Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Map and compass? Heck I have pretty much never used a compass on a road tour. Choices are usually binary, left or right turn? I think most have enough awareness to pick between the two in most cases when using a road map. The sun, distant mountains, bodies of water, and so on tend to keep you somewhat oriented. You generally know what direction you are travelling on a given road. After carrying a compass for thousands of miles I realized that it just stayed in the bag unused while riding.........
depends on the situation.
here on the island, we have the main outer loop highway, with an assortment of provincial roads linking the towns.
aside from that we have a maze of farm and county roads throughout the interior, mostly with no signage. only 'bout half the population can speak recognizable chinese, so good luck asking for directions.
interior roads are not straight, looping around hills and valleys and volcanic flows. highly vegetated, not always clear views from under the palm and banana trees.
cheap handlebar mount compass is my favorite tool for riding in this area. also came in mucho handy taking the unmarked dirt trails through laos and cambodia.
as to the maps and cue sheets..........i usually daily cue sheets and keep the maps sealed in the saddlebags, but also drawbacks if the maps haven't been updated. or you're in a country where all the squiggles on the roadsigns look the same. yes, i'm talkin' bout you, myanmar! or here in parts of china where the maps are in standard chinese, but the signs are in the local dialect.