Chat Zone for The Big Big Trip Journal!

[Pat "5mph"]

the photo count is since you signed up on Google!

Aye, since Hobbes signed up on Google the second time round!
Remember the stolen phone? No access to the original Google account yet

 

[HobbesOnTour]

17,500 photos in 7 months ???!!! I am guessing the map covers the 7 months and the photo count is since you signed up on Google!

I knew you'd be the one to notice the number of photos!

No, Willie, those photos are all since March!
Pretty much a few weeks of Ecuador and then España.

I am going to be the biggest bore if anyone ever says "oh, do you have any pictures of your little trip?"

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Aye, since Hobbes signed up on Google the second time round!
Remember the stolen phone? No access to the original Google account yet

Yep! That's right!
It gives an idea of how many photos ai've lost

Speaking of which, I'm going another round with Google. inspired by the payment of my annual subscription for storage space (for all those feckin' photos!). So far I've got two people to just ignore me. I view that as progress because before I couldn't talk to anyone!
I have a definite link between me and the account - if only I can get someone who can do anything other than parrot the account recovery process.

The payment also triggered my PayPal which I have been able to restore after emails and a phonecall.

Slowly. Slowly. I'll get there.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

It's not mine but from Facebook.
I've twittered on and on about layers of mountains.......
Well, this is what a proper photographer can do! (Colombia)

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hmmmm....... Maybe drones aren't so bad after all.....


View: https://youtube.com/shorts/3iJv0POn9UM?feature=share

 

[HobbesOnTour]

The end of the road........

And it sure looks pretty

I've just moved in to my first "proper" accommodation since México after packing up the tent for the last time..... For a while

I have a job, a tax number but there is still a whole load of hoops to jump through - the Spanish authorities make the German bureaucracy look like child's play!

I'm in a beautiful part of the world, near to the ocean and mountains. Who'd have thought I'd come to ❤️ mountains so much!

I'm looking forward to sitting down and reading my Travelogue (I've ordered a Chromebook to enjoy the photos on a bigger screen), improving my Spanish and really getting a feel for this place. I thought I "knew" Spain when I arrived - Ha! Dumbass!

I've taken pretty good notes and have a bazillion photos so I'll get around to writing everything up at some stage.

I turn 50 in a few days and it's more than three years since I headed off and I'm ready to settle in one place for a while. I'm excited at what's in front of me. I keep saying that I don't know if this was the smartest or dumbest thing I've ever done but at this stage I don't regret a thing.

Bike touring - it's feckin' great!

 

[Oldhippy]

The end of the road........
View attachment 668941
And it sure looks pretty

I've just moved in to my first "proper" accommodation since México after packing up the tent for the last time..... For a while

I have a job, a tax number but there is still a whole load of hoops to jump through - the Spanish authorities make the German bureaucracy look like child's play!

I'm in a beautiful part of the world, near to the ocean and mountains. Who'd have thought I'd come to ❤️ mountains so much!

I'm looking forward to sitting down and reading my Travelogue (I've ordered a Chromebook to enjoy the photos on a bigger screen), improving my Spanish and really getting a feel for this place. I thought I "knew" Spain when I arrived - Ha! Dumbass!

I've taken pretty good notes and have a bazillion photos so I'll get around to writing everything up at some stage.

I turn 50 in a few days and it's more than three years since I headed off and I'm ready to settle in one place for a while. I'm excited at what's in front of me. I keep saying that I don't know if this was the smartest or dumbest thing I've ever done but at this stage I don't regret a thing.

Bike touring - it's feckin' great!

So looking forward to reading the book of the tour Hobbes. 😁

 

[Pat "5mph"]

@HobbesOnTour so you won't have access to your old laptop in the Netherlands to try to sign into your old google account?
Will someone send you over that laptop? I guess you could go and get it yourself, you're a stone throw away

 

[HobbesOnTour]

to try to sign into your old google account?

Ah, there you go breaking my heart!!

I think I'm up to 12 people now ignoring me in Google!

I realised that Google has an app (Google1) that covers all the "stored" content in Google so I downloaded that and tried to log in. I went through a slightly different process that actually used my "recovery" email address and received the response that Google would look into verifying me. That'll take a month, so maybe by Christmas!

Otherwise I'll need to take a trip up to NL to retrieve the laptop but after so much time I wouldn't be confident that that will change anything. It's not a priority.

There's a flaw in Google's processes in that I have the name of my account, my password and my recovery email but no-one will explain why nothing is working. There doesn't seem to be a complaints process nor an internal review. If it was just a "free" account I'd probably accept that - we get what we pay for - but I'm paying for the storage - so I'm not accepting it - plus it's pretty clear prrof that the account is mine.

I'll get there. Sooner or later.

The killer is that one of the "lost" days from the Travelogue was one of my best days on a bike - ever!
If I do get my notes and photos back you'll be one of the first ones to know since the Mods will have to squeeze the lost days in!

 

[chriswoody]

Best of luck for the future, exciting times ahead. I hope it's not too hard a transition settling down and stopping after all this time on the road. Don't leave the tent packed too long though, no doubt there's plenty of shorter touring options to be had where you are!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Best of luck for the future, exciting times ahead. I hope it's not too hard a transition settling down and stopping after all this time on the road. Don't leave the tent packed too long though, no doubt there's plenty of shorter touring options to be had where you are!

Thanks!
No doubt it will be a bit strange, at least at first but I'm happy with my decision. A bit of a base for a while won't be a bad thing at all. Luddite me has discovered Spotify so one of the things I've been missing the most - music - is sorted for a while.

There's lots of interesting cycling around here - one of the reasons I'm here - and I'll be hoping to do a few overnighters. It gets cold at night but is pleasantly warm and sunny in the daytime. A light load and I can get to some interesting places.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Yes, I'm a tease

@Pat "5mph" I'm afraid that I'll be asking to insert a few "lost" days into the Travelogue

 

[Pat "5mph"]

@Pat "5mph" I'm afraid that I'll be asking to insert a few "lost" days into the Travelogue

Did you get access to your account then?
Excellent!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Did you get access to your account then?
Excellent!

I did!
It only took nine and a half months

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Did you get access to your account then?
Excellent!

Hola, @Pat "5mph"
Not only do I have (most) of my photos and notes I've started writing them up in the Thread Editing Suite

Now, I've no idea how difficult or otherwise it is to add the new posts to the BBT thread or if it makes sense to wait until I'm finished them all before posting them so I'll leave it in your hands if that is ok?

Neither do I know if it's easier to delete the "holding" post or just place the new ones after it. Again, your call.

For reference, https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/t...-just-tell-him-your-plans.254046/post-6685984 is the "holding" post.

My thanks in advance for your help.

Spoiler alert!