This is something I wrote a couple of months ago, but never got around to publishing. As I'm in Beijing and no longer resident on Daisy it is about time I published it. Pictures to follow, once I find some bandwidth.
It is about time I introduced the most important member of the travelling circus that is this tour - Daisy.
Daisy is a 12.5 ton Tata truck - she is our method of transport until we hit Beijing (we have a different truck in Mongolia - Daisy heads off to India, via Nepal) and our home. Yes we might sleep in hostels, hotels, tents, homestays and who knows what in the future (boats, yurts and rocks, at least), but Daisy is home. The only fixed thing in months of travelling.
Daisy carries everything we need - we've got a fridge (no freezer), water, cooking stuff (gas burners, cooking pots, etc), tents and a locker for our bags. Inside we've all got individual little lockers for small items for day-to-day stuff. We have little, but you really don't need much on a trip like this. (and after my dejunking at home - you don't need much at home either).
Seating wise there are 22 seats and 2 tables for us to use. Currently there is a lot of space as there are only 7 passengers, but in Ashgabat we lose Chris and pick up another 10 people - it will be a very different trip come the 20th and we start the next leg of the journey. We lose a whole bunch of people in Bishkek, including Tony & Brian who left Istanbul with me - another trip again.
In answer to a question I've had from several people... Yes, we have windows; we all spend a lot of time looking at the scenery float by. The idea of bouncing around in a windowless truck (through stunning scenery) is the type of thing the CIA would probably do to someone they don't like.
Daisy stands out and is the source of much staring in every town we drive through (and every border crossing too).
To make getting back in and out easier she has pull-out steps, which only adds to the circusness of it all. (We can get in/out without the steps, it's just easier with.)
To make getting back in and out easier she has pull-out steps, which only adds to the circusness of it all. (We can get in/out without the steps, it's just easier with.)
This is Olly's and Jan's first trip with Daisy (and for them to work together - something they'll be doing for the next year, as they head off to India together after Beijing) as she has been driven up from Africa. At this point we head up to Mongolia and another truck, but for the next few months Daisy is home.
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what my home is at the moment.
