Ready to head to India

A synopsis of how we spent our time in Sharjah…

Our amazing apartment, thanks to Anastasia and courtesy of her managers, as it looked when we arrived!!!

 

Our living room in Sharjah

Our living room in Sharjah

Our dining area in Sharjah

Our dining area in Sharjah

 

View from our lounge in Sharjah

View from our lounge in Sharjah

 

Such flower arrangements were dotted around the apartment

Such flower arrangements were dotted around the apartment

Our cleaner Khin kept leaving us such amazing towel sculptures - love how she made the bear's little eyes!

Our cleaner Khin kept leaving us such amazing towel sculptures – love how she made the bear’s little eyes!

We were upgraded to 'room' 1621 - lounge/dining at the front, bedroom at the back

We were upgraded to ‘room’ 1621 – lounge/dining at the front, bedroom at the back, plus kitchen, bathroom and powder room

Such luxury doesn’t change us though …

 

Having our standard tin of tuna and dry bread for lunch in our luxurious appartment

Having our standard tin of tuna and dry bread for lunch in our luxurious appartment

After we 'moved in'

After we ‘moved in’

Sorting what we're sending home from Dubai

Sorting what we’re sending home from Dubai


 

One of our priorities was to get the bikes serviced and cleaned then crated for India.  But first, we had to collect the new tyres and collect our new Sena S20 bluetooth system.

Anne's back tyre after 13000kms.  The puncture plug held well for 6380 kms but time for a new tyre nevertheless as we expect to do another 8000 kms before the next service.

Anne’s back tyre after 13000kms. The puncture plug held well for 6380 kms but time for a new tyre nevertheless as we expect to do another 8000 kms before the next service.

After picking up our new Sena S20 and new Heidenau K60 tyres, Touratech Dubai wanted a photo of us

After picking up our new Sena S20 and new Heidenau K60 tyres, Touratech Dubai wanted a photo of us

 

We couldn’t have wished to meet a more helpful BMW service manager than Noel.  He was fantastic. No wonder he is popular with all his customers – one of whom invited us to meet some of his friends at the Bikers’ Cafe in Jumeira, Dubai.

 

Noel, front right, our wonderful BMW service manager, with a few other BMW riders we met

Noel, front right, our wonderful BMW service manager, with a few other BMW riders we met

 

We rode around Sharjah and Dubai a few times

Riding around the edge of Dubai to get to Touratech

Riding around the edge of Dubai to get to Touratech

 

There is still quite a lot of construction going on in Dubai:

Heading back across Dubai from Jumeira

Heading back across Dubai from Jumeira

Riding back to Sharjah from Dubai before the afternoon traffic jams

Riding back to Sharjah from Dubai before the afternoon traffic jams

Streak and Storm got a proper service at BMW

Storm is lifted up for visual inspection at BMW prior to some maintenance work

Storm is lifted up for visual inspection at BMW prior to some maintenance work

Streak is having a valve clearance check - it felt to me like it was having open heart surgery

Streak is having a valve clearance check – it felt to me like it was having open heart surgery

BMW Dubai sell 10-12 Rolls Royces a month!  I'd never seen so many together before.

BMW Dubai sell 10-12 Rolls Royces a month! I’d never seen so many together before.

We washed our jackets in the bath twice:

Anne's lovely cream jacket after 3 months on the road

Anne’s lovely cream jacket after 3 months on the road

After 2 washes

After 2 washes

Hotel staff couldn’t do enough – Mustafa took us out to dinner to a fantastic Moroccan restaurant one evening with his daughter Aya

Mostafa from our hotel very kindly took us out to dinner with his daughter Aya

Mostafa from our hotel very kindly took us out to dinner with his daughter Aya

Time to leave our fantastic hotel:

Lovely Anastasia

Lovely Anastasia

Ahmed in the centre and some of his staff

Ahmed in the centre and some of his staff

About to leave our hotel, clean and refreshed

About to leave our hotel, clean and refreshed

Having left our bikes and panniers for crating, here is what we are left with:

Our luggage for the next 7-10 days, includes 2 pillows, 2 sets of toiletries, 2 changes of clothes, all our medication for the next 3 months and all our essential paperwork

Our luggage for the next 7-10 days, includes 2 pillows, 2 sets of toiletries, 2 changes of clothes, all our medication for the next 3 months and all our essential paperwork

Today was bike crating day:

Storm is all packed up

Storm is all packed up

Streak is ready for shipping too

Streak is ready for shipping too

Streak and Storm get picked up tomorrow morning and will fly to Delhi with Emirates' Skycargo

Streak and Storm get picked up tomorrow morning and will fly to Delhi with Emirates’ Skycargo

Look what we saw today while we were crating the bikes…

Yellow car!!!!!

Yellow car!!!!!

I was allowed to sit in this Bijan Edition Phantom Rolls Royce!!

I was allowed to sit in this Bijan Edition Phantom Rolls Royce!!

We leave tomorrow night, arrive Wednesday while the bikes leave 2 days later and should arrive on the 3rd October. Our next post will be from Delhi sometime…

3 months on the road!

We have been on the road 3 months today!!! And been away from home 12 months! So much has happened in that time…

Loved ones have been sick and/or passed away, new generations have been born… It is not always easy being so far away…

When we set off on our shiny Streak and Storm, we felt like frauds – adventurer motorcyclists on a round the world trip? Really?! We have now travelled 13000kms, only had one puncture and feel alive every time we ride off into the unknown. We have met many wonderful people, made many new friends, and been shown the most incredibly generous hospitality.

Someone we met the other night asked about our road trip: ‘What was the toughest road.’ ‘What was the hardest day’. ‘What problems did you have on the way’. Poor guy I thought. That must be how he sees the world.

For those of you who’d like to know our answers: the road from Baikonur to Kyzylorda, the road from Baikonur to Kyzylorda, none.

Our bikes, bodies and minds have all performed brilliantly. I have been grateful we both react the same way in the face of tricky or painful situations (these have mostly related to border crossings, police checks, customs): calmly and positively. Anthony is brilliant in those situations and I enjoy taking a back seat so to speak and letting the situation unfold while Anthony uses his humor and diplomacy. Sometimes of course, we simply both just have to wait patiently until ‘it is time’. And while we wait, we invariably meet new people and sometimes make new friends in the process.

Our time in Sharjah has been very fruitful and, yes, utterly, ridiculously luxurious!! We have ticked most of the items off our rest and relaxation list – we are just waiting on Anthony’s passport to be returned from the Indian embassy… I got mine 3 days ago, with a single entry visa only (which takes care of our thought of nipping into Nepal) but there is no sign of Anthony’s… We have to wait for that before we can book our flights to India.

We are about to enter a totally different phase. While we enjoyed the open spaces, mountains & deserts and many heritage listed historical sites devoid of tourists these last 3 months, the next 3 will be crowded! Slow and crowded. And most likely wet. And we’ll only cover half the distance of the last 3 months.

Are we still enjoying ourselves? Oh yes, most definitely.

– Anne

 

 

Photos of Yazd to Banda Abbas

We have been busy getting all our photos and videos of our time in Iran finally up!! Hope you enjoy them 🙂

We certainly had a fabulous time in Iran, thanks to all our friends there, old and new. One final post on Banda Abbas to come soon, courtesy of Anthony.

Anne

——

More photos uploaded to an old post:

Yazd – photos and video

Yazd

New posts with photos and videos:

Onwards to Kerman or wherever

Onwards to Kerman, or wherever…..

Bandar Abbas

Bandar Abbas