3/18 (Part 2) – April Has Disappeared – 01-30 April 2025

28 April 2025 – Pukekohe

Eight weeks have passed since my accident! Where has the time gone? The bike was sent off last week, but then a couple of things have happened in the last week that could have major impacts on my future travels.

First there was an earthquake in Istanbul; this will not affect me greatly since I won’t be there for at least another 2 months, and thankfully, little damage seems to have occurred. There is still a somewhat turbulent political situation there, but that’s something else entirely. 

The other event is much more problematic; a shooting in Indian Kashmir has upset the fragile peace between India and Pakistan, resulting in closure of the only border crossing between the two countries! 

On hearing this, I did a quick assessment of my options, given the fact that I am not, for now, a free spirit, having planned to meet Jack and Luka in Istanbul on 16^th May. The outcome was that I didn’t really have any options. Well I had two really: continue as planned and hope that the border re-opens before I get there; or skip India altogether and send the bike straight to Islamabad. Not wanting to give up without a fight, I decided on the former.

It is also more than three months since I arrived in New Zealand, for a stay that was planned to last 3-4 weeks. The intended route is shown in the photo above, and the actual route below. As I learned on my first trip, no plan lasts for long.

So as I write, with the bike is on its way to Mumbai, I am building myself up for the great departure, on Thursday. 

It never rains …

Having made substantial use of the NZ health care services up to this point, I was to have one final reason to see how it works. Chewing a toffee, kindly give to me by Helenna, I felt something “break” on one of my teeth. I subsequently felt what seemed like a gap on the side one a molar. Unsure of the damage that had been done, I had to get this looked at before heading off.

A quick Google search revealed that, even on a Sunday evening, there was a dental clinic open; unfortunately they couldn’t see me immediately, but could do Monday morning. The visit to a very smart clinic, located in Pukekohe’s main street, revealed some damage that did indeed need fixing. A replacement filling sorted that out. Good stuff! Well, almost. The obligatory x-rays revealed another issue that, potentially, could become a problem at some future, indeterminate, date. So, bearing in mind my dental experience in Jeddah which, you can read about here if interested, had resulted in the loss of a tooth, I decided that a return visit was the best course. 

Darryl and Helenna were now back from their trip to Melbourne, and we had a last night out for dinner, with me sporting my new t-shirt, illustrating Darryll’s and Helenna’s quirky sense of humour!

Days to do, and I had just a few things left to tick off. Then I got news that the bike’s departure had been delayed, which could mean I have to spend the weekend in Mumbai.😕 This would not be good, given my deadline.

I got my bits done – passport copies, driving licence copies and photos – and then had to pend an age trying to sort out Indian insurance for the bike. I had to have this for customs clearance. I’ll save the boring details, but it was a circus; once I had managed to find a broker, none of my banks would process the payment for the premium. Finally, the broker, I had been referred to him by the FIAA – who had to give me another document for customs – paid the premium on my behalf, on the promise that I would sort him out on arrival. You’d never get that in New Zealand, or Europe either for that matter.

01 May 2025

And finally I was on my way! A fond and slightly tearful, farewell to Helenna was followed by a run up the, now fairly familiar, road to the airport, and then it was a sad farewell to Darryll also. I have thanked this pair so many time over the last weeks, that it seems almost superfluous to do so again. 

But I will, if for no other reason than to record the truth, say that without their extraordinary hospitality and generosity, I would not be in the position I find myself – still on my odyssey; I would have had no choice but to ship the damaged bike back to Europe, and file my RTW attempt in the failed drawer. 

So, one final big heartfelt thank you guys, and I sincerely hope to see you one day in France, where there will always be an open door, and a bed for as long as you need it.