Post 210: Happy New Year

‘Either write something worth reading,…. or do something worth writing’. Benjamin Franklin

It should have been easy,….. the book was simply an account of the journey and within the Blog and Diary, many of the chapters were already written. It would take me six weeks: 5,000 words per day plus two weeks for the editing. Things would get in the way; commitments, distractions etc., but even taking account of my penchant for extreme laziness, by the middle of January 2009 the book would definately be finished. People who ‘know’, people who’ve actually written and published words that are worth reading told me differently, they smiled and kindly informed me that if it was going to be worth reading, it would take me much longer,…. but I ignored them.

The taste of Humble Pie is not as bad as I‘d expected, and as I’ll be feasting on it for quite some time, that’s probably a very good thing. It actually took me four weeks to find a ‘Beginning’, and then another week to write it. The beginning wasn’t where I’d expected it to be,….. I just kept working backwards until I found the only logical starting point.

The starting point wasn’t found on the Blog, or even in my Diary, it was finally found in an old suitcase that had thankfully been stored far away from my old apartment. Had that suitcase been lost in the fire, ….. then the real story of Poor Circulation would have remained untold. It’s not that I wouldn’t have written it, it’s more that I ’couldn’t’ have written it. The suitcase had originally been found in the attic of my Mum’s home and in it I’ve discovered a history that I was only ever partially aware of. On examining the contents for the first time, I felt like an observer to my life on a television program,…. ’Who do you think you are?’

Things fell into place, each discovery helped to make sense of the following chapter,……. and I’m now almost half way through the writing stage. It’s not at all like the Blog which was written as and when things happened, it’s much more ‘connected’ and hopefully contains far fewer mistakes and a lot more detail. I haven’t tried to make it intentionally funny,…. it just comes out that way. With the amazing benefit of hindsight, I can see the effect that each decision actually had, and the probable consequences had alternative directions been taken.

Poor Circulation began as: 20,000 Miles, 20 Countries, 20 Weeks and £20 per day. Everything then inflated by 40% and became: 28,000 Miles, 28 Countries, 28 Weeks and £28 per day. The time taken for the writing has escalated in the same way,…… but I have a plan to speed things along. At increased risk to the environment, I’ve begun burning the midnight oil and hopefully that will hasten the completion. To prevent myself from lapsing into idleness, if I fail to meet my own deadlines, I’ll email extracts of the book to people on the ’Poor Circulation’ e-mailing list. Thus,….. If I don’t extract my finger and get the bloody thing finished, most people will already have read it. I’ve arranged a couple of ’Speaking Engagements’ in Spring - clearly with people who don’t know me - where hopefully I might sell a few copies of the book and the DVD,…. and hopefully achieve my charitable target with the proceeds. If every body has already read it, … that isn’t going to happen, so I‘ve now got the incentive to finish it quickly. Besides,…… I can’t begin any further adventures until this one is finished,…. or paid for.

Regarding my plans for 2009, I’d like to thank the boys on ’Top Gear’ for this week giving you an insight into the next Poor Circulation adventure. I’d reached the same conclusion regarding the only viable mode of transport for SE Asia, but I’ll actually be buying & selling my ‘Bikes’ at each border. I’ll be working (lazily) with a major charity to try and raise money and awareness for the housing, protection and education of homeless children in the region. My love of SE Asia is no secret and the poignancy of charitable choice will become clear, but scratching beneath the surface when researching the possible plight of some of these kids,…… has been both heart wrenching and stomach churning. Things happen to vulnerable young people in this world that I will never even begin to understand, I can’t do a great deal to change that, I can’t make a big difference,….. but having now seen such things, I’ll sleep an awful lot better for having at least tried.

The only other news is quite selfish and minor. I had a meeting at the Ace Café on 23rd December. A new magazine will be hitting the shelves of newsagents (assuming any are still in business) in April 2009, and I‘ve been asked to help them on a free-lance basis. It means that I’ll have to ride a variety of new bikes provided free of charge by manufacturers, put them through their paces and then document my experiences. It’s not the best job in the world,…… but it’s got to come bloody close.

Happy New Year

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 209: The Names

In response to the previous post, the photographs below show the rest of the names carried with me on the bike, .... I just hope that I haven't missed anybody. Many thanks to all who have donated to St Teresa's Hospice, .. and Happy Christmas. Geoff

(Names added since pictures posted: Richard & Jill Shuker, Christine & Ron, Irene Cooper,... thank you for your generosity)

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 208: Statistics, Lies and Waiting Lists

'We have just 24 hours in which to save the NHS', .... he was 'Flash' and his sidekick was 'Gordon'. The year was 1997 and the dynamic Rt Honourable Gentleman for Sedgfield was hailed as the saviour of a Nation that was allegedly sinking without trace, .... it seems like only yesterday.

Nil by mouth for 14 hours and resplendent in my rear-entry gown, the consultant prodded, poked, humm'd and harrr'd before finally declaring that I had a hernia which required a surgical procedure, ...... No sh*t Einstein!!!!

With a sense of relief similar to that experienced when reaching the seemingly furthest motorway service station with the fullest of bladders, I'd arrived at the hospital expecting my torturous condition to be entering it's final day, .... but just how wrong could I have been? Looking back over the paperwork with the benefit of hindsight, I'd clearly been presumptuous in thinking that I was actually entering hospital for the condition to be rectified. However, when my own GP had diagnosed the problem and referred me to the hospital, with the explicit instructions of 'Nil by Mouth' for 14 hours before hand, .... I'd expected far more than a second opinion on a fact that was to the naked eye of a blind-man, quite bloody obvious. I've now been placed on a new waiting list for the operation, so instead of having one lengthy waiting list, which looks bad on statistical statements, there are now two slightly shorter lists, ...... target achieved.

On the bright side, it gives me three free days in which to catch up on writing the book, ... which at the moment seems to be moving one chapter forward and two chapters back (Not entirely unlike the journey itself really). I've also managed to catch up on some basic 'Admin', hence the photograph above. 'Mike' (London Biker) asked me where his name appeared on the bike, ... and for the past month I've been promising to send him a photograph. Well, at last here it is, .... the 'Biker' part of the script has clearly been warn away; not unlike my patience with the NHS, ..... but to all of those who have donated to St Teresa's Hospice, ... Thank You.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 207: Back to Blighty

In the words of Sir David Frost, 'It was just like deja vous, ..... all over again'. I watched the departure boards at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport as they began to flicker, the text was alternating between Thai and English making the information difficult to digest at one sitting. One by one, the flights were slowly changing from 'on time', ..... to 'delayed', ..... and then to 'cancelled'. A pattern was beginning to develop; Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Taipei, ..... all of the flights heading to or from the South-East, a cyclone was moving in, .... I was once again going to be stranded in an airport of terminal chaos.

I'd been on stand-by for the previous evenings flight but unfortunately I hadn't been lucky, the plane had been full. I was now confirmed on the 20:15 departure to Abu Dhabi, my return to London exactly one week later than planned. My flight EY401 changed from 'on time' to 'delayed', ... and remained there for the next hour. I'd already checked in and had spent an unrewarding hour talking with the English couple that I'd first met back in Khon Kaen, ..... yes, the same couple that I'd been avoiding, they were still complaining, ... my day was just getting better and better. The departure time of my flight then began to change, a 45 minute delay, ... became a 60 minute delay, ..... became a 90 minute delay. This meant that I'd probably miss my connecting flight onwards to London, ... but at least my first leg wasn't yet 'cancelled'.

How they did it I have no idea, but my flight eventually left Bangkok 90 minutes late and arrived in Abu Dhabi within 10 minutes of my onwards connection leaving, ... we'd made up nearly 30 minutes in the air. I was ushered through passages and straight onto the London flight, ... it was empty, .... four seats on which to spread out and sleep, ... seven hours in which to dream of the separate adventure that my baggage would no doubt be enjoying. I awoke on the decent into Heathrow, I cleared immigration without even joining a queue, I picked the first suitcase from the baggage carousel (which thankfully happened to be my own) and walked outside into London's morning air. Heathrow Terminal 3, ... what a welcome to Britain, .. knock it down and improve the experience, it's an absolute embarrassment, ........ and of course it was bloody freezing.

As I arrived at the Jack Lilley Triumph dealership in Ashford Common, they were still clearing up from the previous evening's Christmas party, ..... but the Tiger was ready. I'd asked them for a service, ... and 'Service' is exactly what they'd given me. They'd been over the bike with a fine tooth-comb and rectified problems that were far beyond their responsibility, ... even finding problems that I hadn't myself noticed. Without charge, they'd replaced the ill fitting rear tyre that had been put on back in New York and pressed out the huge dent on the alloy rim. I don't believe that I was treated differently to any other customer, .... but Jack Lilley is a family concern and this is how they do business. I can now understand why they receive such great accolades each year in the annual 'Ride Survey', ...... this is 'Service' the way that it should be.

As I headed out onto the A308 and M25, the difference in the bike was quite startling. The engine pulled exactly as it had done when new, the brakes worked perfectly and the suspension now informed me of the road conditions without the usual nausea inducing echo. All of the fluids on the bike had been changed, seven new shims now ensured the smooth and accurate movement of the twelve valves and behind me, ..... not a single trace of burning oil. The Tiger felt like a completely different motorcycle, ...... it felt like it had indeed been bathed for two weeks in snake oil.

As for the success of the actual 'Trip', ..... well things didn't turn out quite as I'd planned. I've learned all that I need to know (for now) about the logistics of travelling into, through and out of the necessary countries, I've been introduced to the charity that I'd hope to support and I've even decided upon the most suitable bike on which to do it. I've met Bikers in Thailand who have followed Poor Circulation and they've introduced me to colleagues in Laos and Cambodia, ... this is support that could prove to be crucial. Unfortunately, when a shoestring tour of SE Asia takes place, the trusty Tiger will not be involved. Logistically it just wont work; too expensive, too complicated and too many restrictive regulations in the countries bordering Thailand.

At the moment, SE Asia remains a 'Plan' that I'll hopefully execute in the not too distant future, .... it's simply a question of time and money. The organisations that had initially shown signs of interest and possible financial support are sadly now far more concerned with their own survival than they are of the future escapades of an eccentric Englishman in Asia. In truth, I could have accomplished most of these things by simply staying in Blighty and making full use of the telephone and Internet, ... but what fun would that have been? I'd have spent the time kicking my heels, writing a few more chapters of the book and waiting for my operation on the 18th of December. Whilst Despatch Riding should be on every bikers list of things to do before they die, ... doing it with an angry hernia should not be.

I'll spend the next couple of weeks writing the book and reading the small print of my travel insurance policy. The way in which my initial last-minute flights were arranged and paid for means that the delay in reaching Thailand could actually be a financial blessing in disguise, ..... so without prejudice to any claim that I may make, ..... I'll keep you posted.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 206: Returning Bangkok, Thailand

It’s fair to say that I’d been quite nervous about my ‘date’, …….. but in truth I needn’t have been so anxious. During my embarrassingly long absence from all things romantic, either times have changed quite dramatically, ……. or my ability to misread situations has remained unerringly constant. Resplendent in my new shirt, the evening was actually spent in a large pick-up truck delivering and arranging flowers at various schools and colleges in preparation for the King’s 81st birthday celebrations. It was a great night, meeting lots of new people, …. being bumped and bruised along unmade rural roads, returning to my room long after midnight and smelling like my grandmothers wardrobe, …… highly recommended and much more memorable than ‘dates‘ as I remember them.

One major danger in getting cocky whilst trying to impress people by speaking Thai, …… is that they may in fact answer you. No matter how many times I fall into this trap, it’s a lesson that I’ll probably never learn. You smile and tell a stranger that you're very happy to be there and the next minute your being whisked through the homes of total strangers and being introduced as their latest best friend. Don’t get me wrong, I really do enjoy this, ….. but having not a single clue about what’s going on around you for hours on end can be a little daunting, …… unless of course a little beer enters the equation, at which point things become a lot more fun and a little less overpowering. I’d spent an afternoon and evening in a small rural village in Northern Thailand, …. it didn’t seem to have a name, it was just referred to as the ‘second’ and slightly ‘smaller’ village. I accidentally became the latest attraction in a community where hospitality was plentiful and Europeans were scarce. I sat outside at the mercy of the rampant mosquitoes on a veranda belonging to relatives of a family that I’d earlier met, and before long a ’revolving door party’ was in full progress. It was dark, the lights were low and the faces of the people soon became little more than beaming smiles. At the instructions of their parents, kids would disappear into the darkness on mopeds clutching 100 Baht notes ($3) and return minutes later with baskets filled with food and beer. I’d seen no shops in either the small or larger villages and I’ve still no idea where they were getting this produce from, but for the price of ‘Happy Meal’, half the population of the village were having an absolute ball. It was a great evening, nobody got drunk but everybody joked, laughed and sang all evening. I ate things that I couldn't identify (and probably wouldn’t want to), I was taken into people’s homes and introduced to whole generations of families living happily together in a way that we in Europe have all but forgotten. It was quite an experience and one that will remain with me for a long time to come.

I was working my way back towards Bangkok and the hope of a painless exit home. The airline offices were not being overly cooperative; telephones remained unanswered and recorded messages claimed that both airports would remain closed until further notice, …. which I knew to be wrong. Eventually I managed to contact a London office who helpfully told me to visit the Bangkok offices in person. Apparently, due to the thousands of stranded tourists it was the only way that any of the airlines could cope and the only way to confirm a return flight to London. And so here I am, back in Bangkok, with ‘Internet’ and five bars of telephone ‘Signal’, avoiding the flesh-pots and anything else that might possibly involve a ‘happy ending’. I’m under strict instructions from my daughter to buy anything carrying the name ’Converse’, ….. but I’m dyslexic and this is the land of the often misspelled fake, .. ’chok dee Hannah, .... chok dee’. It looks like I’m confirmed on a flight arriving in London in the early hours of Friday morning, … exactly one week overdue. Unfortunately it’s not exactly a ‘direct’ flight, ….. ‘indirect’ would also be a gross misrepresentation, ….. but as long as each leg arrives and departs on schedule, and all prospective airports are actually open, …. I’ll be a very happy man.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 205: Khon Kaen, North Eastern Thailand

It's Wednesday 3rd of December and the Thai Courts have decided that the Government Leaders are all guilty of election fraud and have banned them from office for the next five years. A new Prime Minister will be appointed within the week and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are abandoning their airport protests in Bangkok. Flights are due to resume from midnight on Thursday, ....... but chaos and confusion are expected, ...... welcome to my world.

The bad news is that my airline are refusing to answer their telephone. I contacted their offices in London and Abu Dhabi and was informed that I must make contact with the local office in Bangkok. I've invested in a local Sim Card and spent all day calling their offices. When eventually they answer the telephone, the receiver is picked up and then instantly replaced. I'm trying to reschedule my return flight, ...... I'll let you know what happens but I might be late home.

The disgruntled Europeans who've plagued my ordinarily happy nature have at last vacated the hotel. This means that I can now enter and leave this fine establishment without having to hide behind baggage trolley's and potted plants, ... small mercies. In Khon Kaen, I'm eating like a king and spending like a pauper, ... which is a great combination. You really should try it sometime, but perhaps not in England, you'll just poison yourself. My taste buds are gradually re-acclimatising themselves to spicy food and I've been reintroduced to the awesome power of the tiny red chili. This is good news, ..... it's not much fun having a street full of smiling people watching the 'farang' take his first mouthful of 'Phet Food', no doubt hoping that the inevitable comedy moment will follow. Whilst I like to spread a little humour, I hate to suffer for my art. It's just as well that my taste buds have acclimatised, ..... I'm dining out with a young lady tonight and I'd like to avoid embarrassing myself on the first course. If my memory serves me well, .... I think that this evening's rendezvous used to be known as a 'Date', but the last time that I had one of those we were eating lark's tongue pies washed down with tankards of ale and mead. I've even gone out and bought myself a proper shirt for the occasion, .... it has buttons and everything, .... so wish me luck.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 204: Khon Kaen, North Eastern Thailand

Sometimes for no apparent reason, things simply ‘Happen’. Plan as much or as little as you like, dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’, but always be aware that the spanner of fortune; good, bad or indifferent, will inevitably have the final word. There’s not a single thing that you can do about it, fortune is the immoveable object, …. so just sit back, do what little you can and let the rest just simply wash over you.

Each day I have to check in the mirror to make sure that I don’t have ‘Information Desk’ tattooed across my forehead, …… people just seem to come to me for their travel advice. I’m staying in a decent hotel, $19 per night and every facility that you couple possibly imagine, … and then some that you couldn’t, but save for a few stranded tourists, it’s practically empty. I’m here by choice and thoroughly enjoying every minute, …. but it seems that as usual, I’m in a minority of one. European’s here are frantically contacting their respective Airlines and waxing diffidently over the lack of accurate information, they’re becoming stressed beyond reason and pointing the finger of blame in every possible direction. They ask me when the airports will open, they ask me when BA and Thai Airways will resume their normal operations, ….. they’re frustrated with the uncertainty and lack of definitive answers. I tell them that I simply don’t know, perhaps they see that I honestly don’t care, …… after this many miles on a motorbike if my balls had been made from crystal they’d have shattered a very long time ago. ’Listen People, …… the Airports are closed and it’s not British Airways fault. Sit it out or jump on a bus, …. the choice is yours to make, ….. but in the meantime, please stop pi**ing on my pavement, I don’t have the answers that your looking for and I’m certainly not coming to your pity party’.

Anyway, …… I’ve reached the Northern Thai City of Khon Kaen, a few inconvenient days later than I’d planned, but I’m here now and that’s the most important thing. Initially it had been my intention to travel here, do what needed to be done and then to return swiftly to England without revealing the true purpose of the trip. That’s going to be difficult, … it looks as though I’ll be here for a little longer than anticipated, …. but please don’t weep for me, … I think I’ll survive the experience.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that while I need to work and earn money, the desire to keep travelling burns ever stronger, ….. to this end, for the past two months I’ve been making tentative inquiries in general areas of interest. Following the unforeseen offer of a free flight, the first plan was to come to Thailand and explore the possibility of a new journey, ‘Poor Circulation South East Asia’: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia. On similar lines to ‘Poor Circulation RTW’ but with a little more support by way of funding in exchange for writing, …. and this time raising money for a local charity network providing safe shelter and education for street orphans. This is the plan that’s taking shape now, the above mentioned ‘Spanner of Fortune’ will determine it’s success, …… but I’ll keep you informed of any progress. To date, …… Nil.

So with time to kill in what I firmly believe to be the worlds most amazing and vibrant country, I went to dinner with my new friends, a group of eight teachers from the Kranuan Community & Industrial College. ’Oat’, the English Teacher to my right translated those parts of the conversation that he deemed suitable for my ears, whilst ’Tassaneeya’ to my left kept my heart pounding all evening with her stunning smile and eyelashes that could bridge a small stream. Perhaps she was flirting, perhaps I was living in a dream-world, ….. or perhaps she's just quintessentially ’Thai’, .... but I was just thankful to be there. It was a memorable evening, we ate alfresco beneath a smiling moon, the likes of which none of us had ever witnessed, the restaurant was filled with laughter and the ’sing-song’ chatter of the Thai language. I understood little of what was said, perhaps a lot of the laughter was at my expense, ….. but with everything that’s going on in this beautiful country, it’s refreshing to know that the people remain unchanged; warm, open, friendly and amazingly fine hosts.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 203: Bangkok, Heading North

Monchit Bus Terminal in Northern Bangkok is always busy, ... even at 7am on a Sunday morning when the rest of the City had been silently waking to a beautiful sunny day of uncertainty, .... this place was still a heaving mass of happy humanity.

I'd expected many more expats to be there but I saw few 'Farang' in the crowds. The buses North to Khon Kaen were running frequently and the tickets were thankfully cheap. Along with a broad cross-section of Bangkok's society, I boarded the freshly decorated 'Magna' inspired coach and took a seat ready for the six hour journey. Before even introducing myself to the nearest neighbours, ..... I was asleep. Six hours later, I thought I'd woken in the busy City of Khon Kaen, ....... except I hadn't.

I looked at my watch, less than a single hour had passed and we were stationary at the side of the main road, the air conditioning was silent and a smell of acrid smoke lingered in the air around me. We'd broken down, ...... a replacement bus would be with us within 2 hours, possibly 3 at the most. On the grass verge, avoiding speeding mopeds and Green Vipers, I chatted with three other's who were heading to Khon Kaen, ... the verdict was unanimous, ........ 'Taxi'.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 202: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The transit lounge of Abu Dhabi International Airport was awash with people; people coming, people going and people trapped by circumstances that were not of their own making. I was one of the lucky ones, a holder of a United Kingdom Passport, I could at least choose my next destination without worrying about visa issues. A group of contract workers returning to Thailand were also there, possibly thirty in number, … thirty people who simply because of their Nationality, could not leave the airport, could not re-route to any other destination, ….. simply caught in the ‘no mans land‘ of Abu Dhabi until normal service is resumed.

Information on the situation in Thailand was sketchy, the Air Etihad staff insisted that the airport closures were due to ’industrial action’, ……. ’normal services would resume in the very near future’. More flights were arriving and the airport transit lounges were beginning to resemble refugee camps. After 24 hours of inactivity and the BBC reporting further violence around the Bangkok Airports, it was clear that Etihad’s optimism was clearly unfounded, ….. it was time to make a move.

Overnight I’d found several fellow travellers in exactly the same predicament, all heading for different parts of Thailand and all keen to leave the dank surroundings of Abu Dhabi behind them. After a full day in a windowless transit lounge you soon decide that you can only take so much fun. We persuaded Air Etihad to transfer our onward flights from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur and from there we‘d make our own way North and into Thailand. At around 3am, eight of us were confirmed on the 10am flight with Air Emirates and whisked by fast car to Dubai International Airport. It wasn’t the airport that I remember from my days of travelling here, it was new and impressive, only twelve days in service and working like a dream. In fact, their services were so slick and streamlined that within five minutes of arrival they were able to confirm that Air Etihad had not in fact booked any of us onto it’s flight, ……. ’they knew nothing’ , ….. and to add insult to pending injury, the flight was already full. After a little smooth talking, a hint of blagging and the gentlest touch of bribery, all of us managed to board the flight, …. all happy to be moving again.

At around midnight we arrived at Kuala Lumpur and it soon became obvious that no flights to any Thai destination would be available until the main Bangkok Airports were opened and fully operational. Nobody knew when that would be and thousands of people were already on ’Stand By’ for the first available flights, …. it was another waiting game that none of us wanted to play. A kind taxi driver offered to take us to the border for the princely sum of $1,400, … we politely declined and instead boarded the express train to Kuala Lumpur’s main rail terminal for another uncomfortable night on floors and benches.

At 7am, we were informed that all trains heading North into Thailand were fully booked for the next 72 hours. We moved on, …. there was only one alternative left open to us. Our group had now grown to 14 plus one small child and together we raced across Kuala Lumpur. At the main bus terminal, we took the last 14 seats on the express coach to the city of Alastor someway south of the Malaysian/Thai border where we were promised a connection all of the way to Bangkok. As you‘ve probably guessed, …. there was no connection, it was a ‘dead-end terminus‘. However, within 10 minutes of arriving, a convoy of local taxi’s had been commandeered into driving us to the border and thankfully, like the Malaysian coaches and trains, … they were amazingly cheap.

We arrived at the Thai border around dusk, waved farewell to our respective drivers and crossed the border on foot. With everybody now safely inside Thailand, we found two mini-buses willing to drive us North to the town of Hat Yai from where we could take buses to our respective destinations. Things were beginning to come together and this time the promised coaches did actually exist. Tired and weary, no sleep or change of clothes for five days and nights, we said farewell to those folks heading towards Phuket and boarded the coach bound for Bangkok.

Five days and four countries later than planned, we’d Arrived in Bangkok. It was shortly after dawn, the enlarged group had reduced to just four, the original four members who had come together in Abu Dhabi, …. It hadn’t been planned that way, …. sometimes things just turn out that way. We headed for the sanctuary of a guest house off the lower end of Sukhumvit Road, …… and slept.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 201: Just When You Thought It Was Over ....

I'd eventually found a humble dwelling in which to rest my weary bones and retrieved my single suitcase of possessions, it was now time to concentrate on the Tiger. A plan of sorts was beginning to form, ... 'A Plan' in the true nature of Poor Circulation; half-baked, half-arsed and under-funded, .... but apart form that, it was all looking good.

I'd drop the Tiger off at Jack Lilley Triumph for a jolly good service and a long soak in a bath of snake-oil that would hopefully put an end to it's now insatiable appetite for the fully-synthetic variety. In the meantime, I'd be off on a little fact-finding adventure of my own. Perfect timing really, ..... Heathrow was only five miles down the road and the Tiger would have free B&B for the week that I'd be away.

The snow of Sunday had cleared, the Tiger behaved impeccably all of the way down to Ashford Common and Jack Lilley were expecting me. I dropped the bike off, provisionally agreed to attend their Christmas Party on Thursday 11th December and then made the five miles to Heathrow in plenty of time for my flight. I was using my expertly, yet indirectly blagged 'Economy Class Ticket' with a not so famous Airline, but there was sadly no 'upgrade' to Business Class, ....... beggars can't really be choosers all of the time. The flight departed on-time, I had a row of four seats all to myself, two decent meals and absolutely no turbulence.

The plane touched down on time in the Middle East and I had ninety minutes to wait in 'Transit' for my onwards flight. To this point in time, ... everything had gone perfectly smoothly, in fact it was all going far too smoothly for anything even remotely related to Poor Circulation, ..... my world was about to go horribly pear-shaped. Speaking a little Arabic is sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. Amongst my European neighbours in the Transit Lounge, I was possibly the first to hear the news. 'Mushcular' is the Arabic word for 'Problem', and when heard in close proximity with the name of your destination and flight number, you just know it's not going to be good news. We waited for a full five minutes before the English announcement confirmed my initial fears; Due to unforeseen problems, Flight EY402 to Bangkok had been cancelled, ....... there was no additional information.

Five hours after that announcement was made, I now know the reason for the cancellation of Flight EY402. As I type this, my fellow transit passengers are making alternate arrangements for their onwards travel, ... but I'm not. I'm sitting alone in a dimly lit but crowded corridor of far-flung strangers and using the only electrical connection that I can find in this entire airport. I've decided to sit it out, to take my chances, ..... to wait for the next available flight. If the cancellation had been due to 'Weather' or even 'Technical Failure' then it would be quite easy to put a 'time' on the potential length of wait, ...... but it's not. I'm sitting in Abu Dhabi International Airport, It's 1:32am and I'm travelling to Bangkok. Unfortunately, twenty-three minutes before my connecting flight was due to depart, ..... both of Bangkok's Airports were officially closed.

Recent unrest in Bangkok has esculated and with an increase in the levels of violence and gunfire around the airports, ..... both have now been closed for security reasons. The latest news is that the airports will re-open in about three days time, .... Inshallah. Bangkok is not my final destination, .... but I need to use both airports in that fine city, ... the re-opening of just one will not be enough. I've explored the alternative routes, ... but they cost money, lots of money ... but sleeping in airport corridors costs me nothing, which is exactly what I've got, ...... so I'll keep you posted.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 200: Ace Cafe London. Full Circle

As we headed into London the British weather continued to demonstrate its endless generosity, …….. it refreshed us, it cleansed the road ahead, …. it reminded us that we were indeed home. Despite the rain, or perhaps because of it, it felt good to once again be riding as a pair and savouring the last few miles of Poor Circulation together. It had been three months since I’d ridden alongside Alan but it actually felt more like three days. London felt strange, a million years of knowledge have evaporated, the cities junctions that were once imprinted on my mind had gone, perhaps lost forever and replaced with knowledge of countries and cities that I might never visit again, ….. ‘one fact in, one fact out’, I was beginning to wish that I’d brought my AtoZ.

I’d expected the rain to keep all but the most hardy of soul’s away but as we pulled into the Ace Café I realised just how wrong that assumption had been. The Ace Café was awash with people and bikes. An area had been cordoned off for the Tigers and we parked the bikes in the precise place that we’d started from 28,000 miles before, .. we’d completed a full circle of the world travelling East.

Familiar faces and strangers alike thrust out their hands to congratulate us, ….. it was a fine welcome home and not one that either of us had expected. A group from Boxertrix.Com who we’d ridden with way back in Wales had arrived from all parts of the country; Harry, Paul, Jason, Joe C, Steve W., BoxerDog and more, … other people congregated around the bikes, asking questions and searching for their names on the top box and panniers. People began to hand over more money for the charity, … I wrote their names as best I could on the actual banknotes, …… it was quite chaotic and one or two names may have been missed, …… but every penny of the money collected on Sunday has now been donated through Just Giving under the title ‘Ace Café‘. We began to put faces to the ‘Names’ that had travelled with us for so many miles; ‘Simon The Locksmith‘, ‘FIM‘, ‘Geoff Keys‘, ‘Danny Ferry‘,’ The Grinch‘, ‘Alan K‘, ‘John & Christine’, John C-R FIM, David Mack etc., …. it was an honour to meet them at long last. I know that I’ve missed so many of their names here, … names that I hope will come back to me over the coming days, ….. but please be assured that your help and support is not forgotten.

From Alan and myself, I’d just like to say a huge thank you to Mark and the staff of the Ace Café for welcoming Poor Circulation back to London and to all of those who turned up to shake our hands in the pouring rain on Sunday. Your support has kept us going when the world was falling apart around us, … and for me at least, ….. it’s a great encouragement to continue until my charity target has been met, ….. and then some.

Plans are afoot for a continuation of ’Poor Circulation’ and in the coming week I’ll be exploring the possibilities. I’ve ’Blagged’ payment for a flight to an amazing part of the world where I’ll hopefully meet people interested in supporting another adventure, ….. an adventure that will make Poor Circulation Round The World look like a sanitized package holiday. It scares the living daylights out of me, … but that’s intoxicating, … it’s not that I’m an adrenaline junkie, far from it, but a little excitement certainly beats the crap out of 9 to 5. I’ve got to get my body fixed as quickly as possible, …… it didn’t survive quite as well as the Triumph, and then I need to quickly start earning some money again.

On the slow journey back to Essex, … under clearing skies, … my mind began to wander. Has a Tiger ever been spotted at the North Pole? (That’s a joke, … possibly, .... but please keep watching ;-)

‘Blue-88, ….. Empty NW10’

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 199: Serendipity, Braintree, UK

Tomorrow, Sunday 16th November, ….. Poor Circulation will be completing the full circle of the world by returning to the Ace Café, the place where it all began on the 21st April 2008. The intervening 28,000 Miles, 28 Countries and 28 Weeks have been to say the very least, …. Interesting. If I’d stayed at home I’d be a little less in debt, I’d have covered a few more miles on a bike but I’d also have far fewer memories, ……… and as I discovered today, I’d also now be just as ’Homeless’, but for very different reasons.

For the past few years I’d been renting a studio apartment in an old converted farm building to the West of Braintree. In the weeks prior to departure I packed all of the personal things that I wanted to keep, sold or discarded the rest and gave notice to my landlord. Today I returned to my former home and was shocked by what I found, ……. it looks a little more serious than ’Smoke Damage’. The picture to the left is all that remains of my old apartment within a Grade II listed building in rural Essex. Thankfully nobody was injured in the blaze, but If I’d stayed at home I would have lost everything that I owned, ….. I’d never really gotten around to purchasing any contents insurance. A foolish oversight, but an oversight that many make, …… don’t we?

Poor Circulation has actually been a lot easier than either Alan or I had anticipated, … absolutely anybody could make this journey. I’m beginning to think that some of the more famous two-wheeled circumnavigations tend to dwell on the ‘Problems’ and make the journey seem far more difficult than it really is. We didn't do any of the more difficult countries in Africa, nor did we enter Afganistan or Iran and we missed the problems in Georgia, ..... but if you keep it simple and avoid having to worry too much about where you are, .... it gives you more time to enjoy it. I’ll admit that We were very lucky, … the weather was in our favour and the help that we received along the way was far beyond our wildest expectations. It will be nice to meet some of you tomorrow at the Ace, ….. to say a big ‘Thank You’ in person. My daughter Hannah is coming along with her Mom, the former ‘Mrs Blue88’ and I’d like everybody to remember their social responsibilities. You must constantly remind her, .. My Daughter not Mrs Blue88, .. that motorcycles are Evil things and that the Boys riding them are even worse. Your support on this matter would be greatly appreciated, … by both me and her Mom ;-)

Seeing the devastation at my old home reminds me just how lucky I’ve actually been, … I‘ve lost nothing and gained everything. It also reminds me that I should set off travelling again before the next inevitable home based disaster strikes. I’m working on it, … the ‘Travelling’ not the ‘Disaster’, ……..

Hope to see some of you at the Ace Café.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 198: St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, UK

Wednesday 12th November 2008, ..... it was an emotional return to St Teresa's Hospice. It's an inspiring place filled with amazing people, .. a place where my Father found peace and support after being diagnosed with cancer of the prostate and a place where my Mother spent much of her free time as a volunteer supporting their services.

Back in April when the Hospice staff had helped me to push my stricken Tiger out of the car park, the 'New Wing' had still been under construction, it had been little more than a building site, ...... but today I saw it complete. It provides St Teresa's with the necessary space to extend it's in-patient and bereavement counseling services, .... space that provides for the support of an increasing number of families, ..... space that they urgently needed, .... space that requires additional funding, .... funding that can only be raised through charitable events and the generous actions of individuals.

I was greeted by David Jones the Director of Fund Raising and given a guided tour of the new annex. I was able to spend time talking with Staff, with Nurses, with Volunteers, with the Chairman Alasdair MacConachie OBE and of course with the most important people, ... the people who's lives are enriched both in the Hospice and outside in the community. It seemed that everybody knew my Mother and many remembered my Father, .... but that's just the kind of people that they were, ... 'memorable' for all of the best reasons. St Teresa's Hospice, and for that matter any other Hospice, is not a place of sadness, .. a visit is always uplifting. I'd been quite sheepish on arrival, I'd aimed to raise five thousand pounds, ... the exact amount that they need in order to provide their services for 1 single day out of every 365, .... I felt guilty that I'd fallen short. I should not have worried, .... I should not have lost so much sleep the previous night. Everybody was grateful, ... thankful for what I'd done, .. the amount that I'd raised (or not raised) was secondary, .... they made me feel special for having done something, done anything, .... to help them. Staff, Volunteers and Patients alike have asked me to pass on their sincere thanks to the people who have generously donated through my Just Giving Page, ...... many of whom are total strangers, many of whom have no connection with Darlington, ..... but all of who are now directly affecting the lives of many families in the most positive ways imaginable. 'Thank You'.

As I left St Teresa's I met friends of my Mother that I knew well, I met supporters of Poor Circulation that I'd previously only known as 'Names' that were written on the bike. I left there with some extra money raised and with the absolute determination to achieve my initial target of five thousand pounds, .... whatever it takes I'll get there.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk/

Post 197: Winter Camping, Squires Milk Bar, UK

After four days away from the keyboard I've found the Internet and opened my emails to receive a serious ear bashing from my Brother Alan in California. I'm apparently in the dog house for not updating the Blog for four days, ..... shame on me. He's worried about people thinking that the Blog is coming to an end, ... that the last few miles of Poor Circulation are upon us and that people will drift away. Well, .... unfortunately none of you will get off quite that lightly, ..... plans are already being made for 2009 & 2010. 'Poor Circulation Round The World' will be completed on Sunday 16th November at the Ace Cafe, 10:30am, (your all welcome to come along, Alan and I would love to meet you) ..... but this is just 'Part 1'. The hot news that I've received after an appearance on BBC Radio Essex has convinced me that 'Poor Circulation ****' and 'Poor Circulation ********' are more than probable. I'll keep updating the Blog, ... even if I'm not revealing any details of the next adventure for the next couple of weeks, .... my life is usually not without incident and lets face it, ..... I do enough cocking about on motorbikes to keep things at least a little bit interesting.

Anyway, .... the reason for my four days of silence is that I've been away enjoying a few days of Winter Camping. Technically it's Autumn and not Winter, ..... but if I'm taking criticism from a first generation Californian who considers any day requiring a sweater to be a climatic catastrophe, ..... I'm calling it Winter, .... he loves me really. So, I've just spent three nights camping, two of them spent at Squires Milk Bar in Newthorpe in Yorkshire. The team there are great, .... they provided me with free camping, kept me supplied with food and drink and last night entertained me and a few hundred other hardy souls with a live band and paws-on access to a new range of bikes courtesy of Leeds Harley Davidson. It was a really good evening but as the hardy folks of Yorkshire made there way home to WiFi, warm beds and central heating, .... I slid my way to the rear of the pub and into my new tent. It was cold, ..... in fact it was bloody cold, .... but thankfully the last few weeks in America had prepared me for cold camping, .... I'd learned some very valuable lessons.

Firstly, .... the secret to a warm and comfortable night under canvas is to arrange your bedding carefully. Firstly take the 'Big Greeta' air mattress, place the 'Mummy' sleeping bag on top of it and slide this sandwich filling into the large ex-army 'Bivi Bag'. Don't pull the drawstrings around your head, ..... your breath will freeze on the inside and you'll end up wet. Instead, ... draw it tight around your neck and wear an insulated hat. This arrangement not only keeps you warm and dry, but it also saves you from the following days 'Bad Hair Syndrome'. In America I discovered 'Gatorade', ... what an amazing product. The drink tastes just fine and I'm sure that it's packed full of vital minerals and vitamins, .... but if your not too thirsty just pour it away. It's the bottle that you need, ... 1 Quart (32 fl oz) of wide necked plastic perfection, .. the ideal receptacle for emergency night time calls of nature. Here in Blighty, Gatorade is not readily available, .. but the 1L plastic milk bottle serves just as well. A couple of tips here for any new adventure campers reading this: 1 Never use the same type of bottle as that used for your drinking water..... and 2, Never EVER use any form of metal container, .. your eyes will definitely water. Unfortunately I can't provide any first hand advice for the female campers amongst you, ..... but I'm sure that there are numerous websites that will provide you with more information than you might possibly need on this subject, .... surf cautiously.

You might be wondering why I've chosen the above photograph for this particular post. Well, the Tiger's been drinking oil at quite a rapid rate and I'm stopping every 50 miles to check the levels and top up if necessary. Today, ..... halfway down the A1, I heard a clink and caught the movement of an object from the corner of my eye. I knew instantly what that object was, ..... I'd recently sopped and topped up the oil, .... I'd forgotten to replace the 'Dipstick', .. I'd left it sitting on the engine casing. A long walk North, ... a swift dash across the carriageway to the central reservation, ... an even faster dash back to the nearside verge and an equally long walk South and back to the bike. I'd found the black plastic dipstick in the centre of the fast lane, .... well, .... it was hardly going to be laying conveniently on the nearside kerb was it? I was back on my way South after about thirty minutes, ...... I'll eventually get around to cleaning away the oil residue from the rest of the bike, .... and my boots, .. and my tent, .. and my tripod, .... and my Bivi Bag. 'Dipstick', ... a very good word really.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 196: Back to Reality, UK

Over the past six months my character has changed beyond all recognition, …. and probably my body too. It feels as if I’ve become entirely suited to travelling and the thought of being boxed in by four walls and a mortgage fills me with absolute terror. I thought that these feelings would change as soon as I‘d returned to the familiarity of the UK, but they haven’t, …… if anything they’ve become even stronger. It’s true to say that my ordinarily sunny disposition is being seriously challenged by the weather, …. ‘British Weather‘, …. that gift that just keeps on giving, ….. but the urge to keep on moving grows ever stronger.

For four chaotic days I’ve been residing around the Braintree area in Essex. I’ve arranged temporary accommodation and reacquainting myself with my daughter Hannah, ..... a teenager who in the six months that I’ve been absent has seemingly aged ten years. Fortunately for me, she has a wise head on young shoulders, she views the world with a maturity than I didn’t posses at that age, …. a maturity that has clearly continued to evade me. I’ve missed her, I’ve missed a large and important chunk of her life. Hannah’s a teenager and being a teenager is a lot more difficult than being a traveller, … but she restores my ‘Sunny Disposition’ and encourages me to keep on moving. We have a million things to talk about, a million things that we want to do together. We laugh and cry at the same things, .. Hannah laughs at my music and I cry listening to hers, but we probably know more about each others lives than most other Fathers and Daughters, ….. and that I’m now discovering is absolutely priceless. I’ve said for many months that I’m the luckiest guy in the world, ……. but only now am I really starting to understand exactly why that is true.

I’m travelling slowly towards Darlington, on Tuesday 11th November I’ll camp overnight at Squires Milk Bar and then return to St Teresa’s Hospice on Wednesday 12th at around 2:30pm. I’m putting ‘Xs’ on a map, …. writing times and dates beside them and it feels much more comfortable than applying to rejoin the electoral register. After Darlington, I’ll turn around and head south, I'm returning to The Ace Café, …. back to the beginning of Poor Circulation, Sunday 16th of November, …… late breakfast, 10:30am, ..... everyone is more than welcome to come along. I hope that returning to The Ace doesn’t feel like an ‘Ending’, …. I’m hoping it’s more of a ‘Beginning’. Once that last remaining ‘X’ marked at London NW10 has been changed to a ‘Tick’, …. things should become clearer. I’ve got more plans in my head than I have pounds in the bank but that didn’t stop me before. If there is a way to keep on moving, …. then I’ll find it.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 195: Rider & Tiger Reunited, UK

At around 1pm on Thursday 6th November, .... I was reunited with the Tiger at Gatwick's International Cargo Centre, .... Hazardous Goods Section, Building H. One hour later I was filtering onto the M25 and heading for the Dartford crossing. I passed the junction that I'd taken on the journey down to Folkstone way back in April, .... it had been raining on that day too. It now felt like a lifetime later, it felt like a different world.

I'd remembered to ride on the Left, ... the first time since leaving Thailand, it felt weird and unnatural. I'd forgotten just how fast the people drive here in the UK, I'd forgotten just how aggressive they were on the roads. I reacquainted myself with the art of filtering and slipped beneath the Thames to emerge on the North side in Essex, ... I was almost home. I'd arranged to stay at a reasonably priced B&B close to Finchingfield for a few days while I worked out where I would live. It was almost dark when I arrived, .... there was nobody home, ... either that or they'd seen the bike arrive and decided to cancel my reservation by simply not answering the door. In the end I cut my loses and moved on. As I looked for somewhere else to stay for the night I began to realise exactly how rough I must look after six months on the road, ... I wasn't a pretty sight.

Eventually I found a place to park the bike and lay my head for the night, .... but it wasn't easy. Receptionists and Duty Managers looked at me as if I'd just been wiped from the sole of their shoes, .... they'd suddenly find that a last minute booking had provided them with 100% occupancy, .... 'Sorry Sir, ... we appear to be full this evening'. I'd forgotten just how welcoming England was to bikers. Trying once again to call this Country 'Home' will be difficult, ..... perhaps too difficult. I'll spend a few days here and then visit the Hospices before returning to the Ace Cafe to complete the Full Circle. After that, .... I'll find a cheap room whilst I work out my plans for the future and get the Triumph repaired (New valve seals required). After that, I'll try to find a way to just keep on moving ...........

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 194: Return to London, UK

I'd been awake for most of the night, .... caught up in election fever and glued to 'CNN'. At around 11pm they'd announced that Obama had won the decisive State of Pennsylvania, .... there was no way back for McCain and Palin, victory for the Democrats was now assured, .... Barack Obama would become the 44th President of the United States of America. Along with the rest of the outside world, I cheered, .... I watched Obama's speech from Chicago and felt that I was witnessing a great moment in history. Americans had made their decision, they'd examined the content of this mans character and turned out in their millions to vote for him, .... America was turning a new corner. I was proud of them, I shared their feelings of hope for the future, ..... I was thankful for the opportunity to have witnessed this historical event unfolding.

Tired and disorientated, I'd been evicted from the overnight motel at 11am and had made my way to Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Air Transat?, ... I'd never heard of them either. The cost of the ticket from Toronto to London was cheap, ..... surprisingly cheap, ..... suspiciously cheap. I'd been sitting in the departure lounge for what seemed like a lifetime, arriving early in order to watch the Tiger being loaded onto the aeroplane. I hadn't seen it, .... I'd asked questions of those that I thought might know, .... they'd assured me that the bike would be on the flight, they'd been more confident than I, .... the Tiger hadn't appear on their manifests but with no other way of checking, .... I'd taken them at their word.

Thankfully it was a short flight, ..... the plane was full and the space was limited. AirTransat certainly understand how to fill an aeroplane, they were the smallest airline seats that I've ever used. As the crew shared the safety and service information with the passengers I began to understand why this flight had cost 50% less than the same flight with other operators, ..... everything was an optional extra. ''In the unlikely event that we should land on open water, .... life jackets are available from the vending machines situated at each emergency exit''.

At 9:30am GMT, on Thursday 6th November 2008, ..... a black Krauser Top Box slide through the plastic curtains and dropped onto the luggage carousel at Gatwick Airport. My baggage had arrived, .... but what of the Tiger? I sat around feeling lost and helpless, an hours wait, a tense hour spent wondering why UK Airports are the only Airports in the world where there is no free WiFi, .... an hour spent trying to confirm that the Tiger had actually been on the same aeroplane. At 11am, I had my answer, ..... the Tiger was on flight TS322, in fact it had already been cleared through customs and was now ready for collection from Gatwick Air Cargo Services, Building H, ..... 'Welcome Home'.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 193: Election Day USA, 4th November 2008

Having decided that the most appropriate option from 'Post 192' was to continue frequenting social drinking establishments, .... last night I hit the town. In truth, I actually hit the suburbs, the industrial suburbs, ... 'town' is too far away. I found a Bar-Diner, ate lots of snack foods, washed them down with ice cold beer, watched the Monday night NFL game and chewed the saturated fat with a mixture of Canadians and Americans. There was of course only one topic of conversation.

Since I landed in Seattle on 15th August 2008, the conversation in newspapers and bars, on television and radio, on websites and camp sites, ..... has been the US election. Republican V Democrat, McCain V Obama, Palin V Biden, Red V Blue, .... Elephant V Donkey. The USA is proud of it's democratic process, ..... so proud in fact that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld tried their best to export it to others. I'm finally beginning to understand how this electoral system works, it's not quite as simple as it is in the UK. In fact if I'd been an alien arriving from another planet, I'd now be convinced that the US electoral system had been designed with the specific intention of confusing the voters and discrediting the candidates. It's not easy to follow or understand, the individual campaigns seem to have little to do with fact or truth, ..... I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to experience this process, ..... but the process itself doesn't exactly fill me with confidence for the future.

During the 80's and early 90's I was a very lucky boy, .... I worked in Riyadh for the Saudi Ministry of Defence, ..... it was a time when the Saudi's were swimming in oil dollars and seemingly relaxed about the antics of their 'Non National' personnel. For six glorious years I got to play with some amazing toys in some wonderful parts of the world, ... it's fair to say that during those years I didn't do a great deal of work. I met and worked with people from all over the world, I formed friendships with American Servicemen, .... people who were proud to Serve and Protect and who remained there throughout the first Gulf War, .. and thankfully most returned safely. I travelled, I came across endless amounts of 'Americana', ... it seemed that in those days the rest of the world wanted to be 'American', ... America was the ideal, America was the goal, ........ the 'Green Card' was the ultimate dream for billions of people around the world. Fast forward twenty five years and all of that has changed. I don't say this lightly but as I travel now, America has lost it's international gloss, it's no longer the 'dream', .... eight years of failed foreign policy has seemingly demoted America to the role of 'World Pariah'. Outside of America the 'Star Spangled Banner' which was seen everywhere in the 80's and 90's, ..... has now disappeared. It's a spectacular and historical fall from grace, ... even travelling Americans that we've met along the road are taking to wearing the Maple Leaf of Canada, ..... they find that it's safer, it receives more respect, it allows them to avoid confrontation. In many parts of the world, America is not 'unpopular', it is not 'disliked' .... America is actually 'hated'. Thankfully, many of the people that we've met around the world can mentally divorce the actions of the Bush Administration from those of the American People, ....... but whichever candidate is victorious today, .... they will have the steepest of international hills to climb. I wish them luck, the damage to America's world standing is far deeper than I'd imagined before this journey began. I'm sure that with the right administration it can be restored, ... but any new administration must learn to Listen and Talk before it Condemns. I try to explain to my new friends in the Bar that back in Britain the BBC tends not to refer to other Nations as 'The Enemy of Israel', or 'The Despotic Communists of China'. We certainly don't have an ideal Foreign Policy but at least we don't go out of our way to piss-off other Nations, ..... some of them agree, ... some of them don't, ... so we drink more beer and talk about taxation.

My big fear is not so much which candidate will win; surely replacing George W Bush can only be an improvement, ..... but that the results of this election will not actually represent the true wishes of the American people. It seems that the US voting and registration systems are in chaos, .... massive early voting lines, ... faulty voting machines, ... ballot papers containing the name 'Barak Osama', ........ and thousands of votes not being accepted or counted. I don't know why they need to make this election process so bloody complicated, ....... what's wrong with having a simple ballot paper, a HB pencil and few thousand people who can count beyond a hundred? Make 'Polling Day' a public holiday, encourage people to vote, ... encourage people to take personal responsibility for the futre direction of this great country, .... bring people in, .. don't push them away. My fear is that this historic election, unless it's a landslide victory to one or other candidate, will ultimately be decided by an army of lawyers. If that is the case, then the fine people of America will have been cheated, ..... if they have no confidence in the election results then the incoming President will have an even greater, and unnecessary mountain to climb. I'm now north of the border in Canada and I have my air ticket back to the UK, ..... but what happens in America today will directly effect everybody else tomorrow, .... wherever you might live.


www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 192: Departing Toronto, Canada

I've ridden more than 27,000 miles and along the way I've learned some very important lessons. I've discovered that 'Intoxication' and 'Incident' are directly related, .. if fact in my own small world they've become inseparable bed fellows, .... cause and effect, ... action and reaction. In Croatia the young swinging couple had been as drunk as I, ... the scuffle and romantic advances back at Lake Tahoe had been fuelled by drink and weed, (Mark & Muriel, not me). On my first night on the streets of Bangkok I'd been drinking; not to excess but definitely to capacity, when I'd foolishly agreed to spend a day working as a Taxi Bike. Back in New York State I'd spent an evening drinking with a Ladies Pool Team at a bar on the wrong side of the tracks, ... it wasn't an actual 'riot' and it certainly didn't involve any romance, from either side, but it was certainly the most riotous evening that I've enjoyed here in North America. I learned a whole new vocabulary that evening and proved once and for all, ... if proof were ever needed, .... that Englishmen are reasonably crap at playing pool but even worse at drinking beer. In Yosemite I'd been drinking with an English teacher who'd sneaked away from his charges for a secret smoke when all hell had erupted. A bear had climbed into a camper van, ... his students were running wild, ... half of them calling for a 'Ranger', .. the other half calling for 'Video Cameras'. The lesson that I've learned here is that I have two basic choices in life. I can stop drinking and lead the quiet life that my age ought to dictate, .... or alternatively, ....... I can forget the quiet life, carry on drinking socially and have a much more interesting journey.

On Saturday 1st of November I learned that even though I'm travelling, there are times when I need to be more aware of both the time and the date. Airlines run to specific timetables, .... my laid back approach to what day it might be just doesn't work when I'm trying to catch an International flight. On a positive note, ..... when I had to drop the bike off this morning at Toronto International Airport, I knew exactly where to take it.

Another important lesson that I've learned is that when I feel that something needs to be done, .. I should stop procrastinating and just do it. In Russia the Triumph's immobilizer had created problems when in close proximity to radio masts. The same thing had happened a couple of times when crossing New Mexico, Texas and Tennessee, ...... but still I did nothing to resolve the problem. Yesterday in a car park close to my motel, I stripped and cleaned the bike, a requirement for the air freight, ..... i thought about removing the alarm system, .... but I didn't do it, ... I was worried that the piercing sound would attract unwanted attention. This morning I rode the lightweight and shiny clean Tiger into the bonded warehouse of Cargo Airport Services (CAS) ready for freighting, ...... but there was one minor problem. With the battery disconnected, the alarm 'bleeps' loudly and intermittently. To the professionals at CAS, ... this was not good news, .... and for me it was even worse news. I spent an hour in their car park learning how to disconnect, bypass and then dispose of the 'bleeping' alarm and immobilizer. I should have done this in the depths of Siberia where the sound a piercing alarm would have attracted no attention, ....... but I'd procrastinated and done nothing. Today I discovered that it was actually a lot easier to do than I'd imagined, if fact for an approved security device, ..... it was actually frighteningly simple. Announcing to the world that all security devices have now been permanently removed from the Triumph is perhaps not the best thing to do. I'm returning to London, the motorcycle theft capital of Europe, ..... the bike is now defenseless, ..... but I've told you now, it's too late. I hope that this isn't an expensive lesson waiting to be learned, ... if the Tiger gets stollen at this late stage, .... I'll be more than slightly miffed.

Perhaps the most important lesson of all relates to the generosity of friends and strangers. If you've followed this Blog then your well aware of the random acts of generosity that Alan and I have encountered along the way, ... often from those who seemingly have the least to give. Today has been an amazing day in the 'Generosity Diary' of Poor Circulation. Firstly, CAS here in Toronto who have been amazingly helpful, .. have waived there usual handling charges. PBS International, the handling agents at Gatwick, have made a very similar gesture by reducing their usual fees to just 17 pounds. I have no prior relationship with these companies, ... and unless I'm a very lucky boy I will not be travelling this way in the future, ..... yet still they have helped. To Stephen Gilbert of PBS International and Charu of CAS here in Toronto, ... I thank you. To cap off this day of amazing gestures, an anonymous sponsor has just donated $1,000 to St Teresa's Hospice through my Just Giving page. This journey might be coming to an end, .... but the generosity and lessons are not.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 191: Toronto, Canada

'Destinesia', .... it's when you arrive somewhere only to forget why you came in the first place, .... or going to the store and forgetting what you needed, ..... indeed anything to do with travel and forgetfulness. I'd followed the signs for Toronto, probably around 80 miles from Niagara, I had all day to do it, there was no hurry. I turned away from the Interstate and kicked around on the shore of Lake Ontario, .. killing time, ... escaping reality, .. avoiding the end of this journey. By lunchtime, the air had warmed and the freezing morning had transformed into a beautiful Autumn day. I dragged the Primus stove from bike, boiled up a tin of soup and brewed a coffee, ... and then another. I made it last, ... possibly my last outdoor brew, ... I'd miss it.

I checked my free map of Toronto, ... I was entering a major city and wearing my 'Courier Head', it's a natural transition. Anyway, navigation in North America is easy, ... the town planners have done all of the work for you, everything makes sense, ... the systems work. I picked up the airport inner road, .... turned right onto Britannia Road East and counted down towards 2710, .... Building 2, Gate 5, ... easy. The girls at reception were friendly, .. coffee and a smile. I handed over the paperwork, .... I was in exactly the right place, ....... at exactly the wrong time. I had to hand over the bike two days prior to departure, the departure date was the 5th November. I knew that, I also knew that yesterday was Halloween, 31st October, ..... so why the hell had I just ridden to the cargo service area of Toronto International Airport two days early?

'Destinesia', .... I'm sure it's a real word.

www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas

Post 190: Niagara Falls, Canada

Good things come to those who wait, .... and if your going to wait anywhere then one of the worlds most famous natural wonders is certainly a good place to kill time. Again, .... it was a cloudless sky but a few degrees warmer than yesterday, the wind was wild and the spray was wetting the roads and pedestrians up to a quarter of a mile away from the Falls. I was looking towards the Rainbow Bridge when it appeared, ... in fact when 'they appeared'. Not one but two rainbows, ..... I didn't find a crock of gold and the photograph actually looks quite pathetic, .. but seeing it for myself has made Niagara Falls complete.
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Post 189: Niagara Falls, Canada

'Welcome to Canada', ... It's Thursday 30th of October and it was one of the easiest and certainly the most picturesque border crossing of Poor Circulation so far, possibly the most beautiful border crossing that I've ever made. Just a few hundred yards downstream of the Falls, the 'Rainbow Bridge' crosses the Niagara River linking America and Canada. The sky was a perfect cloudless blue, the road was totally empty and the sheer size of this natural wonder becomes more apparent with every yard ridden. A choice of four customs kiosks .... no traffic at any of them. 'Are your carrying any firearms or other weapons?', .... 'No', .... 'Welcome to Canada, ... enjoy your stay'. It was that simple, a stamp in my passport and I'd entered Canada, the 28th Country on this journey.
I exchange US for Canadian Dollars, ... for the first time in six months I saw the Queen's face smiling up at me, a reminder that this journey was coming to an end. On the Canadian side of the Falls, crisp modern buildings point proudly towards the sky, the roads are clean and the buildings are all occupied. It's in stark contrast to the US side, .... it feels as if the Canadians are proud of their Falls whereas the Americans tuck theirs away behind a mass of urban decay, ... the Canadian side feels vibrant and fun while the US side feels neglected and unloved.
I rode around to the Falls and parked the bike. There were people around but not the crowds that would have been here during the summer months, .. but I prefer it that way. The 'Horseshoe Falls' on the Canadian side are more recognisable, ... it's the Canadian Falls that you'll have seen in photographs and on post cards, .... it's the Canadian Falls that the people come to visit, ... where the money is spent. You get closer to the water here, you can feel the force as it surges over the brow, .. the air is filled with the cold spray but I see none of the famous trademark rainbows. It's cold, the tour boats are already in dry-dock for the winter months, .. perhaps the 'Rainbows' are a summer phenomenon? As darkness arrives, special lighting colours the water bringing 'Oh's' and 'Ah's' from the shivering onlookers. OK, it's all a little bit 'Disney', .... but it's still something that everybody deserves to see.
Earlier in the day at a tourist information office I'd asked about camping, .... spreading laughter is something that I enjoy. They were understanding and helpful but it's clear that nobody in their right mond camps here in Autumn. It's a quiet time of year here and they arranged for a 'Late Arrival Tariff' at a small Motel on the edge of town. At the price quoted, I'd expected another hovel; my face and body are currently covered in huge red bug bites received at the budget motel on the US side of the Falls, but what I got here was far beyond my expectations. Secure parking, five minutes walk from the Falls, a clean room and a complimentary breakfast. I need to be in Toronto on Sunday, ...... but cities are beginning to scare me. I'm becoming paranoid about the security of the bike, perhaps wrongly, .... but I might just stay here for another night and do some writing before moving on, .... we'll see.
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