a concise plan because things change when you are travelling. If things don’t go to plan, then bad decisions can be made which could have disastrous consequences, to my health most likely, or my means of transport, which ultimately is closely connected to my health. If I do not have exact timetables then I will not be ‘rushing’ to get somewhere, possibly while tired, or fatigued on a hot day/extremely cold day, maybe even riding at night while tired. There are other reasons too, I want to see things, experience the places and cultures I will be travelling through. If I make a plan to be somewhere, I may miss out on something else which I would have been really interested in. Spontanaity is the plan! Pull up on the side of the road, enjoy the view, take some photos, stay an extra day in a small village in the middle of Columbia for example, why not, I don’t have to be anywhere 🙂
That said, I still have a couple of places I would like to be at certain times. The first one is the Ulysses Adventure Riders AGM, which this year is being held in Myrtleford, Victoria 11th October. I have a feeling I will be in Western Australia at that time. But, if I am within 2000km, then it is only a few days ride to be there for that weekend. I will try and ‘steer’ my route in this direction where possible without backtracking too much nor causing undue hardship on myself. If I miss it, I miss it, I am not going to die trying!
I had been thinking for a long while about which way to proceed with the overseas legs, I was initially considering flying to Singapore and heading west via the silk road, this has been done by many bikers in the past. I also have many ‘net’ friends in the US and was thinking of getting there around Christmas, but it would be winter there and I am not sure I could go from an Aussie summer direct to a US winter, brrrrrr, so I sort of let it rest a while, I still had plenty of time to make that decision.
I am an avid follower of the Dakar Rally, usually held from the 1st-15th January every year which winds its way through south Europe, then Africa into the finish at Dakar. This years event was cancelled due to tourists being killed which was very sad, of course they had to cancel the event 3 days before the start, but they could not maintain the safety of the thousands of competitors, officials and spectators. I heard in early April this year that the 2009 version has been moved to the South American continent and will start and finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
That was it!! I had a goal and a date, now I could get my arse into gear and start planning 🙂 The Dakar would start on the 3rd January, I could fly in and follow it around, find some vantage points and watch the action first hand. Over the next few months, the bike forums were alive with talk, there was going to be heaps just turning up to watch. All I needed to do was somehow get the bike there, the latest info I have is Qantas will do a direct flight, I am hoping that is so. So, that is my second and last deadline at this stage.
Why take the bike, why not buy overseas, surely it will cost a lot to fly a bike, I hear the questions coming? Well, for a start I bought the bike new, I have maintained it and modified it to suit me. If I bought a bike overseas, who knows what I would get. Then I would have all the hassle of modifying the bike in a short time frame, then assuming that worked, I would have problems at some of the international borders. Doing it my way, I only have to prove that the bike will not be sold in the countries I travel through. I also will have no issues importing the bike back into Australia at the end of my travels in a few years time, except for quarantine of course, it will need a bit of a scrub 🙂 Yes, it will cost money, probably around $5000, but I will save that in not having to keep buying selling etc while over there.
Below here is a contact form. If you would like to contact me privately then just fill out the details and write your message in the box. Also if you wish to be added to a notification list of blog updates, just send me an email as well.
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TravellingStrom 
Ted Rees said
TS, Merry Christmas and keep up your fantastic BLOG.
Ted Rees, Donnybrook WA
TravellingStrom said
Thanks m8 and I will
Cheers TS
shane said
Have a merry Xmas and happy new year.
Where will you be spending new year.
Shane
TravellingStrom said
Hi Shayne, thanks
I am not sure yet, but probably a place called Sucre, Bolivia
Cheers Richard
TravellingStrom said
Hey!
I guess I found really useful info for you, take a look, you won’t regret http://anna.spittrays.com
Kind regards, TravellingStrom
Robert Cappleman said
Hi Richard,i have lost 30 Kgs in 100 days, my food and sport are working extremely well, i will check this out but sometimes i dont see the point of them if you dont keep on your food routine and sport Mit freundlichen Grüßen Robert CapplemanWalderbenweg 6347269 Duisburg020355249964
TravellingStrom schrieb am 10:32 Montag, 1.Mai 2017:
#yiv1038918243 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv1038918243 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv1038918243 a.yiv1038918243primaryactionlink:link, #yiv1038918243 a.yiv1038918243primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv1038918243 a.yiv1038918243primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv1038918243 a.yiv1038918243primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv1038918243 WordPress.com TravellingStrom commented: “Hey! I guess I found really useful info for you, take a look, you won’t regret http://anna.spittrays.com Kind regards, TravellingStrom” | |
Ted Rees said
Hi TS, I wondered how you were going to get across that Lake Titicaca.
A bloke from South Coast NSW has written a travel guide for Ulysses members riding from NSW to Albany for AGM in March – it is 186 pages long. Trouble is a lot of the info. is totally incorrect. If he wrote a guide for your current trip it would put the Encyclopaedia Brittanica to shame.
Anyway have a look at this BLOG (http://ted3.wordpress.com/) there is not much in it but you may get a laugh if you click on the picture to enlarge it.
Keep it going, Ted Rees, Donnybrook WA.
TravellingStrom said
I am not sure whether I should laugh or cry, well done m8 and thanks, I never knew I had such cute chubby cheeks 🙂
Cheers TS
btw, I could probably write 186 pages on border crossings by now 🙂
Ted Rees said
TS,
Looks as though Santa has given that Inca Warrior a Christmas present!!
Ted Rees
TravellingStrom said
Yep, he sure did 🙂
Scott said
It has been great sharing stories at the end of the road in Ushuaia. I’ve met some interesting people in my travels and you are one that I will add to that list. Glad that you have a better impression of Americans after your trip even if we cannot make a good beer to suit your taste.
Safe travels and I hope our paths cross again,
Scott
TravellingStrom said
Hi Scott, it was great to meet you too. Our paths will cross again, at the pub tonight remember 🙂
Cheers TravellingStrom
Ted Rees said
TS, I see on the Ulysses Forum that you are planning on going to the AGM in Albany, (you should win the longest distance award). I will be there, probably from Monday until Friday only, and would like to catch up and buy you a drink or three. Can you send your mobile phone number to my email address please. I live in Donnybrook, (not far from Dardanup which you have visited). It is 315 km from Donnybrook to Albany via my special route. There are two pubs in Donnybrook, one has been refurbished recently and has clean rooms for $20.00 (share facilities), there is a motel as well. If you need any assistance whilst over this way; just ask.
Ted Rees, Ulysses Member 28949
TravellingStrom said
Sounds good Ted, what’s 300km or so between drinks 🙂
Skarecrow said
I’ll have to let the women know that you DO go the distance. Nice romp man.
TravellingStrom said
Yep, you tell em m8 🙂
Bert Hermanus said
Thanks for writing about this. There’s a lot of solid tech information on the internet. You’ve got a lot of that info here on your web site. I’m impressed – I try to keep a couple blogs fairly live, but it’s a struggle sometimes. You’ve done a solid job with this one. How do you do it?
TravellingStrom said
Hi, nice comments
Well, I work my arse off and spend a lot of time each day to do so, dedication is the key, or be a mental lunatic, I am not sure which I am 🙂
stephen said
Hi TS,
Just a thought if you are still sitting around in the rain waiting for parts to arrive in BA, how about a ready reckoner for all of your blog followers, a quick overview of the whole Americas trip, ie.
Best 3 must not miss roads in North America – Central America and South America,
Best 3 must see tourist attractions NA – CA – SA
Best 3 places to stay in NA – CA – SA
Best 3 travel tips for NA – CA – SA
Best 3 “leave it out/forget it or overrated places” NA – CA – SA
Best 3 recommended places to stay in NA – CA – SA
Best 3 beers – you seem to be a conisour
Best 3 must have items on tour
Best 3 leave at home/never used items if any
and anything else you can think of.
May bump into you at Urunga at the Strom meeting – won’t be at the HU in Coroy
still enjoying the report
TravellingStrom said
Hey, thanks for the work load m8! 🙂 Actually a good idea, I will see what I can come up with. But, my brain is in panic mode at this time, a clock is ticking down and I need to work through a few things about getting me and things home, I will see what I can do.
Ted Rees said
TS, How about adding http://ted3.wordpress.com/ to your fellow travellers blogs ! Check out “The Week-End Before the AGM” on the Ulysses AGM 2010 forum. I posted it and if you are in the area well worth a visit to the bike rally departure point.
TravellingStrom said
Hi Ted
😆 at the photo
I will see about that bike place, I am not sure when I will arrive though, I may be too late, see what happens 🙂
Cheers TS