Riding with Geoff on the M25 in the pouring rain is all I could've hoped for to end this amazing trip. The first time we'd ridden together since leaving the ferry at Sok Cho, Korea. We parked our bikes at the Ace in a special coned off area just for us, exactly where we started from. We were instantly surrounded by familiar faces that saw us set off back in April. I only expected a few to turn up in such bad weather but more and more bikes arrived and soon the car park was as overwhelmed as us. I doubt I'll ever be comfortable having my photo taken. I certainly didn't do this trip for an 'Around The World' badge! I'm just a geezer who likes riding motorcycles, but any publicity I can get for Farleigh Hospice is my pleasure.
One thing I missed on this trip was a good English breakfast, there's only so much Borsch and stale khleb a man can take! The Ace Cafe certainly serves up one of the very best. Many a time in Siberia I dreamt of what it would be like to be back at the Ace, sampling their famous sausages and proudly swapping biking stories with like minded strangers, with the same passion for motorcycles. It seemed like half a world away, and for a time actually was!
If you really want to live the dream, I've proved that anyone can do it. You will find a way. You don't need much money, you don't need previous experience, and you don't need meticulous planning. If you really want to plan a trip, don't waste time thinking of all the things you might need, just think of all the things you don't need! As long as you have a familiar reliable bike, basic tools and spares and a good quality tent that doesn't leak, you'll be fine. Even if you can't read a map, like all other things, it's an opportunity to learn! The journey may take a little longer that's all. A compass never lies, if you don't leave the road, how lost can you get?
People approached me saying they haven't got the guts to ride across Siberia, and yet they've ridden across the Scottish Highlands. What's the difference? If the worst happens, you still have to rely on a complete stranger to help you, and a Glaswegian accent is no worse than Russian! My whole trip across America was a result of meeting strangers, who became friends, leading to an extraordinary chain of events from Seattle to New York. A far better journey than any I could've planned.
When you are in the remotest of places, people are far more likely to stop and help because everyone out there is in the same boat and need to support each other to survive. I never met anybody anywhere who didn't want to help me.
Large cities where people are jostling for space, causes competitiveness, so you will take longer to find help because everyone assumes someone less busy than them can help you. This is why you can't judge Russia by Moscow, America by New York, or people by what the have, it's what they do that matters.
Some of the kindest, happy and most interesting people I met own nothing. But they are full of life, proud of who they are, what they have and give all they have to help you. They have riches beyond most peoples comprehension.
I have no house, no wife and kids, no job, no car and no money, but I am privileged, and having sampled some of what the world has to offer, consider myself to be a very rich man indeed.
To everyone who came to meet me at the Ace Cafe, expressed an interest in the trip, enjoyed my blog and donated money to Farleigh Hospice, thankyou is not a big enough word to express my gratitude.
So what next? Well it's a case of 'ridden around this planet' so when NASA realises that motorcycles are much cheaper to send to Mars than cars, and I can pretend to be under 6ft and 10 stone, who knows?
I hope to plan a smaller trip in the near future to continue raising money for Farleigh Hospice with my two brothers. Imagine three huge blokes riding Honda c90s! Who said you can't have a laugh with no money? If anyone can help with a decent c90 or two, please let me know!
