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Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest
  • Jane Robinson
  • Mark Sharp
Sep – Dec 2023

Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

This is Jane and Mark's sabbatical blog. We're spending a month cycling the Camino Frances in Spain. Then we're off to Jordan - Dubai - India - Bhutan (two wheels by motorbike to the Tiger's Nest) - Thailand - Malaysia - Singapore. Back for Xmas. Read more
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  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 25 - Samos

    October 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Well that was our biggest day so far! Over 1200m of climbing and 30 miles. It is fair to say that we were tired after that! Some great views from the mountain top and a great picnic with Paula. Just checked into our self-catering accommodation and getting the bikes fixed up ready for the next section - just new brake pads required after today's mega downhill. We are looking forward to a much shorter ride tomorrow so that we can check in early and relax. We should be joined by Mike and Abi tomorrow so we’re looking forward to that as well. We’ll then be 6 in the group.
    46kms cycled today, 1200m up, 1200m down. Recommended recovery time = 48hrs! (J)    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 26 - Sarria

    October 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Weary legs today so glad we only had to do 10 miles. Arrived in Sarria in time for lunch. Spent the afternoon catching up on washing and assembling Abi and Mike's rental bikes ready for their arrival tonight.
    17kms cycled today, 240m up, 350m down.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 27 - Palas de Rei

    October 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Another big day of climbing today on the Camino. Lots of people on the trail in the morning - our starting point today was just over 100km from Santiago which is the minimum distance that walkers need to do to qualify for the Compostella. The morning was misty but the afternoon turned out to be very hot. The bonus this afternoon was that there were a lot less people to overtake!
    50kms cycled today, 1100m up, 1000m down.    Read more

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    Day 29 - Santiago de Compostela

    October 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We've finally made it to Santiago!!!! 770 km (at least) and several kilometres of climbing! The final section was good weather following a misty start. We did have a couple of incidents today - 1. Abi’s chain snapped on the first uphill of the day (ably repaired by Mike!) 2. the lead bike (Mark!) ran into some wet concrete as part of a new construction. The road crew were not happy but we retrieved the bike with minimal issues!
    Before going to our hotel we went to the Pilgrim Office to get our Compostela and Distance Certificate, as proof of completion - all in latin, including our names (Joannam and Marcus).
    We’ve now got two more lovely weather days to the coast and a day off tomorrow. Looking forwards to a relaxing day and then Abi and Mike leave us so we’ll be back to 3 riders again!
    55kms cycled today, 950m up, 1265m down.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest
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    Day 30 - Santiago de Compostela

    October 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Fun day off in Santiago visiting the Cathedral, doing an online treasure hunt around the city, and some more tourist shopping (we now have full Camino outfits for the last two days). Lots of cafe and bar stops on the way. Finally managed to have some paella. Also managed to get Mark on a bus!Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 31 - A Ponte Olveira

    October 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Our journey chasing our shadows westwards continued today. We said goodbye to Abi and Mike early this morning before heading north to intercept the Camino out of Santiago. We were immediately into the mountains with some really big climbs. Overall today was one of the biggest days of climbing. Looking forwards to reaching the coast tomorrow where we will conclude the cycling and start back to the ferry to UK. We really looked the part today in full Camino cycling gear!
    51kms cycled today, 1100m up, 975m down.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 32 - Muxia and Santiago

    October 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We made it! 900kms (approx.) from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic Coast.
    We started earlier today (09:00) to try and avoid the afternoon heat (it got up to at least 30 yesterday afternoon). Most of the ride was through very rural bits of Galicia until suddenly the coast came into view and we descended into Muxia. Paula was there to meet us at the beach for lunch, but first we headed out to the lighthouse, church, and viewpoint on the headland - the official end of the Camino (after Santiago). Lunch at the van was followed by a dip in the sea (Jane and Chris). We then caught a taxi back to Santiago (we're staying right next to the Santiago Cake shop) and C&P headed off in the van.
    Sadly that's our last day of cycling for a while, but the Camino has been great! Better than hoped for! Shame we won't be able to maintain our cycling fitness.
    Cycled 40kms today, 750m up, 990m down (but like most of the last week or so, hardly any flat!).    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 33 - Santander

    October 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We discovered today that car travel is a lot faster than cycle travel! We covered the distance of the Camino in reverse in 6 hours!The focus was very much much on getting back to the ferry ready for tomorrow's departure. We had to try a couple of different cars before we could fit in the bags and bikes. In the end our little Skoda kamaq ran perfectly and we now need to give it back tomorrow. Met up with Chris and Paula this evening ready for the sailing tomorrow morning.Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 34 - Ferry to Portsmouth

    October 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Really tired last night (J) so skipped dessert (very unusual for me) and went to bed early. Feeling much better this morning. Dropped off our hire car first thing, checked in at the Port, and then went for walk round Santander in search of a post box (harder to find than you might think - I'm sure we've had this problem before!). We're now on the ferry waiting to set sail back to Portsmouth.Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 35 - Portsmouth and Home

    October 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Back in the UK and it's raining! However, it's been a really great trip, so we can't complain too much. We've now got 3.5 days at home before heading off to Asia for the next leg of our travels. We will resume the blog then.

    Summary of our Camino trip:

    Overall: 917kms cycled over 21 days; 15,175m up; 15,300m down.
    Biggest climb: 1240m (first day of cycling, over the Pyrenees). 7 days with >900m.
    Longest day: 56kms (Day 22: Astorga to Ponferrada). 10 days >50kms.

    Best section: Leon to Muxia. Also the hilliest section.

    We were 2 of 3,442 people arriving in Santiago on 6th Oct (and registering at the Pilgrim Office). 1,808 did the Camino Frances, but only 243 started from St Jean Pied de Port and did the whole of the Camino (like us). Most of these people walked.

    Memorable moments: Mark cycling through the wet concrete; being advised by the baggage transfer company to "leave half the household at home next time"; arriving at Santiago Cathedral (to the sound of the Galician bagpipes); the chaos of the Logrono Wine Festival.

    Other things we enjoyed or will remember:
    - Being part of the Camino community and seeing hundreds of other 'peregrinos' from all over the world.
    - Collecting stamps along the way, stopping at numerous cafes for very small cups of 'caffe con leche'.
    - Spending the first hour of every day constantly ringing our bells and shouting 'Hola!' and 'Buen Camino!' as we tried to outpace the walkers who had generally started a couple of hours before us.
    - Eating lots of Spanish tortilla (for breakfast and lunch).
    - Trying Pilgrim Meals (three course set meals + wine, served ~19:00 rather than the normal 21:00, costing about 15 euros).
    - Joining up with friends for the last sections. Meeting up with Paula for coffee and picnic lunches at the van. Also, 'Paula Porterage' provided a great luggage transfer service.
    - 34 days of great weather, with only 5 minutes of riding in the rain.
    - Great and varied scenery starting with mountains and vineyards; then the flat, high, open vistas of the Meseta (with miles of dead sunflowers, wheat fields, wind turbines, and historic villages); and finally the hills and rural communities of Galicia (the land that time forgot). Nearly all of the route was off-road or on very quiet roads, with some great mountain biking in parts.

    We're already discussing doing another Camino at some time!    Read more

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    Day 40 - Amman (Jordan)

    October 17, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It was a bit of a late finish last night with a 2:30am arrival at the hotel. The transfer man did a great job by waiting around for our late flight for 90 minutes! We did manage to stay asleep until 8:30 with a couple of interruptions from the largest Mosque in the city at 5:18 and 6:30. We are back in the sun though and it’s been a really interesting day. We’ve seen Amman citadel and the Roman amphitheater whilst meeting some of the locals. Everyone has been incredibly friendly. Just back to the hotel now after a game of cross the road (imagine frogger on an old computer) and ready to get briefed now for the next week.
    (Our hotel has three hospitals nearby and is surrounded by medical supply shops - see photos)    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 41 - Wadi Rum (the desert)

    October 18, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Long drive today, 300km, along the Desert Highway to Wadi Rum (the Valley of the Moon). Spotted a few camels on the way.
    Not expecting to have internet access tonight so will update tomorrow.
    ...Turns out they do have 4G in the desert. Arrived at our camp after lunch and then headed out on a bouncy jeep to see the sights of Wadi Rum, including various film locations (for The Martian and Aladdin) and how to make instant soap out of desert plants. Have taken loads of photos but it's difficult to really capture the scenery.
    Tonight we have a Bedouin meal which has been cooking under ground for the last 3 hours.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 42 - Aqaba (on the Red Sea)

    October 19, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We left the Bedouin tents early today to get to Aqaba. Tonight's hotel is very luxurious and far away from the basics of the camp last night. We had an ok nights sleep last night but had to be wary in the night of wearing shoes to go outside as there were 4 different types of 'unfriendly' snake and 2 types of scorpions!
    After a quick stop at Jordan’s only train (not working now) we stopped at a luxury beach resort. Did some snorkelling for the first time on the coral reef which was amazing. It did take us a while to master the use of flippers though (both on land and in the water). Spotted a lion fish, which we later found out is very poisonous.
    From our hotel we can see directly across to Elat in Israel, and also Egypt (see photo). The flag is at half mast due to the hospital bombing in Gaza.
    We have a leisurely start tomorrow (it is the weekend here now) before we head off to Petra.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 43 - Little Petra

    October 20, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    We've headed back north today climbing 1600m to Wadi Musa, the gateway to the ancient city of Petra. Stopped at various 'rest stops' on the way, all selling very expensive souvenirs - five times the price anywhere else.
    After lunch we visited Little Petra, a suburb of Petra where traders on the Silk Road used to stop. It's essentially a narrow canyon where various caves and buildings have been carved out. Very unique. Looking forward to the full "Indiana Jones experience" tomorrow when we visit the main Petra site.
    Enjoying the food here, especially hummus, chicken shawarma, and amazing salads.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 44 - Petra!

    October 21, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    A short 5 minute bus journey down to Petra this morning. It was an early start (06:45) but worth it to avoid the crowds. We made it to the Treasury (the building in Indiana Jones) at around 8 o clock and then had plenty of time to see the rest of the city and the monastery at the top. All in we climbed 700m today in a total distance of around 8 miles. Quite a big walk! To top it off we did actually get our camel photos and ride today! Nb: Jane’s camel was very grumpy - didn’t want to stand up and then kept snapping at mine! An amazing day all round!
    (Lots of frankincense and myrrh for sale - never knew these were resins from certain types of trees. The stall owner in the photo was on Joanna Lumley's Silk Road and Travelman)    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 45 - Madaba and Amman

    October 22, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Travelled back to our hotel in Amman today, stopping at Madaba (City of Mosaics) on the way for lots of mosaic related sights - ancient and modern. Resisted the temptation to buy a £10,000 mosaic table!
    Also visited Mount Nebo (which is mentioned in the bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land before his death) and a mosque.
    Walking into Downtown Amman tonight for dinner.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 46 - The Dead Sea and Jerash

    October 23, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    This has been the low point of the sabbatical so far. 400m below sea level to be precise. The Dead Sea is lowest point on earth and is 34% salt.
    Today we saw the old Roman city Jerash which is in good condition. Highlights there included the amphitheater (complete with bagpiper) and the town square (actually a circle). After that we headed 1600m down in altitude for a float in the Dead Sea (and a mud bath). It is an odd feeling to be able to ‘stand up’ in water without your feet touching the ground (but any cuts you have sting really badly due to the salt).
    A great final day to this part of the sabbatical! A couple of days in Amman now and then to the UAE.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 47 - Amman

    October 24, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Our tour has now finished so we had a free day today. Visited the King Abdullah Mosque and the new (very Western) shopping mall this morning. Then headed to Rainbow Street / Downtown this evening in search of hummus and baklava for our final meal in Jordan.
    Walking around Amman is quite a challenge - it's extremely steep and hilly, the footpaths are very uneven with 'huge' kerbs, and the traffic will only stop if you walk out in front of it (lots of transport planning needed here) - so we decided to try Uber. Really impressed at how easy and reliable it was (only 2 dinars compared with the 15 dinars quoted to us by the taxi driver on our first day here), so we're going to try that for our trip to the airport tomorrow.    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest
    2Empty flight. Estimate 20%Weve gone from one extreme to another here!!!!

    Day 48 - Amman Airport and Dubai

    October 25, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Today is a travel day. We are currently waiting to depart on an A380 for the UAE.
    It’s been an interesting trip to Jordan. Fact of the day - Jordan is the second most water deprived country in the world. The public water system only pumps water twice a week. Outside of those days the residents have to rely on storage tanks on the roof or fill ups from water bowsers. Water saving is a big thing in Jordan.Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 49 - Dubai Marina

    October 26, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We've spent the day exploring Dubai Marina and the Jameirah Beach area. We "briefly contemplated" renting a Lamborghini for the day at £750/ day, but decided they're a bit common around here and concluded that a £6 e-scooter was a better option! Went for a swim in the sea which was lovely - like a warm bath!
    We're staying in the biggest block of skyscrapers in the world - all over 300m. Our apartment is overlooking the marina, with a great view.
    Just as we were planning a trip on the water bus this evening a huge storm hit - wind, hail, thunder and lightning! The tables in the restaurant below went flying smashing all the glass tops, and more alarmingly, one of the cranes opposite was in the middle of lowering someone down in a cradle. They managed to get down ok but not before smashing several windows on the way down. We've decided to postpone our water trip to another day!    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 50 - Burj Khalifa

    October 27, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Today has been a high point in the sabbatical in more ways than one! We went up the Burj Khalifa today via the enormous Dubai Mall. We paid for the VIP lookout which was at 550m (a world record for highest viewpoint when opened). To put that in perspective it was more than 150m higher than the old world trade centre in New York. We went from there to the old city souqs (markets) and then took a river cruise on one of the wooden tourist boats. The only downside today was that we saw the first Christmas trees and decorations in the mall. That reminded us that we are now past the halfway stage in the sabbatical!Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 51 - The Palm and Dubai Marina

    October 28, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Went for another 'scoot' around the Marina this morning (and again this evening) then caught the tram and the monorail out to the Atlantis hotel at the end of the man-made Palm Jameirah. Good for theme park type attractions, but not really somewhere to go for a wander, so didn't stop for long.
    Lots more we would like to see / do in Dubai, but we're out of time for now. Perhaps we need another trip here sometime!    Read more

  • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest

    Day 52 - Dubai Airport and Delhi

    October 29, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    It’s been all about cleaning our apartment and travel to the airport today. We decided not to try rigging up the hire scooters to tow the luggage! Walking to the station in motorcycle gear was very hot though! We did splash out for Gold class train tickets (£4 each instead of £2). Next stop is Delhi so we are braced for the chaos to return with a vengeance!Read more

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