I'm sorry to say I'm giving up on my blog and going back to FB; Love, Life and Motorcycles.  I am having to spend too much time trying to upload photos, and well, there are better things to do.  See you all there ;)

Out of Hibernation

So I guess some people are getting either curious or worried about me since I have been off the radar for a while.  I have been trying to keep a low profile lately, keep my head down and take in all that has happened.  I have been working a little at a cafe, and also washing dishes and cooking for a B&B.  I have also been exploring the desert area via motorcycle, mountain bike or just on foot.  As you can imagine the winters in Israel are pretty mild and perfect for getting outdoors.  I have also been getting to know Shalom which is fun and exciting, and soooo new for me.  I mean, 10 years with the same person is a long time, and my experience before that was, lets just say, lacking.

When I started out last May my plans where to ride with Irish from Cork to Cape.  It was something that was set in motion 6 years ago, and despite ourselves we thought it was a good idea.  For many reasons that trip did not work out, but I am happy that I am able to continue in any shape or form.  My new plan is to ride to Mongolia with Shalom.  He has dreamed of riding his motorcycle around the world for many years.  In the past he was always riding a little at a time, but in the end having to get back to work.  I guess I was the catalyst he needed, and we are both happy and excited to be heading in this new direction.  He has worked hard to finish up his job on good terms, sell many of his belongings, say goodbye to friends and family, and fix his bike up just right.

In the process of him working on his motorcycle, I got to give mine some love as well.  We put in a new rear shock and front fork springs which has raised the hight of my bike and has made a tremendous improvement to it’s riding performance.  I also replaced the battery (who knew that 40,000 mikes was a lot for a battery) and the steering bearings because they were totally shot.  I have to thank the Alexim motorcycle garage in Tel Aviv because they have really looked out for me and my motorcycle.

So now we are ready to go.  The other week we went for a short trial ride up into the mountains of Jerusalem to test everything out and get used to the weight of the motorcycles again.  The weather was nice and warm (which is not what we are expecting on our way to Mongolia) and the roads nice and twisty.  And last Saturday we got invited to ride with the Israeli Motorcycle Club on an “off road” route.  There was about a dozen riders and a few other following with enthusiasm in their cars.  There’s not many women riders here, so of corse, everyone is most impressed that I can ride such a “big, heavy motorcycle”.  I can feel that my off road skills have improved a lot since I’ve been here, but honestly I just surround myself with good riders and follow their lead.  
Now, sometimes on this journey being a women makes things extra hard (like taking a piss when your riding with a group of men), and then there are times where it’s to my benefit (like when I got pulled over for speeding in Croatia).  And when I got a puncture in my rear tire on the club ride it proved once again a benefit to be a woman rider.  Not more than 30 minutes into the ride I pulled over to check my tire pressure because a warning light had come on.  I was quickly surrounded by 4 other riders making sure I was okay.  Luckily Shalom had a good pump with him, and Amit, with plenty of experience with punctures, swooped in to remove the piece of metal and put a plug in.  I normally carry everything I need with me to do the same job, but had taken my boxes off for the days ride.  With these men’s eagerness and proficiency on working with motorcycles, I don’t think they would have let me patch my tire even if I wanted to.  So, when women ask me if I’m scared to ride, or what will I do if I drop my motorcycle, or if it brakes down, I tell them no, I am not worried.  I am confident in my own skill (to their limit of corse) but know that help will always come.

The other night I worked at cafe Ezuz and a Bob Marley tribute band, Sergio Braams, was playing live.  The night was so cold and the cafe so far away from any real city that I was surprised by the amount of people that came out to hear the band.  The music was good, the vibe was good, even the 'aroma' in the air was good.  Some people were jumping up and down, others shaking their dreads, and some just swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the music.  It's nights like these that I often wonder how I got here and what am I doing here?  My life has taken so many twist and turns in the last 10 or so years that I am often left with feelings of amazement, wonder, and curiosity.  

What is the meaning of life?  It is the question that I and many others ask again and again.  Laying next to Shalom the other night he just smiled and said what many people say, what I've said in the past but without fully understanding it.  Life is about being happy.  And then it hit me, this doesn't mean that finding that job, or buying that car, or hooking up with that man or women, or taking a motorcycle trip around the world will bring happiness.  It means to just be happy.  Now a days it is so hard to just be anything because the world is telling you to be so many different things, but if one can just be than maybe they can just be happy.  And although I am itching to get on the road again, the dessert has been a great place to just be (happy)!

LUCK

Do you believe in luck?  Maybe you call it something different; God, the universe, Karma.  I don't know what I believe but I often joke that in a past life I must have been someone very good to deserve the life that I have now.  Some people might think me ignorant for not knowing what I believe in, but for me there are so many unknowns in this world that it seems impossible to believe in any one thing.

On that note though, I believe I was lucky the other day.  Again, some people might say unlucky, but the way things worked out in the end, I like to look at the glass as half full.  Shalom and I were in Tel Aviv last week, and went for a walk after enjoying a little too much Thai food.  We parked ourselves on the benches overlooking the darkness of the Mediterranean Sea and as the mood allowed became distracted with one another.  Shalom then looked up and saw a young man, nothing strange about him except for the fact he looked back.  Upon further inspection Shalom noticed this young man had took my handbag.  Shalom shouted at the kid which startled him and stopped him in his tracts.  Despite the urge to beat the living day lights out of the thief, Shalom merrily shoved him and took my bag back.  Now I was watching this whole thing go down, ashamed how I could get my bag nicked so easily, but also in aw of how stupid the thief was.  There was no way we would have caught him if he started running, and we would have never even noticed him if he didn't look back at Shalom.  And with everything that I had inside my bag (passport, motorcycle papers, my only working visa card, cash, phone, keys...) I would have been hard pressed to get myself out of that mess.  So, I feel very lucky and happy not to have lost my bag.  I also learned a valuable lesson on not being so trusting with my belongings ;)

Life is crazy, I mean really, really crazy!

There is no way I (or anyone) could have planned my life.  I used to be the type of person who did try and plan things though.  I imagined I would go to school, become a paramedic firefighter, get married, have a house and a few kids and spend the rest of my life involved with those things.  Thats what people do, right?

I now find myself split from my husband, Irish, a man I have been with since I was 21 (over 10 years).  We had planned to ride our motorcycles from Ireland to South Africa (like any normal couple) but in the process grew farther and farther apart.  The news of the brake up took many people by surprise; to them we seemed so happy and strong.  Both him and I knew differently though.  I never liked to talk to family or friends about the bad times, Irish was/is a good man, and I wanted anything bad that happened between us to stay just between us.  I did not want others to tell me he was bad for me, or that I/we deserved better.  That has not changed.  I do not wish to say or write bad things about Irish, he is a good man, just not for me.  With my heart broken too many times and knowing that we brought the worst out in each other, it is time to be strong and move on.

Braking up with him was the hardest thing I've ever done.  What would I do?  I am not ready to end this journey I am on, but am I strong enough to continue?  I love to ride my motorcycle, but I must admit it is a bit much for me at times.  What if I drop it (which I'm known to do)? what if it brakes down? what about the gear (tools, tent ...) that is shared between us? what about safety? what about missing the only man I've ever really known?  These are a lot of what ifs, but the broken record that was our marriage finally became too much to bare.

Once I gained the strength and courage, the choice was made and everything else just fell into place.  I am now in Israel staying with a good friend, Shalom, who I first met in Slovenia.  I am working two part time jobs, a cafe and a small B&B.  The time I have now is invaluable.  Nothing is forced, I'm trying to be open to new things and discover the person I am, a person that has been hidden for some time, trying to be what someone else wanted me to be.

In the time that I've spent with Shalom we have discovered the lightness and easiness that love can be.  I know that both our friends and family are a little concerned about our choices, but I am learning to silence the voices of others and listen to what is in me.  We plan to ride our motorcycles to Mongolia starting in the middle of March.  I am ready to be on the move again, on my own or with a partner.  I feel strong and more confident in my skills, but traveling with Shalom feels even more right.  So the plan is no plan except to be open to where life takes me and not to force it just to be with someone.