Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Arun Nangla: A rider from London, UK arrives in Lillooet, BC

I had just finished setting up camp for the night and I still had a couple of hours before sunset with nothing to do except to just sit and stare at the sky.   My original plan was to head north and snap some photos of the Canyon but I also wanted to relax and do nothing


There are not many people here so I decided to just sit on top of the picnic table and enjoy the warmth of the sun contemplating my next move.  I already had a terrible meal in town and I was just waiting for sunset so I could call it a day and go to sleep for the night .   Sometimes it's not so easy to travel alone.

Before long I heard the sounds of a motorcycle coming my way.   The rider must have noticed my bike and rode right over


Meet Arun with his BMW GS1150.   I think he had a long day and rode from Prince George, BC.    He wanted to grap a spot with WiFi and I told him there was NO  WiFi here and he nearly rode away but in the end he decided to stay and share my campsite with me


He had his GS shipped from London, UK to Anchorage, AK.   From there he rode to Prudhoe Bay, north of the Arctic Circle


and now he is here, just in time to keep me company.   It turns out that he is a professional photographer in London .    Here is his   website   (click here)     He has been riding Royal Enfields for over 20 years and only recently purchased his GS1150 so he could make this trip


Photography has been my hobby for over 50 years so we seemed to have a lot in common talking about Sinars, Toyos & Hasselblads, and also GoPro Hero3 action cameras as he was given one to document his travels.   We talked the night away.   He is on his way to Ushuaia, Argentina at the tip of South America

He told me that he has already been on the road for about 7 months.   He had his bike shipped from London, UK to New Delhi, India and spent a month riding around the country which included the highest motorable pass in India and then he rode his bike back to London where he reshipped his bike to North America

Morning came too soon.  I was up at 6am, my usual time but the sun was not up yet so I waited a bit until it got a bit brighter.


Then we both started to dismantle our tents and pack our bikes and Arun made a strong cup of espresso coffee to kickstart his day.   While we were packing up we were visited by another camper and one of her dogs


Soon we were ready to roll.   We decided to have breakfast together before we headed our separate ways


Since Lillooet is a small town it was not hard to find parking right in front


We talk a bit more and then our meals arrive.   I don't like to ride on an empty stomach

Soon it was time for us to leave.  Arun wanted to end up in Oregon by nightfall . . .


I think Arun was planning to be on the road for another 6 months.   He has not posted a ride report anywhere but he does have a facebook page    (Click HERE)     I am sure he would be thrilled to hear from you

Arun, safe travels and arrive home safely.  It was very nice to meet you



our meeting was meant to be . . .


17 comments:

  1. What a coincidence. Don't you just want to pack up and ride along when you hear of such epic journeys? Too bad he hasn't done the trip on his Enfield. It would have been much more of an adventure...

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    1. Sonja:

      It was great to have someone to talk to. I was just sitting there with a blank mind wondering what I was going to do until sunset. It was great to hear how he planned for this trip. He is working on a video of his world travels

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  2. Great encounter and quite the journey he's got ahead of him! But, the Beemer he's got will be up the task. Safe travels to you both.

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    1. Dom:

      We could have ridden together back to Vancouver, but I already rode North on his route and I wanted to do a loop. See, I'm learning to be more independent. He should be in SFO for the rest of this week, prepping his bike, service and getting a new tire

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  3. Wow, such a small world! Always great to meet a fellow traveller, and it sounds like he is on an epic trip. Very cool!

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    1. Lucky:

      I find that it is very easy to talk to other bikers who are traveling. Except for the two I met earlier in the day that were probably more posers than adventurers who were very snotty, and they were only riding Hondas from Seattle area

      anyway, Arun said he was going to be on the road for another 6 months or more before heading home

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  4. You just never know who you will meet when on the road. It looks like you two hit it off though.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      I never turn down an opportunity to meet people and he nearly convinced me to make a trip similar to the one he is on. He also told me to visit him in London. It's amazing how small this world is and whom you meet far from home

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  5. It's always nice to meet these people in the middle of their adventures. And you would miss out if you had not been in the campground and instead be sealed up in your room at a motel...

    Not even a little urge to follow along?

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    1. Richard:

      His bike was shipped to Anchorage so he had to come through Fairbanks on his way to Prudhoe Bay.

      You are right about being isolated in a Motel/Hotel room. It was the same way in Baker City. After everyone went to their rooms, I was wishing that I had stayed at the Campsite and had company to talk to, rather than be trapped in my room by myself.

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  6. What a great meeting .. seems to be fate that you met as you hit if off so well. And isn't that just one of the best things about travelling on the road, meeting new people. I have found that even if people aren't on a bike you do tend to get people coming to strike up a conversation with you, often they have ridden bikes in the past and love to chat about them.

    Yes people are wonderful creatures :)

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    1. Brenda:

      I love to meet new people. Touring bikers are very easy to approach and talk to. They are just as interested to find out what the locals know, which roads to take and what to see. What better way than to ask someone who lives in the area. I helped Arun plan his route down along the Oregon Coast down Hwy 101 on his way to SFO (San Francisco)

      Plus, I had company to talk to that night

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  7. Bob skoot ,

    great to hear about Aruns story .......makes you wonder how many people like Arun do these sort of mass solo adventures and during there great epic trip tell nobody about it!!

    some people do big things and keep it small....i like it!

    lets hope he continues to bump into folk like you,

    fantastic stuff

    kindest regards
    len

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    1. Len:

      I was surprised too that he wasn't blogging about it, nor did he have an Advrider.com ride report of this trip. He is carrying professional equipment but he never brought his camera out to snap any photos, except for his GoPro Hero3

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  8. Bob

    I hope that this wonderful chance encounter has inspired you to ship Nu2me over to Europe next year - there is so much to see over here! (and you will have good company)

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    1. Nikos:

      something to think about. Your countries are so close to each other. You don't have to ride far to experience another different culture. Should I start practicing my Greek now ?

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    2. Bob

      Greek would be for the adventure end - French, German and Scottish might be better!

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