Into the sunrise

This is Isla & Pietro's diary documenting their great adventure.

We are planning to cycle from Brighton to Japan starting summer 2009 (EDIT: SPRING 2010). The trip will require some serious planning, the main phases of which will probably be recorded on here. The duration of the ride is not fixed, but will take anywhere from one (no chance) to two years (more likely). We are not in a rush to get there and this trip is not going to be done to prove anything to anybody, just a fun great adventure that we can tell our grandchildren about.. if we manage to not strangle each other along the way that is. Japan is a mythical destination, it represents the orient to us and is still a vague mirage. We have allowed for the possibility of never getting there and if the reasons for the journey stop being valid along the way we are not stubbornly going to put ourselves 'through it'. Why do it in the first place? Well, many reasons, some personal and some common between us two. The common ones are the wish to do something wild before we try and settle down to a more adult (?) life, like having children or thinking about a career (although I find the notion of 'a career' quite ludicrous). There is a strong desire to explore in both of us which needs to be satisfied before we start breeding. There is also a curiosity about how well we will perform under duress, and whether we can rely completely on each other. Also, in Brighton we live a very comfortable life. There are no great challenges other than the usual grind of having to earn a living. So, other than the privilege of living in a very rich society and owning a lot of 'stuff', not much excitement. Plenty of distractions for sure, but maybe missing something more real and raw? The trip is a wish for exploration, a way to see what else is going on out there.... and this is the beginning of that story...