Skip to main content

Chapter 8


Well we are now in Vancouver and almost ready to go. The flight up was the usual long haul so to lighten up we did put our helmets on -




In case of severe turbulence!

However I might add that we deemed it a good idea to take them off before we met land of Uncle Sam immigration and Customs in San Francisco even found that my lens cleaning cloth in my pocket was regarded as a suspect item!

We have now cleared our bikes through Customs and got them off the wharf. Clearance through Canadian Customs was interesting. Because the bikes are classified as personal effects you have to front up in person at Customs head office in downtown Vancouver. This was an interesting exercise in itself! When we went in we were met by a receptionist who was wearing a bullet proof vest. In addition she had her can of pepper spray and a big truncheon hanging from her belt. And this was just the receptionist! Ken was intrigued. "Are you armed as well?" he asked as he tried his best to charm her. She replied that some officers in each office were. Ken was intrigued. " Have you had to use a gun?" he asked. Her answer had us smiling as she said that Customs right across Canada had only drawn a gun once to her knowledge and that was to shoot a moose that had been hit by a car near a border crossing. I had visions of a herd of mooses ( or is the plural mice? ) stampeding into the downtown Vancouver Customs officer and being put down by the gallant front desk receptionist.

Anyway on the same day as we cleared Customs we got to the bikes and uncreated them , put them together and rode back to the hotel. They are now in the car park and all ready to go.




Getting ready to hit the road

So the next despatch should be on the road and Day 1 is about to start!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The last post!

How do you summarise a motorbike trip around the world from Tokyo to Los Angeles?. With difficulty!   Well we are not into record setting. But we believe we are the oldest couple in the world to ride a motorbike “ two up” ie with pillion passenger, right round the world on one season  Let’s start  off with the statistics for the little trip  -                                                                    Total mileage.        34,416 km *                                                        No of days travelling        165                                                      No of countries visited       29                                                     Max temp on bike               41 deg C                                                     Min temp on bike                0 deg.C                                                          No of punctures.              One                                                          No of breakdowns.         One                 

Chapters 1 and 2

WHY MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES ? I have always been interested in adventure. Over the years I have climbed mountains, parachuted, had my private pilots licence, dived, sailed and done various adventurous pursuits (with various degrees of success I might add!). Motorcycling has been one of the later activities. Why motorcycles?  Firstly it is all a bit easier on the body as one gets a little bit older. This is of course on the assumption that one does not inadvertently part company suddenly with said machine!  Secondly, it does also require a bit of brain power - intellect you might say if that does not sound snobby. There is also, to me, an element of "man and machine" about motorcycling. Then if that is not enough justification in itself there is  the scenery and the absorption into the landscape you are passing through. On a bike you see much much more than in a car, bus or train. You are aware of nuances in the landscape, you smell the smells and you become more than just

And a volcano stopped us!

What a day. First thing this morning it was off to check the rear tyre of the bike. Oh the relief !  The tyre was rock solid and the same pressure as after fixing yesterday.  So it is a pack up and first day on the road today. We get on the way with a just a little bit of nervous excitement.  On to the  Japanese motorway system we go. And what a delight. The traffic is orderly, calm not going to fast and not too thick. We track right in towards Tokyo itself before bearing West. Yes, there were lots of spaghetti junctions - It looks like The Los Angeles motorway system but it is so much easier (and slower). Japanese politeness really shows thru’. However there were lots of toll booths - we had chopped thru  about NZ$50 in the first hour and a half  Then we are on to the slow bit and off the motorways.  It was about a four hour stop and start crawl thru the urban sprawl of greater Tokyo. However I did find time for some serious reflection - I also saw a hotel called - and I kid you not