On the Road

Probably the greatest sacrifice of making this trip has been resigning myself to miss the Ashes cricket series, just when we might actually win it for a change. So it´s especially gratifying to find that my fellow passenger Ron is from the land of Oz and is going all the way to Bishkek - just far enough to enjoy the first Test at Lords with me on the BBC World Service. Bring it on!

Our two crew members completing the team to Istanbul are Claire and Riki, who are both Kiwis and I would say have seen a bit of life, much of it from a bar stool. They´re a lot of fun but will keep us in good order and also on the road I´m quite sure. Together we´re travelling in Tonka, a converted grit truck which will be home for the next few months. She´s an elderly travelling companion who groans and gasps a fair bit on the old inclines, but she´s been built to withstand just about anything you might care to throw at her and I think I´m going to grow fond of her.

So far we´ve chugged across France and Germany to arrive today at Salzburg, a spectacular town perched on a mountain with incredible Alpine views. It feels like the trip has really begun at last.