Hello everyone once again – it’s March and time for our second Newsletter of the year.
In the UK the tiny shoots of spring are beginning to appear, which is maybe all the fresh greens we will have to eat if we don’t sort out some kind of deal with Europe by the end of the month …
On the motorcycling front, KTM have launched their new awesome adventure Bike and Yamaha have finally released prices and dates on the long-awaited and super-cheap Tenere – it’s a good time to be alive!
For Ride Expeditions, things are rosy too – Toby has been getting his airmiles account topped up by dashing back and forward to Cambodia, the office team are busy sorting out all the customer details for the busy summer Riding season, and Anna is happily furnishing the new flat. Expect scatter cushions – lots of scatter cushions.
On with the news ….
CHARITY BEGINS - IN CAMBODIA
We’ve just completed a hugely successful Tour in the heat of Cambodia. A motley band of intrepid explorers saddled up on their dirt bikes to take on the incredible trails of this stunning country. And while they were having the time of their lives messing about on bikes, they were also raising a fantastic amount of money for the charity M’Lop Tapang which supports vulnerable children and families in the Sihanoukville area. Working in some of the most deprived areas of the region, the charity provides everything from shelter and medical care to support, education and counselling.
Ride Expeditions not only supports their work with funds from this tour, but we will be donating a percentage of profits from every future Cambodia tour to allow them to continue their invaluable mission.
Thanks to all the riders that took part – a fantastic video will be coming out soon, but for the moment, the images tell you just how good the tour was.
MONGOLIA IS ON
After months in planning and negotiation, we’ve finally got our ducks in a row to visit the vast landscapes of Mongolia. Accompanied by a handful of lucky and fearless riders, Toby and Julian will be packing up the kitbags and heading out to Ulaanbaatar for a nine-day tour of Mongolia aboard a small fleet of Royal Enfields.
While Toby will try his best to convince him, Julian’s food preferences might see him taking a rain check on dinner when the local delicacy of testicle stew appears on the menu. Our video guy Ian will be loading up the JVC and the drones to record our progress with a view to getting this tour on sale for for the maiden voyage in April next year.
HO CHI MINH or MINH CHI HO?
So we’ve had a lot of interest in our slightly shorter Ho Chi Minh trail that is replacing our previous 17 day epic adventure. The new tour stays within Laos and over the course of ten days will take in some astounding scenery, from epic highland trail through remote villages to floating your bike through enormous river caves.
And we’re also be visiting the haunting Long Tieng Airbase which was used by the CIA during the terrible and lengthy conflict. This place was once termed the ‘most secret place on earth’ – aside from Julian’s wallet – and is well worth the detour.
And now we’ve got two options for the same route, so you can start in Luang Prabang and travel south to finish in Champasak, or if you prefer you can ride the trail going from the south up to the north. Hell – if you are really loving it you can do both – you won’t regret it!
NAMIBIA CALLING
So, as we mentioned in our last missive, we’re itching to extend our portfolio of tours to take in the wonders of Namibia. With our offices just a ride away in Cape Town, it’s an obvious addition to the calendar. From the fast and flowing gravel roads, the punishing sand dunes and epic blasts next to the waves of the Atlantic, it’s a country we need to ride in and Toby can’t stay still for more than three days without riding off into the distance. We’ll be looking at the options for adventure bike and dirt bike tours, so something for everyone!
If you’d be up for joining us on the maiden voyage in October, experiencing the best this vast country has on offer and drinking a cold beer or two at the end of the day, we need to talk. Fire us an email to [email protected] with the phrase ‘Take me to Namibia to ride bikes’ in the title line.
COLoMBIA'S FINEST
And while we are on the recce front, Brother Jacobs – that’s Toby’s brother Laurie rather than the company priest – went to Colombia in September and came back positively effusive about the beauty of the country and the riding over there. Again, there are possibilities for dirt bikes, adventure bikes and even the trusty Enfields that Laurie rode.
Anna is also very excited at the very real possibility of branching out and adding a complete horse riding itinerary in Colombia too!
We’re trying to gauge the interest in running tours in Colombia, so we’ll be looking at another recce tour later in the year. If you think riding in Colombia is a good idea and it’s something you’d be interested in? Let us know in an email, this time with the ‘Riding in Colombia? Hell yes’ title line to [email protected]
BLOG JAM
Left behind in the UK by mean Mr Jacobs, Julian has been tapping away like a man possessed on the blogs since the last newsletter. This month, we’ve had a review of the rather smart LS2 Bond jacket, a guide to replacing KTM bearings, a wicked Swiss Street Scrambler build, a photo fest from the MCN London show, news on the new Yamaha Tenere, a review of the Premier X trail Helmet and a guide to recovering your dirt bike seat. Enough for you?
So that’s about it – we’d love to bring you more news about our Everest Base Camp plans, but since it’s been closed off to everyone who isn’t actually a climber, that idea has gone colder than a Sherpa’s toes for the moment.
Hey Ho – there’s plenty of other places to explore.
To finish this month, we’ll leave you with one of the best biking clips ever …
If you’re not smiling now, there’s no hope ….
This post first appeared on Cambodia Motorcycle Tours | Ride Cambodia, please read the originial post: here
