After Hokkaido, we had just a month to pedal the length of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Our visas were due to expire and we had a ferry to catch to Korea. Pounding out 2,000 kilometers in 30 days wouldn’t
Let your GPS be your Guide!
“Are you sure we’re headed the right direction? Looks like this road is meant to be closed.” “According to the GPS we just head straight up this road and we’ll hit the lake in 10 kilometers. It’s a shortcut. Trust
Happy in Hokkaido!
Sunshine. A few rays of warm sunshine, that’s all it took to transform our Hokkaido cycle tour from one of futile misery to fun. Our sincerest apologies, beautiful Hokkaido! Your reputation as a world class cycling destination is well deserved.
Hokkaido Hoax
I’d spun Hokkaido into some kind of cycling nirvana. A Shangri-La of sorts where a smooth ribbon of road cut through the countryside. A bike tourist’s Eden of tailwinds and temperate weather. A utopia of sane drivers, safe roads and
Riding the Spine
Japan is a surprisingly mountainous country. With all the major population centers shoved together along the coastal lowlands, the interior is blissfully empty. After all the hassles and headaches of navigating between Osaka and Tokyo (with a population of around
Mapless in Japan
A country covered in road signs you can’t read, inhabited by people speaking a language you don’t understand may not seem like the ideal spot to wing it on a bike tour. No, Japan is ordinarily a place cyclists travel
Dangerous Expectations
It was mid-morning by the time the bikes were reassembled, the panniers re-packed and we were ready to ride out into the Osaka traffic. The night had been restless. Kansai International Airport is undeserving of its spot in Asia’s Top
Tour de Timor
Despite dire warnings (You’ll sink! You’ll be crushed by the crowds! You’ll catch a nasty disease!), we’d survived half a dozen Indonesian ferries. The trip to Timor was to be our last. The journey was slated for a mere 18
Warning: Superhuman strength required
A few superhuman cyclists with legs of steel manage to traverse the island too, using local buses to get up the worst hills and freewheeling down, but the topography of the island rules out cycling for all but Tour-de-France trainees.
Island Hopping: Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa
Sunrise cycling on a beautiful tropical island is about as good as it gets. Soft pastels brighten into a blazing blue, a gentle breeze rolls in from the sea and the air is fresh with possibility. I savor these moments