Ouch! That Hurts

With friends I have been introduced to a very energetic game called five-a-side football at our local recreational centre. We have all been playing for a few months and have had various injuries along the way resulting in people dropping out

It is played on a Thursday night and I had just collected the US$ from the bank for the trip and was looking forward to a good game of "Footy"

Turned out to be a four-a-side and a three-a-side with the team having three people playing rush goal keeper

I played in goal (team of four)for the latter part of the first half with the team of three putting up some brilliant attacks. I did think to myself quite safe here except for potential concussion from the ball hitting me in the head (previous match)

Very energetic stuff and at half time I removed my yellow bib and went onto the side of three to even up the play time.

Well with 10 mins to go from full time, a chance arose from a pass forward behind their defence, to run and shoot at the goal.

I ran and kicked the ball with a triumphant cheer in my head as the ball headed for the goal.......

Oooooh Noooooo!!!!! CRACK went the ankle! Down went the big guy (that's me, if you hadn't guessed?)


That was it, on the ground with nothing but panic in my head - this could affect the whole trip. Hobbled to the gents and put my bare foot in the sink and run cold water over it.
It still decided to balloon up good and proper.
After a few minutes I decided to return to watch the remainder of the match.
All were relieved to see that I could still bend and rotate my foot. (Yes it does hurt, even though I can move it)
Various suggestions were offered but one remedy I thought I would give a go is apparently a boxers trick, which is to wet a bar of soap and rub it into the swelling and leave it to dry. It hurts like hell to do and looks well stupid the next morning with dried soap all over it.

It did help a bit but the swelling was still up as you can see from the picture.

The bruising is coming out now and it is getting easier to move but still sore so no riding the bike this weekend.

All I can say, is that it would have been great to say that I had survived a vicious tackle, but no, it was just me falling over my own feet

Am I going to do any more football before I go?

"NO BLOODY WAY" that could have been a lot worse like an Achilles Tendon which Johnny's Dad did, resulting in 6 weeks of immobility.

So sorry chaps, will have to wait till July before I play again.

This has started me thinking on everything that could potentially scupper my trip plans, so bags of cotton wool at the ready to wrap myself up in and hopefully the ankle will display some properties of normality over the next few days

OUCH! sitting too long in one place makes it go stiff (the ankle please)and it hurts when I go to move.

SO TTFN

Phew! No Nasty Suprises

Final visa now in my hands today from the Turkmenistan embassy and cash paid to the exact amount on collection.

Now you might think that is a strange thing to say but due to the fact that when i collected my Uzbekistan Visa, the guy behind the small window in a smoke filled basement room would only hand over my passport when i gave him the exact money, nothing more. What ever happened to smoking in public places in England. Oh silly me the Embassy is Uzbekistan territory, not England.

All i can say is, it only took me just over an hour to get there unlike 5 weeks it will take on the trip. That makes it England then.
I wonder if i was to declare that the seat on my bike as the United Kingdom when i am in Uzbekistan, i could declare it is an area of Diplomatic immunity in times of trouble. Hmm! probably not

Anyway, where would you expect the embassy to be and it to be some large substantial building.
Just off Regent street is says on the Web page (yes i did go and look at the site after my wonderful conversation with the voice).

It's Soho

Crazy one way systems that once you get in them, they are a bugger to get out of and when you find a motorcycle parking bay, the City of Westminster have decided to charge motorcycles for parking.
"i paid for a ticket and someone has nicked it off my bike", they thought of that and you have to ring a number, probably at premium rate, to pay for your parking

Sod that, i will take a chance, only going to be 10 mins.

I wandered up and down this street trying to find St Georges House at number 14-17. Could i find it, Nope, as all the numbers were increasing from 50 something. Shit i could be getting ticket if this takes much longer but then i noticed that the numbers on one side of the road where rather different to the other side. What ever happened to having even numbers on one side and odd numbers on the other.

Ah! hang on a minute just like my own road then. Pooh!

OK back on schedule again and a single door with loads of buttons. Yep there it was a button for "TURKMENISTAN" After pressing a voice came over the PA.

"Yes"

"Visa Collection" i proudly stated.

With that there was a click and a buzz at the door.

I am starting to think that the Turkmenistan people are a nation of few words, unlike myself as you will be finding out. Why use one word when twenty is so much better

In i went and up to the second floor where there was a door with Turkmenistan on it. It immediately clunked as i stood in front of it. OK "GULP" will i meet "the voice"

In my opinion, three rooms do not make an embassy no matter how much you dress it up with pictures of the president. A pretty young lady was sat behind a desk and looked at me questioningly.

"i am here to collect my Visa" and i handed her a copy of my photo page of my passport

"one minute"

She then returned with a gentleman who had a passport in his hands, yes my passport. Whooppee! nearly there.

"you pay now"

Oh my God it's "the voice"
Euro's were handed over

"Sign Here"

I could see we were going to have another one of our deep meaningful conversations again.
Finally, out i went, back into England

Returning home never felt so good

That's it then countdown to the packing now and will it all fit in the panniers

Hopefully?

Oops! Fingers Crossed

Off went my Passport, application form to the Turkmenistan Embassy, for a 20 day Visa, by special delivery. Excellent so that would arrive next day

While in the office and sorting out the new company mobile phone contract, my phone started ringing and it was an "unknown number". I thought that will not be important, so let it go through to voicemail. (Read into that GO AWAY)

POOH! the voicemail started ringing back every few minutes, so after pressing ignore three times (yes i was thinking GO AWAY again), the fourth ring got answered.

I was greeted with a voice that was slow, Russian sounding, which would have been very at home in a James Bond movie, "Mr Johnson, can you ring the Turkmenistan Embassy urgently, problem with your Visa, or you will die Mr Bond"

Sorry got a little carried away just then with the last bit

Bollocks! that is the last thing i need with only a few weeks to go, so i rang straight back and was greeted by "the Voice"

"Yes"

Hmm! sounds friendly(not) and after my introduction, he proceeded to tell my in his warm homely tones that i had not put payment in with the application.

"Oh the details i have (Globebusters paperwork), say that payment is to be made on collection" i stated

"what details, have i not checked the website, payment has changed" The Voice demanded

Urgh! that would be a "No" went through my head.

I then advised, that the Visa Agency that was advising me(only a little lie), had given me the details and what was the procedure for making a payment up front if it was to be in Euros.
"Bring payment to the embassy" i could feel him looking down the phone at me saying "stupid"

So very nicely i asked if i could pay on collection to which he replied "On this one occasion i will allow this, collection after Tuesday". The James Bond Villain voice put me back in my place.

"Thank you very much, i am so sorry if i have caused you any problems" i humbly replied.

"Good bye"

Phew! lets hope they do not have any little surprises when i collect

FINGERS CROSSED

Not Long Now!

Where do i start

Finally got round to starting this blog of my decision to have an Adventure or as my wife (Di) calls it, a mid life crisis.

Two years ago i was having a look at the Globebusters website at their Alaska to Patagonia trip (TransAm), when i noticed that they were looking at doing the "Silk Route East" and the trip would take about 10 weeks as opposed to the Alaska to Patagonia taking 23 weeks.

Plausible trip, as i would not be too long away from my Wife and business, which will be left in the capable hands of my three fellow Directors. (the business, not the wife)

I did ask Di if she wanted to come along but when she knew that it was not 5* it was a big fat "NO"

So i signed up and thought, well i have got 2 years to get terms with it and to save up and pay for it

Last year in June it started with an off road training weekend in Wales at the BMW off road training school with Si Pavey. Great fun and to see what R1200GS's can really do in the dirt. This was also to see if you were up to the riding standard to be able to cope with the severe conditions we will encounter.

This was then followed in September with an Advanced riding weekend.

The final weekend get together was in January with the sorting out of Visa applications and kit preparation.

State of play as of today, i now have all my visa's for Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Azerbaijan and China with the imminent sending off for Turkmenistan. Yes people, these are real countries and most from the former Soviet Union and i have not just made them up

The bike an "08" R1200GS Adv, is all prepped and ready to roll and have just got it booked in next week for all the fluids to be changed and a final check over

Have done a packing check and believe it or not i have got everything i need in the two panniers from various clothes for hot and Cold climates, layers of riding gear to a pile of Immodium. Hopefully the food will not be that bad

Five weeks today, i will be crossing the channel with 14 other victims ahem, i mean "adventurers" to start 13,000 miles of overlanding to Beijing.

Schedule in brief is:

17th April Start from London Ace Cafe

18th April South Germany (my Birthday)

23rd April Turkey, Istanbul

30th April Georgia, Tblisi

4th May cross the Caspian Sea

5th May Turmenistan

8th May Uzbekistan

14th May Tajikistan

22nd May Kyrgystan

27th May China

2nd July Beijing

The trip will take us through China, for 6 weeks and will visit base camp of Mount Everest (Not sure why Sir Edmund Hilary had so much trouble getting there) at 5000m Altitude to the Terracota army and the Great Wall.

I wish everyone a very hot summer while i freeze my nether regions off in the Himalayas

So fingers crossed for nothing to happen before the start to prevent me going

Also big hugs and kisses for my wife for supporting me through my need for an Adventure (mid-life Crisis)