The Burgie is on its way!

Well the journey has begun for the Burgman. Today Loyd and I used a Heath-Robinson mix of hydraulic jacks and axle stands to lift the crate Burgie the necessary 75cm to get it in the back of the rented truck. At one point we felt we'd lost it (topple off the jacks) but no, only a temporay setback.

The 10 point route to happiness is now:

1. Ship Burgie to Busan (Korea).

2. Fly to Vietnam, rent bike to ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.

3. Take bus across border from Vietnam to China and buy a small offroader (probably a QingQi - Suzuki TW200 clone) - ride North through China and into Mongolia.

4. Ride back into China & down to Shanghai. Sell bike & take ferry to Korea, collect Burgie in Busan, ride up to Sokcho & take car ferry to Russia (Vladivostok).

5. Ride West from Valdivostok through Siberia to Kazakhstan.

6. Ride South into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekhistan

7. Ride West and back into Russia.

8. Ride North to Moscow / St Petersburg and then up into Finland.

9. Ride South through Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia to my final destination - Italy.

10. Ride South along the coast in Italy to Palermo, Sicily where I will ship the Burgie back to Melbourne.

Edit after end of journey: The above is the actual route I travelled

Preparation, nervous excitement and planning.

The big day cometh forth - the 15th of April is what I have planned but will it really happen?

Still awaiting the elusive Russian visa, bike crated and ready to take to the shipper (how will Loyd and I get that 250kg crate into the truck?, .... have to book the plane ticket to Vietnam but can't do that till I know when I'll have a visa, still have to get travel insurance, final vaccinations and fit everything into my pack.

So how is it looking so far? well here's the Burgie in all its swaddling , all we need is for the lid to shut and it will be transported in its coffin-like cocoon to Busan, where I hope to make its acquaintance again in mid May.