The Malaria question
Still to be completed ...
Health Matters
As it ticks past the 2 month before departure I’m currently working through a large list of items, ‘still to be completed,’ but I’m getting there. In the last few weeks I’ve focused on vaccinations and health concerns. This involved a trip to the hospital to see my consultant who is looking after my Hemochromatosis which is a blood condition that prevents my body from processing iron. The amount of iron is indicated by the ferritin level and by regular blood donation I’ve managed to get mine completely under control and low enough to cope with an extended period without blood donation. This was followed by a visit to the GP to see a very helpful Practice Nurse. She gave me lots of sensible advice about diet, hydration, tummy upsets etc. and was able to check my vaccination records. All items were in date apart from Typhoid which she administered there and then. We also had a conversation about malaria and rabies and she recommended that I attend a private travel clinic who would be able to advise. I opted to use Superdrug who have a full travel service in their stores. Using the map above we identified the only part of my trip that passes through a malaria high risk area and calculated that I’d need 24 days worth of tablets to account for two days before, the transit and 1 week after. I saved a bit by opting for the non branded version of Malarone which prevents infection rather than treating it. I was advised to consider a vaccination for tick borne encephalitis given that I’d be doing a lot of wild camping. Apparently you can become quite ill once the ticks bury into your skin and you can contact all sorts of nasty things. “Yes Please - I’ll have the vaccination.” I return for the second dose in a few weeks. Rabies next. Apparently the rabies jab is very effective and lasts for many years. It doesn’t prevent infection if I did get bitten but it allows treatment and time to find the treatment. I’ll be keeping well away from animals to be sure. Three jabs required. Then it was onto general tummy upsets and acute symptoms. I’l be using Imodium and rehydration sachets for general occurrences and Azithromycin which is the ‘stand-by’ antibiotic for severe or persistent cases.
Passport
I have 16 blank pages in my passport which should be more than enough for the requirements of all the countries. I might need to ask customs officers to keep their stamps together and to keep a double spread clean at the end of my passport for any full page visa stickers and accompanying immigration stamps. I’ve checked my current passport and many of the pages have 4 or even 5 stamps on the same page. given that I’m visiting 12 countries plus Europe with only India, Laos and Indonesia requiring a visa, there should be plenty of space for all the stamps.
Garmin
I’ve done some work on my Garmin cycle computer. It came with pre-loaded maps of Europe and N America and it was relatively easy to remove the N America map and then load all the extra maps needed for the middle and far east sections. I will carry it in the hold luggage when flying to India as it could be considered to be a satellite device; they are banned in India. I haven’t yet decided what to do with my Garmin InReach before entry to India as this is definitely a satellite device.
Route Planning
I don’t want to over-plan the route while at the same time having a bit of prior planning will be useful. This has led me to look at border crossings and visa requirements. There seem to be no problems until Uzbekistan.
This is what the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office says about travelling through Uzbekistan:
You can visit Uzbekistan without a visa for tourism or business for up to 30 days. If you’re travelling in Uzbekistan in a camper van or staying in tents and camping, you must register yourself. Register online through the electronic registration system, Emehmon, within 3 days of arrival. When registering online, you’ll have to pay a tourist tax charge for each day of your stay. At the moment you can only pay the tourist tax online with an Uzbek debit card in local currency.
The authorities will require a full record of where you’ve been in Uzbekistan upon departure. If you are unable to account for your whereabouts, or fail to get registered, you could get a fine for each day that is missing or late and possibly be deported.
This looks like it could be a problem but a bit of research reveals that if I stay in a guest house at the beginning and a few times along the way, the border guards are used to cyclists travelling overland without a fully documented itinerary. Guest houses will be able to register me and take the tourist tax. I’ve looked at some distances across Uzbekistan and it all looks fairly manageable within the 30 day visa free period. If I decide to cross Tajikistan I’ll cover approximately 1400k in Uzbekistan with minimal climbing; from the border with Kazakstan to the border with Tajikistan. The transit across Tajikistan is only just over 300k but the stretch from Osh, in Kyrgyzstan to Bishkek has over 11,000m of elevation in just 700k. That will be slow going! It’s tricky to get into Tajikistan so I could remain in Uzbekistan until the Kyrgyzstan border but that would require 1800k to be completed within the 30 days which leaves little room for any delay. That’s probably enough planning for that section. I attended an event a few weeks ago where long distance cyclists were talking about their experiences and afterward I asked Dicky Hibbert how he did his route planning when he cycled from Japan back to the UK. He told me not to worry - ‘it just kind of sorts itself out’. That’s fine for me although it might take a while to get used to it.
My final bit of planning has been focused on what tools and spares to pack. This is where you can stop right now if this is of no interest. If you’re thinking of doing something similar in the near future (Alec Hennis) you might find this useful.
Tools
Chain pliers
Small pliers
Tyre lever
Spokey
Multitool
Spanners
Tape
Allen Keys
1 Torx key
15mm pedal spanner
Cassette removal tool
Spares
2 x Sram Elixir brake pads
Plastic brake pad spreader
Spare rack inserts
3 spare spokes for front and rear (drive and non drive)
2 x Gear cable
1 x Brake cable
Cable end caps
2 x chain quicklinks
Puncture repair kit with extra patches and extra glue
4 x inner tubes
1 spare foldable tyre
Spare Garmin mount with spare elastics
Spare 2032 battery for Garmin HRM plus tool
Small tub of Loctite
Small tub of grease
Oil
Rag
Selection of nuts, bolts and washers
It feels like it’s all coming together and Helen is in the process of booking flights to meet me in southern Italy as I write this. We finally have a date for our house move and if that transpires it will officially be ‘Lincoln to Lombok.’
Thanks to everyone for following - I hope to keep you entertained once the journey begins.