QUOTE(paddy900 @ Sat 2nd Jul 2011, 08:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Chris glad to hear to got your tyre and got home safely,
Pity about the clutch cable,
Walter..it was nice to have met you, have a great holiday with all your family, hopefully we will meet again,
Has anyone heard from Charlie "The Thigh" he left us last Sunday heading for Vienna?
Pity about the clutch cable,
Walter..it was nice to have met you, have a great holiday with all your family, hopefully we will meet again,
Has anyone heard from Charlie "The Thigh" he left us last Sunday heading for Vienna?
Hi Guys
It's my first chance to get online no that I've arrived in Karapathos and got access to laptop and after 2,500 miles on the bike and a 1,000 miles on ferries.
After I left you lot I headed down to Venice and met an Italian guy on a Yellow 9er and we seemed to meet at every petrol station I stopped at to refuel. Spent a couple of days in Venice waiting for the ferry to Patra, liked it alot, though it's a bit Disneylandish during the day a much better place after sunset, a lot less tourists. 36 hours on the ferry and landed at 6am at Patra to start my sojourn south to Githio ended up getting lost up in the hills and chasing my tail for a bit, the signage in Greece is non-existant and crap at best so follwed the sun and eventually found the main road to Kalamata and form there onto Githio to make a connection with the ferry to Crete. Simples not at all! Sorry, no ferry today the strike earlier in the week put the ferry timetable behind and they cancelled the sailing. So when is the next one? Day after tomorrow from Menonvasia 80km east, OK so off I toddle to Menonvasia, arrive there and spend the night in hotel waiting for the ferry next day at 10pm, next day vacate room and do a bit of sight seeing around the area also decide to get a Greek chip for my mobile and talk package on the same network as the people I'm going to stay with to cut the cost of calls regarding my progess to Karpothos, so go into the local mobile shop and enquire about a Cosmote talk package only to discover the owner a guy about 46 was born in Liverpool and father opened a well known Greek Restaurant called Zorbastere in the 1970's small world or what? Well back to the ferry quay to wai for the ferry which unkown to me was now not arriving til 4am so spent the night on the quayside along with many other people waiting (I'm getting very good at waiting, it seems to be a national pastime in Greece, GMT translates as Greek Maybe Time) guess what the ferry arrives at 6.30 and we board onto a ferry I'd not seen for a number of years The Konaris long in the tooth and not very comfortable, but heyho we're under way to Crete, arrive in Kissamos and cover the 200 miles to Sitia to catch the ferry that evening to Karpathos arriving at 2am knackered and in need of a drink!
Well the bike stood up to the journey well considering having no third gear to talk of, definately need to do something about that when I get back, oil usage was a bit high,and given the price of oil on the continent it does add quite a bit to expenditure so it might be a 9er for continental excursions in the future. Looks like I might need a set of new front pads, though I'mnot using the front too much the roads are like glass at junctions and front end has tried to wash out a couple of times when using the front brake!
Now going to chill out for a couple of months before deciding what to do next, will be live in chef for my friends whilst I'm here so I don't get too bored with all the sunshine and beer.
Sitting at a harbour bar typing this and it's 32 celcius and I've got a cold Mythos to drink!
Well see you soon!
