By keeping my bike off the road and eating almost nothing for six months I can skimp round Morocco. There are various benefits including disability benefits. Yes I have a bad back--how would you like L2 and L3 fused? L4 and L5 fused? I have a stiff back, risk a wheel chair if I crash and have pain every night. I must stretch a lot, daily or I'll end up like Quasy Modo. Where there's a will there's a way. My doctor told me to go to somewhere warm in winter. This type of arthritis is worse in cold and damp. I have made up a refridgerated pannier! To hold the injictions I must take each 2 weeks. They must stay refridgerated. You try that then! Begers belief eh? Don't comment without knowing what you're talking about. Linzi.

Akex +1.......................

As I said, if you don't know what you're talking about you shouldn't comment. I'm not going to justify myself. Converstion over. Linzi.

Oh no, Linzi you have my hugest sympathy about the fused back, my mum has had similar with the addition of various bits of titanium (enough to make her beep at airports), add in her diabetes too and I appreciate the refridgerating needs (you might try Googling for diabetes transport, she's got a fantastic pouch system which cools with the addition of water and lasts for about 48 hours).

What got my back up was the complaining about a State which is giving you support and then setting off on a challenging motorbike trip when you have a "bad back". You got the end of my wrath which was triggered by a Goldwing mounted ex-pat on yesterday's ride out - who was so happy to tell everyone how he'd managed to pull a fast one and retire early to France getting full disability benefits, and his wife getting full carer's allowance - and how that meant they could afford to go off for weeks at a time on the recliner on wheels. He had absolutely no shame in admitting he was as fit as a fiddle.

Personally as an Brit in France I'm disappou)inted when I go back to the UK to see what's happened in the 11 years I've lived abroad. I didn't move here because I hated the place, I moved here because I fancied someone and had a job to go to. I've met ex-pats who did move because they think Britain's gone to the dogs, and they continue to moan about it and don't seem to be able to enjoy either the good bits of Britain nor of their adopted country, I think it's something in their spirit. The one's who do enjoy themselves and get the best out of life are those who have resolved their issues.

So, if you don't mind a patronising tip from a Brit abroad, start looking around you and enjoying what you can where you are. Then you'll enjoy yourself more whichever country you end up in.

Apology accepted
 

Hi, sorry for being so blunt. May I say when someone (moi) can ride a bike to and around Morocco then they must be able to work. Useless for me to counter that perspective. However. Dr says not to lift more than 20kg-ever. Physio put it better when she saw me as frustrated at being knackered and warned me, "If you need to lift something, don't grit your teeth and just get it over---get someone else to lift it." A ten year old would do! I must not sit all day or stand all day. I cannot therefore do any job that I have done in the past or am qualified to do. An officer in a careers office advised me not to use a CV in my case. Now there are many younger people looking for work. I am old enough to have been left out. Give up? Me? no! I must MAKE work. This I am trying to do. For self confidence and self asteem I want to pull off this trip. The bike's not up to it. I'm not physically fit for it. Must be mad. In a way I am but my brain is still that of an acheiver which can't accept giving up. As for work. I can't offer an employer that I will be fit for 40 hours a week on certain days. The doctor said I'm 80% disabled! From day to day my condition changes. This morning gone were the muscle spasms in my lower back and painful neck stiffness. Wow! But my left wrist is now stiff and has limited movement. I really want to get a breath of fresh air. ie travel a bit. I know that my bike might break down and I know that the ride down might be agony and last weeks rather than days. I hope the sun and heat will work wonders. I hope that meeting happy people, such as I have read Moroccans are, kills my negativity and returns my faith in human nature. And I hope I can fix ANY thing which might stop my bike. Guzzi reliability depends on peparation of course--I have reason to be concerned.I have tried to get work but ageism is alive, "When did you last work and where?" crops up. I remember an Animals song--sort of remember it! I may smile but it covers up the truth. In the song he'd lost his love. For me I am still wondering how I am going to earn enough to retire in such a short time. I don't need sunglasses for my bright future! But I see around me people who are scroungers. I paid taxes--still do. I have to relocate to a cheaper country. For me there is no future here. More's the pity. Stay rubber side down, Linzi.

the comment that one does realize the importance of good transport infrastructure connecting countries, but nevertheless starts complaining about 'lost' motorcycle adventures,
does prove selfishness, doesn't it?

But it shows even more absolute hypocrisy...



And really, if one can't find bad unpaved roads in Africa for an adventure because the chinese paved a few hundred kms of MAIN roads, I wouldn't call that person intelligent.

Completely blind maybe.


So now you can start more topics: "Why is it hypocrite to get paid for infrastructure improvements in Canada, and complain about the same improvement (albeit on a much lower level) in some dirt poor countries?"

Or "Am I now blind or brainless when I am not able to find >99,99% of the road network in Africa? (both, but i am not sure I posted it in the right hubb section...it seems to matter a lot")

I can understand and agree with the perspective that you initially aired in this other thread that then prompted this thread.

However, despite not reading the initial thread concerned, I get the impression you took Ekke's point a bit too literally, IMHO.

I would be both surprised and dismayed if there was anyone on this forum who would put a a few 100 KMs of laughs ahead of a country's/folk's well being. That does not mean they don't have the right to miss those few 100 KMs of laughs and perhaps even moan about it when they are gone...

If the powers that be told Ekke, "Ok, down to you Ekke ol' bean. We can leave as is, or cover it up... your fun, or a country's properity...What's it gonna be?"

Surely, you would agree that paving would be the outcome? Doesn't mean he can't be sad to see it go, does it....?

I'll be sad when the Argentine Ruta 40 is all paved, but I would not actually want Argentina to leave it as ripio for the sake of us travellers/tourists

I think it all needs to be seen in context...