Silk Route beckons adventure motorcyclist

He's been jailed on the Chile-Peru border and nearly bombed in Northern India - but adventure motorcyclist Dave Wallace still plans to tackle the ultimate ride across Europe and Asia.
The 54-year-old Tauranga farmer has spent two years helping organise an epic trans-continental motorcycle journey that follows in Marco Polo's footsteps across Eurasia.
Mr Wallace and six other Kiwi motorcyclists will ride BMW 650 Dakars along the Silk Route from Venice to Xanadu, near Beijing.
The Silkriders, as they call themselves, leave New Zealand in early April for the historic 15,000 km ride. The trip is expected to take three months.
Along the way, they intend to raise awareness for Unicef programmes, visiting schools in Central Asia and reporting experiences on their www.silkriders.co.nz website
Besides Mr Wallace, the Silkriders comprise high-profile economist Gareth Morgan, who is also a director of Unicef and co-leader of the tour, his wife Joanne, chairman of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Phil Lough, BMW dealer Brendan Keogh, financial analyst Selwyn Blinkhorne and pilot Bryan Wyness.
"As far as we know we are the first group of motorcyclists who have attempted the whole Silk Road," Mr Wallace said. Preparation for the trip has been a massive undertaking.
Travelling in countries such as Iran, Uzbekistan and China involves a high degree of risk but Mr Wallace hopes his typical Kiwi "she'll-be-right" attitude will get him through.
"There is fear of death and being taken hostage and getting tortured, I suppose that's possible, but if we are open and friendly and honest enough with people then we'll get by," he said.
And if the genial approach falls flat, he has a plan B: "If you can't get out of jail, give them money."
Mr Wallace's experience on motorcycle tours in Northern India and South America has equipped him with survival skills for hostile road blocks.
In northern India, bombs were lobbed into a village where he was staying. Locals tried to play it down by saying people from Pakistan were simply practising.
On the Chile-Peru border, he was jailed for a short time but did not know why. He was released after someone who spoke English came to his aid.
Mr Wallace's survival secret is to "be nice, be firm, keep a sense of humour and a fair amount of bluff".
The element of the trip he is most looking forward to is meeting people and treating them to rides on his bike.
"Even if it teaches that kid, when he's 19 or 20 years old and wants to be a terrorist, that some of us Westerners on motorbikes are not all bad," said Mr Wallace.
In such remote areas, the group cannot rely on medical help so they have trained in first aid to handle emergencies.
Mr Wallace found the tip for dressing gunshot wounds particularly useful.
"The military use Tampax. It's a round hole. They just push them in," he said with amusement.
The looming danger and excitement is a world away from Mr Wallace's peaceful farm in Pyes Pa overlooking Tauranga harbour.
His wife Yvonne is happy to stay at home to harvest their orchids.
She said she is excited for her husband but will give him a big lecture about safety before he leaves. The group will keep in touch via a satellite phone and the internet.