What we are about

Miles, Marina, Roadee and ‘The Long Drive’

What are we doing:

The age old idea of heading off towards the setting sun to see what exists on the other side of the hill is something that has driven man for millennia – I guess that it’s also in my genes and has been filling my bucket of things to do for a long time…… perhaps for over thirty years. One of many early dreams was to buy a late model Land Cruiser from Japan; one that had been forced off the road by the ever increasing road taxes imposed by the Government to maintain a young national vehicle fleet then from Vladivostok, head west.    Work, marriage and family meant that realism had to prevail, resulting in some wonderful years raising a family however now in my latter years, the dream is happening. In 2013 we are literally about to drive off towards the setting sun.    

How are we doing it:

Instead of a second hand Land Cruiser we are now driving a beautiful rugged 4WD motor home truck…. well, that’s how I see it. On the other hand Marina when she first saw the design thought it looked like a KGB prison truck! Sometimes the fairer sex just don’t appreciate rugged beauty. Now it has become almost a part of the family and has been named by Marina and Kazim as, ‘Roadee’. Ordered in 2010 with delivery in 2011, Roadee, an Isuzu NPS300 4WD truck motor home now has 25,000klm on the clock from numerous short forays into the surrounding hills of SE Queensland and nearby NSW along with a 2011 Central Australia trip and more recently up to the Gulf, the Kimberley and Simpson Desert. Each time has brought some modification and fine tuning but basically the concept of Roadee is proving a success. Weighing in with a GVM of 6 tonne and with the original Super Single Toyo tires and nineteen and a half inch rims replaced by Hankook 37-12.5 R17 balloon tires now gives a vastly improved ride. Equipped with three 125 watt solar panels, 450amph house batteries, 240v invertor, 125 litres of fresh water, gas barbie and cooker, diesel cook top and water heater, along with shower toilet and numerous other must have conveniences all means that it helps to ease Marina from a non-camping back ground into a modern day nomad.           

Where are we doing it:

Its open ended, let’s see how we go on the first stage of, “The Long Drive”. The aim after shipping Roadee to Singapore where she will arrive on the 6^th March 2013 is to clear customs and Singapore itself. Given that the Traffic Authority have banned all motor homes from being driven on the island state, that will be the first challenge with a possible 25 klm tow to the border looming. Then head north through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Mongolia, Siberia and west through Russia to….. somewhere in Western Europe to store Roadee for the northern winter until returning in the summer around April of 2014 to continue on traveling.    

The challenges:

Yes there will be challenges and not only those that face the remote area long distance traveler such as logistics, navigation, negotiating the myriad of administrative hurdles to mention just a few but also the matter of………. how are we going to handle a change of life style for prolonged periods, sitting in a cab and driving for hours, weeks, months? Of course there will be the continual stimulation of travel, as Willie Nelson said, “goin places I’ve never been. Seein things that I may never see again” but it will be a challenge for two new travelers..