Welcome to Thoughts from the Road. Getting frog-marched by Iraqi soldiers into a hot-box room for an hour is enough to send anyone home. Here’s Dave’s story…
Thoughts From the Road is a corner on Mad or Nomad for motorcycle travellers to share short stories from their experiences travelling the world. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion.
By David Robinson
Dave Robinson AKA Bike Guy Dave
Born in 1972 and raised in leafy surrey, lucky enough to be able to retire after 30 years working for the government, with a bit of a pension that enables me to have this massive adventure.
With the kids all grown and the Mrs at home providing support, I left the UK around a year ago to try and ride around the world solo on my Yamaha Tenere World Raid. So far, I have covered around 40% of the journey and around 40 countries.
Every day is different from the administration of moving “TANK” around the world (that’s what the bike is called). It’s very different to moving a person around the world. To riding in the various places from jungles and mountains to wide planes and deserts.
It’s not an easy thing to do and every day can be a challenge but when I am riding all the challenges just fade away and I spend the day just smiling to myself in my helmet.
- Facebook: Bike Guy Dave
- Instagram: @bikeguydave49
- Web: bikeguydave.com
More from Dave on Mad or Nomad:
If I go home now, then what?
The sun is so hot today. It’s about 45 degrees and I’m at a regular Iraqi army checkpoint. I’m being frog marched by two serious looking soldiers with AK47s towards a metal portacabin. An Iraqi civilian, who probably works for the security services, is staring at me from the doorway. He’s waiting for me to be led into his sweat box of a room. He’s flicking through my passport and doesn’t say a word to me, so I just stay quiet.
I sit down and hear the door slam and lock behind me. The guy sits behind a desk that’s bolted to the floor with chairs that don’t move and starts looking at his phone. He occasionally looks through my passport. Every so often he looks up and stares at me for a few seconds before going back to his phone. I just sit there – getting hotter and hotter.
I try to make conversation but he just looks at me for a second and then goes back to his phone. I am getting worried now. My pulse has shot up to 150 BPM. This goes on for about 45 minutes, but it feels like hours as I just sit there baking in my full motorbike gear. I’m shitting myself now and my mind is running in all directions.
The United Kingdom Foreign Office website says not to go to Iraq – and if you are there, then leave immediately due to terrorist threats and the kidnapping of foreigners. I start to think about how I even got here… what went wrong?
That’s not me
Growing up I realised early on that there was always a part of me that needed to push myself and face life head on. It’s like a burning desire to take charge of life and get the most out of it, or as the old saying goes: take the bull by the horns, grit your teeth and go for it. And I suppose that’s where this idea of riding around the world came from.
When I told my friends and family, they all wanted to put their worries and fears into me. It was as though they all had to say what they were worried about: it will be hard, what about sleeping, bike security, this country’s problems or that country’s relationship with the UK etc. But I only saw the issues as problems to overcome and manage as best I could.
I was also hoping when I started the ride that I would figure out things about myself as well. Of course, I had worries and anxiety about the trip. I lost sleep and often thought about what I was leaving behind – a nice comfortable life with a great family and no worries in the world.
Early into the trip I was feeling anxious looking up at a massive mountain range that I had to pass over at 8am on a Sunday morning. I stopped and thought to myself, if I go home now, what will I do for the rest of my life? I could go back to one holiday a year, and If I was lucky, a short break too. And maybe back to my old part-time job teaching people how to ride motorbikes around a tarmac car park for the rest of my life?
And I thought NO – that’s not me. I now have a new saying when I feel like I’m missing home or feeling a bit of anxiety. Well, I have to be somewhere and If I go home now. “What then?”
A Dave shaped hole
So, as I sit there in the hot box. I think back to my family and friends worrying about me, were they right? I then think back to that mountain – I could go back, but then what?
There’s a knock at the door. It’s my interpreter. He starts speed talking in Arabic with the officer and I think I’m off to jail.
And just like that the official stands up, walks over to me and holds out his hand to shake. “Welcome to Iraq”. Turns out he just didn’t have a clue what to do with me, so he was looking it up on his phone and texting his mates to find out. I’m free to leave.
A Dave shaped hole goes through the wall and I’m on my bike and away. Relief floods in and I think to myself, If I go home now, then what? I don’t need to ask anymore. I already know the answer so I’ll just keep going.
David Robinson
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Share your thoughts in the comments below…
What a brilliant read! You’ve hit the nail on the head here Dave (love the Dave shaped hole bit lol)
Fantastic and well done for keeping your cool. I’m not sure if that’s somewhere i’m ever going to go and certainly not on a motorcycle but I certainly loved reading about your experiences doing so. Thank you.
James
Nicely done good sir! Great to see you having a brilliant time as you’re doing what you love.