Some of the other points you've raised are valid ones. And I think that what you have done in the past and what you are planning to do again has a lot of merit.
But your above statement is ridiculous! Just because the system is crap, you are prepared to forget about the problem. What about trying to change that system? There are real people in your own country who are in need of genuine help (not to say that you still shouldn't help people overseas), and if you don't agree with that, then I think that's very conceited, narrow minded and just plain mean.

For someone who seems so righteous, you surprise me. I'm sure that you didn't mean that rubbish literally, but your sentiment still comes through - GET A GRIP. There there are plenty of wealthy people in poor troubled countries, like Zimbabwe for instance, who think that their own poor folk are scum too... and look where they ended up.

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BD.

Hi, sorry for not knowing where NFA is, but the reason that I have given up on UK completely is that I have been treated like a scum bag by the whole system. I resent being spied on by camera all the time and there is nothing I can do to change it. I am outnumbered by others who don't think as I do. That's part of democracy. I want to get rid of my UK nationality and leave. I have been hauled before the courts and was completely innocent. The legal system here is not good. Better anywhere else or better than other places? Don't know but I have had enough. The Brits can have their islands. I want out. That's all. I will no longer be part of all that this country does and is. Just trying to stay happy. Linzi.

I'm sorry to hear that you've had a rough time of it. I've spent a lot of time in the UK, amongst other places, and I understand your reasons for wanting out. But is that really the fault of genuine homeless and needy British folk? If you said that you'd rather run over the politicians then, fair one. But perhaps you wrote without really thinking what you were saying?

BTW: No Fixed Abode.

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BD.

Sounds like you,re ready for Colombia
Al theturtleshead

Ah! I was thinking New Foundla..nope North..nope. OK what I mean is I am sick of people here begging. I can't explain my own mentality when I say I would mug someone rich sooner than beg. Pride? I really don't know. The UK has more than enough of everything for there to be no poverty but again poverty such as I saw in friendly Colombia blew my mind. For people to scrounge in UK makes me sick. Then again we're out and about still killing people in overseas lands using the Ministry of DEFENCE! Defence using assault weapons and texhniques! Defending what exactly? I want to distance myself from what UK has become especially in last 10 or so years. Everyone else seems to be OK with us having a modern military system and using it. I'd rather help others where and when I can. But now I say IF they deserve it. For me that means outside UK. There are plenty of others who can and should help inside UK. I'm on benefits at the moment and can still just afford to visit Morocco---I hope I struggle back out! I'll be sleeping in a bivi bag and have NO budget for food. I hope "she'll be right"! The UK is just beyond my understanding now. Haves, poor, benefit fraud, benefit wastage, corruption and yet they'll have the Olympics there! **** the poor. We'll build up Seb Coe's reputation instead. Fair enough, but not with my support or association thank you. Happy riding all, without surveillance cameras. Linzi

Just read your posting Al. Hee Hee. Colombia. I've just separated from a Colombian woman who became too controlling. Funny for me to see, she from Mars, he from Venus! I visited Santa Marta, Tyrona Park, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Bogota, flying to get there--wimp! My impressions of Locombia? Wow! God it's beautiful. Wow! I love the weather. WOW! The women are so ....sexy. I thought immediately how I'd love to razz around, sorry tour around on a trail bike. Locals warned me off. Things have changed. I got as far as costing the trip and planned to sell the story but simply couldn't front up the cost. £1,400 to ship the bike out and back. Maybe £1,600 for all costs for a few months. I had to curb my ambitions so settled on Morocco. I've got a "bad back" so options are limited. E-bay beckons, robbing a , oops no that's not allowed! I've wondered about setting up a charity to benefit Berbers in the Atlas mountains and suck the UK's rich for all they're worth! Robbing Hood Charity with an Arab cloak as symbol! Seriously, at the moment I'm just in final stages of staggering off to beg off Moroccans for a few weeks in the sun then back to UK for the depths of winter. I hope to sell my story to several magazines but who knows? Probably get bitten by a rabid dog ( got all other immunizations except rabies!) Still haven't decided if I'll splash out on travel/medical insurance or add to the adventure feel. My bike's green card cover is to be 3rd party only----no theft insurance! Cripes, it's an adventure already! Live Wild, Linzi.

I'm all for progress and I have dedicated my entire professional life as a transportation engineer to the civil service so I can certainly appreciate the impact that transportation infrastructure has on the socio-economic life of a region. But... I think that this website is about motorcycle travel. To that end I stand by my original comment that it is a sad state of affairs when the adventure disappears from the classic overland route of Cairo to Cape Town. If this were a website dedicated to improving the lives of Africans I would certainly agree that my comments were "selfish and brainless" but the reality is that this website caters to the "filthy rich overlander types". As an aside, we may not be filthy rich at home (except for that pair of famous actors mentioned above) but when you ride through Ethiopia and realise that your jacket is worth more than the average annual salary of ten Ethiopians you quickly realise that you are indeed filthy rich.

If you go to the "Which Bike?" forum you'll find that discussions usually centre around whether an R1200GS is better than a KTM 990 not whether a Gold Wing is better than a K1200LT. There is a forum dedicated to 4x4s not one to camper vans. That's because this website is for adventure travel. If adventure disappears then it is most certainly a sad day for the users of this website.

If I would have made my comments in the "You can make a difference" forum you bet I would have been out of line but in the Sub-Saharan Africa forum I think it was perfectly OK to bemoan the loss. Maybe if Uganduro would have approached the topic a little more tactfully I would have been much more amenable to agreeing with him (or her) but the manner in which this was presented certainly raised my hackles.

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Ekke Kok

'84 R100RT 141,000 km (Dad's!)
'89 R100GS 250,000 km (and ready for another continent)
'07 R1200GS Adventure 100,000 km (just finished Circumnavigating Asia)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

www.ekke-audrey.ca

Damn Linzi, I don't mean to sound patronizing, but I actually feel sorry for you. I know what it's like to be stuck somewhere you hate. I reckon getting out of it is the best thing you can do. If you ever seriously plan to leave, then check out New Zealand, it's a great place to live. If you do ever find yourself there then drop me a line, I could hook you up with digs, and maybe even work. I'm in Europe for a while though, but I have plenty of bike friendly mates back home.

I'm in the South of France at a mates house for a wee while so if you need a place to pitch your tent and have a hot brew on your way south then drop me a line. I'm also heading to Morocco once my bike is fixed, maybe I'll see you on the road.

Best of luck with the planning. And don't worry too much about budget - mine's almost nonexistant! Just wing it.

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BD.

Hi Cannuk, if that's an OK address for a Canadian. By the way I went to school in Vancouver and think maybe I left my heart there. I agree the attack on your posting was overly aggressive. The world's a complex place though. I can see that one person's lovely wilderness is another's local hardship. Think of Siberia as one. But as for jackets, and this is said with a smile: My jacket cost £10 which must be less than 20 Canadian Dollars. I got a second hand German army skiing smock. Baggy, white, cotton, long zip, hooded. It goes over armour and a core cooler at the shoulders. I was advized by a Moroccan to cover up as they do. But on balance I'd have to say that a lot of travellers don't really take in a lot of what they pass through or "see". But then again in Morocco's case most visitors race around Paris Dakar fashion in a huge sand pit. Each to their own. Personally I hope to meet no English speakers on my travels and want to explore as remote places as I can on a 70's road bike. Surprisingly a lot I hope. I admit if I had some spare cash I'd hire a KTM too and roar over the landscape. It must be fun! I'll have to stick to the hard top. Hope your not too frozen up there at the moment! Linzi

You don't seem selfish or brainless at all mate, but...

...I don't know that adventures are really disappearing, ok, maybe some are, but we just have to seek new ones. That is what adventure's all about for me - going the way you planned only to find out that it's blocked and you have to make it up from there.

Like I said before, I don't think the two issues need to be enemys.

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BD.

To the cuddly white bear: Hi. Politely, but I don't seek simpathy. That is meant not to sound angry! South of France you lucky Bugg... In a past life I went on a Jumbo to Australia. I could have had a stop over anywhere on the planet for no cost! Hm. Hm. Ah. New Zealand. I set off round North Island on my mountain bike and 6 weeks became a year ( max visa for us) On return I did the same. Must have been mad. Could have visited South America or Asia. But had South Island to visit! Still haven't seen it all though. My original plan to Morocco was to explore French coast down to Pyrennese then race through them and use bendy roads in Spain to Morocco. Costs now suggest a direct, economical cruise to Morocco! Damn no fun! I really find it hard to keep the throttle at economical for long with the tuneful Italian exhaust system on my bike.
Where in France are you hibernating? I hope to depart UK in 3 weeks and head down Atlantic coast to Basque lands then diagonally across Spain. Cross via Ceuta. ASP left into Rif mountains at first on coast then to ridge and through to the Algerian border. Saidia is a beautiful resort. Deep breath then point south via interesting roads/ country to emerge viewing the plains to the Sahara. Now I set off over a piste SE to arrive at the main road near the teacher's house. We'll then ride to Iche and the school. This hamlet is at he point of the Moroccan border where it turns west after coming south from the Med. It's 50km from Figuig. I might try for my bike's max top speed on the lonely, straight there then again maybe I won't in 40C!
Next stop is on Algerian border west of Taouz and Erfoud. The school isn't even on google earth! Ramlia, youtube shows road bikes negotiating the "river" there. That will be interesting for me!!! But this piste is very busy and when I get stuck I'll no doubt have French, Belgian, German, French hands to push me along. It's a safe way to experience the outback offroad on a road bike. Also Mohammed offered to take his car so it can't be THAT bad can it? Advice on conditions is available with water and fuel at Ramlia and I plan to either head north to explore Todra, Dades gorges and Atlas or if washed out roads are too bad I would return south via Draa valley and then west to the coast and lie around doing nothing or maybe not. Morocco beckons, Linzi.

I'm currently about 3 hours east of Biarritz, but in three weeks I'll probably be in Spain somewhere... hopefully! Maybe we'll meet on the pistes.

I can't help you with too much much North African planning as I've yet to go there, but if you pitch up a post in one of the other forums, someone will be able to help.

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread folks.

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BD.

The way to tell my red '79 Moto Guzzi Le Mans from all the others in Morocco this winter is mine has black panniers! Linzi. Hoot and brake if we pass.

Will do. I'm on a green XTZ660 with soft luggage.

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BD.

Linzi, you're on benefits you say? Those would be the benefits paid to you by the State you so despise coming from the taxes of those round you? Interesting, and you're going to Morocco? Would that be a legitimate job-seaking trip perhaps? Oh no, wait you've got a "bad back", not so bad you can't get on a bike and ride all the way there though.

And you'd like to see the beggars run over?

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