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Malaysian Hawker Food Markets

12/11/2016

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Small, steaming stalls surround a central area of Formica tables and plastic chairs, quickly filling up as evening approaches with groups of friends and families. Buckets of ice with bottles of beer are ordered and brought to the tables from the drinks stalls by waitresses, then dishes are selected and paid for from your vendor of choice and your table number given. Simple, no-fuss, fast, delicious, sociable and great value… welcome to hawker food eating in Malaysia.
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Hawker centres in Malaysia are essentially permanent collections of street-food stalls, normally in an open-air complex, with communal tables. A wonderful diversity of nationalities, culture and religions in Malaysia has resulted in a fusion cuisine which boasts some of the world’s best street food.
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Extensive menus seem to defy the limited space and basic set-up of each makeshift food outlet, staff whirl round in a cramped space; barbequing meat, draining steaming noodles, tossing unidentified morsels in sizzling woks and stirring huge vats of bubbling soup.  Bowls of raw ingredients are lined up and meticulously displayed on the stall fronts; cubed tofu, black mushrooms, sliced raw vegetables, squid rings, dumplings, prawns, shellfish, gelatinous noodles and chopped crab sticks.
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Our big, empty table at the CF night food court in George Town, Penang Island, was soon filled with a laughing group of local friends, who quickly included us in their beer-top-ups as bottles of cold Tiger flowed continuously. Chatting to them, they said they came to the food court every week, preferring the laid-back atmosphere and bustle to more formal restaurants. The beers washed down plates of Char Kuey Teow; greasy, thin stir-fried noodles topped with egg, prawns, spring onions and beansprouts and wrestled with chopsticks. Three young cabaret singers belted out pop covers from a round, glittery central stage, pausing every time the electricity cut out then starting each tinny, rhythmical ballad from the start once the power surged back.
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On another evening in George Town at the Red Garden night food court we tried Penang’s signature dish of Assam Laksa, a pleasantly pungent, fish-based soup with sour Tamarind and noodles, chilli, cucumber, lemongrass and prawn paste. 
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In Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, we sampled Nasi Kandar, an Indian-influenced rice dish topped with different meat, seafood, vegetables, with a speciality being fish head curry. An array of oily, spectacularly spicy, chilli-infused dishes are laid out to choose from, then added to light, fragrant rice.
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For breakfast, find a small space on a street bench for Roti Canai, delicious fresh, puffed flatbread served with a dish of spicy lentil Dhal and a mug of sweet, milky chai.

In the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur the street of Jalan Alor heaves on both sides with bustling restaurants, stalls and pop-up eateries. Crowds of locals and tourists perch on plastic stools around pavement tables. Sticky jack fruit is sliced into finger-licking pieces, tiny stalls crammed with piles of Kuih Kosui banana-leaf wrapped sweet coconut dough parcels and no-nonsense menus of dim sum and fried fishcakes line the walkways.
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​From our shared table at Wong Ah Wah eatery we people-watched and picked at Batu Maung Satay, a selection of different grilled meats on thin bamboo sticks dripping with a rich, thick peanut sauce. Not just a means of satisfying your hunger, Hawker centres are an entire experience of food and friends as you rub shoulders with fellow diners and enjoy a whole menu of weird and wonderful new snacks and dishes. 
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Thali Time!

27/4/2016

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My hands-down (hands-in!) favourite feed in India was the Thali. These ‘set meals’ were always the best value and represented an assortment of typical, local food of the area, varying enormously between states and regions. Thali’s were always the most popular choice in cafes and restaurants so you were eating the freshest food, albeit often a mystery as to what would appear on the table in front of you. Thalis are incredible value, in Thokkilangadi, Kerala, we paid the equivalent of 45p for a Fish Thali, with as much as you could eat.
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The word ‘Thali’ can be translated directly as the Hindi word for ‘plate’ or ‘tray’, on which the set meal is served. The only choice you generally have is Veg, Fish or Non-Veg, with vegetarian being the most common. As everything is prepared and bubbling away in huge pots in the kitchen, your meal is presented in minutes.
The meal is like a colourful, symmetrical, work of art; sometimes the selection of curries and dahls are ladled into small, round, individual, metal bowls, sometimes piled carefully directly onto a round metal tray or banana leaf, occasionally into pre-formed plastic trays. On the side, pickles, chutneys, sauces, salad, salt, fresh chillies, onion and yoghurt raita are carefully placed. Some Thalis include a desert also, a tidy portion of syrupy Gulab Jamun, sweet semolina rice, ice-cream or sticky Jilabi.
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If you’re hungry, the Thali is a delight as once you’ve emptied one small bowl, it is re-filled; in busy restaurants men with narrow metal buckets filled with Sambar, Dahl and Curry fly round the floor ladling out top-ups to every table. Cutlery is not an option, locals expertly mix the components of the Thali together with deft fingers- food unanimously tastes better when eaten by hand.
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​Variations are endless, in the south rice is a more common accompaniment whereas breads feature more heavily in the north. Thali’s reflect the wide-ranging cuisine of the country, coconut-based down south with fish, and creamy, meaty curries in the north, every time is a surprise and a delight with no tough menu decisions to be made.
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Useful Bits 'N' Bobs

30/7/2015

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Here is a summary of some of the minor pieces of equipment we carry that are so useful on a daily basis we now couldn’t imagine adventuring without them. At the start of any trip it’s difficult to know exactly what to take when you have limited space and budget but as this list of little gems proves, it’s often the most basic, cheap and unassuming objects which are the most ingenious, utilised and valued.

The Red Basket

A convenient containment of all those ‘things’ which are needed regularly every day; quick access to bread, tea-bags, soap, salt, pepper, chilli sauce (an Emma essential on all food), pegs, matches. It’s a place to quickly chuck those little random thingamajigs which are used too regularly to be stashed in a box but for which there are no specific ‘homes’. For those moments when one of you is waving an object confused and the other says “just stick it in the red basket”. Intended as a lightweight, foldable shopping basket, for us it’s a precious, practical storage of easily-grab-able stuff.

Pegless Elastic Washing Line

One simple metre of white, twisted elastic with hooks at either end. On a daily basis we use it to easily dry shower towels, damp socks or used tea-towels hung from the car, fence, tent or tree. Stretched out, it fits all socks and smalls on laundry day, saving our precious 12 pegs for the main line. For big laundry days we carry a 20 metre length of Paracord.

'Baby Legs' Torch

Our pet name for one of the single most useful objects we carry. Being LED, the batteries last for ages and the varying levels of brightness covers all needs (although yet to use the flashing red light setting!). In our pre-GoPro days we even super-glued a camera mount to the top of the torch and filmed drive-by shots from the bonnet. The magnetic feet are invaluable when working under the car or in the engine bay.

http://joby.com

Cargo Net

This hangs above the back seat area of the car above our boxes and tidily stashes our bulky jumpers, jackets and coats. This frees-up valuable box space yet keeps everything tucked compactly in the roof allowing a clear rear-view through the whole car. Hats, jumpers and jackets are easily grab-able when you need them.

Sticky Back Velcro

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective and this is certainly the case with our sticky-back Velcro. The entire passenger side of the dash board is covered with the soft Velcro side so that a range of gadgets and items can be firmly, yet temporarily, fixed and easy to view. In all of our thousands of miles driving on bumpy-roads and unexpected pot-holes we have never had a single item fall off. Practical items such as the iPhone, GPS, iPod, pen holder and thermometer stick side-by-side with sentimental items such as our Lego Indie and various collectibles and coins from our travels. It also secures our GoPro remote control to the steering wheel.

SPOT Locator

Another gift from a mildly-anxious family member, this device allows us to send an ‘OK’ signal by pressing a button each evening from our camp. Working with GPS satellites, it doesn’t matter how remote we are, we don't have to rely on internet or mobile phone signals. Once we’ve pressed the ‘OK’ button, an email is sent to 10 people which contains a pre-written message declaring we're safe and having fun along with a google map link of our exact location. Most of the time our family has a better idea of where we are then we do thanks to this!

http://findmespot.com

Sink

Carrying everything but the kitchen sink? Take the sink. But make it a super-light, fast-drying, foldable and durable one like this. So incredibly handy for washing vegetables, dishes, clothes and bodies. Not all at the same time, but it’s possibly big enough if you needed to. Being black, if we fill from a glacial stream and stick it on our black car bonnet in the sunshine it heats the water up good too.

Knife, Fork and Spoon Set

This neat little basic, 3-piece cutlery set had followed me for 9 years on Middle Eastern expeditions before it even began its 800days stint and being Titanium it’s still immaculate. On long trips, it’s nice to have decent cutlery rather than food fumbling with battered, plastic bent forks and knives which can only just about cut butter. A splash out (obviously a gift!) as they’re not cheap but for us essential; they’re stronger than steel but only half the weight and come in a neat pouch to avoid losing a piece. 

https://www.lifeventure.co.uk/

Diesel Stickers

Simple idea, potential car lifesaver for those questionable translation moments when a petrol station attendant is about to fill up your precious tank with mystery fuel from an un-marked pump. 

http://www.touring-gear.com

Galileo Pro Maps App

Avid purists when it comes to navigating- preferring a beautiful, beaten up paper map to any technology robotically telling you to “turn right at the mosque”, this iPhone App has proved invaluable since we adopted it on our third departure. It’s perfect for navigating busy city’s and finding essential locations; embassies, banks, offices… pubs. We waypoint all our wild camps to share with other adventurers and it’s incredible how even the faintest, rarely-used donkey tracks are still marked on the opensource maps. We still get lost, but that’s part of the fun. The best part is it works completely off-line!

https://galileo-app.com

Key Lanyard

Never hear “where are the car keys!?!” again… if you’re camped up they’re hanging from this basic key lanyard on the rear-view mirror, out and about and the same item secures them to Andy’s belt as well as in his pocket. Security, peace-of-mind and multiple argument avoidance about who had them last.

Paper Fan

Never be short of breath again! Purchased from a Japanese tut 6 dirham shop in Dubai, this has saved many a faltering fire in rainy conditions and aided perfect, even cooking of chicken and chops on the BBQ (minus the spitting when trying to blow the fire). Andy has lovingly patched it on several occasions with Duck tape but it’s still going strong.

Sunglass Case Multi-holder

Fixed to the car interior with 2 self-tapping screws, this simple leather sunglass case acts as a home for small, easy-to-lose items such as pens and pencils which need to be at hand in the cockpit.

Thermometer

Extremely useful to help judge when you probably shouldn’t climb any higher to set up camp as the outside temperature is falling by the minute. An old supermarket fridge monitoring device, this little retro gauge continually informs us of both our outside and in-car temperatures. Probably more informative than actually useful as we tend to ignore it anyway, persuading ourselves that minus 2 is really OK to be sleeping on the roof. 

Torches

Clipped for easy reach and access, knowing exactly where your torch can be found whilst grappling in the dark is essential. This pocket-sized lamp is held in place by 2 spring clips fixed by 2 self-tapping screws into the front windscreen door post. No more torch-fumbling in the dark. My Grandma always said "a place for everything and everything in its place" and never is this as important as when you live in a car.

Vegetable Bags

Nothing is as unappetising as sweaty, squashed and bruised vegetables & fruit suffocating in plastic bags. When you’re stocking up for the long road there’s not always room in the fridge so keeping veg cool and dark in soft fabric extends its lifespan in a hot, bumpy car. These bags were lovingly handmade by my sister so sensible and sentimental. 
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Dawn Devotion and Breakfast With the Jikheti Nuns

12/5/2015

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Arriving at 5am in pitch blackness, I followed the mist-shrouded path by torchlight, the sound of singing greeting me as I opened the church doors and stepped inside. Jikheti Church, hidden in the dense forest hills of Georgia’s Guria region, was atmospherically lit by candles. I assigned myself a high-surrounded wooden pew at the far side; a prime front row view of proceedings but possibly one above my rank as I then noticed the younger nuns perched uncomfortably on small hard stools at the back. 
Nuns shuffled around the church in black robes and veils. Relieved at my foresight to wear a headscarf, I hadn’t predicted the unsuitability of combat trousers so was kindly issued a wrap-around skirt for decency (coincidentally in Khaki which complemented the adventure chic look). My inner feminist silently protested that the man also in attendance was wearing ill-fitting, tatty sportswear trousers which surely any god would find more offensive. I was also wearing two pairs of pyjama bottoms underneath said trousers, less of a respectful gesture and more because a stone church in the Georgian foothills at 5am in April is not the warmest of places to be sitting for long periods of time.
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Candles were glowing from underneath portraits of saints adorning the walls, causing the gold paint to shimmer and halo’s to glitter. As nuns and monastical congregation members entered the church, they would genuflect towards the altar then kiss and place their foreheads gently on several framed portraits and the carved wooden panelling.

A nun stooped over a wooden lectern and unwaveringly recited verses from the bible, barely pausing for breath and reading each line perfectly and melodiously by candlelight. Similarly, nuns sat around the room followed the words unfailingly by the flickers of their delicate beeswax candles.
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A deep, man’s voice boomed from behind a carved white stone altar piece at the front of the church, immediately followed by a beautiful melodic singing from the nuns, the church echoing with their harmonious response. I copied the nearby nuns and stood up politely during this recital however, now the foremost person, I was not able to see when I should sit down again so subtly strained a look from the corner of my eye and listened for the creaking of wood as pious bottoms rested back on benches.

Nuns ushered around the shadowy room, busy with lighting candles, appearing from hidden nooks behind concealed wooden panel doors. A table was carried by two younger nuns into the centre of the church and items of food were carried through the heavy doors and arranged neatly on top. Large loaves of bread, cake, bottles of oil, flasks of water, jars of preserved apricots and a bottle of wine (too early surely, even for me?). I assumed this was a ‘breakfast blessing’ as more thin beeswax candles were arranged on top of this sanctified buffet, conveniently wedged into bread rolls.
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The faint blue light of dawn appeared through the arched windows of the dome high above, dimly illuminating the encompassing fresco of Jesus with arms outstretched. Simultaneously, a chorus of birds began their own early morning celebration to the end of night and arrival of day. The simultaneous songs of praise, both spiritual and natural, strangely complemented each other in chanting and chirping unison.

A younger monastic helper appeared from behind the altar hideaway first, the trim on his dark robes reflecting brightly like a high-vis safety vest in the half-light. He was followed by clearly the master of ceremonies, the ‘voice from the vestry’, a priest with a huge white beard, veiled hat and billowing cloak of pearlescent white. He swayed a grand silver incense burner, shaking high-pitched bells in time to each swing, and wafting clouds of surprisingly sweet and floral smoke behind him. He passed round the small congregation, waving fragrant vapour over each individual. I bowed my head on his approach but, curious for a close look at this wizard-like minister, I glanced up and caught his eye; he met my gaze curiously and sternly and I’m sure I received twice as much holy smoke as everyone else. The high priest stepped out of both church doorways and wafted the incense smoke into the cold, foggy morning air. He then retreated back into his sealed off sanctuary, through another concealed door of a life-size saint painting.

An older nun approached the altar carrying a large book and, skilfully balancing a candle at its corner, dutifully recited several passages. The loud bells from the tower above rhythmically chimed bong… bong-bong… bong… bong-bong, joined in a unified chorus by a rhythmic shaking of ceremonial bells. Reappearing once more, the younger assistant carried a heavy wooden lectern to centre-stage and the high priest began reading from a thick book.
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After two mesmerising hours I slipped out of the side door when, almost ready to hit the road, Nino, a nun who spoke English, came to our camp outside and kindly invited us for breakfast. A table had been lovingly laid-out specially for us; the nuns follow Jerusalem time so were not due to eat for another couple of hours. The dining room contained long, wooden tables and benches, the surrounding walls beautifully painted with religious murals including an entire wall behind Andy depicting the last supper.
I consider myself a spiritual person in a non-religious way, personally a resolute non-believer in higher beings of creation and afterlife. I am however always emotionally moved by services of worship and forever fascinated by the peaceful beauty, ceremony and traditions of churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. To witness this daily dawn ceremony of worship, duty and servitude was a privilege. To be welcomed to stay and share breakfast with these, often mysterious and isolated, female monastical communities, was an absolute honour and a memory I will cherish forever.
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Lunchin' with the Locals in Armenia

30/4/2015

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A lasting memory of Armenia will be the warmth of the people we met there, we were welcomed so many times into people’s homes and spent many memorable hours sharing food, wine, cognac and oghi (the latter not so many memories of!). 

On one misty morning, we set off from Kapan for a days adventuring with our new friend David in the mountains of southern Armenia’s Syunik province. We explored the villages and landscape of Shikagogh nature reserve, a beautiful, remote expanse of 100km2 of untouched forest. We stopped in tiny Tsav village and were welcomed by David’s brother in law and his family to join them for lunch. We were met with a feast of local specialities and homemade dishes including Zhingalov Khats baking on the hot metal of the wood-burning stove in the living room.
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Turkish Tea-Time

30/3/2015

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It was a cold, grey, drizzly day in Niksar, Turkey but as the door to the household kitchen swung open we were met with two kinds of warmth; that of the wood burning stove blazing in the corner and the welcome friendliness of a Turkish family.

Having met our campsite owner, Tunay, only the previous day he had proudly embraced the visitors to his home town and invited us to eat with his family the following day.

As is often the way with home-cooking, the mix of dishes was delectably different from the occasional kebab street-eat we had sampled so far across Turkey. ‘Çay’ is the staple throughout the day- black tea sipped from small, tulip-shaped glasses with plenty of sugar. The tea kept flowing, topped up from a double teapot on the stove; strong black tea from one spout and hot water from the other.


Tunay’s mother, Gülseren produced steaming bowls of Çorbası, a pearl barley soup with beef and spinach served with thick slices of bread and soft, salty Beyaz Peynir, Turkish white cheese. An array of dishes were brought to the table; ‘Manti’, soft triangular pasta with garlicky yoghurt and sprinkled with thyme and Tursu Bol Sekeli, bright pink, vinegary pickled cabbage. 


More family members bustled into the room, Uncle Sinasi carrying a TV satellite box to fire-up the kick-off of a football match between Istanbul’s Beşiktaş and Kayseri’s Erciyesspor. We budged up on the sofa to make room for excited Grandma, Zekiys, animatedly chanting the striker’s name ‘Demba Ba’ repeatedly. 


The next course was Dolma Sarma, meat and rice-stuffed parcels lovingly wrapped in vine leaves. Delicious and moreish, these skilfully- made bite-size packages of loveliness dripped a fragrant oily tomato sauce and were my favourite. Accompanying the dishes was a local speciality of Tokat Gemeni; a red paste of tomatoes, ground walnuts and chilli. More Çay followed, accompanied by sweet, homemade Gilek Regeli, a runny, sticky strawberry jam and nutty, buttery Halva.
We frequently encounter such hospitality, warmth and openness from people in foreign lands, an unforgettable experience and fond, lasting memory.
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Istanbul Street Eats

12/2/2015

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Best Investments

15/11/2014

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With a very limited budget, as well as frequently being presented with a wide range of items of varying price and quality, we spent a lot of time deciding where best to splash our cash when purchasing our adventure equipment.

These are the purchases we “ummmmed and aaaaahed” over buying at the beginning as, to us, they were expensive. In hindsight, the following we consider to be our top buys, our ‘best investments’.

Bee-Bee

Obviously! She cost £3,000 on eBay and we have never regretted her for a second; reliable, comfortable and agile she’s our transport, home and third team member. She’s easy to work on, easy to source parts for and hardly ever complains. With a 3L Turbo engine, she’s a little fuel hungry, but no more than any other medium sized 4x4. Given our budget she was the best money could buy.

Rooftent

We spent weeks deliberating this major one; which brand, which model, which size and second-hand or new? We opted for a new, small Autohome ‘Airtop’ model. A huge combined discount of pre-ordering for 2011 prices, in addition to VAT-exemption for living in the Channel Islands, still left us with an eye-watering bill of £1,220.  We frequently witness fellow campers race to pack up poles in the rain or wrestle flapping canvas of fold-out roof tents in high winds. The convenience of ‘popping’ the tent in seconds combined with the comfort of our own mattress, duvet and pillows is less of a luxury and more essential now we have experienced the benefits.


Pan Set

A gift, and one which we are informed was reduced significantly from its hefty original £66 price tag. The MSR ‘Alpinist 2 system’ has a perfectly-sized pan which is light, efficient and easy to clean. The insulated mugs keep a much-needed brew hot for ages. The durable dishes can hold everything from soup, pasta, cereal, BBQ grill or full English breakfast- we really don’t need anything else. You don’t realise how unpractical a large, flat plate is until your baked beans go cold before you’ve even eaten the second mouthful. Everything folds together neatly for storage. With this experience, I wouldn’t hesitate to pay full price for this set.

Fridge

We didn’t get much change from £500 for our Waeco CF-35 coolbox, frustrated at paying around 5 times the equivalent ‘house fridge’ price by being trapped in a niche, ‘overlanding’ consumer market. However, this exasperation has been ‘cooled’ by many months of faultlessly chilled sundowner beers. Our fridge enables us to stock-up enough supplies to travel across uninhabited regions or the more grocery-challenged countries. Perpetual pasta doesn’t cut it when you’re travelling long-term and the fridge allows us to carry fish, meat, dairy etc. for a good, healthy balanced diet. In the Sahara at more than 40°C nothing refreshes like cold water. 

Tyres

There was no choice,  £795 for a set of 5 BF Goodrich A/T’s. They are the most universally available off-road tyre, which is irrelevant as you’re unlikely to need to replace them in a hurry. Our first set covered more than 40,000 miles across some of the roughest terrain, they had huge chunks out of them but never failed. We happily forked out another £795 on our second set before this leg of the trip. BFG A/T’s certainly proved themselves for us, we’re confident that this set will get us around the world. They are equally at home at 70mph on the motorway as they are in snow, sand and mud. The TriGard 3-Ply sidewall also means they are more or less bulletproof on rough rocks.


Cooker

Look at the rows of inexpensive, stylish gas camping stoves in a European camping shop and you question why it’s necessary to fork out around 3 times more on something like this Coleman unleaded 2 burner model (RRP £150). Now find yourself in remote Mongolia asking for butane or propane gas cylinders and you realise how useless these stoves are for extended trips outside of the weekend-camping, western world. A hot drink in the morning and at least one hot meal a day is so important on long trips. Unleaded fuel can be bought everywhere with 5 litres, costing approximately £6.00 in Europe (or £0.70 in Iran!) generally lasts us 3 weeks of daily stove use. It has to be mentioned we drink a LOT of tea.

Awning

Our 2.5 metre Terrain awning was the cheapest on the market at £195, but still seemed expensive. Despite its price tag it quickly became a valuable part of our kit. With only the rooftent or car front seats offering shelter from a shower; hours, even days, of rain are made bearable by the ability to do stuff in the relative dry. It was vital for creating shade in the scorching Sahara. With the wind still whistling under the jacked-up vehicle even with the add-on side panel walls, it’s never going to offer cosy shelter but it’s surprising how much it gives our camp a cosy ‘territory’ feel. 

Boxes

Our life is contained within eleven Flatdog 52x40x24cm plastic ‘wolf’ boxes. At £23 a pop they are by no means a budget storage solution but do allow for robust, tidy, borderline-obsessive organisation within the vehicle. Infrequently used car spares, first aid and miscellaneous bits are kept in boxes at the bottom/back whereas our day-to-day items are kept easy to hand. Tidily arranged ‘Kitchen cook’, ‘kitchen stuff’ and ‘food’ boxes make meal times easy and efficient. The boxes can be strapped down so everything is secure from criminals and crashes. They can be sat on when extra seats are needed and a set lay-out of stuff means we can reach into a box in the dark and quickly and easily locate a toothbrush or torch. 


Chairs

The Hi-Gear Vermont folding chairs (approx £30 each) we chose were initially a divided topic (myself for, Andy against); more due to their bulkier nature than the cost. Although he still grunts occasionally when trying to wedge them equally alongside the boxes in the back, this is quickly forgotten when lounging almost horizontally in the sunshine. Finding a relaxing recliner combined with a comfortable, upright chair suitable for eating or working at a table was an equipment research challenge and many hours scanning the internet were spent in the quest for the perfect expedition chair. Perfection rarely exists but the sacrifice we made for the storage challenge has more than made up for the benefits. 


Solar Panel

Initially received a ‘no’ from our wish list of overlanding equipment due to its extortionate +£250 price tag. Skip forward 8 months to a dusty Souk in Western Sahara where we purchased an identical model for a mere 900 dirhams (£65). In the African desert, solar panels are a daily item for Saharans, compared to the elite caravaners of the UK. A quick install using a borrowed drill from a Saharan shop owner and we had a system that took our house battery life from 2 to 10 days. Sunshine permitting. With carefully-angled parking we can charge the house battery fully, charge phones, laptops, cameras, iPods AND keep the fridge at 3°C just from the power of the sun.
NB- these are all honest, independent reviews with no brand attachment or endorsement obligation. However, if you are reading this and represent the companies mentioned, free stuff is always warmly received ;-)

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but what will you do every day?

26/6/2014

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At the start of a long stretch of mind-numbing jobs and stupidly long hours to raise money for our trip I was discussing our plans to an employer when she fired the unexpected question at me “… but what will you do every day?” Such a basic, rational, yet strangely odd question but so difficult to answer. My normally animated adventure chit-chat was silenced and I found myself speechless for the first time when discussing 800 days. So, to clarify “what we do every day” here is a breakdown of our day-to-day 800 days activities;

Driving

An obvious starting point, but despite being a road trip we spend relatively little time behind the wheel, on average maybe 2 hours a day. Sometimes we don’t move for days at a time but then if we have a stretch of monotonous landscape to cover we might motor on for several hours. We avoid motorways and main roads where possible, preferring back-roads, tracks and if possible no tarmac at all. Andy occupies the driving seat for around 90% of the time, disliking being a passenger and being impatient and confused by foreign maps to the point where “I promise to mostly let you drive” was included in my Marriage vows. I’m not joking.

Exploring    

Our favourite activity, whether it be mooching through markets or visiting museums, churches, temples and art galleries, traversing mountains and plains or wandering round back streets and rural villages. Meeting local folk is a huge part of our trip and we spend as much time as possible discovering every new place we travel through.

Planning

A lot of our route is spontaneous; we enjoy impulsive diversions and spend a large amount of time ‘lost’. Saying that, we do have a general plan and a route which is evaluated each day using a selection of maps, guidebooks and recommendations from locals and other travellers. Our only restrictions are visa duration lengths and sometimes Diesel cost where meandering can be expensive.

Washing

We like to think that personal hygiene is high on the agenda for 800 days and while water is frequently limited we are proud of our ability to ‘duo tail-gate strip wash’ using a mere 2 litres of water. And a strict top-down policy.

Drinking

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The thing with camping is that everything takes more time than a normal domestic set-up. Take making a cup of tea; you have to collect water from the on-board tank or possibly nearby stream. Then you may need to purify water with tablets which can take up to 10minutes of vigorous shaking for it to dissolve. The gas stove is empty; fill with petrol then light flame. Water into pan and boil, then mugs, tea bags, milk etc. Several times at the final milk-pouring point we have discovered our white liquid-containing packet/bottle featuring a picture of a cow was in fact drinking yoghurt. Gutted.

Eating

Sampling local food and drink is one of our favourite experiences in a new country, from grocery shopping in markets, cooking local dishes, street food, workers canteens and the occasional fancy restaurant. The vast majority of the time though is ‘tail gate cuisine’; a two-ring petrol stove, basic kitchen equipment, a thrifty larder and our biggest luxury of all- a 37 litre fridge. Cooking responsibilities fall to myself and over time my ability to rustle up meals from very limited ingredients has improved.

Sleeping

An al-fresco existence results in a re-alignment of our body clocks to synchronise with the rising and setting of the sun. As such, a retirement up the ladder can be as early as 8pm and the best thing? No alarm clock. Ever. Our roof tent pops up in seconds and contains a surprisingly comfortable mattress with duvet and pillows. It’s toasty in sub-zero temperatures but with the 3 sides and a window zipped open it’s cool in hot and tropical climates with mosquito screens for a bug-free breeze. Although there’s only room for sitting in our rooftop abode, it becomes a ‘terrace lounge’ with 360° views during the day and even a hide for wildlife watching. 

communication

This takes up a surprising amount of time, aside from messages to family to let them know all’s well, we invest a lot of time on words and pictures. Andy can spend hours sorting, selecting and editing photographs and painstakingly producing Vlogs for our YouTube channel. I keep a daily journal, making scribbled notes and Dictaphone recordings throughout the day which are then written up in ‘best’ in the evening. We regularly update our Facebook page and post Blogs to our website. In addition, we write articles for online and print publications to bring in a few adventure monies.

Chores

Despite having only a few square metres of living space, chores are still time-consuming and surprisingly plentiful. Clothes are laundered frugally, eeking out wearing of t-shirts until the welcome sight of a communal washing machine at a campsite. In the sticks, Andy’s boxers are prised from him and are scrubbed with river water. Bed making, box packing, fridge cleaning, pan scouring, car washing, dashboard dusting and sand sweeping; tedious yet necessary.

Maintenance

Bee-bee is both our transport and our home, without which our trip would be impossible. She is lovingly kept in tip-top condition by Andy who often has his feet sticking out from underneath the chassis, emerging with twigs in his hair and oil on his face. Roof tent patched, socks sewn, joints oiled and cooker greased- if you look after your equipment, it will look after you.

Relaxing

So when all of the above is done we occasionally get time to put our feet up. Andy carries a box of art materials so he can cut and stick en route. I am never happier than when I have binoculars in hand spotting and jotting native birds and wildlife, turning over stones to find insects and foraging about in streams. A gentle swing in the hammock, a doze in a flower meadow, swim in a river, Scrabble in the sunshine, a cold beer at sunset. The simple things in life really are the best.
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TAPAS; What, With, Where, Who?

10/3/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Olive, almond, shrimp, potato, octopus, salami, chorizo, sardine, frittata, anchovy, peanut, manchego, salmon, pate, bruschetta, steak, croquette, sausage, calamari, chip. TAPAS

Cerveza, red wine, white wine, rose wine, sparkling water, g&t, sangria, rum & coke, on the rocks, champagne, lime soda, cocktail, lemonade, fruit juice, ale, cider. TAPAS.
Picture
Backstreet bar, corner café, five star brasserie, michelin restaurant, greasy truck-stop, fancy bistro, family eatery, fast-paced diner, hole-in-the-wall snack joint, trendy coffee shop, high-brow cocktail lounge, posh tea-shop, loud music bodega, cosy pub, city wine bar, sleepy village taverna, noisy nightclub. TAPAS.

Coffee with partners, brunch with chums, lunch with colleagues, tea with family, dinner with friends, supper with lovers, drinks with acquaintances, party with mates, dancing with strangers. TAPAS.

Emma
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