Round the World Bicycle Tour since 2006
Independent Tibet travel for foreigners has been officially off-limits for years. The occasional intrepid cyclist does manage to sneak in, but most who try it get booted out by the ever-vigilant officers of the PSB (Public Security Bureau). Unwilling to
Southwest China deserves to be near the top of any adventure cyclist’s must-ride list. The last 3 weeks biking Yunnan province have been some of the best in recent years. Yunnan is a place of empty spaces, pristine natural beauty
An enraged local man punches Eric in the face, busting his glasses. That’s how our China tour began. Actually, there were two men. The middle-aged guy shook Eric by the collar while the younger one threw the punch. A case
We love Laos. This is where we met way back in 1996 and the country will always hold a special place in our hearts. Much has changed since we backpacked there in the mid-90’s. Back then there was no tourist
The wind picked up, the sky turned a deep indigo and a few moments later the clouds burst. The rain fell fast and furious, pelting the thin metal roof under which we were sheltering. I was grateful to the Thai
Almost six months ago we rolled off the Pelni from Malaysia and set out to circumnavigate Sulawesi. We survived that (but just barely) and went on to bike the length of Java (which turned out to be much better than
A little to the left, a slight move to the right, a minor change of saddle angle…nothing stopped the bolts of pain in my underside as we bumped along Sumatra’s backroads. Turns out we still have a few things to
As we crested the summit, a gust of wind brushed away a thick tangle of clouds and our eyes fell upon a spectacular sight: Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano. Rising almost 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), “Fire Mountain” has been
We made it (to our own great amazement)! A whopping 3,563 kilometers around just one of Indonesia’s 18,307 islands. In comparison, London to Istanbul measures 2,994 kilometers. Maine to Florida just 2,560 kilometers. So we’ve covered a lot of kilometers
The Indonesians, with a little monetary support from their Aussie neighbors, have embarked on a road building bonanza. Silky smooth tarmac roads soon will link most of the coastal settlements. This is a good thing. We love riding rough (maybe