Author: lindsay

3 in 3

Post author By lindsay
Post date December 1, 2009

Last weekend Wellington, this weekend Sydney, next weekend Santiago. After a paltry 2 flights in the last year, and not even leaving the country, I am at last moving again.

Kiwicon was on in Wellington. This was the third running of a computer security conference. We don’t get many conferences here, so it was heartening to see quality talks, attended by around 300 people. On a weekend no less. The $50 price tag might have helped this somewhat. A good range of talks – some of them way too technical for me, some covering things I know and do every day, and some just hitting the right spot. A good chance to catch up with a few people I know too – it’s a small industry here.

Next weekend is Sydney, for a cousin’s wedding. It will be a good opportunity to catch up with some spread out branches of the family. After Sydney, back to NZ for a couple of days before flying to Santiago. Only two more days of work to go too. I’ve moved out of my flat, everything’s packed up and I’m living out of (nb not in) a cardboard box.

Although I’ve packed up most of my stuff, it doesn’t mean that I’ve sorted out all my gear. I’ve been busy patching holes in my panniers, and sorting out other stuff. I think I’ve got everything I want; it’s now a matter of sorting through and working out what I actually need. Matt@Velo is going to hold an extra large bike box for me, so next week I’ll box it up, and pray that I don’t get hit with excess baggage charges. Could be marginal.

I’ve also started looking at some of my maps. I’ve got a couple of overlapping maps, and I’m a bit concerned about discrepancies between them. One has a road marked as a highway, the other as a “seasonal track.” At best the road will be a dirt road. One marks some roads as highways when I know that they are dirt roads. I should be able to get hold of some better maps when I’m in country anyway. These ones are just for planning. I’ve also found detailed maps for my GPS, from gps.com.ar. They are detailed, it remains to be seen if they are accurate.

Tags Australia, Chile, NZ

Bike Touring

Keeping Courier Companies in Business

Post author By lindsay
Post date November 3, 2009

I’ve been busy ordering lots of bits and pieces lately – Schwalbe Marathon Extreme tyres, a new pump, and another pair of Sealskinz because I can’t find my old ones. That’s just from St John Street Cycles, the original suppliers of my bike, and one of the best sources of touring equipment.

Then there’s the Juggernauts and Underdogs from Ground Effect, a Christchurch-based supplier of quality biking clothing. Only reason I haven’t taken Ground Effect stuff on tour in the past is because I supplied most of my kit from the UK, where I was based at the time.

And I’m trying out some Earth Sea Sky equipment – the Traverse Jacket and Overtrousers, because I’m concerned about inclement weather on this trip. If it’s good enough for our scientists in Antarctica, it should be good enough for me. Luckily I’ve got family contacts getting some for me at a good price too…

This is not to say I’m neglecting the local bike store – I’m back there this week to get spare spokes, spare tubes, patch kit, and see if we can sort out the last of my setup issues. We changed the stem, bars, grips, seat post and saddle, and now something’s not quite right. A bit too much weight on my hands, and something’s not right with the saddle position, where I’m slipping forward a bit. Hopefully we can get it sorted, or I’m going to be a bit unhappy until my body molds to the bike. Oh and I think I’ll get some new pedals, change to flats, rather than clipless, so I only need one pair of shoes.

Plus there’s the visits to the camping stores – stove maintenance kit, drybag, more DEET, etc…

Yes, yes, this does all get a bit expensive. Best try not to think about that. But I’ve got my new HSBC Visa Debit card, so it doesn’t matter, right?

Bike Touring

One Typhoid and One Noroxin Please

Post author By lindsay
Post date October 20, 2009

In spite of having a booklet describing all the things that doctors have injected into me over the years, I needed one more jab. Just a typhoid shot – apparently it only lasts 3 years. Everything else is up to date. The only one questioned was yellow fever – we decided that since I’m probably not going into the risk zone, we’ll leave that one off the list. Just in case. Live vaccines carry a slightly higher risk. Not that I’m one of the anti-vaccine freaks, to be clear. I am a firm believer in herd immunity, and think it is appallingly selfish to not vaccinate little Timmy, instead relying on everyone else to vaccinate their kids.

I also needed to update a couple of antibiotics in my travel kit. Some had expired, others I seemed to have used up the last of. It’s a lot easier in developing countries where you can go and find a chemist, and tell them what drugs you want. Here it’s a bit tricky, doctors seem to only want to give you drugs if you’re actually sick. Crazy talk. Good thing the Travel Doctor understands people like me. They do try to wind you up though. If you read their pamphlets too closely, I do believe you’d never leave the house.

Still plenty of things to organise, but it looks like a quiet weekend coming up, as I’m stuck in town for the long weekend. Being on call sucks. So maybe I’ll get a few more bits and pieces sorted out.

On a completely different note, I can highly recommend The Beach Bach for those looking for a secluded getaway. Private, with a feeling of isolation – but very easy to get to. Right next to the water’s edge, with a farm to walk around, or kayaks to paddle up the estuary in. Very relaxing, just what was required.

Uncategorized

Locked, not quite Loaded

It’s locked in. Flights have been booked, although admittedly I haven’t done much planning beyond that. This summer, I’m going to South America, for 3 months riding around Chile and Argentina, down along the Carretera Austral, into Patagonia, maybe as far as Tierra del Fuego, then back up to Buenos Aires. From there I’ll head up to the UK for a few weeks, to catch up with some friends, and reach the start/finish line at Greenwich, insh’allah.

I haven’t done much planning yet, but I have just spent a huge amount on my bike – over $1,800. New wheel, new saddle, new bottom bracket, new headset, new cables, new handlebar, new stem, new grips, new brakepads, etc…added up to quite a bit more than I was expecting. But at least now it should be in fairly solid condition, and unlikely to have any major mechanical issues in Patagonia.

I’ve bought a couple of maps, but I need to do a bit of studying them, along with a bunch of reading. I’ve pulled all the gear off the shelf, and put it in a big pile. I’ve bought a few new bits and pieces, but I still need to finish going through it, repairing and replacing, re-waterproofing the tent and panniers, etc. More detail to come over the next couple of months as I sort things out.

And yes, this picture shows what I mean by saying that I am definitely not yet loaded:

Uncategorized

Back to School

Post author By lindsay
Post date July 14, 2009

Yesterday, for the first time in years, I went back to my old university, the University of Auckland. I was attending a 1-day security conference, in the Owen G Glenn Building. My my, how times have changed. Back in the days I was attending the E school, it was a concrete jungle, designed by the same architects that killed Communism. The small foyer had just a handful of seats, and the cafeteria was a small windowless room.

These days, it’s all steel and glass, huge open light spaces, leather couches, work spaces everywhere – with the obligatory power points and network jacks. I was amazed at how much under-utilised space there was, at least compared to the maximum efficiency ethics that used to drive the Engineering school. Mind you, seems I still seem to fall asleep in lectures.

To be fair though, that was after a fairly tiring weekend, helping out with an Open Water course. Poor weather meant we had to do both days at Lake Pupuke. I thought it was cold last month, at 14° but this was getting ridiculous at 13°. I thought some of the students were going to die. But we made it, and their diving can only be in better surroundings from now on!

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24 hours in Nelson

My favourite sister, the one that joined me on the bike in Thailand, is now about 34 weeks pregnant. Not really in a suitable condition for riding bikes around South East Asia. So this time, I went to visit her.

Auckland was blanketed in thick fog – as Paul Holmes put it, “it’s enveloping us, and we’re scared” – with visibility only a few metres in parts of the central city. Not surprisingly, this led to a large number of delays and cancellations of flights. I was clever enough to check online before leaving home, so found out early that my flight was cancelled, and I was able to re-book to a later flight. It was never going to be a long time in Nelson, but the delays further squeezed it down.

No matter, for we still had time to do stuff. Nelson has a lovely situation, by the sea, with National Parks nearby, a flat city centre, with rivers running through the area, and parks and forests within a short ride from home. Here in Auckland, I like the fact that I can wake up at 7:00am, and be out riding around Woodhill forest by 8:00am. In Nelson, you can ride straight out from your front door, and fairly quickly be riding in a forest. It’s a bit strange in that there are cyclists and pedestrians sharing paths, and no-one seems to mind. Plenty of dogs being walked, but not on leads – a most unusual state. In Auckland they fine you for doing that sort of thing.

It was easy to see why people choose to move there, and why property prices are retaining their value. It got me thinking about living in a smaller town – I could have a nice lifestyle, easy commute, nice house, etc. Only problem is my current choice of career – how can I find somewhere that needs my kind of skills in a smaller town? Hmmm.

Not long now for Nicola – inshallah, all will be well. I’m sure they will be fine, but it is still a bit scary.