Getting into Adventure Green

THE LADY ON THE BIKE
RETIRED NURSE JACQUI FURNEAUX SPENT 7 YEARS RIDING AROUND THE WORLD
ON A ROYAL ENFIELD. HERE SHE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS MOST PEOPLE ASK...
What about your pension?
I gave in my notice after thirty
years in the NHS. I thought I’d let
someone else have a go and went
off backpacking for a year. I had the
safety net of an unpaid career break
and was told there would be a job
for me when I got back, but I never
did go back. I was having too much
fun and learning so much about the
world. Now I am of pensionable age
and I manage!
Where will you sleep?
I was a bit concerned about that,
until I arrived in Asia to find
hostels, hotels and guest houses
everywhere. I forgot that human
beings have exploring in their genes
and have been wandering around
the world trading and exploring
since we came down from the trees.
Weren’t you worried about going
to Islamic countries?
I had been working for and with
people with a Pakistani heritage
for seven years before I went to
Pakistan so I was aware of some of
the culture before I went. Adopting
a ‘when in Rome do as the Romans
do’ attitude, I bought clothes to hide
my shape and a scarf to cover my
hair. This was much appreciated
and I received only kindness and
generosity.
Aren’t you afraid of rape, robbery
and murder?
I looked at British daily newspapers
and heard the news and reckoned it
is a risk anywhere. After almost ten
years spent travelling, I was robbed
only once (in Australia).
What if you get ill?
When I first set off, I carried an
extensive first aid kit. Needles,
syringes, a drip set, bandages,
plasters, antibiotics and my
backpack was full of lotions and
potions. After a month, I could see
that all these things were available
in pharmacies everywhere so
dumped them. They have doctors
and nurses abroad, too!
What if the bike breaks down?
I learned to do minor repairs
myself and found that help is
never far away. In a remote part
of Australia, part of the frame of
my bike snapped. A welder who
visited the outpost came once a
month. His visit was the next day!
Things have a way of working out
and breakdowns result in meeting
local people, which is the best thing
about travelling!
“I HAVE VERY
MIXED FEELINGS
ABOUT CONSTANT
COMMUNICATION”
What do you do for money?
It wasn’t quite so easy when I
started backpacking in Asia, but
now there is internet banking
and ATMs are everywhere. So if
you have some, money is easily
accessible. I carry two different
cards: Visa and Mastercard to
cover those countries where one is
more acceptable than another. In
some European countries, credit
cards are not widely accepted.
I found it better to carry cash
in Germany and Portugal for
instance. I worked as a nurse in
New Zealand and taught English in
Pakistan to boost my savings.
What do you DO all day?
People whose foreign travel may
be annual holidays of a couple of
weeks imagine that longer spells
away are an extension of being in
holiday mode. I found the process
of bike maintenance, eating and
drinking, finding somewhere to
sleep, finding roads to the next
destination, talking with people
and information-gathering in a
different language, learning a new
culture, finding fuel and most of
all doing all this on a strict budget
in stiflingly hot or bitterly cold
temperatures took up most of the
day! Rearranging and jettisoning
luggage is a major occupation in
an effort to carry less weight more
efficiently, I managed with about
half the stuff I took originally.
Being minimalist is important!
What if you get lost?
I do not travel with satellite
navigation, although if off-roading
in the desert, I probably would.
For me, one of the pleasures of
travelling is meeting people and
what better introduction is there
than to pull up to someone and say,
“Excuse me, I’m lost. Can you help
me?” Making yourself vulnerable
seems to trigger the best in people.
That’s one of the best surprises I
discovered. People will literally go
out of their way to show you the
right road or somewhere to stay
or eat. I have been taken back to
someone’s home on many, many
occasions.
What do you do about clothes
when going from hot to cold
countries?
At first I took clothes for all
occasions and situations! Then I
realised that the people who live
there need clothes and have to buy
them somewhere so gave most
of them away to save weight and
space. You can buy suitable clothes
wherever you are. Many countries
have charity shops and secondhand
stalls. I took dozens of pairs
of knickers with me at first, but of
course they are available on market
stalls. Everyone wears them! It’s the
same with medical supplies and
hygiene items. Everyone needs them.
Don’t you miss family and friends?
Yes, very much. Email, social media
and Skype have replaced letters,
postcards and expensive phone calls.
It’s easy to keep in touch now. I have
very mixed feelings about constant
communication tying travellers
to where they come from and not
where they are. I find people talk to
those around them less.
Won’t the food and water be a bit
‘dodgy’?
Being on a budget meant I ate
street-food rather than five-star
gourmet dishes. This is usually
delicious and has the advantage
that you can see it freshly cooked
in front of you rather than sitting
in a hotel kitchen for hours. I did
have tummy upsets from time to
time, but one of these occasions was
in New Zealand so it can happen
anywhere. Appalled at the empty
water-bottles littering places I
visited, I started drinking the same
water the locals do and was OK.
Did you worry the Enfield might
get stolen?
If my bike was stolen, it would put a
stop to this wonderful lifestyle and
after a while, I bonded heavily with it
(and no other bike would do!) So if
I couldn’t have it either in the room
with me or sleep next to it in warm
countries where I could wild-camp,
I made sure it was out of sight and
chained up. But I don’t think anyone
was tempted! I love it but it isn’t
everyone’s dream machine.
Jacqui is currently working on her
book, titled ‘Hit the Road Jac’. Keep
an eye out for it.