all systems go!

Well,

at last we're off! The trip to China took a little longer than I expected but I only had a couple of punctures and, though the handlebars worked a bit loose in the Gobi desert, I finally arrived at the launching pad. I managed to sell the bicycle to a friendly native for a few apples and some bottled water that tasted a bit strange. I won't be needing cash where I'm going!

I'll post some pictures soon but at the moment my camera doesn't seem to be working properly; something may have got inside when I was swimming in the Ganges I suppose.

The weather is good and we're all set for take off in a week's time. Until then, I'm going to chill in the local tea-rooms. Everyone is so friendly and I'm having a fantastic time!

Welkom op mijn Reislog!

Hallo en welkom op mijn reislog!

Dé plaats om op de hoogte te blijven van alle avonturen en ervaringen tijdens deze reis. Vanaf nu zul je hier dan ook regelmatig nieuwe verhalen en foto's vinden, en via de kaart weet je altijd precies waar ik me bevind en waar ik ben geweest! Meer informatie over mijzelf en de reis die ik ga maken vind je in het profiel.

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Ik zie je graag terug op mijn reislog en laat gerust af en toe eens een berichtje achter!

Leuk dat je met me meereist!

Groetjes,

Gavin

Off we go!

I just can't wait to get in that rocket but first I have to check that my luggage isn't too heavy. I thought it might be a good idea to just take one shoe of each pair, because that will reduce the load by half! I wonder if they have corn plasters on Mars? Won't be long before I find out!!

The captain of my spacecraft is apparently called Mr. Woo, and he says he's done the trip dozens of times so nothing to worry about - not that I'm worried, ha ha! I told him I'd be quite prepared to chip in for my share of the petrol but he didn't seem to think that would be necessary - all to the good because every penny counts on a trip like this!