7.4.08

Going: abroad

Funny word that - abroad.

Very 1950s English - probably rather appropriate then that this is where the PC and I are headed. (Well obviously not 1950s England, the time machine isn't back from the shop yet)

Tomorrow we:
Bus to Sydney airport - 0900
Fly to Bangkok - 1550
Hang around Bangkok airport - 3hrs
Fly to London - 0110
Arrive London - 0730

and then the insane plan begins,

we assemble our bikes at the airport and ride into London

Part of me thinks "Yay, cool, big adventure" and the other part thinks "insanity, madness, don't you know that you'll be knackered and the weather forecast is for blizzards and a top temperature of -18 degrees. (Ok, 10 degrees and light showers - but still...)

Anyway, in spite of this, I kind of like the idea. I don't know why, I just do.

Evidently we can ride most of the way along the Grand Union Canal Towpath, which is shown in this rather pretty walking tours map.



The PC and I have discussed some strategies for dealing with fights/arguments during out travel, my favourite (my idea of course) being that if we have a disagreement about something and it becomes clearly apparent that one of us was wrong, that person has to do a silly dance.

Benefits: injecting some humour into the moment and making us less likely to blindly argue about something we're not entirely sure of. (I'm sure it's not a foolproof plan but what is)

I also got a stash of lolly snakes to offer some support in the event of low-blood sugar inspired crankiness (on both sides).

It's funny the kinds of things you prepare for - probably says more about me but a lot of the arguments I've had have been while travelling.

Anyway, must press on, still got to finish boxing up the bikes and make sure they will fit in the car to get to the bus station.

Posting might get a little sporadic from here but as you can see in the last few posts, I've been experimenting with different options for quick and easy content so we'll see.

The longer term plan:

Train to Edinburgh on Saturday 12/4 (PC going to Wales this day to prepare for a cousin's wedding)
Train to Wales on Tuesday 15/4
James Bond themed wedding weekend of 19/4
Train to Paris on Tuesday 22/4
Train to (near) Bordeaux on Wed 23/4
Cycling to Paris via Perigord/Dordogne, Limoges (Nantiat), Loire Valley (this bit is a little sketchy)
Train to London Tuesday 13/5
Fly to Bangkok 17/5 1230
Arrive Bangkok 18/5 0615
Fly Sydney 18/5 0830
Arrive Sydney 18/5 2000
Bus Canberra 19/5 0915
Collapse in heap
Check 1452345 unread emails at work 20/5