Ros: Prior to the beginning of our trip we had the opportunity to mingle with other intrepid adventurers (past and present) who have completed overland trips of their own at the Ace Cafe in North London on Sunday 23rd March 2014. One such person (Austin Vince) was one of Ed's heroes. Ed had watched Austin and his co-adventurers travel the world via the longest land route by motorcycle, which also took them to Magadan (our final destination). The trip 'Mondo Enduro' was the inspiration for Ed's earlier travels (2001-03) throughout the Balkans in a Blue Mercedes Sprinter (called 'Red', named by Sam and Tracey Wonfor, and never forgetting Rich, and Bones the dog :-). These forays helped pave the way for the predicament we find ourselves in now :-) Ed: Overlanders such as Austin Vince, Ted Simon, Tim Slessor and Eric Edis have been inspirational characters to me over the years and although I sat next to a chap on a plane once who had just bought Ted Simon's helmet at an auction, I hadn't met any of them. My time to meet Mr Vince was a real treat, these guys have real spirit and passion to carry them through their adventures.... an important lesson. Ros: As well as meeting Austin Vince, we also had the opportunity to speak to other inspirational people, including Will Wilkins and Kate Macdonell who had rode from Wollongong to Woolwich on motorcycles travelling through Australia, India, Pakistan (Karakoram Highway), China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Europe. We purchased their book 'Wollongong to Woolwich' and we're looking forward very much to reading about their adventures. Go to (http://www.wollongongtowoolwich.co.uk/) for more information. Trip updates: We've finally got our Visa Applications for Russia all sorted, and we're hoping to book the ferry for Friday 4th April, so not long to go now until our own very special adventure begins!!! Ros & Ed 25th March 2014
1 Comment
Lucy
3/25/2014 07:44:16 am
Ahh, I'm so glad you met him Ed. What an interesting bunch of people.
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AuthorRos: Both Ed and I will be updating the diary blog as much as possible! WTS. Archives
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