Visa extensions in hand, we slipped out of Surabaya. Kalimantan–with its heat, humidity and hills– had left us exhausted. Downtime imposed by the dawdling Indonesian immigration officials had done us good. We’d satiated our appetite for internet and were eager to start cranking the pedals
The Streets of Surabaya
One of the best parts of an extended bike tour is the luxury of time. Time to take it slow, drink in the landscape and stop for a chat. But sometimes bureaucracy forces you to slow down. That’s our current
Thoughts on Sticking it Out
I hate the feeling of giving up. You probably do, too. Yet we all have those throw-in-the-towel days. During our two and a half months biking around Borneo I’ve had plenty of them. But I stuck it out. And I’m
Into the jungle: biking Borneo gets better (and worse!)
I’m not normally a jungle person. Pedaling through places with steamy equatorial climates—Guyana, Gabon, Borneo—ranks just above biking through China’s factory belts or on Southern California’s 8-lane freeways. Jungles scare me. The thick tangles of vegetation feel forbidding. The constant buzz of
Dual Reality: cyclists and a culture of collective amnesia
Six months from now we’ll be 8,000 kilometers south of the equator somewhere on the South Island of New Zealand. I imagine us gathered around a roaring campfire swapping tales with fellow cyclists. Sooner or later the talk will turn
Stumbling on Adventure
“Let us know if you make it.” I shot Chad, our latest couchsurfing host, a confused look. “What do you mean, IF we make it?” Turns out Eric had been conspiring to bring a little excitement to our Borneo tour.
Oh, the People You’ll Meet!
Most cycle tourists rank “Easy Interaction with Locals” as one of their top reasons for travelling by bicycle. Whether it’s exuberant kids in Burundi cheering you up the mountainside, taciturn Mayans of the Guatemalan Highlands welcoming you into their humble
Slow Boat to Borneo
For a cyclist, Indonesia–a country comprised of some 18,000 islands–poses more than a few logistical challenges. If you stick to the main islands—Java, Sumatra, maybe Bali and Lombok—getting around’s not too tough. It’s when you venture farther afield, say to
Malaysia Mix: ATM Annoyances, advice from the imam and more
Eric stepped out of the small supermarket scowling. “They don’t take Thai Baht.” Pretty normal, I decided, since we are, after all, in Malaysia. Normal, but annoying, since all we had was Thai Baht. And a stash of US dollars,
Tourism and Terrorism
“Aren’t you afraid of the bombs?” Cycling through Thailand’s deep south, this troubling enquiry was tossed out multiple times each day. Sure we were scared! Who wouldn’t be if they had bothered to read this warning from the US State