Eureka Finding the Line between Desire and Contentment, then Riding It

by Field, Graham

• ISBN13: 9781890623562
• ISBN10: 1890623563
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2017-11-07
• Publisher: Lost Classic Books

Summary

Who tries to ride deep into Iraq just to see if the news reports are accurate, ends up joining
a street demonstration against someone else's government, or sticks their arm between the
jaws of a wild mountain wolf-dog?

After the success of his fi rst book In Search of Greener Grass, Graham Field hits the road again
with his bargain-basement KLR650, recording his experiences in his inimitable and revealingly
honest diary style. The Caucasus region is often overlooked by travellers, but Graham may
inadvertently be about to change all that.

A single pivotal event can transform any journey, and accepting rather than fi ghting that
moment can have glorious consequences for the traveller. In this instant the result ensures a
fantastic exploration of eastern Europe and beyond, the discovery of a hidden gem in Georgia,
and meanderings that leave us all much richer.

Ultimately, Eureka is an almost accidental realization that we cannot control our mood on the
road, but merely embracing it can be the most enlightening travel experience of all.

Author Biography

Author and travel writer Graham Field was “born at a very early age, and independent travel begun shortly after he learned to crawl.” During obligatory but inadequate schooling, he spent the majority of his time looking out of the window and escaping into his favourite daydream—the freedom of the road. Making restless dreams become a reality has been his single-minded talent.

Graham's life of travel really started with his first motorbike, obtained way before he was old enough to have a licence. By the age of eighteen he was living in the US, working in construction, in strip clubs, and riding a 1960 Harley-Davidson. In 1990, he set off around the world with a backpack, and this was followed by challenging solo cycling trips in India and China.

For over a quarter of a century, Graham has had three constants in his life: motorcycles, travel, and diary keeping. He appeared on a national TV game show, where he announced he would use his modest winnings to ride to Mongolia. This was when all three of his obsessions came together. On a thousand-dollar KLR 650, he rode 15,000 miles east from his home in the UK—105 days on a $7,500 budget. This journey, the people met, the challenges, and the startling contrasts of both the cultures and landscapes became the subject of his hugely popular and inspirational diary-format book, In Search of Greener Grass.

A few years later, his KLR, with the same budget, distance, and time-frame, took him to Iraq and Azerbaijan. A “eureka moment” occurred during this journey, and that epiphany became the topic of his enthralling second book, Ureka [Eureka in the North American Edition]. His third book, Different Natures, takes the reader on earlier motorcycle trips from the Alaskan Arctic Circle to southern Mexico. Delving into diaries packed with tales of naivety, and at times eyebrow-raising debauchery, the reader soon discovers that Graham's mantra is “You never lie to your diary.”

Graham writes regularly for Overland Magazine. His articles and columns are published in British national papers and motorcycle publications in both Europe and North America. His presentations are widely regarded as some of the funniest in the genre, and in radio interviews he is well known for his passion for travel and his off-the-cuff comments, which both challenge and amuse. He makes regular contributions to Adventure Bike TV, where he was nominated as “most inspirational adventurer.” Graham has a residency on Adventure Rider Radio, alongside travel writers Brian and Shirley Hardy-Rix, Grant Johnson of Horizons Unlimited, and myself. He currently lives in Bulgaria, with a variety of iconic motorcycles, a cluster of KLRs, and some gold-digging cats.

—Sam Manicom

Sam is the author of a four-book series (Into Africa, Under Asian Skies, Distant Suns, and Tortillas to Totems) about his eight-year journey around the world by motorcycle.

Table of Contents

Foreword v
About the Author vii
Acknowledgments ix
Map of Route xiv-xv

Introduction 1
Day 1 Into Mainland Europe 4
Day 2 Sittard, Holland 8
Day 3 Erfurt, Germany 11
Day 4 Kobierzyce, Poland 16

Day 5 Kobierzyce, Poland 18

Day 6 Jesenik, Czech Republic 20
Day 7 Oswiecin, Poland 24
Day 8 Nova Lesna, Slovakia 27
Day 9 Mikepercs, Hungary 30
Day 10 Alba, Romania 33
Day 11 Bechet, Romania 36
Day 12 Motocamp, Idilevo, Bulgaria 39
Day 13 Motocamp, Bulgaria 42
Day 14 Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria 44
Day 15 Lidia, Greece 47
Day 16 Zagora, Bulgaria 50
Days 17-19 Motocamp, Idilevo, Bulgaria 54
Day 20 Edirne, Turkey 58
Day 21 Alasehir, Turkey 62
Day 22 Pamukkale, Turkey 66
Day 23 Kas, Turkey 70
Day 24 Seydisehir, Turkey 74
Day 25 Ankara, Turkey 76
Day 26 Ankara, Turkey 82
Day 27 Ankara, Turkey 86
Day 28 Ankara, Turkey 89
Day 29 Ankara, Turkey 91
Day 30 Cappadocia, Turkey 93
Day 31 Near Narince, Turkey 98
Day 32 Solopi, Turkey 103
Day 33 Dohuk, Iraq 110
Day 34 Dohuk, Iraq 115
Day 35 Amedi, Iraq 119
Day 36 Erbil, Iraq 124
Day 37 Siirt, Turkey 128
Day 38 Adilcevza, Turkey 135
Day 39 Dogubayazit, Turkey 138
Day 40 Ardakan, Turkey 141
Day 41 Hopa, Turkey 143
Day 42 Batumi, Georgia 146
Day 43 Batumi, Georgia 149
Day 44 Pasanuri, Georgia 151 Day 45 Tbilisi, Georgia 156
Day 46 Lagodekhi, Georgia 162
Day 47 Sheki, Azerbaijan 165
Day 48 Forest near Ismayilly, Azerbaijan 168
Day 49 Baku, Azerbaijan 171
Day 50 Baku, Azerbaijan 174
Day 51 Baku, Azerbaijan 178
Day 52 Near Touvz, Azerbaijan 180
Day 53 Kutaisi, Georgia 185
Day 54 Oni, Georgia 190
Day 55 Zachunderil, Georgia 194
Day 56 Ushguli, Georgia 197
Day 57 Ushguli, Georgia 202
Day 58 Mestia, Georgia 206
Day 59 Mestia, Georgia 209
Day 60 Mestia, Georgia 211
Day 61 Ureki, Georgia 214
Day 62 Vardzia, Georgia 216
Day 63 Gyumri, Armenia 219
Day 64 Lake Sevan, Armenia 223
Day 65 Hillside near Kapan, Armenia 227
Day 66 Khor Virap, Armenia 230
Day 67 Yeravan, Armenia 234
Day 68 Akhaltsikhe, Georgia 236
Day 69 Harasan, Turkey 240
Day 70 Espiye, Turkey 244
Day 71 Sinop, Turkey 248
Day 72 Sinop, Turkey 252
Day 73 Sinop, Turkey 254
Day 74 Amasra, Turkey 256
Day 75 Izmit, Turkey 260
Day 76 Motocamp, Bulgaria 265
Day 77 Motocamp, Bulgaria 268
Day 78 Motocamp, Bulgaria 270
Day 79 Motocamp, Bulgaria 272
Day 80 Sofia, Bulgaria 274
Day 81 Kopaonik National Park, Serbia 277
Day 82 Gusinje, Montenegro 281
Day 83 Barbullush, Albania 288
Day 84 Dardhe, Albania 293
Day 85 Koman, Albania 297
Day 86 Theth, Albania 305
Day 87 Prcanj, Montenegro 310
Day 88 Slano, Croatia 317
Day 89 Virovitica, Croatia 320
Day 90 Vienna, Austria 326
Days 91-93 Vienna, Austria 329
Day 94 Abersee, Austria 331
Day 95 Kaunertal, Austria 334
Day 96 Plainfaing, France 337
Day 97 London, England 341
Day 98 Greenwich, London, England 344
Day 99 Home, England 346
Epilogue 349