Globe Gallivanting- motorbiking across the world

Our next day took us through some very good villages where people waved lots and tractor drivers beeped at us. I think it was friendly. We went through Avignon with lots of cypress trees, and Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape where we watched farmers doing whatever it is they do to their vines. We ended up stopping for a real French cafe experience and accidentally stumbled into a historic walled village of some sort where harrassed-looking teachers showed city kids round, and it all looked very old and pretty, except for the enormous metal grilles on the front doors. It all started getting very southern-looking, with a bright blue sky, and slightly scrubbeir vegetation, and we decided to head for Arles. Our route took us through miles and miles of marshland, sort of wilderness-looking, and a couple of strange skeggy towns with mechanics sat around outside cafes looking mean. We came into Arles, on the coast, expecting great things, and it was about 8pm when we arrived. It was getting dark, and...

After getting more and more excited and nervous and a bit unreal, we finally left our caravan, with a two week stint to say goodbye to everyone in Wirral and Oxford. In Wirral Steve attached our mascot to the front of the bike, and he has become a fixture we are fond of (the mascot, not Steve, though we are also fond of him...). We left Sue and Steve and were a bit upset, but will be seeing them in Thailand. We then had a horrendous ride down south with sidewinds and our very first attempt with all the luggage and panniers on, which left us both wondering if really this was such a good plan. Especially when we accidentally rode up on the kerb on the way out the drive. Some might say we should probably have had a trial run with the luggage... the bike fully loaded. possibly excessively... Anyway, we said our goodbyes to all my lot in Abingdon and had a good send-off, with a 'Bon Voyage' cake in the shape of our motorbike! Everyone waved us off and that was that, we set ...

This is the very first blog post from our trip across the world. We had the idea late 2007, when we went up the Himalayas on a Royal Enfield. While we were up there, freezing in a tent at 5000m, we decided it was all a good laugh, and we'd save up and do it properly from the UK to at least Australia on a bike. So here we are, 2009, having saved up by working 3 jobs and living in a caravan on an organic farm in Tadcaster nr York for the last year and a half.. Our rough route is: France, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Bulgaria again, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, (possibly Nepal, maybe if very lucky China), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia!! Its open to change though, depending on what happens enroute. We've saved up enough fo a year's travel to Oz. Then we run out. Unless we can wrangle some money along the way, any way possible (well, any legal way). When we get to Australia we will work for a year to save up enough to come b...