The Journey Has Begun

Flight delayed last night. Arrived in London, England at 9:05 am (4 am Muskoka time) and a fellow from Bangladesh was there to greet me with a sign bearing my name. Wonderful chap who talked to me about his country which might be another journey one day. Arrived at the Holiday Inn Express around 11:00 am to find I wasn't booked in for the night. A phone call and email to Australia corrected that. A quick nap (not much sleep lately + jet lag = exhausted) and I was up; raring to go. Had a pint of English beer at the hotel (tasted pretty good) with a burger and salad before heading off for a short walk. I'm in North Acton, industrial section, so I'm now well informed on where I have to go tomorrow for my final rabies shot and what "tube" to take that will get me to all the sightseeing spots that I want to look at (definitely want to go up in the BIG Ferris Wheel. So until later, I'm off to bed again....... Oh, p.s. the tour group and organizers arrive tomorrow (I mean today sometime so I'll have lots more to come)

"IS THERE A PYSCHOLOGIST IN THE ROOM"

Have you ever booked a trip that at the time of booking you were really excited about but then as the trip began approaching it didn't seem to be that big a deal. Or you had all the hustle and bustle of preparing for the trip and when asked "are you excited" you find yourself saying "not really". So, I'm calling all pyschologists or anyone who might HELP ME" with this answer as I seem to have slowed myself down into a kind of slow motion (like I'm watching a slow motion movie) and observing everything with no sense of feeling one way or another. Please let there be a simple answer to this.
As you have probably surmised, "I AM HERE" in London, England. Had a wonderful chap meet me at the airport who took me to my hotel. Bit of a mishap upon arriving, they didn't have me booked in. A few phone calls to Australia corrected this however and I went to my room where I crashed (lets just say I do need my sleep as crumpiness was setting in quickly when the room and my reservation was no where to be found). I went to bed 1:30 pm London time (8:30 am I believe home time) and at 6:30 I woke up a whole new and revised me. So tomorrow I head to Oxford Circus (lets just hope that that adventure doesn't equal the latter part of it's name) for my final rabies shot then off siteseeing. I hope to post pictures show some of the sites and highlights of London. So, until then off to the pub for a real English beer. Nite!!!

Biker Radio Interview

Listen to my interview on "Biker Radio". Thanks Biker Radio and The Motorcycle Times for all your support. See Ya on "the road".

http://www.bikerradiomagazine.com/shows/6_4_10.mp3

B.C. Revisited

I asked my good friend Aira about the blog and she told me she would have liked to know more about my BC trip that I blasted to on the May 24 weekend leaving Fri at 7pm getting there Mon. at 5pm. So, for anyone going this route you will be "wowed" by the road conditions. As she put it, "people in the U.S. don't know potholes". I can't count how many National Forest areas, that cover the length of most States, I went through. The people were very friendly anywhere I stopped to ask directions and get gas (even the Wisconsin Police were nice - only got a written warning). Fargo is not a small place its a Metropolis. Warning: if doing a trip of this nature in this amount of time, BE AWARE: you will have to peel yourself off the seat when you come to stops and your legs may not want to come off the running boards. So, there's so much more but for now I wanted to revisit BC. Above is Paul Bunyun's small hometown (he sure wasn't - look at the size of my bike). The top picture was in

Washington (came over a hill and this was the view- beautiful) and the bottom was a rest stop.

Jack

My Around The World T-Shirt

Well, it's the night before "around the world" trip and all through the house, total chaos is stirring causing this upside house to be cluttered with packing and blogging my trip mixed with visiting friends and not losing my grip. Here's a picture of my around the world trip t-shirt that shows where I'm going as well as encourages anyone reading this to "live their dream". Jack

Over Indulgence

As I sit here, 5 days before I leave for London and the start of my around the world tour, I must admit that there is a lot on my mind. I don't believe doing this trip is for the fain of heart as there are a lot of things to consider. I'm going to list those things but let me preface it by saying, "there's no going back, the trip is booked and even though I've been like a lemming (just going straight forward and jumping off the cliff), I guess this will test my belief and faith regarding the outcome and that everything will work out. So, what are those things?

When I was booking this trip I knew the cost factor financially was a factor. Since I'm not independently wealthy I had to not only pay for the trip but factor in 4 months of my household expenses while I'm away without a paycheque. As much as "living the dream" is something that I am doing by taking this trip; on the other hand I've maxed myself out to do it. So, there's a huge "risk factor" that goes along with "living the dream".

Work and whether I would have a job when I returned was another major fear. Thank God that I don't have a spouse and/or children as many people with that kind of responsibility would find it impossible to do this kind of trip. Yet, things like who would watch my dog and my house for four months have been things that I have had to figure out. I'm also at close to the worst shape I've been in to take a trip like this yet with all this being said, this trip for me is not just a dream. It's not just a want/need. It's a must!!! Because I've looked at all the obstacles and realize that if I don't do this trip and NOW, then I will lose something inside (like a piece of me will have become lost). I suppose it can be likened to "breaking a wild horse". I've worked the past 10 years putting long hours in with little down time and making work my life (of which I have no regrets and will continue to do when I get back). Work has not only been a huge part of my life and the people are my family however the reality is that I don't have an immediate family and I've been overcompensating that loss with work. About a week ago I had to visit my Doctor for my second rabies shot and her words were that I was being "over-indulgent" with taking this type of trip. I was glad that she was honest with me and her comment was appreciated as it has caused me to reflect on my reasons for doing this trip. Let's suffice to say that the risk of taking this trip is less than the risk of me not. So on that note I'm continuing on and I will be letting you know and keeping you informed of all the unique experiences and places that I visit and everything that they have to offer. I want to share with you everything that I'm seeing, feeling and experiencing and what better way than on two wheels. So, please keep visiting and make any comments, additions or things that you may wish to see or know at the end of each blog. And then fasten your seat belt because I hope this next four months are going to be the ride of my life......

My Baby

Fooling around with uploading pictures and thought it would be nice to have a picture of the bike that "changed my life". Right now it is sitting in storage in BC for four months awaiting the return trip to Huntsville around Sept 24th. This bike has lots of chrome and just gleams. On the London to Magadan part of the trip I will be riding a new BMW 650 GS - 2 very different bikes that have very different purposes.

I'm new to the blogging and twittering scene so here goes trying to link something to twitter as well. http://twitter.com/londontomagadan

More pictures to follow in the upcoming days.

JACK