We have been on the road for just over one month now. I have to say I found the first two weeks driving through Europe really difficult. The driving was a challenge due to the steep camber. Added to that I found it quite hard being unable to help Chrissy with everything she has to do. Put simply, when I’m at home my life is very independent. I’m generally very busy and as a result it makes me forget the limitations that my spinal cord injury imposes on me. Being on the road, living out of small van, seeing jobs that I could have done before my accident (everything from making a cup of tea to sweeping the floor) reminded me what my limitations are. I’m not writing about this to moan. There were some serious plus sides - some of the country side that we have driven through has been absolutely breath taking. As a result I have had to make the conscious decision to not let my spinal injury get in the way of this fantastic experience. This decision and change of attitude has certainly made me focus on the positives and I feel very privileged to be on this journey.
From an observers point of view I think the first month has been very challenging for Chrissy too. We have been getting up really early and initially it took us four ours to get ready in the mornings. Chrissy has now got it down to two hours, which is fantastic. Whilst we’re on the road Chrissy is either: totting up our budget; filming with the camcorder; taking pictures or navigating. When we stop she is either cooking or cleaning something. All of which has meant she has had to forgo a lot of the thing she really wants to do and one of those is to write. That is why she has been unable to add any entries to the blog even though she has been dying to.
I hope I haven’t painted a bleak summary of our first month. On the contrary, although it has not been a relaxing holiday it has been a fantastic experience. In Turkey we have followed the Mediterranean coast for over 1000 miles seeing some fantastic sights and meeting some great people. Although it has been very hot (during one days drive it was over 40 degrees – hot enough to melt the tar on the road) it has been at least a dry heat and the spray from our plant spray has helped me to stay cool. We have had a minor set back when we were scammed but it has probably been a good learning experience to prepare us for the rest of our journey. Having left the coast behind us a few days ago we have headed in land and we have been amazed by the change in the scenery. So much so that whilst Chrissy was busy totting up our budget a heard her saying ‘dam you Turkey for being so beautiful’ as she dropped her pen and picked up her camera to take another picture. We literally haven’t had one hour drive that we wouldn’t do again if we had the chance.
From an observers point of view I think the first month has been very challenging for Chrissy too. We have been getting up really early and initially it took us four ours to get ready in the mornings. Chrissy has now got it down to two hours, which is fantastic. Whilst we’re on the road Chrissy is either: totting up our budget; filming with the camcorder; taking pictures or navigating. When we stop she is either cooking or cleaning something. All of which has meant she has had to forgo a lot of the thing she really wants to do and one of those is to write. That is why she has been unable to add any entries to the blog even though she has been dying to.
I hope I haven’t painted a bleak summary of our first month. On the contrary, although it has not been a relaxing holiday it has been a fantastic experience. In Turkey we have followed the Mediterranean coast for over 1000 miles seeing some fantastic sights and meeting some great people. Although it has been very hot (during one days drive it was over 40 degrees – hot enough to melt the tar on the road) it has been at least a dry heat and the spray from our plant spray has helped me to stay cool. We have had a minor set back when we were scammed but it has probably been a good learning experience to prepare us for the rest of our journey. Having left the coast behind us a few days ago we have headed in land and we have been amazed by the change in the scenery. So much so that whilst Chrissy was busy totting up our budget a heard her saying ‘dam you Turkey for being so beautiful’ as she dropped her pen and picked up her camera to take another picture. We literally haven’t had one hour drive that we wouldn’t do again if we had the chance.
Ahead of us we have Iran and the ‘Stans’, so we are busy preparing for the next few weeks. Also due to the current situation in Kyrgyzstan we’ve started planning what we are going to do, so we’ve written to the FCO and sought advise from in-country tour operators. Finally, thank you to everyone who has made a comment on our blog and sorry I haven’t had time to reply – we certainly have appreciated them.
Posted by Colin
Posted by Colin
Pictures of: Chrissy at 5am in the morning watching hot air balloons at dawn fly over the valleys in Cappadocia. And of Colin just after getting out of the sweat box during a 38 degree day and being blasted with the water spray, whilst men in a café look on.
What a wonderful picture with Chrissy in the early morning, and all the balloons taking off in front of her. So how much delight do the Turkish people eat?
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