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While we nervously contemplate our rapidly approaching departure and the preparations pick up pace, here are some lists to keep those dedicated followers of this diary entertained:
What we won’t miss
– Wet windy cloudy cold days
– Big Brother and similar junk summer TV
– The new Harry Potter book frenzy
– Crowded buses, tubes and traffic jams
– Congestion charging
– The office ‘9 to 5’
What we will miss
– Our family and friends
– Mushlau (Nic’s cat) and Mindy – don’t ask :p
– Okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake, for those that are ‘uninitiated’), coffee, almond croissants, mango lassi, coffee, mature cheese and… did we mention coffee? :p
– the TVR
– Cafe Gold, Karahi King, Abeno, Andrew Edmund and The Last
– Creature comforts – hot showers, crisp cotton sheets, clean clothes, lazy DVD nights being sofa people :p
– Macao (card game), Call of Duty, Lego Star Wars :p
– Not being a pair of freaks stared at all the time
– Understanding what the locals are saying and being able to read signs!
What we dread most!
– Cycling in a head scarf and baggy skirt through Iran – Sedef only (she’s already been practicing – see pic below) :p
– Kidnap / drug gangs in Iran and Pakistan
– Getting lost in the Iranian desert or Aussie outback with no food, water or a living soul for miles around (not a very remote possibility given Nic’s track record in the Sahara! Sedef has appointed herself official expedition map-reader – thank goodness for GPS lol)
– Being attacked by a pack of dogs – “dazer set to stun!”
– Overenthusiastic kids messing with our bikes (or worse)
– Having our bikes nicked (though it may be rather amusing to see someone try to get away on one !!)
– Ill health / injury / family calamity
– Being dirty all the time
– Crossing the Alps, it’s going to hurt!
What we dream about
– Passing cars to stop and ply us with food
– Passing cars to stop and invite us to stay in their cosy homes complete with a feather bed, power shower, and satellite TV
– Tailwinds and downhills
– Tarmac cycling paths (preferably by a canal with a cool breeze on a sunny day)
– Sunrise over Ayers Rock and seeing a Great White on the Great Barrier Reef (Sedef’s diving dream)
– Enjoying the summer downpours which we both love – cycling soaked to the skin, so liberating!
– Falling asleep under the stars watching the night sky……
