Ask someone in England to describe their vision of paradise. That place exists. It is in Thailand, and it is exactly where I spent a fortnight cycling, from Bangkok to Malaysia.“Hug the east coast, stay off the highways and have fun!” advised my Australian friend, Paul, as he watched me devour my first pizza in […]
Asia
The ferry from Singapore to Jakarta – What’s ‘Class F’ really like?
“Come back tomorrow. 4am” the ticket officer repeated for the 7th time. I had travelled in Asia long enough to know there was no way they would be open at 4 in the morning. Once again, I tried to explain that my boat left at 6am, and there was not another for a week. “Yes” […]
The End of the Road – Reaching Singapore!
This morning I woke up and pointed my bike in the direction of Singapore. Just 70km to go. I allowed a goofy, big grin, that would startle anyone who saw it, and began to pedal. I was going to make it… I was actually going to make it! I smiled again, and then I laughed.Two years ago, […]
“I don’t even want to see another bike!” – Holiday in Thailand
Just like marathon runners might ‘hit the wall’, the same thing can happen to someone cycling around the world but rather than a physical wall, it is a mental one – indeed, most of the challenges cycling around the world are mental. By the time I entered Thailand I was tired of cycling; no matter […]
Miracle in North India
There’s a theory called the six degrees of separation. If you took all your friends and acquaintances, and then all their friends and acquaintances, and then all their friends and acquaintances, and so on six times, you would know everyone in the whole world. That’s how tiny and connected our world is! Amazing huh? Well, […]
Crossing the Caspian – The Journey
Susanna and I reached the port just after 5, both anxious we were cutting it a bit tight, with the ferries scheduled departure at 5/6. We shouldn’t have worried; in the end the boat didn’t leave until well after midnight.We had no idea what conditions on the boat would be like, where we would sleep, […]
The Caspian Crossing – Finding the Golden Ticket!
Crossing the Caspian Sea by FerryAzerbaijan’s capital city, Baku was an exciting milestone for me and my adventure bike touring around the world. I had reached the Caspian Sea and could go no further. I had wanted to go south, through Iran but visa requirements denied me access there. To the north was Russia. Closed […]
Cycling across Asia – The Plan
It was a difficult decision to come home over winter. I tossed and turned in my tent at night for months and I wrestled over it during long days in the saddle. Even at home I have struggled with the feeling of unfinished business, often feeling like my mind is still out there on the […]
Heading East on a Bike
So, I’m in my final year of University, which means many questions are asked as to what everyone is doing next year. This is a perfectly reasonable question. Every time I’ve been asked I’ve nearly always responded with a ‘fluffy’ answer like, “Oh, I want to travel”, or “I have no real plans”. Both answers […]