On the first anniversary of this trip we thought it would be the right time to try and summarise this epic adventure is some way and offer a few reflections at the same time.
There are so many ways to try and wrap up this adventure, let’s see how we go…
THE NUMBERS
- 35,600km total (collectively) – almost the circumference of the Earth (which is 40,000km)
- 2,750 photos – if you haven’t checked out our photo gallery yet you should
- 44 days on the road
- 40 new countries (Amand 15, Sam 10, Steve 15)
- 25 border crossings
- 19 countries
- 6 military road blocks passed through (1 military road block turned us back)
- 6 seas seen (Adriatic, Aegean, Azov, Black, Caspian, Marmara)
- 6 police encounters (Amand 5, Steve 1)
- 6 bike issues (Amand 4, Steve 2)
- 6 “oh shit” moments (Amand 2, Sam 2, Steve 2)
- 5 bottles of whisky consumed (shared responsibility)
- 4 seas swum in (Adriatic, Azov, Black, Caspian)
- 4 illnesses (Amand 2, Steve 2)
- 3 nights out till 5am (Amand 3, Sam 1, Steve 3)
- 2 countries not recognised by the UN (Kosovo, Transnistria)
- 2 documents forged (Amand 1, Steve 1)
- 2 times the GPS led us to a dead end
- 1 conflict zone encountered
- 1 bribe paid (Amand)
- Unknown bike drops (Amand – lots, Steve – a few less)
- Unknown beers consumed (shared responsibility)
- Amazing encounters with random strangers, lots
- 1 circumnavigation of the Black Sea
- 1 massive adventure complete
- Level of pride in completing this adventure – unable to quantify!!!
THE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
Wow, just wow! Where to start..!
SAM
I seemed to have ridden out of a motorcycle adventure into a completely different sort of adventure.
At the start of the trip I was so excited to be on the road I didn’t really notice the huge change in my responsibilities, life just seem to slip from one mode into another, I like to think of it as adventure mode ?, I was just reasonable for me, my 950 (Vera) and about 20kgs of gear, having so little to look after is an amazing freedom and I love it.
Arriving home, it was super cool to see the family, but along with this came the very blunt hammer of reality. The contrast between adventure mode and home mode was too much at times, and I felt completely overloaded with all my responsibilities and commitments.
Consequently, the last year has been about change for me. On the home front I have started getting rid of everything at home that we haven’t used in last six months, I think in the first month at home I sent 1.5 tons of stuff to the dump. (I’m pretty sure my wife thinks I’m nuts…….). Also, I have taken a good long hard look in the mirror, and set about changing myself, yep you guessed it, more baggage to get rid of…………….!
After dumping all that baggage, I’m feeling much lighter ?.
Looking back over the last year to the Black Sea trip, the feeling I am left with is one of immense joy and gratitude. I know it is a cliché, but the Black Sea trip was a real turning point for me. I am very grateful for conflicts I had with Steve and Amand, as these set the wheels in motions for my growth, so, thanks boys…………….
The joy comes from chasing the dream, and turning it into amazing memories.
Steve and I caught up in Germany a few weeks back after the respective kids and wives had gone to bed. We sat round the camp fire chatting and drinking whisky. I guess it’s symbolic in some way.
There is nothing like whisky and open fire bring future ideas to the surface………
STEVE
After returning home in October 2017, my bike sat in the neighbour’s tractor shed, all on its lonesome, for over five months before we shared another ride together. In March, once the weather had warmed up a tad from the brutal winter temps, Lyubov’ and I went for a cruise around the rolling German countryside. It felt amazing to be back on the bike, but at the same time strange, and a lot of thoughts came flooding into my mind…
After 13,000km around the Black Sea, what was the point of doing small tiki tours any more? Has our Black Sea adventure spoiled the simple pleasure of a day trip?! Can I overcome these feelings? For three years we had planned and anticipated that trip and I now recognised the void on an emotional level. It was so easy to slip back into “normal life” upon my return to Germany – family, work, gym, Netflix, the comforts of home – that the Black Sea trip instantly felt like it happened in some past life. And in filing it in the recesses of my mind, it was, on some level, forgotten.
But the ride around the countryside brought it all back – turning the key and listening intently to the throbbing engine, the joy and sense of freedom being on the road, pulling the visor down, waving to my fellow motorcyclists. And after five months of not thinking about riding, or the trip, at all, I started thinking: so, what’s next? Watch this space… 😉
AMAND
I remember when we arrived back in Thal, after 44 days and 11,500km on the road, thinking about how proud of myself (and Sam and Steve) I was to have completed such an amazing adventure. Proud that I’d considered it, proud that I’d brought it into fruition (with the significant help of others) and proud I’d then completed it. One year on that feeling hasn’t changed, in fact, if anything it’s intensified.
Normal life certainly overtook the moment I got back home to NZ. My family deserved a lot of time, my work expected me back (bugger!!) and I got as sick as I’ve ever been – I think my body was pretty rundown by the fatigue of the journey and then by the long haul travel.
Then the adventure disappeared like it’d never existed for a while. It took me a couple of months to start reconnecting with it all. The final couple of blog entries needed to be completed, the photo gallery is an ongoing piece of work and the consideration of all the feelings about the journey started.
We can’t deny it, there were challenges on the trip. Being in such close proximity of others that you’re not used to living with for so long is always interesting. I found the size of the 950 Adventure an ongoing challenge. But these seemed to diminish over time and what is left is all of the positives and the fun. Moments from throughout the trip pop into my mind at all sorts of times, and I love it.
The big challenge now is of living normal life while having this thing just sitting there in the background reminding me and calling me. It is the balance that now exists, and that’s not a bad thing!
As I’ve thought about the adventure one thing that stood out was how “easy” it seemed. Easy in terms of freedom, the simplicity, but it also seemed so easy to ride through 19 countries in 44 days. This might be because it’s easy to forget about all of the preparation work, but it still amazes me how easy it all felt. Maybe that’s diminishing the barriers that reared up within the journey, like the conflict zone, the Russian border crossing or the Curse of the Black Pearl. But I think it’s more about how you approach these barriers. I remember having this calm, everything will be alright feeling and I think that’s a great thing to remember in everyday life.
THE ADVICE
If you have a dream, make it happen! The only way to have an amazing experience like this is to “just do it” – sorry, but it’s true!