I managed to read a few books, spend plenty of time under the camper and just generally relax. I’m now looking forward to my next trip!

You can see the “live” broadcasts on this post or the original here! I’ll be adding some more photos too when I get a chance to sort them out!

This site was founded because of an idea I had whilst travelling around in a rented VW Camper van. Owning one has been an aim of mine for a few years and I have now achieved that goal (technically this was last year but I have only just published the post!) with a lot of help from my family! Meet Delilah. She’s a 1973, Type 2, air-cooled, bay window camper. She has an original Devon pop-top and, I believe, it is the original Devon interior also. Unfortunately, I have no idea of any resources I can use to verify this.

Her maiden voyage with us was a long trip from Manchester down to the south coast. This was a reasonable 6 hour drive and, I am pleased to report, she ran perfectly with no problems at all!

She does need a little attention here and there but all-in-all, she’s a fine specimen. I may be a little biased though!! The previous owner was very careful with anything he did as she is still in original form. Her interior is original as are most of the rubber seals and equipment. The exterior has had a number of repairs made so I know it is not the original paint. It looks like it might be as it has the retro faded look often associated with original after this much time. Certain panels have been welded in over the top of the original so I think there may be some work required over the next few years. With any luck, my welding skills will develop to a standard where I can tackle this myself.

The plan is to improve her and use her so I am sure there will be a few stories popping up over the years, especially as we have set up a new blog, just for her!! Details coming soon!

In just two weeks, the company I have been working at, for nearly eight years, will close its doors for eternity. NRG International is being integrated with two of its sisters and will be based in Holland, not here in Guernsey. I made the decision to stay in Guernsey as moving to Holland is not something I wish to do- and I have other; bigger ideas!

Over these years, I have travelled quite a bit of the world. For the sake of posterity, here is a list of the 34 countries I have visited whilst working for NRG International! For the complete picture, I have also added the holidays I remember!

2002

• Hannover, Germany – CeBit Exhibition
• Jersey, Channel Islands – Work
• Oslo & Bergen, Norway – Work
• Athens, Greece – Work
• Serbia – Work
• Croatia – Work
• Slovenia – Work
• Slovakia – Work
• Stockholm, Sweden – Course
• Nassau, Bahamas – Holiday
• Wales, UK – Holiday (WRC Rally)

2003

• Hannover, Germany – CeBit Exhibition
• Bulgaria – Work
• Jersey – Work
• Slovenia – Work
• Serbia – Work
• Croatia – Work
• South Africa – Incentive trip
• South of France, Holiday
• Malta – Holiday

2004

• Hannover, Germany – CeBit Exhibition
• Sofia, Bulgaria – Presenter at conference
• Belgium – Work
• United Kingdom – Course
• Netherlands – Work
• Spain, Roadtrip – Holiday

2005

• Belgium – Work
• Portugal – Presenter at conference
• Malta – Holiday

2006

• Norway – Presenter at conference
• Netherlands – Course
• United Kingdom – Course
• Rome, Italy – Presenter at conference
• Belgium – Work
• Moscow, Russia – Course trainer

2007

• United Kingdom – Course
• Majorca, Spain – Incentive trip
• Iceland – Sales competition prize
• Netherlands – Course
• Istanbul, Turkey – Course trainer
• Kiev, Ukraine – Course trainer
• Netherlands – Meeting

2008

• Tanzania – Course trainer
• Zambia – Course trainer
• Netherlands – Warehouse tour
• Barcelona, Spain – Presenter at conference
• Lagos, Nigeria – Course trainer
• Vietnam – Incentive trip
• Bahrain – Course trainer
• United Kingdom – Course
• Athens, Greece – Course trainer
• Poland – Course trainer
• London, United Kindom – Course
• Netherlands – Meeting
• Maldives – Diving holiday

2009

• Norway – Presenter at conference
• Istanbul, Turkey – Course trainer
• Beirut, Lebanon – Course trainer
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Incentive trip
• Malta – Conference and Course trainer

The result of all this travel is a British Airways Silver Executive Club card and plenty of experiences. In this time I have chopped the top of a champagne bottle off with a sword and stroked a real live leopard, not the sort of things you do in the average office job! Other things like wielding a lightsabre on stage and being driven at 100mph, in a dodgy taxi, through Beirut might also fall into this category! It’s hard to say for sure!

It has been a great few years and all this makes me think about what the next few years will offer. I guess we’ll see!!

Me, Clive (Zippy) Town, Simon Pavey, Aidy, Dave and Leigh

The trip up to Wales was interesting. We had plenty of time due to the early arrival of the ferry. This turned out to be a good thing because the GPS was set to avoid motorways. For the first hour or so, we were riding through foggy country lanes. When we realised we would not arrive till late in the evening, we stopped to tweak the comm systems and get ourselves on the faster roads. The highlight of the trip up was crossing the Severn bridge into Wales. Partly because of the amazing view and partly because Motorbikes go free!!

Though the navigator took a few wrong turns, we arrived at our hotel in Wales just in time for lunch. We unloaded all the luggage, changed out of our bike gear and sat down with a pint of Coke. Our plan for the afternoon was simple, find the BMW training centre so we knew where to go and then find some shops!

Finding the centre was quite easy. The map was a bit confusing but when we saw 30 dirty BMW bikes ride past, it was obvious where they were going. We followed them to the training centre and pulled over to make more adjustments to our radios. As we were testing, a muddy BMW pulled over to ask about our unusual number plates. The rider turned out to be Simon Pavey, a well known enduro competitor and owner of the Off-Road Skills centre. After a quick chat, we headed into Touratech which was in the same area to buy some souvenirs and drool over the bikes in the showroom, each kitted out with plenty of Touratech upgrades!

For the remainder of the afternoon, we went in search of an O2 shop. We got a few miles down the road (no sign of any shops) and stopped for a rest. At this point we encountered a problem with one of the bikes. Aidy’s cherished R1200 GS would not start. After a lot of phone calls to Technicians and BMW support, the problem was identified as the ignition immobiliser antenna which detects the key. BMW suggested moving the bike 20-30 meters away from the petrol station we were near, amazingly it started! Much relief and a spirited ride back to the hotel was called for so that we could sit in the bar and relax before the course.

We arrived early the next morning to make sure we could get the gear we were hiring and register. This all went smoothly and soon enough we were being shown how the bikes work. Luckily, this only took two minutes and we were off. Twenty three BMW bikes heading off to Walter’s Arena, a 4000 acre private playground!

The first morning was spent learning the basic skills of off-road riding. Standing up, getting off and even how to pick the bike up, which was useful as nearly everyone had to do this at some stage! We had to ride round slaloms, learn how to skid both wheels and ride around inside a box! All these exercises proved to be really good fun and the only exception to this was the heat. Because we were dressed in motorcross gear and stopping all the time, we never had the chance to cool down!

After lunch, it was very different. We were still in the process of learning, but this was done “in the field”, or more accurately, “in the forest”. We learnt about hill descents and hill recovery for ascents when it doesn’t go to plan. There was also a lot more riding through the tracks and trails which was great fun. I was feeling the excitement of mountain biking without the need to pedal up the hills!

There was a group meal on the first evening at the Abercrave Inn, this meant we could enjoy a few Ales before walking to the rooms afterwards! It was a great opportunity to chat with the instructors and other participants about what had brought them along to the course. Zippy had some great stories to share about his Dakar experiences and crazy magazine photo-shoots, he also told us about an even called Mountain Madness which is a 2 day GPS-less orienteering event on bikes. We were so excited by the idea that we are going to sign up for the 2010 edition as soon as we get the opportunity!

The second day involved a lot more riding about. We were still stopping to learn skills, but at least we were able to put what we had learned into practice throughout the day. Whilst practising momentum, one of our group had a bad fall and broke his ankle. It was in this time that you really appreciated the instructors abilities. Everything was handled calmly and, most importantly, properly. After lunch, we were given the opportunity to jump on any of the other bikes that we wanted to try. I immediately jumped onto the R1200 GS that Aidy had been riding as this was/is a real contender for my cash. Unfortunately, the short ride didn’t give me a chance to try it out properly and I found myself preferring the F800 GS more. Perhaps signing up for a “Day in the dirt” on the R1200 GS would be a good idea?!

The ride home started with another trip to Touratech so that Aidy could actually purchase all the items he had tagged in the catalogue! It was quite a long stop and I was even tempted to buy the F800 GS they had in the showroom just so I would have something to do!

We were eventually under way and making for Southampton. With the usual wrong turns and bad GPS that “didn’t know where we were”, we arrived at our hotel late in the afternoon.

We had to rush showers and then head to the shops. Leigh didn’t manage to find an iPhone 3G S as the whole country was out of stock. Aidy got his replacement SIM card and then we all bought milkshakes! We decided that a bit of rest would be wise before heading out for food so we returned to the hotel via a very dodgy pub that had a decent selection of Ales on tap!

After a bit of a rest we went out and found an Indian restaurant where we could relax with a few cold Cobras! The food was great and most of the conversation revolved around the week-ends activities.When we all started to fall asleep at the table, we ventured into the humid fresh air and went to find a few more local pubs. Tuesday nights in Southampton are very quiet! The thought of the 100 mile ride and a 6AM start were playing on our minds but we managed to have a decent time out!

The early start was a killer, but we managed to get the bikes loaded up and on the road pretty much on time. We decided we would get a few miles done before stopping for breakfast as the traffic was already quite bad. As it turns out, we didn’t have time to stop for breakfast so we had to make do with ‘Red Bull’ and ‘Pepsi RAW’ when we stopped to fuel the bikes.

Eventually we popped out onto the Weymouth sea-front and we headed to the ferry terminal to check in. We had planned to get some food in the cafeteria, but we were loaded onto the boat straight away.

After the excellent week-end, we managed to stay awake for the whole trip talking about bikes and future adventures. The BMW course was so good, I am confident we will be going back, though, if I still have the same bike, I might take the car!

To finish off, here is a short video of what we got up to.

Here is my entry

Imagine what it must be like in the Antarctic.

A pure white and featureless desert that goes on for eternity? An angry, wild and desolate landscape that shuns our presence? Clear blue waters with icebergs serenely drifting by?

The emotional draw of the Antarctic is greater than any other place on Earth. It is one of the last remaining wildernesses out there. A place where humans have not built cities or roads. A place so far out the way that it’s often forgotten. The imagination can run in circles trying to decide what the Antarctic must be like. You already know what needs to be done as there is only one way to find out for sure. Go there! Experience it!

Vote for me and I promise that you will be able to experience the Antarctic as if you were there. Vote for me and I will be your eyes and ears on this adventure of a lifetime. Vote for me and this becomes our adventure!

If you like it and want to help, please vote!

With the big changes to my working life fast approaching, the decision was made to sell Mystere, the yacht I have owned and raced, with a friend, for the past 6 years. Luckily, being such a good specimen of the MG Spring 25, she sold quickly. As an incentive to purchasers, we had offered to deliver her to mainland UK or France if required – and it was. For our final voyage, we took Mystere across the channel to Cowes so that she could be introduced to her new owner!

The trip started really well. We were making great time all the way past Alderney. We had great weather, great seas and a time-to-destination to smile about! Of course, this didn’t last very long. A few miles north of Alderney, we caught something on the prop. After being cleared, a squeaking noise was coming from the gearbox. Not a good sign! The good news is that we had a spare! This would never happen normally… Luckily the boat was loaded with the whole inventory! Moving along slowly, we hoisted the big motor off the back and replaced it with the smaller engine we normally use for racing. Amazingly, this motor took us all the way to Cowes on less than 20 litres of fuel. It clearly ran on a petrol/magic combination.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. We passed some very large ships in the shipping lanes. The wind picked up and we were able to do some surfing. It was a great sail and the knowledge that we didn’t have to sail back made it even better! At just after 4 in the morning we arrived in Cowes. It took a while to find somewhere to moor up but by 5 we were both snoring away still in our waterproofs.

After we handed Mystere over, we hopped aboard the Red Funnel ferry, Red Falcon, and relaxed with a beer on the way to Southampton. We decided to stay for a day and make the most of the brief trip. The first night we had a few quiet beers and a much needed early night. The following day was busy though.

Our first stop of the day was the Beaulieu Motor Museum. We spent some time looking over the large collection of historic and famous cars. It was interesting to see how far things have moved on over the past 100 years.

There was a Top Gear exhibition in the “Top Gear Enormodome”. It wasn’t that enourmous but there was a superb collection of cars that had been featured on the show. The most impressive was seen at the entrance of the attraction, the red Hi Lux that Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove to the North Pole.

Inside the enormodome, were more of their ‘projects’. The most interesting to me was the BMW 330D that they completed a 24 hour race in. We did wonder if it would be possible to get the brakes off for my car as they would probably fit. We decided against it as, in true Top Gear style, we literally couldn’t be bothered! The show consisted of a short movie that was like any other Top Gear episode, very funny and very entertaining! After the movie, we exited via a long tent containing some of their most ambitious but rubbish projects! If you are a fan of Top Gear, this is a must see!

We returned to Southampton and spent some time shopping. Most of this time was spent in the Apple store where I had the chance to have a good play around with the new iPhone 3G-S. Typically, between the two of us we managed to spend quite a lot of money too… good news for my investment in Apple. When the shopping centre closed, we headed back to the hotel so we could pack and have showers before heading out for a few drinks. Many drinks later, after spending some time in a really cool bar, we headed for bed as we had to be up in time to get the train to Weymouth in order to get the ferry back to Guernsey.

All in all, we had a safe trip, the boat was delivered and we had some fun whilst away. I just need to recover enough for the trip to Wales in 5 days time!

Bye Mystere, take care and enjoy your time on the solent!

Initially, this pleased me. I have spent so many hours in airports over the last few years that I know them inside out. In one respect, there is comfort in the knowledge that I will get a nice long break from air travel. Another side of me knows that I’ll miss it eventually, when the wanderlust returns. Interestingly, I feel more comfortable walking around airports than I do big cities. They may be awful, energy draining bureaucratic establishments, but, I know them and I understand how they work! Boredom, anger, happiness, relief, anxiety… all words that can be used to describe my airport experiences over the years.

So long airports, and thanks for all the flights!

Lebanon is not a country I would have chosen if I were going on holiday. From the few days I spent there working, I can now say that I probably will not be returning. It wasn’t a bad place, but I just didn’t get it!

I could still kick the seat in front though!

The point of my visit was to give a training course on sales skills, marketing and colour management. The flight down was great, we were seated in the Emergency exit of BMI Business Class. I had more leg room than on a BA Club World flight! Seriously – I was slouching right down in the seat and couldn’t reach the one in front. The service was great and I did a good job of drinking all the ale… again!

We arrived at the hotel quite late in the evening to discover that all the staff were having a party and therefore the bar was shut. The receptionist explained that we could get a taxi if we liked! As great as this sounded… dinner was provided by Pringles and other snacks from the mini-bar.

The next day after the course, we were taken to a nice restaurant where we ate lots of ‘special’ Lebanese food. It seemed like bread and salad to me but they were insistent that it was ‘special’! There were a couple of things that were very ‘special’ though. If you have ever eaten a whole bird, including the bones, you will know what I mean.

Tasty birds

A local ‘specialty’ is the Fig bird! Nice taste but a bit crunchy for me! The ‘special’ coffee was apparently going to blow my face off because it was so strong. The fact it was served in cups the size of thimbles had me intrigued as to what the awesome power of this brew might hold. The aroma of cardomon was quite obvious, this is a ‘special’ Lebanese addition. As it turned out, it was just coffee; nice coffee, but not quite the donkey kick of caffeine and flavour I was hoping to experience!

Missed most of my head!

The following day after work, we headed out to a big shopping mall. The cheap prices were more expensive than home but we did go for food in an ‘Italian Japanese’ restaurant, this was the first ‘special’ Lebanese thing I had seen. Sushi and Pizza- mixed together if you liked! As it was St Patrick’s day, we headed off to find an Irish bar. We found the best (smallest) taxi in the city. We went to a bar and watched policemen push the taxi down the road to jump start it. That was ‘special’ too! We were in an area where the road would be full of bars. There were a few, but I really get the feeling that the Lebanese people have a different measure of optimistic wishful thinking than I do. We eventually found the an Irish bar but when we walked in, it wasn’t very Irish. About half way through a bottle of beer I noticed that the sign on the wall implied we were not in the Irish bar at all, we had gone in the wrong door! As it turns out, we needed to go up some stairs as the Irish bar was above the random pub we were in. The Irish bar was full of Americans, quite surreal for the centre of Beirut!

The trip back to the hotel was an experience. From what I can tell, we were taken in a stolen BMW 330 Cabriolet at 100mph by a driver with two names, George and James, drinking a glass of Redbull and ‘water’! Needless to say, it was not a taxi and I doubt the owner knew that a valet man was hoofing around in his car!! We learnt later that taxis have red number plates… the BMW did not!

Our final day involved a morning of work then a little bit of sightseeing in the afternoon.

First stop was the upper caves of the Jeita Grotto. These were quite nice caves but much like others that you can find around the world. Full of stalactites, stalagmites and a convenient concrete walkway. As with every other similar place in the world, photography was prohibited. They took extreme measures to ensure you left cameras and mobile phones in a locker at the entrance. Seemed a bit much.  The caves have been nominated for the New 7 Wonders of the World… it did not reach the finals though.

Meh.

Following on from the caves we went to see a big statue of Mary. I climbed up round the spiral base and when I reached the top, the view was superb (The big picture at the top of the post was taken there). Not being particularly religious, I didn’t experience any great epiphany and so I headed back down. I did feel different at the bottom though… tired! To celebrate the statue a big church had been built nearby. There were two other churches in very close proximity. I had the feeling we were in a religious area. This feeling was backed up by the heavily armed guards along the road. By all accounts they were protecting the homes of a powerful religious figure and some politicians.

An old place!

Final stop of the day was an old medievel town. It is said to be 3000 years old. The markets in an old street are now walled with glass and sell the same cheap tat you can buy anywhere else in the world that you can find a market. It was a very pleasant place but I was starting to get a bit bored by this time. We had some food and then finally headed back to the hotel as we had an early flight the following morning.

When we were back at the hotel and had ditched the group, we headed to the bar for a few beers before bed. Feeling relieved we had got through the course again, we ended up celebrating for quite a while and when the bar closed, it was time to go pack.

At stupid o’clock the next morning, the Beirut adventure ended. I happily climbed aboard the BMI flight back to Heathrow. It was an experience in Beirut but I still don’t think it is somewhere I will return to for a holiday.

An example from LWR

If you think I am going to give up the secret, think again! I have been trained in a Turkish bath, 3 levels underground, and will not be broken so easily. The intensive torture resistance training was conducted along these lines.

1. Enter an 80°C sauna, get comfortable and then have an assistant throw lots of menthol/eucalyptus water onto the rocks. Try and have a discussion about drinks with an accomplice whilst your eyes are running and your nose is burning.
2. Out of the sauna into the steam room. The steam is vented onto bowls of citrus fruit providing more eye burning. Overall, nicer on the sinuses though. Steam output is so high, we are sitting in a cloud! Visibility was so poor, I could not see the benches. I don’t even know if anyone else was in there.
3. Next I had to sit on a marble step and be cleaned. A skilled ‘chap’ visibly removed my skin with a scouring glove. This was followed by a good covering in foam which was rubbed in before a good soaping. The final stage of this process was to put my bones back where they belonged, even if they already were!  I felt very clean… and looked very red!
4. Wrapped in towel and a towel hat! Time to relax with a freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice.
5. Nearly the end of my training; Massage. This starts off with a good hard back pinching. I was looking down at rust on the frame of the table wondering just how many tears have fallen to create that much oxidation. The rest of the massage was quite pleasant except for the times when it was necessary to flatten my muscle completely. The masseuse was a brave woman, she went near places my own girlfriend would avoid! This massage did pop every bone.
6. Back to steam room to melt oils, except this time there was even more steam… it was really hot. My skin would have melted if I had any remaining. When I emerged, I was treated to two more washes (without scourer this time) in order to get the oils off!
7. Dry off, get dressed, pay, leave!

When complete, it felt great! My body felt very light and completely loose. The discomfort was tolerable and in all honesty, I would probably go back. The whole experience was quite sociable. There is nothing like talking about the weather whilst a ‘nearly’ naked man washes you whilst your eyes and sinuses are on fire.

To provide some idea of what this was like, check out this video of Ewan and Charley on the Long Way Round. Differences are; I was massaged by a woman with a towel over me; and, I never actually needed to scream out.

The most amazing part of the visit was the exit, the other part of the complex we were in consisted of a shooting range where you could pay to shoot a variety of handguns. I’d quite like to try that next time!

Blue Lagoon

You cannot visit Iceland without heading to the Blue Lagoon! Drifting around in a pool of the power stations waste water whilst rubbing mud on your face cannot be missed! The water is about 40°C and varies based on how close to the inlet you go. The water pouring in is so hot, I couldn’t get anywhere near it! This is a very relaxing place and you do leave feeling rejuvinated.

Strukkur – Stori-Geysir

Translated, this means ‘Strukkur – Great Geysir’ and it is quite a magnificant sight when she ‘blows’! The whole area around the geysirs is geothermic, covering a boiling mass of water. Every 10 minutes the pressure builds sufficiently for this column of water to fire into the air. Be warned, don’t stand downwind and don’t put your hand in any of the pools – quite hot!

Þingvellír – Site of the Allthing

This particular area is significant for 2 big reasons. In 930 it was the birth place of the Icelandic parliament. The meet was called Alþing and continued in the original form until 1271. It is also a place where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia meet (and are moving apart!). This causes measurable earthquakes in the region.

Gullfoss Waterfalls

The Gullfoss (Golden falls) waterfalls are so big and loud it is actually difficult to describe. If you look at the picture, you can see people standing on the rocks to the left which gives you some idea of the scale. It is thought that on average 109 cubic metres per second of water go over but this can increase considerably during floods.

Langjokull Ice Cap

One of the most interesting things we did was head up to a glacier where we stopped for lunch. The big off road Range Rover we were in even got stuck as it slipped through some of the ice which had become very thin. We were lucky that other vehicles were around to pull us out. The experience of the drivers is clear and they handle the terrain like I handle the drive to work.

The trip to Iceland was so enjoyable that I would not hesitate to return. Ideally this trip would be planned so that a week could be spent exploring the country by rented 4×4. This would allow me to take plenty of camera gear and try to do the place justice. Below is a small selection of images I took on my trip. What do you think?