Summer swept across Australia with gusto, a fiery net ensnaring Jaimi and I, even as we fought to cycle south, further from the equator. Cooler weather remained 200 kilometres to the south, but by the time we got there, it had slipped further out of reach. While the temperature remained constant, we were at least […]
cycling around the world
Cycling Across Australia 2 – Finding Beauty in the Nothing
I love the unpredictability of travelling, all the random and serendipitous encounters that surprise you along the way. In Katherine, I met an English Girl, Jaimi. Like me, she had spent the last two years cycling from England, and though similar routes led us to Australia, sometimes only two weeks apart, we had never met […]
Cycling Across Australia 1: Did I bite off too much?
As the plane had descended into Darwin, I had gazed south. Beyond the grey smudge of city, I could see a huge distance – perhaps 40 or 50 kilometres – of nothingness, which stretched right up to the horizon. I pictured this vastness extending over that horizon, then the horizon after that and, indeed, for […]
One road ends, and another begins
I am sitting with my cousin on the rooftop of a restaurant in Istanbul sipping in the cool evening atmosphere. The blue mosque and the Hagia Sofia are illuminated nearby. A dervish is whirling in the square below us. A thousand minarets pierce the skyline. But I am almost oblivious to all of that, captivated instead […]
Bike Touring in Paradise – Thailand’s East Coast
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 […]
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” […]
On a ferry named PELNI – Leaving Singapore!
In the niche world of ‘cycling around the world’, and overland travel in general, legend tells of a boat from Singapore to Australia, which ferries travellers from one continent to the next. The thing is, beyond speculation or rumour, no-one knows anything about this boat, or anyone who took it. There is certainly no passenger […]
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, […]
4 tales from Vietnam to Restore your Faith in Humanity!
This blog post is dedicated to sharing a handful of positive and uplifting stories from the two weeks I spent cycling in Vietnam. Unlike the news which seems to bombard us with negativity, I’m here to tell you what an awesome world we live in. So sit back, sip a cup of tea, and have […]
The Hardest 10 Pedal Strokes – Cycling Around The World
I hugged my mum and kissed my sister. Friends and family who had come from all over the country began a countdown. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. And then I began to cycle. I was off. I had dreamed of this day for two years; I was finally an adventurer, cycling around the world, with […]