During my 2.5 year adventure cycling around the world, I tracked every single penny, rupee, lira and dong that I spent; I’ve added everything together, and can reveal how much it costs to cycle around the world. I set off after University, doubting whether the limited money I’d saved would last until Australia. But I […]
Cycling Across Asia
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 Thailand’s ‘Dangerous’ Deep South!
Anxious glances flicked around the bar. The silence was deafening. I had just announced my plan to cycle through Pattani and Natirawat, two states in Thailand’s ‘Dangerous Deep South.’ Unlike the rest of Thailand, Buddhist, these states are Muslim, and formed largely of Malay people. A separatist movement to split away, flairs into violence or […]
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 […]
“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 […]
Culture Shock in Thailand: Where did the adventure go?!
For the third time of the trip I had a culture shock crossing into Thailand. The first was in Bosnia, where it became clear I was no longer in Western Europe. Heck, it didn’t even feel like Europe any more. The second was flying to India. India is India, nothing prepares you for that. But […]