Hi! I wish I could tell you that I’m on the road again, but sadly it’s not yet the case. So once again no travel stories, sorry. I planned a 3 week pit-stop in Belgium and I am still stranded here 2 months later.
Don’t ask me how or why I went with this decision, but with the engine in one workshop, the gearbox in another one, and the rest of the car in yet another it seemed like the only option. The gearbox and the engine are now back in the car, and at the time of writing these lines, I’m hoping it will only be a matter of hours before I hear the roar of the engine again.
It’s difficult to imagine though after you’ve seen your engine stripped down to the last single screw. This work will be done without me as the guy doing the job doesn’t want stressed clients around him when he needs all his concentration. I can understand…
You know how it is when you want to change the curtains: “Maybe we could also repaint the walls in that nice yellow.”, then “Well, if we do these changes now, why not increase the height of the door, we always wanted to anyway.” So you end up with three times more work at five times the expected budget.
It was exactly the same here: “As we’ve taken the engine out, we might as well have a look at the cylinder heads”, then “Since we’ve opened the cylinder heads, we might as well have a look at the pistons.” Then “You know, since we’ve opened the engine, it would be a pity not to change the rings and have a look at the conrods bearings”. It just goes on and on.
So now I have a totally renewed engine which may not be a bad idea after 22 years of service, but may be bad timing financially speaking. I hope at least that I will feel as if I’m driving an F-16. Let’s see.
One aspect of the trip that looked straightforward, but has ended up as my main bottleneck is the visa for Iran. I applied more than 6 weeks ago, yet still have no news. Apparently no news is good news, or at least that’s what I have been told. Since the end of summer the delays have increased to 2 months. My worst case scenario would be to fly to Dubai and apply from there, as it’s an easier process for Gulf residents. I have enough miles to do it for free, but I agree with you, it is a silly solution. The alternative is to go around Iran through Syria or Afghanistan. I love Syria, but it is probably not the best time to go and I’d rather use my air miles. Afghanistan – no comment.
It has been pretty frustrating to have spent only 2 months out of 8 on the road (although those 2 months were amazing). I started my trip at the worst time; camping along the Gulf shore during the first days of August is not something I would advise even my worst enemy to do. And I’ll probably start my return journey during the depths of winter… at least I can be sure not to see too many tourists on the way.
These 2 months in Belgium have not been quality time. I am on call everyday for my car, working in 3 different places, driving to get parts everywhere, as far afield as Germany, so it’s impossible to plan anything else. You know how it is when you go back home, you have a schedule that even prime ministers don’t have. I have never been back in Europe so long, and yet seen so few people. Pretty frustrating, but at least the weather has been exceptional here, the driest November ever, even with restrictions in water use!
I’ll send you few pictures of Belgium. I hope next month I can write to you from elsewhere. For more stories and pictures, you can go online and read the previous issues of OutdoorUAE or you can check out my blog: https://slowlanetonowhere.blogspot.com
I’ll keep you posted!
Patrice (and Marcel, of course)
