Still mostly firm but definitely some fluidity at the edges and wobbly bits are appearing!
TRIP 1 ???
At this point we are going to sit down and take stock of where we are physically and see if we need some stability for a few months. We have built a gap into the plan for this situation. If we need time out then it will probably be off to OZ, pick 3 places and pitch up in each one for a month. We both fancy Tasmania for sure.
Right now, if we were pushed, we would both say we don’t think we will need it and we will continue travelling and reassess in 12 months time. If that’s the case it will be off to ……
INDIA, SRI LANKA & NEPAL for Everest Base Camp.
January to April 2021.
17 years ago we almost got married in Sri Lanka but for various reasons this didn’t happen, so it’s about time we ticked it off the list. From there we will travel back to India. This is such a vast country and we have only scratched the surface. India will be a place we will also visit after the 5 years are over. High on the list this time will be Agra for the Taj Mahal, Shimla and Varanasi..yes Sarah Varanasi you can’t avoid it !!
The last month in this trip will be spent in Nepal. This is a country Steve visited over 25 years ago. A lot has happened in the country since then and a return visit is well overdue. We will spend some time in Kathmandu before heading out on a trek to Everest Base Camp. This will probably be our longest trek. It should take around 2 weeks to make it to EBC which is at an altitude 17600 feet. We absolutely do not under estimate this challenge.
TRIP 2. Back on the bike (At last). Athens to the UK.
May to July 2021.
Although we will have been spending time here and there cycling, by now we will both be ready for another long one. We will take or bikes and camping equipment by rail to Athens, taking in a few countries along the way. A possible route we have looked at would take us through south eastern Europe calling at among other countries Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.
After leaving Athens there are several possible routes back to the UK. A popular one passes into Albania and then after a ferry across The Adriatic the route goes north through Italy to Venice. Although we both love Italy and have explored it extensively we like the idea of following the east side of the Adriatic through Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. This way we can avoid the largest passes of the Alps, something which Sarah is over the moon about and Steve has 3 years to convince her otherwise!!
Once into Germany we will pick up what is known as Euro Velo 5. A cycle route which follows the Rhine all the way to the North Sea at Rotterdam, where conveniently there is ferry back to the UK.
TRIP 3. South America Revisited- Back on the bus!
September to December 2021.
Our final trip of year 3 takes us back to South America. Once again we will return to and start the trip in Santiago de Chile. This time we are heading North into Argentina and the vineyards around Mendoza before returning into Chile and the Atacama desert where some more free camping will hopefully be on the cards. From there we hope to travel into Boliva and tick off another of our bucket list places, Salar de Uyuni. This is an area of salt flats which look incredible and also give an opportunity for some unusual photos to be taken. Next we will travel through the Altiplano, a huge plateau high up in the Andes, second only to the plateau in the Himalayan nation of Tibet. After a stop in La Paz which is the highest capital city in the world, we will visit Lake Titicaca before making our way into Peru and of course no trip to this part of the world would be complete without a visit to Cusco and then to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu.
Before leaving Peru we will spend a few days in the Amazon Rainforest. This is another area we are both excited about visiting while also being slightly apprehensive. Steve is not great with insects which are bigger than his thumb and Sarah can’t wait to restablish her love affair with the mosquito!
Out of Amazon and into Ecuador for a visit to the adrenalin fuelled town of Banos and the capital city of Quito. This is where we will leave the group and press on North into Colombia making stops in Medelin, Cartegena and hopefully some beach time on the Caribbean coast. The final stop of this trip will be Bogata where a flight back to the UK awaits. Year 3 finished!