Thank you all for your very nice compliments.
@Theresa6 This was a proper organised trip in that we had a full support team - medics, mechanics, team leaders, an ambulance, several jeeps and other support vehicles. There were 17 of us riding and a few others (team leaders, medics and some of the mechanics) also on bikes. Some people do these trips on their own or in small groups and I have a lot of respect for those people. I liked having that 'sefety net' so to speak. I would love to do that Camdodia trip, maybe one day.
@cuddlyfairy - I'm pretty sure I'll never beat the Himalayas but next year I will definitely be going to New Zealand, partially for a family wedding and also to tour the country again on a bike. This time I wil be flying solo, as it were. I have a feeling that wil also be spectacular. I am also in the process of organising a trip across the 'States with a friend (yes Chelly, on Harleys!) following as much of Route 66 as we can. Time and finances will dictate whether I can do that one though.
@Scotsmist - I am almost 100% better now, thanks for asking. I hope to be starting TFR this weekend.
@howdy-doody - Love those Michael Palin shows (and obviously those Ewan MacGregor/Charlie Boorman ones as well!). It's funny you should choose that pic, as that was not only one of the most spectacular places but for me personally one of the most terrifying. You see the highest white building towards the left? Well there was a path leading up to and behind it, which at the time seemed like a good idea to climb, in the hope of getting some good shots. Once I got up behind that white building (the larger of the two together) the path was about two feet wide and where there was one, had a wall about knee high. Beyond the wall was a vertical drop of what must have been a thousand feet! So I'm stood with my back to the building (on the far side) facing to the left to take a series of panoramic shots, I then 'try' to turn to look straight ahead for the second picture when I make the mistake of looking over the edge. BIG mistake! I then freeze and can't turn to the right to take any more pictures, lol! I think I ended up holding the building with one hand and just moving my other arm and the camera to take the rest of the shots, barely looking to see what I'm pointing at. Even after all that I'm still grateful I got there to take those shots. That was a thousand year old Buddhist Monastery by the way, and those buildings just built into the rock faces were amazing too.
@ChellyWellyBoot - Yes it was such an amazing experience, but the trip included the bikes so you wouldn't need to buy one. I too would love a Harley, but I doubt they would cope with the water crossings, steep descents, dirt tracks, mud and rubble etc. The bikes we had were very old fashion designs and not very comforatble but were rock solid and very reliable - perfect for the job in fact. Those monkeys were hilarious, and that particular one had a nasty streak and kept charging at us, in fact he chased one of my colleagues away, lol. If you stood your ground, then he would back down. Apparently we needed to stay in groups as they would try to pick off any 'stragglers' lol!