Monthly Archives: July 2012

WHOAH – It’s getting real now – I have everything ready to go on my spare bed and laid out for ease of organising before it goes into the box.

It’s amazing that this is all I need to live off for four months.

Mainly just essential items really but if you drill down there’s a few mod cons in there i.e netbook, my large headphones etc but small pleasures to help me on the road.

I have one week to go and it’s getting real now. The bicycle box is DONE, visas DONE, vaccines (expensive MUCH) DONE, first hotel booked in Milan to help organise my stuff before I take off DONE, yellow fever passport for Brasil DONE,  first week organised in regards to my destinations etc DONE, insurance DONE, hard work preparing for annual leave/handover at work MAINLY DONE, savings DONE, accepting and understanding wife DONE, forward planning for budgeting at home DONE, wife DONE – I mean – nothing.

All that’s left is a few things at home and a week at work and then it’s off to cycle around Europe – what the hell.

I have an MRI scan at the end of the week just before I leave. I want to find out why the other side of my back is hurting and what the hell is going on there. I’ve tried to look after my body and stretch and ease off the exercise a little to get my body ready etc etc but something is not right.

Why am I still doing this you say – well i’ve dreamt about this for so long it ridiculous. I’ve always wanted to do this and it just is bad luck that the closer I have gotten to the trip the worse my back is but if I don’t go I will never know. The worse case scenario is I’ll have to get rid of the bike (tears will definitely occur hehehe) and be a tourist for the rest of the time (however long that is). I originally planned to cycle vast distances and go to the further backwoods of Europe but have scaled it down from the original plan to accommodate my back. But that’s ok – i’ll make it what I can and enjoy it immensely. I’ll take more stops, cycle less (although this kills me) and take more in at a slower pace, and take public transport to get places that I can’t cycle anymore – still an awesome adventure I say

Why am I doing this – After doing the tourist thing around the world and Australia a couple of times now  – I’ve always thought about taking it slowly meandering through villages and eating/drinking my way through lovely little places. I wouldn’t say that I am actually a passionate cyclist to be honest – but moreso a person that loves to go places using a bicycle. I love cycling my way through everywhere and anywhere rain hail or shine and using my legs to get me around from place to place. There is something special and confidence building about using nothing but leg power and determination to navigate your way around to the destinations, coffee shops, friends places, the hills, or Europe for that matter. You actually get a sense of how that place works and you get to smell everything and actually live each town you go through rather than fly through them in a car where you get to see virtually nothing. It’s either that or I could tell you the real truth – I think I am actually escaping from commercials on TV and radio (pet hate) and stupid television shows hahaha.

Almost packed and next blog not that far away

thanks for tuning into Vanderpants and stay tuned for my next insight

PS – check out my updated equipment list………