“How many bikes have you used?” is a surprisingly common question when we tell people how far we’ve ridden. It never ceases to amaze us what the trusty steed has put up with over the last 18 months on some of the worst roads and with a hefty load of luggage on board, but it’s …
Reincarnation is a funny thing. One lifetime you’re a monk, the next you’re a 17 foot python. Is that an improvement or a step backwards? It’s possible to sit face to face with the 125 year old serpent/former holy man in a small monastery in Bago. We watched several worshippers offer money in return for …
We would like to wish all our family, friends and followers a very merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful time wherever you may be. A lot of road has passed under our tyres since last Christmas and its been quite a year, but we can’t wait to see what 2016 brings! Tail winds …
Myanmar is no stranger to change. It’s name for one, (though many people still refer to it as Burma). It’s capital city has shifted around the country at least four times. It’s been controlled by the Mongols, The British, been an independent democratic nation and a military dictatorship. Now with the first ‘fully democratic’ elections …
India had conspired with our bodies to make sure our stay was a lot longer than originally planned. But even after a total of nearly three months in the country we’d barely begun to explore it properly. It’s so huge and so diverse that we could have spent three years here and still not done …
2nd November – 19th November 2015 A small party gathers outside the Elbrus Home Hotel to wave us off. The owner, Khem is joined by a couple of the other staff who have looked after us so well during our stay. Fellow British cyclists, Graham, Frances and Sarah are also keen to see the tandem …
Sometimes what seems to be a small decision can have a big impact. Sitting in a roadside stall in a small Indian town called Nagina that happened to have WiFi, I was trying to arrange postage of our next parcel of parts with my brother via a WhatsApp call. All the couriers that he’d spoken …
Read more “Escape from Kathmandu / A Short Walk in the Annapurna Sanctuary”
“Where are you going?”“Kathmandu!”“On this bicycle?”“Yes!”“I do not think that this is possible.” For as long as I can remember, almost universally the first question we’ve been asked by the people we encounter on this trip is “Where are you from?”. Admittedly this has varied slightly with the relentless “Atkuda, atkuda?” through Central Asia and …
There’s always a fine line between keeping the momentum of the trip going to seek out the next chapter of the adventure and knowing when it’s time to stop and rest. Kirsty will tell you that I have no idea where this line is drawn, and she’s probably right. 15th August – 16th September 2015 …
Flying has some advantages as a form of transport over traveling by bike. It’s quicker for one, 100’s of km pass by in minutes and hours instead of days and weeks. It’s certainly less physically demanding with the stairs up to the plane being the hardest climb you’re likely to encounter. The seats are generally …