The Silk Route Motorcaravan Club.

Bulletin 98.

September 2002.
Translated by Christine O'Brien.
Edited for publication by Bill Peckham.

Uploaded from Shanghai by GSM phone so no photographs!
Stephen Stewart.

Order of the Day.

Sunday 29 September: Lillebonne Leisure Centre (5km from Mézin, around 50km south west of Agen), 10.00 Opening of the AGM.

Appointment of officers for the AGM.

General report (which you will find below, and which will therefore not be read, as usual). Vote.

Financial report, ditto, comments, hopefully keeping subscriptions at their current levels. Vote.

New nominations for the officers.

Outgoing officers are: president Jacques Mahaut, vice-president Félix Fenech, vice-president for the English-speaking section Les Brook, treasurer Monique Brouquet, secretary Michèle Lombart, assistant secretary Bob Perdriau; also Gérard Desfaucheux, Jean moriot, Jo Aubry, Robert Gastaud, André Bertrand, Clive Barker, Marcel Milliard, Alain Briançon, Marcel Legeay.

Choice of dates and destinations for the June and September 2003 'balades' (Alsace, Picardy, Wales?); presentation by organisers. Choice of date and place for the 2003 AGM.

Possible modification of statues (new head office?)

12.30 Drinks and lunch.

15.00 Work resumes with travel plans, questions.

Monday 30 September, morning, work continues. Group meetings to prepare trips.

13.00 Close. Possible video showings, if material is available.

General Report.

From reading the bulletins in which 3 or 4 new members appear in each issue, you may be thinking that our club is still growing. Well, this isn't the case - luckily for me, perhaps - as there are almost as many unheralded departures. What is interesting is that most of those who are leaving are recent members. The old ones keep hanging on. Apparently this is not unusual. Our treasurer who is all too familar with the problem, told me that this happens in all clubs. Putting down roots isn't easy. But once they are there, that's it!

This state of affairs is not going to continue indefinitely. The well is not going to run dry, but I am growing old. Yes, managing means being prepared. In 2003 I shall be 70, I'll have been married for 50 years and our club will be coming into it's 10th year - a lot for one man to cope with. I think I can deal with the next year without too much bother, but the time has come to think about the future and we have to start considering the way forward. So please think about this problem and come up with some suggestions. The post is open to all-comers.

Paris-Beijing.

21 July 2002. The French were at Turpan and travelling slowly, because of Roger's faulty shock absorbers towards Hami.

29 July 2002. They were at Landzou, waiting for spare parts (new shocks, radiator, etc) which arrived on 1 August and were fitted on 2nd.

4 August 2002, met up with the English at Xian, before splitting up again, each group travelling at their own pace. 5 August in an air-conditioned minibus to the neolithic village of Bampo and the buried army. On the 6th towards Beijing along route 210, a mountain road overlooking the splendid Yellow River valley. Heavy and dangerous traffic. On the 9th they were at Pingyao, an ancient town which has retained its character and its fortifications.

12 August 2002, message: we're at Beijing, meeting with English-speaking group.

Serge Herviou.

Forthcoming meetings.

12-18 September Sillans-la-Cascade (Var). Phone 06 81 494 180.

Monday 23 September, rest station at Puy-L'Evêque.

Wednesday 25 September, Cahors, meet at 14.00 at the bottom of the Pont Valentré. Park in the evening at the Mont Saint-Cyr.

Thursday 26 September, evening Roquefort d'Agen.

Friday 27 September, evening Nérac.

Saturday 28 September, morning, guided tour of a pigeon loft. Evening, parking at Mézin.

Sunday 29 September, AGM, see above.

Thursday 3 October, Paris, Salon du Bourget, at the Parc de la Courneuve, Autostar stand, around 14.00.

Postcards from...

From Daniel and Danièle Meunier, Granada, 21 July. A few weeks in Andalucia. It is very hot. We are enjoying visiting mosques and churches between Cordova, Seville and Granada.

From Stewart, Middleton, Brooks, Barkers, Hunters and Warbuton. Dunhuang, 23 July. Hello from all the Anglos on the Silk Route. We have just finished a wonderful tour through the Mogao Caves, near Dunhuang, with incredible very old Buddhist paintings and statues. This afternoon, we will drive into Dunhuang to the museum and then the 'singing' sand dunes. Finding places to park at night in town is difficult. We are all well (but hot!).

From Michel Barbaudy, Montreal, 30 July. Robert Vangrevelinghe and I are here on Canadian soil after a straightforward trip. Thanks for coming to say goodbye at Roissy. We have already had a good walk round Montreal, the old town and the Lartin quarter. Lots of people who sleep in the squares and wash their clothes in the fountains.

From Maurice Vuillaume and Angèle, Fos-sur-Mer, 2 August. A little change of scenery, with patchy sunshine but interesting things to see, as everywhere. Soon the cherry-plums of Lorraine and we'll be there for the outing in the south west.

From Jeannine and Denis Durand, Hakkari, 5 August. Once again we're in Turkey, but this time travelling across the south east in high summer thanks to air-conditioning installed for the occasion! Superb landscapes, lively customs, hospitality and friendship from everyone. 7 weeks of delightful travelling and we've been gathering information for anyone who would like it.

From Jean and Simone Moriot, Cairn, 7 August. Australia is not beautiful, but it is so far away and so huge. As complete novices, we've been trying for 8 days to communicate by email. jean-moriot@laposte.net