TV2 The Long Way Round

**John** · 5th October 2005, 23:58

Originally Posted by nudemetalz

Hey, Man, don't jump on me !! I was only expressing my opinion.
I can see your point, just that I hate seeing wild animals killed, that's all.

I'm not I am just trying to show you how the truck driver saw it... ya know nothing personal just trying to be unbiased. Its all well and good when we gots our flashy jobs and incomes and gas stations and flushing toilets and such.

**Beemer** · 6th October 2005, 07:42

That cameraman is the biggest dickhead I've ever seen! First of all he applies for the job and then tells them he doesn't have a bike licence in the UK. Then his mother has his passport (how the hell did he get into the UK in the first place?) so she has to fly there to drop it off. Then his bike gets wrecked and finally he leaves his bumbag on the back of his bike and his wallet, credit cards, tent, etc. all get stolen! I'm sorry, but he is a waste of space!

That doctor was very cheerful, wasn't he, bet they were glad to see the back of him!

I wouldn't have fancied those river crossings, I had my heart in my mouth every time the vehicles rolled forwards! As for McGregor's riding, well, I think he's a much better rider than I'll ever be even in my dreams. And at least he doesn't moan all the time when things go wrong!

**SpankMe** · 6th October 2005, 08:34

Originally Posted by Beemer

That doctor was very cheerful, wasn't he, bet they were glad to see the back of him!

Yeah, what the fuck was his problem? These guys are out for an adventure and adventure has risks. That’s part of the enjoyment of it. Yep, glad to see the back of him.

Definitely one of the better episodes even thou it was mostly non bike.

**bugjuice** · 6th October 2005, 08:59

Last night's episode was really good, imho.

I thought some of those river crossings before the support crew caught up, were daring enough. Two guys with a heavy bike in fast flowing water up to their waist.. no thanx.. I did think it would have been easier for them to have started up-stream and gone diagonally across, instead of square across. Could have helped a bit with the flow, but then the river might have only been crossable at that point.

It is truely the land that time forgot. Some amazing shots. Can't help but thing (just as Ewen was saying the same thing but for Scotland), how as a whole, a hill is a hill. And how much of that could look like most of NZ.. I guess there's only so much you can do with the land. It's the people that make the difference.

And the way the support crew were hammering that Mitsi thru the mud too! Looked like heaps of fun. Don't know how the heck that other van has made it so far. But it's doing well. And then the river crossings that made those huge trucks stop in their tracks.. amazing. And f'in cool.. would love to have seen that first hand. Love off road stuff. And chopping down trees to fill a hole in the road.. interesting to say the least! Was nice for a wee bit of a change to see them all trying to get thru it too, not just the bikes (even tho the show is focused on them), just shows that even tho the bikes go thru it all, the support crew have to too..

don't know about that bear stuff. Growing up in a western society and seeing things like this, it does make us upset. And it made me upset to watch too. That bear actually looked more like a cub to me. But I also side with Charlie, in that it's their way of life, and they need to live. We didn't get to the top of the food chain by accident, is one way of looking at it I guess. I don't condone this, but I can understand this. It's hard, but it's a way of life for some. It's like last week, when they're eating the testicals, and there's a kid suckin up the juice.. Most of us probably was a wee bit sick in the mouth and just have to swallow it back down. But to them, it's live as they know it.. I guess we all have our own box to think in

**Wolf** · 6th October 2005, 09:14

Originally Posted by John

I'm not I am just trying to show you how the truck driver saw it... ya know nothing personal just trying to be unbiased. Its all well and good when we gots our flashy jobs and incomes and gas stations and flushing toilets and such.

I note Boorman's take was that he could see why - that to them it's new tyres or an injector for the truck or something for the family - but he still doesn't approve of hunting for any reason other than food. He would have been more understanding if they'd eaten the meat, but they can't because it's likely to be toxic.

Big ups to McGregor leaping in boots 'n' all when it came to making the road passable and his focus being on getting "the group" through - right down to saying "it could get nasty, we could all wind up in the water trying to rescue them". The director was surprised he'd go in and McGregor seemed surprised that anyone would think otherwise. The way he jumped when the truck looked like it was going to go over and the real worry on his face regarding getting their support vehicles through.

And the amount of hard work they've had getting the bikes though - yikes. I was watching it and thinking "and I plan to do similar? When the kids are older? Fuck, I'll be in my sixties, that'd be hard enough to do NOW!"

Also thinking "would need lighter bikes and less stuff" and wondering how the hell you would lighten your load - the list of necessities for something like that would be enormous - camping gear, tools, spares, clothing to suit the climate emergency stuff - even stripping all those back to absolute necessities you'd have a lot of weighty shit to carry, weighing the bikes down.

Bloody educational programme.

**Motu** · 6th October 2005, 09:17

Apart from lighter bikes of course,but they needed a 21in front wheel in those conditions,the 19 just gets stopped dead in the rocks.Of course I reckon I could do the Road of Bones on a trials bike,but with only a back pack,and it's not something you could RTW on.

But the conditions show where a 4x4 or 6x6 is better than a bike.The only place a bike gets passed off road by these things is in deep mud or deep water,almost impossible on a bike,plus the current in some of those rivers would sweep you away.Good on them for taking on as much as they could - that was an adventure no matter what way you look at it.

**SpankMe** · 6th October 2005, 09:18

Originally Posted by bugjuice

don't know about that bear stuff. Growing up in a western society and seeing things like this, it does make us upset.

Not me. I would have been the first one to leap out of the truck, rifle in hand, ready to get myself a bear trophy.

If it ain't endangered, it's fair game.

**Wolf** · 6th October 2005, 10:16

Originally Posted by Motu

Apart from lighter bikes of course,but they needed a 21in front wheel in those conditions,the 19 just gets stopped dead in the rocks.Of course I reckon I could do the Road of Bones on a trials bike,but with only a back pack,and it's not something you could RTW on.

That's pretty much what was going through my mind (Not saying I have the experience to take on the Road of Bones) - fair enough taking on a lot of that off-road stuff on a trials bike, but not with all that stuff on it - just the bike and rider.

I've ridden off-road unencumbered and I've ridden on the road with the bike groaning under the luggage; riding off-road with the bike groaning under the luggage would be another proposition entirely - that's probably half the adventure.

**Postie** · 6th October 2005, 10:17

when the support crew truck was getting through the river and it lost one of the boxes from the roof rack, it looked like the whole 4X4 was gonna tip over............ i hope the driver had a spare set of boxers handy.....

**bugjuice** · 6th October 2005, 10:24

Originally Posted by Postie

i hope the driver had a spare set of boxers handy.....

they were in the box that fell off

those river crossings were mental tho.. and to think that's a way of life.. hell yeah!!

**nudemetalz** · 6th October 2005, 10:31

Okay, I see all of your points regarding the bear, maybe I just saw it through an animal-loving perspective and not a way of life perspective that the Russians have.

**Wolf** · 6th October 2005, 11:02

Originally Posted by nudemetalz

Okay, I see all of your points regarding the bear, maybe I just saw it through an animal-loving perspective and not a way of life perspective that the Russians have.

I'm an animal-lover too, and disapprove of trophy-hunting but I'm OK with pest destruction and killing for food. The killing of the bear is a grey area for me, though - they're killing it to sell the pelt and gall-bladder which, in this day and age, either directly or indirectly relates to getting food. Most people buy their provisions rather than grow them or hunt for them, so any income aids in that. Tyres have to be paid for, possibly at the expense of food (in order to ensure they continue working long enough to earn more money for food later) if the bear's pelt pays for the tyres it frees up the money that would have been spent on them - more money for food. And the truck keeps going, the blokes keep working and earning money for their families.

As I said, a grey area. I certainly understand it more than a person who kills a buck, takes the skin and the head and leaves the rest to rot in the bush just to put the deer's head over their mantel-piece or, worse, to win the prize at this year's Trophy Shoot. Sure, buck meat tastes like shit - testosterone- and adrenalin-laced and tough as hell - which to me disqualifies it as a target unless I were on a culling mission. I'd rather shoot a Hind - they taste better. And I'd keep the skin or sell it because to throw it away would be a waste.

**Motu** · 6th October 2005, 11:15

If it was a Snow Leopard those guys would of done the same thing,it's ok to justify the locals in living the life they always have,but they lack a world,or long distance view,these same people killed the last Dodo.