May 31, 2010 GMT - Galapagos Wonders
May 2010 Update Ecuador Colombia Departing Banos we filled with petrol and a strange vehicle that had caused a few highway problems on our way to Banos followed us into the garage. These brightly colored road trains are used in...

April 30, 2010 GMT - Ruins, Rain and Reunions
April 2010 Update Peru and Ecuador Thomas and Astrid on the Triumph side-car joined us in our ride north to Huacachina. The road added some interest in the early stages with some ‘twisties’ but straightened out just before we reached...

March 31, 2010 GMT - The Ride North
March 2010 Update Argentina/Chile/Peru The 1st March and our trek north began around midday as we said our farewells to everyone on the farm. There was a lot of activity as Nick was organizing construction of a doorway from the...

February 28, 2010 GMT - Saying Our Goodbyes to Argentina
February 2010 Update Argentina Preparation for our ride north to exit South America began, commencing with repairs to the bike after the last blow-out crash. Parts were ordered from the UK and Australia. We expected time issues but the customs...

January 31, 2010 GMT - Dakar Rally 2010
January 2010 Update Argentina/Chile Dakar 2010 Progress was slow…. four days of bike work, physio and rest and we were almost done. The Dakar Rally was already crossing into Chile and we had not left Buenos Aires. On the 5th...

December 31, 2009 GMT - Injuries & Dakar Scrutineering
December 2009 Update Argentina With the bike safely tucked away on transport to Buenos Aries it was our turn to pack and bid farewell to our family of helpers in Rosario de la Frontera explaining we would return before we...

November 30, 2009 GMT - Good Days & Bad Days
November 2009 Update Peru - Bolivia - Chile – Argentina Leaving Puno the weather cooled as the road took us to the border. We noticed a distinct lack of movement on the Bolivian side which contrasted significantly to the very...

October 31, 2009 GMT - Puffing in Peru
October 2009 Update Peru We had been chasing a solution to our misfire for three days now with the consensus being a failing ignition coil. Assistance came from several sources including the BMW site on Horizons Unlimited, friends in Australia,...

September 30, 2009 GMT - Riverboats, Brazil to Peru
September 2009 Update Manaus Brazil to Cajamarca Peru Carol had a days rest from navigating a big city as Joelmir escorted us to the bustling wharves of Manaus. Two in a row for her, as Cecilia’s GPS gave her a...

August 31, 2009 GMT - The Amazon and The Wee Three
August 2009 Update Belem to Manaus The Long Way Belem appeared busy every day of the week with people bustling around even on the weekends. Our boat ride organized and with the help of Alex who also owns a small...

July 31, 2009 GMT - North to the Amazon
July 2009 Update Brazil While we were enjoying our time in Parati we received an email from another motorcycle traveler who had suffered the square wheel syndrome after hitting a large square pothole (man made) due for a repair job....

June 30, 2009 GMT - Campo Grande to Belo Horizonte the long way
June 2009 Update We stayed in Campo Grande for a couple of extra days on the invite of Rodrigo and Luciane. It was Rodrigo’s birthday in a few days and it was bound to be a fun party. With Luciane...

May 31, 2009 GMT - Beautiful Brazil
May 2009 Update Brazil Some clouds in the sky after a bit of a late sleep. We walked the city of Santo Angelo in the morning but found everything closed. It was a public holiday!!! Gilson met up with his...

April 30, 2009 GMT - Uruguay to Brazil

Delaying our departure from Rocha was the correct decision with a clear blue sky greeting us early in the morning. Hotel Arrarte included a light breakfast in the price and after a quick pack we were on the road early.

March 31, 2009 GMT - La Posta to Uruguay...at last
March 2009 Update Our family of campers at La Posta was down to five with the departure of Andy (USA) and the mood was dampened a little when it rained over the next couple of days. No leaks with the...

February 28, 2009 GMT - Rest and Recreation
February 2009 Update A quiet time these past few weeks with most hours devoted to sorting out bike problems (some ours, some others) and doing four months of updates. After the Dakar Rally we moved into the hostel at Dakar...

January 31, 2009 GMT - Duval’s Dakar Diary January 2009 Update
Thursday 1st Buenos Aires In the evening after our first contact with the Dakar vehicles at la Rural we were fortunate to dine out with several motorcycle travelers staying in Buenos Aires. Rider # 116 Don Hatton from Canada visited...

December 31, 2008 GMT - Waterfalls, friends and being robbed!! December 2008 update
The tourist office in Posadas gave us a number of options to bunk down for the evening so ‘cruising’ the streets on a very quiet Sunday was a different experience. Posadas is another river city and has a very active...

November 23, 2008 GMT - Fun and fine weather in Paraguay
November 2008 Part 2 To say the border crossing into Paraguay from Corinda, Argentina was a dream would be an understatement. Immigration and customs were extremely helpful with a lot of hand shaking and smiling. Not a tout to be...

November 10, 2008 GMT - The great road to Cachi
November 2008 Part 1 Some days you wake up and know that the day will bring a great ride. The air was cool and crisp outside as we packed the bike in Campo Quijano and entertained an early start, but...

October 31, 2008 GMT - Riding In The Clouds. October 2008 Update.
Departing from John and Annette’s farm in San Rafael we headed north east to Grl Belgrano passing through San Luis. This ruta has one of the longest straight roads we have ever ridden probably around 100 kms long and reminds...

September 30, 2008 GMT - Farming and 4 Wheeling
August September 2008 We surrendered Arnie and Helena’s house back to them on their return from the north of Argentina and headed back to John and Annette’s finca to prepare for our ride to Uruguay. However when we arrived we...

July 31, 2008 GMT - Up north, long way down under, then an even longer way round!!!!
May, June, July 2008 Update Our plan was originally to head north from Santiago as far as we could, time and seasons permitting, jump the Andes through one of numerous passes, then head south back to San Rafael in Argentina....

May 05, 2008 GMT - Rain and Snow, Winter is Coming
Puerto Madryn is used as a base to access Peninsula Valdes so it was no surprise to find backpackers discussing the attributes or lack of in using a day tour to sight the wild life on Peninsula Valdes. Some had...

April 08, 2008 GMT - Lakes, Volcanoes, Hot Springs and ORCAS!!
Before departing Puerto Varas we enquired with our host Andy at Casa Azul the whereabouts of a motorcycle shop in Puerto Montt so we could purchase a new front tyre. His direction however was to a shop less than a...

February 29, 2008 GMT - Ringing Mirrors on the Carretera Austral
Los Antiguos and its paved roads faded quickly into the distance as we headed south on Ruta 41. The ripio was sandy and corrugated (washboard) and the newly repaired fairing rattled more than I would have liked. Stopping, we contemplated...

February 04, 2008 GMT - Leaving Ushuaia
On the fifth of January it snowed which was to be our day of finally leaving Ushuaia, not that we wanted to leave. Despite the crazy weather we loved this place so we delayed our departure another day, finally leaving...

January 08, 2008 GMT - Christmas in the City at the End of the Earth
Arriving back in Ushuaia, we raced to the shed to collect the bike and head to Rio Pipo campground to meet up with all the bikers enjoying Christmas in Ushuaia. Christmas Eve Dinner Ushuaia Christmas Eve Dinner Ushuaia Wow, what...

December 31, 2007 GMT - WALK LIKE A PENGUIN
We have seen so many videos, documentaries and photos on Antarctica we were wondering if it would switch to overload once we got there. It didn’t … In fact mere words cannot describe the magnificence of this place. Putting the...

December 13, 2007 GMT - WINDY WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD....USHUAIA
Sarmiento looked a long way with little in between so we departed Esquel around 9.00am hoping to get to there in time for lunch. Road signs in Argentina are very inconsistent. You may pass a sign saying 160kms to the...

November 30, 2007 GMT - IT JUST GETS BETTER
Our route so far Cunco’s wet weather lasted another day but we were in the comfort of a cabana sheltered from the cold rain which tends to sweep in from the southern Pacific. Leaving Cunco in brilliant sunshine, we...

November 23, 2007 GMT - BIKE IMPORT PROBLEMS
BIKE IMPORT PROBLEMS Our departure from Santiago was not going to plan as there were major problems with the bike documents. Despite our efforts to process the bike we were unable to get access as the original Airway Bill had...

October 02, 2007 GMT - Life On A Bike....RTW 2
THE JOURNEY BEGINS……………..28/09/2007 Lan Chile flight LA800 exited Australia with little effort. The past six weeks of our lives did not enjoy the same organization. For those who have done this type of adventure you know the excitement is sometimes...

July 22, 2001 GMT - Home again - temporarily!
Darwin, Australia Arriving in Darwin at 6.30am after a two-hour flight, collecting the bike turned into a marathon effort. No quarantine Officer was available to inspect the bike and we had to wait till 2.00pm when the 'magic hand' was...

July 22, 2001 GMT - Onion Boat to Indonesia
Scavenging information from several sources we are able to arrange a vegetable boat to take our motorcycle from Melaka to Dumai. Departure day saw us loading the bike onto an onion boat and it lashed to the wheelhouse. Bags of...

April 24, 2001 GMT - Wet twisties in Malaysia
It's another border crossing today and Peter escorts us down on his R1100RS. We say farewell and begin the procedures. Although there was a little to and froing both sets of officials were done in around 1.5 hours and that...

April 24, 2001 GMT - Feasting in Thailand
Bangkok was steamy and hot in contrast to the dry heat of India. Getting the bike out of customs was a marathon effort and Bangkok airport cargo on a Monday morning would have to be one of the busiest we...

March 12, 2001 GMT - Mud and dung bed in Jaisalmer
We left Agra disappointed in not seeing the Taj Mahal but Aus$40 per person is over the top for us budget travellers. We vow to make a complaint to the Indian Government Tourist Office and, if we get motivated, one...

January 26, 2001 GMT - Bad Day in Varanasi
Leaving KTM was hard but the roads were waiting and our Indian visa was loosing time. We made Varanasi in two days with only one Indian truck driver attempting to run us off the road. We camped at the Surya...

January 26, 2001 GMT - Kathmandu and Beyond
Next day we crossed into Nepal at Banbasa on the western border. The road to this point was rough but crossing Nepal things improved dramatically, and the sign said "Roads built in co-operation by Nepalese and Indian Governments"!!! The traffic...

January 26, 2001 GMT - Amritsar Golden Temple
A party of four bikes left Islamabad Campground for Lahore, Connor (XT600), Angela (Dominator), Oliver (Transalp). We enjoyed walking the bazaars, the old fort and riding backwards in the Tuk Tuks as the traffic aimed at our toes!! Time to...

November 28, 2000 GMT - The Karakoram... What more can be said
Departing Islamabad (and the pollution) with Connor (XT600 Tenere) we make Besham on the KKH late on the first day. The mountain passes were choked with horn blasting mini buses and diesel belching trucks but this is all part of...

October 23, 2000 GMT - Playing with Trucks in Pakistan
Leaving Iran was a pleasant experience as we enjoyed some cakes with some very pleasant officials. Pakistan was just as friendly telling the girls they can disgard their hot garb. Met a young English chap taking an Enfield back to...

October 23, 2000 GMT - Fashionable in Iran
Our border crossing into Iran took just under three hours, 1 hour in Turkey two hours in Iran. Border officials were helpful and most of the delay was caused by so many officials asking about our journey. Carol changed into...

September 26, 2000 GMT - Splendours of Turkey
Crossing into Turkey at last. We have heard so much about the splendours of this country. We take the freeway to Instanbul to catch up with Steves brother John and his wife Jude who are backbacking around the world. We...

September 26, 2000 GMT - Transylvania
Crossing into Romania was easy although the money changer tried to take a little too much commission. Carol was on the ball though. Arriving in Bucharest we contact our friends who track us down (big city) and escort us back...

September 26, 2000 GMT - Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
Crossing the border into Bulgaria caused few problems and we headed towards Sofia stumbling with the foreign road signs and hoping we would not get lost. We decided against a Guide Book of Bulgaria as we were only passing through....

September 26, 2000 GMT - Relaxing in Greece
We spent a number of days in Athens enjoying the sights and an airconditioned hotel room. Carol's brother did a bit of sightseeing with us then we headed down the south coast to Cape Sounion. The Med coast was still...

July 20, 2000 GMT - Sightseeing South Africa
Our days in Capetown were blessed with many fine days which complimented our sight seeing. We enjoyed the hospitality of Anton (chairman BMW Club Capetown.) and Gill with a drive through the wine district of Stellenbosch. A cool fine day...

June 09, 2000 GMT - Namibian Desert - BMW vs. Harley!
Joining forces with the Forwoods (Harley Davidson world riders extrordinare) we headed off into the Namibian Deserts. Enroute to Walvis Bay we had a look at a cheetah park come game reserve . The Austrian owner was very informative as...

May 08, 2000 GMT - Winters are Wonderful in Windhoek
Next stop Botswana and Francistown. A modern town with much development on the horizon. We camped at a Hotel Resort with excellant facilities. Unable to locate tyres again we headed to Maun. We confirmed all previous reports that the Caprivi...

May 08, 2000 GMT - Ruins of Great Zimbabwe
Crossing the border into Zimbabwe had its usual hiccups with the officials asking for US$ but unable to provide change. Carol walked to a money exchange but he was of little assistance. We were able to exchange for a little...

May 08, 2000 GMT - Pet zebras in Lusaka
The long ride to Lusaka was a bumpy affair with a number of Police checks on our papers. A chance encounter on the road with a green mamba broke the monotony. THe tyres on the bike by this time were...

May 08, 2000 GMT - Wooden boat to Senga Bay
Border crossing was uneventful although Carol had her calculator stolen by one of the money touts hustling at the border. This really p--- -d her off. The road south although listed as tarred was very badly broken up to the...

May 08, 2000 GMT - Elephant Encounters
We have gone from East to West since our last message covering some five contries. We enjoyed a couple of days at Zanzibar although we considered facilities were a little over priced compared to the rest of the countries we...

April 05, 2000 GMT - Kenya to Uganda to Kenya to Tanzania
Leaving Nairobi after a week of R&R we headed to Thompson Falls north of Nakuru. The sole campers at this retreat in the mountains we enjoyed camping on grass and the sight of English style buildings in a well maintained...

March 07, 2000 GMT - Campgrounds in Kenya are fine for Carol & Ken
The beer is cold and the weather is hot in Nairobi. The journey south through the Ethiopian Lakes district was great after the dusty rough roads of the north. The potholes and dirty dusty detours made the riding interesting and...

February 23, 2000 GMT - Dusty Dirty Duvals in Addis Ababa
Firstly many thanks for everyones well wishes and replies to our Emails. Our trail through the remainder of Sudan was not without mishap and we now can verify that Africa has some of the worst roads to travel on in...

February 13, 2000 GMT - The Khartoum Kids
The news is all good so far. The best being we were able to obtain another gearbox in Cairo so we have our fifth gear back. Headed Sth west along the Oasis road enjoying the sun and the clean air...

January 31, 2000 GMT - News News News
News News News.. and it is all good. There is a BMW shop/mechanic in Cairo.. A long and lengthy process to hook up with this chap but suffice to say another traveller not a biker introduced us to him around...

January 27, 2000 GMT - Gearbox Problems
As you know from our previous message our fifth gear has gone on holiday. We are trying to find out the problem without removing the box as there are no facilities in Cairo to execute the repairs. All the remaining...

January 22, 2000 GMT - Pyramids Camels and Sand Storms
Greetings from Cairo, Left Tunis and zigzagged our way south staying at cheap hotels rather than camping due to the cost and erratic weather. Over night ports included Kairouan, Tozeur, Douz and ben Guerdane. Saw plenty of Roman ruins dry...

January 10, 2000 GMT - Back on the road again
We are back on the road again after dropping another exhaust valve about 115 kms north of Paris: 24hour Parts delivery from England took six days extra: Watched New Year on T.V. Wow!!! Presently in Tunis as our Moroccon leg...

January 08, 2000 GMT - Leaving France for Tunisia
Carol Duval's brother, Wayne Roberts here again. Our latest news on the Duval duo is that they now have the parts for the bike and it was being repaired (most likely finished now and they have headed off to the...

January 04, 2000 GMT - Blown valves in France
Carol's brother Wayne here in Brisbane. Unfortunately, Carol and Ken got to France and blew a valve in the engine about 119km north of Paris. They have been waiting for parts to come from England which were suppose to be...

September 19, 1999 GMT - Buongiorno from Italy

Our travels from England have covered many miles with our 1st port of call to our friends Hans and Monique in Holland, visitors to Aus some 7yrs ago. We made a promise to visit them should we ever be in Europe. A fun time seeing slides of their travels.