Mika a motorcycle traveller just sent this video to me. I liked it a lot so I wanted to share it :-)
Posts mit dem Label motorcycle werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label motorcycle werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Dienstag, 19. April 2011
Dienstag, 18. Januar 2011
Sick Means Adventure Reading, & BMW Rescuers Of The More Mature Kind
We made it back from Newfoundland on Thursday, whereas I fell into a coma like sleep and woke up 24 hours later, but that sleep must have been a sign of something more devastating to come, as presently I alternate between sounding like a pubescent boy and Stevie Nicks after a particularly hard drug binge. But there is a light at the end of this tunnel: a guilt free day of drinking tea and alternating between Lois On The Loose and Vollgas: Eine Frau, ein Motorrad, 20.000 Meilen Abenteuer
As someone who rides what makes a great motorcycle book great for me is when I read it and I nod along and chuckle because I get it. And I had to share this snippet:
Sonntag, 21. November 2010
Dreaming Of Bulgaria On A Wet Rainy Sunday Or Episode 07
It has been a while since I have posted in the blog as the last post was written by Patrick and even that was a bit of time ago. (My excuses include work and starting NaNoWriMo to write about Iceland, but really excuses are just that!) So I thought I would share the next Journizer video to show the blog is not dead. End result: stomach sickness from being jealous of myself and wanting to go back to Bulgaria again!
Bulgaria was in fact an unexpected jewel in our trip. We had no real intention of riding through it, and the original plan was that we would spend as long as needed there as we went along the Black Sea coast into Turkey. However rain drove us South instead of East, and as a result we ended up spending almost an entire week enjoying some of the best riding in Europe. I say that even after a storm drove us to seek refuge in a monastery with this guy:
Donnerstag, 15. Juli 2010
Journizer Episode 2: Getting A German Motorcycle License, And Things To Think About When Planning A Major Trip
When we planned our first motorcycle trip together as 2 riders rather than a rider and pillion, we were ignoring one vital detail. On the one hand we had traveled together before through South America and an Eastern European trip, so we knew we were on the low end of the likelihood to kill each other.
Side Note: If you think this is us being melodramatic then you absolutely must do a trail run before committing to long term travel with anyone, let alone your romantic partner. Go on a long weekend trip first, if you both come out with all your limbs and you still like each other, try a longer trip! If one of you is missing vital organs due to lack of shower/fire/food/wild animal that you fed your travel partner to rather than listen to them wine over the lack of fire/smoke from fire/the cold/the dampness/lack of available supplies to maintain sex appeal/or just because of their unwillingness to maintain sex appeal while camping, then you might want to reconsider your travel plans.
So we knew that so long as Sherrie had something to eat everyone in the vicinity would get to keep their eyeballs and the hateful comments would be kept to a minimum. (Hence our emergency chocolate stash, for those times when you are in the middle of nowhere and nothing is to be found or when so it is closed).
We had two motorcycles, two riders, experience traveling together, everything more or less, except one vital detail, Sherrie's drivers license.
And so began the hellish experience of the German motorcycle license, with the additional pressure that if I failed, our trip was delayed by 2 weeks.
And THAT hopefully explains the shrieking like a banshee.
Hopefully.........
Or it could just be genetic....
Enjoy!
Journizer Episode 2: Getting A German Motorcycle License, And Things To Think About When Planning A Major Trip
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When we planned our first motorcycle trip together as 2 riders rather than a rider and pillion, we were ignoring one vital detail. On the one hand we had traveled together before through South America and an Eastern European trip, so we knew we were on the low end of the likelihood to kill each other.
Side Note: If you think this is us being melodramatic then you absolutely must do a trail run before committing to long term travel with anyone, let alone your romantic partner. Go on a long weekend trip first, if you both come out with all your limbs and you still like each other, try a longer trip! If one of you is missing vital organs due to lack of shower/fire/food/wild animal that you fed your travel partner to rather than listen to them wine over the lack of fire/smoke from fire/the cold/the dampness/lack of available supplies to maintain sex appeal/or just because of their unwillingness to maintain sex appeal while camping, then you might want to reconsider your travel plans.
So we knew that so long as Sherrie had something to eat everyone in the vicinity would get to keep their eyeballs and the hateful comments would be kept to a minimum. (Hence our emergency chocolate stash, for those times when you are in the middle of nowhere and nothing is to be found or when so it is closed).
We had two motorcycles, two riders, experience traveling together, everything more or less, except one vital detail, Sherrie's drivers license.
And so began the hellish experience of the German motorcycle license, with the additional pressure that if I failed, our trip was delayed by 2 weeks.
And THAT hopefully explains the shrieking like a banshee.
Hopefully.........
Or it could just be genetic....
Enjoy!
Freitag, 9. Juli 2010
Why Honda Sucks & BMW Rocks
(And this is not sponsored in any way by BMW, although we would gladly and unashamedly accept their money).
Back in the 1980's the Western world was living a life of unmitigated excess. Michael Jackson sold millions AND was still cool, the A Team blew shit up on your TV screen, and big hair and big shoulders were a sign of just how awesome you were.
And yet amid this time of luxury and yuppies the German car industry, traditionally a symbol of class coupled with dependability, was challenged and by the end of the decade shattered. In its place the Japanese car industry established itself as a leader in dependable and affordable cars. The time of excess was ending, And amid all of this in a period of extremes the ultimate travel bike was born.....
Born out of a desire to have a Paris-Dakar competition bike it came with 2 cylinders, 650 cc, 220 kg, 60 horse powers, excellent offroad qualities while still being street friendly, reliable, and the dream of overland travelers for the next decade. At the time the tough traditionalists claimed it was too much technology with it 6-valve, four spark plug, liquid-cooled engine, it has since evolved to be accepted as the overland travel bike.
Bring it forward to 2010, the first decade of the second millennium is coming to a close, and the glory years of the 1980's have been crushed and buried under the events of the past 20 years. Michael Jackson had to die to become cool again, the A Team is still blowing shit up only this time on the big screen, big hair is seen as unfortunate and shoulder pads can get you shot (or at the very least as the subject of open scorn and mockery as the unsuspecting victim of a fashion reality TV show), and while Toyota stumbles from one scandal to the next, Mercedes and Audi are once again the reigning symbols of luxury and class in the car industry.
And a new star has risen amongst the overland motorcycle travelers.
It has 2 cylinders,798cc, 207 kg, 90 horse powers, excellent offroad qualities while still being street friendly, reliable, and with it's ABS it is pure, unadulterated bliss to ride. Although tough traditionalists claim it is unsuitable for long time travel as it comes with too much technology such as on-board fuel computer, alarm, sat-nav, heated grips, ABS and a fuel pump, it will advance to be THE travel bike.
But this bike no longer bears Honda's wings.
In its place stands Bavaria's propeller, BMW amid the white and blue.
Honda, what have you done? The new Transalp was castrated into a street bike, and we have no words for your fat Varadero so we won't even try, and the Africa Twin, the once proud object of overland travelers desire, is not even chopped and sucked into a street machine, but rather has been abandoned, neglected and sacrificed to allow BMW to completely dominate the overland travel motorcycle market. Which is why Honda sucks, and BMW rocks.
Sonntag, 27. Juni 2010
The Evil Neighbor
I wrote a book about my first world trip with Emma (you find her story on the about the authors page as well), and the following is an excerpt from my book. The best part is that this is not an exaggeration, and is something you may find yourself saying as well, that the people in THAT country are evil and bad, when in fact they are people just like us, who want good things for their families and to follow their hopes and dreams, and who think YOU are the bad guys. ;-)
The post is in German, but below you can find the English version as a Journizer special.
Der böse Nachbar
Jemand lebte in seinem Dorf vor sich hin so wie es alle anderen Leute auch tun. Es gab viele nette Leute in seinem Dorf. Einige waren seine Freunde. Eines Tages hörte er von dem Land Polen. Er fragte sich was die Leute dort wohl so machen. Er wusste es nicht. Daher beschloss er hinzufahren und nachzuschauen. Er erzählte seinen Freunden von dem Plan.
„Du spinnst! In Polen wohnen lauter Diebe. Die klauen Dir alles.“
„Woher wisst ihr das? Wart ihr denn schon einmal dort?“ fragte Jemand seine Freunde.
„Nein, natürlich nicht, aber es weiß doch jedes kleine Kind, dass die Polen Diebe sind.“
Jemand war nicht überzeugt. Er wollte sich seine eigene Meinung bilden.
Also fuhr Jemand nach Polen. Er lernte viele nette Leute kennen. Einige davon wurden seine Freunde. Beklaut wurde er jedoch nicht. Jemand blieb eine Weile in Polen. Da hörte er von Russland. Er fragte sich was die Leute dort wohl so machen. Er wusste es nicht. Daher beschloss er hinzufahren und nachzuschauen. Er erzählte den neuen polnischen Freunden von dem Plan.
„Du spinnst! In Russland wohnen lauter Räuber und Mörder.“
„Woher wisst ihr das? Wart ihr denn schon einmal dort?“ fragte Jemand seine Freunde.
„Nein, natürlich nicht, aber es weiß doch jedes kleine Kind, dass die Russen Räuber und Mörder sind.“
Jemand war wiederum nicht überzeugt. Er wollte sich seine eigene Meinung bilden.
Also fuhr Jemand nach Russland. Er lernte viele nette Leute kennen. Einige davon wurden seine Freunde. Beraubt und ermordet wurde er jedoch nicht. Jemand blieb eine Weile in Russland. Da hörte er von der Mongolei. Er fragte sich was die Leute dort wohl so machen. Er wusste es nicht. Daher beschloss er hinzufahren und nachzuschauen. Er erzählte den neuen russischen Freunden von seinem Plan.
„Du spinnst! Die Mongolen sind schlitzäugige Barbaren. Die trinken nur verschimmelte Milch und fressen ihre eigenen Kinder!“
„Woher wisst ihr das? Wart ihr denn schon einmal dort?“ fragte Jemand seine Freunde.
„Nein, natürlich nicht, aber es weiß doch jedes kleine Kind, dass die Mongolen Kinder fressen.“
Jemand war nicht überzeugt. Er wollte sich seine eigene Meinung bilden.
Also fuhr Jemand in die Mongolei. Er lernte viele nette Leute kennen. Einige davon wurden seine Freunde. Er trank mit ihnen die vergorene Stutenmilch. Kinder wurden jedoch keine gegessen sondern liebevoll in bester mongolischer Tradition aufgezogen.
So kam Jemand in die verschiedensten Länder der Erde. Er lernte viele unterschiedliche Menschen kennen. Die allermeisten waren nett. Er traf auch böse und schlechte Menschen. Aber dazu musste er nicht weit gehen. Die gab es auch daheim in seinem Dorf.
Want to read more? Checkout the book (but make sure you understand German)
 | FernwehMit dem Motorrad um die Welt196 Seiten im Taschenbuchformat mit 41 farbigen Abbildungen und 9 Karten. |
Sherrie's note: I LOVE this. Check out my German Newfoundlander. Patrick and my father bonded over Oma's (granny's) homemade schanps, and as my parents had just spent 2 weeks with us when this was filmed, Patrick had begun to tag "right" onto everything. (Newfoundland is known for its distinct dialect, of which my father is a proud speaker. But not in a nationalist way. More in a "Ive always spoken this way so F$%k off and don't talk to me if you don't like it" kind of way.)
Donnerstag, 24. Juni 2010
Planning A Motorcycle Trip: 3 Months From Germany To Turkey and Back
Warning: You may accuse us of many, many things. And this is where Patrick would say "speak for yourself," but since I have accused him of many things, the sentence stands. But there is one thing you can not accuse us of, and that is taking ourselves too seriously. Because if we did we would never let these videos see the light of the day. MAJOR dork content. But then I guess I had to earn my nickname "Dork Princess" somehow. And in all likelihood it was not by being cool....
So, with the warning out of the way and to continue on with the post, we filmed our last trip with a regular point and click digital camera, as in the older version of the Olympus Stylus Tough
So without further adieu, here is the first one where we start to plan and prepare for our trip:
And may I also say that after doing these videos I now have a brand new appreciation for anyone who does live TV, as there is something about a camera pointing at you that makes you feel (and act) like a complete and utter turd. Even if you suspect that the only people who are even going to watch it are your mom, your close friends, and the random person who stumbles over it by accident while searching for something else on Youtube (like a cat video). The fact that our views range in the 2000 views (from about 400 up to almost 9000) just goes to show what a fantastic job Andi did!
Dienstag, 22. Juni 2010
Welcome to buy less ride more
Welcome to Unleash Your Adventure, a blog about long term traveling and motorcycle travel in particular, but open to any type of travel on the cheap really! So if camping, hostels, and locally run B&Bs are more your style than 5 star hotels then you have come to the right place! If given 2000 dollars (euros, pounds, francs, insert currency here) you think “that is 2 months on the road” rather than “that gets me accommodation for the week at least,” you are most definitely at the right place. And even if you are a big spender on the road, you are still welcome here, and we hope to change your mind!
If you have read the “about the authors” section on this website, you know that the authors put travel as their number one priority in life. It may in fact be just about the only thing they have in common as Patrick is a German engineer and Sherrie is a perpetual student (history Masters complete, now trying for a Science Masters as well)/English as a second language teacher.
But that is also what we want to bring to this blog, a combination of money saving ideas that help you achieve your travel dreams, along with products that we have tried and tested and know to be worth the money (if any is required, we are also big on reusing stuff so we have to buy less), and most importantly, told by two totally different perspectives: one from a very practical viewpoint and the other from a more, shall we say, earth from a slightly skewed perception of reality rather than with two feet firmly planted on the ground. (In Sherrie's defense, this refusal to accept reality has meant living and/or traveling in 25 plus countries, which for a European is about average, but for a Canadian that hails from an island it is rather impressive indeed).
But what we really hope to achieve is not just to show you that you can travel, (and travel with less and still travel more), but that you should travel. And that you can do it by buying less and traveling more. You may wonder a little how we can say that since we would really like you to buy the recommended stuff off of our website (and that is because we want to travel more as well, and if you like what we say and buy what we recommend then everyone comes out happier, if however you decide we are full of crap and you would rather drop money at another place, no bad feelings, to each their own, you are still a welcome reader!).
But we also believe that sustainability is something we all should be thinking about, especially since buying less means we can travel more. Even before we thought to start this blog, whenever we were asked the question “how do you afford to travel so much?” we always answered with “look at our car payments, look at how many pairs of shoes you have, look at how many we have, look at how your apartment is decorated, look at ours, examine how often you buy new clothes, look at how often we buy them” etc etc (admittedly this behavior came much more naturally to our Southern German friend then our Newfoundland one, who did at first feel like she was being denied a basic human right of new shoes and pretty dresses.) However when you travel, and (admittedly biased view about to be expressed) in particular by motorcycle, you quickly learn that a night by a campfire is worth a million dresses, and even a small amount of “stuff” is more than most people in this world have. We are incredibly privileged, and we often waste it.
We do try to reduce our consumption of stuff as much as possible, saving money and the planet, and when we do buy stuff, we try to buy smart, and in the end, we get to ride more.
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