{"id":535,"date":"2011-02-10T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2011-02-10T04:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=535"},"modified":"2016-12-30T12:27:55","modified_gmt":"2016-12-30T17:27:55","slug":"25-strange-bizarre-and-beautiful-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/25-strange-bizarre-and-beautiful-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"25 strange, bizarre and beautiful experiences."},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>When you pedal almost 90,000 kilometers around the world, you\u2019re bound to have some out-of-the-ordinary experiences.\u00a0 Here are a few them.<\/h2>\n<h4>I never thought I\u2019d end up\u2026<\/h4>\n<p>1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sleeping on the floor of an all-women\u2019s mosque on the border between Syria and Lebanon during a freak snowstorm.<\/p>\n<p>2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learning to love cycling through the desert\u2026even with the sun beating down and temperatures soaring to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_536\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-536\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2566eric-sand.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-536 \" style=\"border: 7px solid black;\" title=\"Cycling the desert.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2566eric-sand.jpg\" alt=\"I know it doesn't appear that way, but Eric's having a really good time. Nothing better than pushing youir bike through a hot desert.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2566eric-sand.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2566eric-sand-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2566eric-sand-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I know it doesn&#8217;t appear that way, but Eric&#8217;s having a lot of fun. There&#8217;s nothing better than pushing your bike through a hot desert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Having the Egyptian military stop all traffic so we could bike solo through the Suez tunnel connecting Africa to Asia.\u00a0 We caused a major traffic back-up, but were met with applause and whistling when we finally popped out in the Sinai on the other side.<\/p>\n<p>4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Being the only south-bound guests to ever spend the night at a safe-house normally hosting migrants headed north in search of a better life in the United States.\u00a0 A sobering experience that reminded me, once again, how the randomness of birth\u00a0place determines so much in life.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_564\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-564\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_5588-RULES.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-564 size-full\" title=\"IMG_5588-RULES\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_5588-RULES.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_5588-RULES\" width=\"450\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_5588-RULES.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_5588-RULES-333x500.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-564\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rule #1: You must be a migrant. Your nationality doesn&#8217;t matter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Avoiding a run-in with the so-called ninja rebels who controlled much of the Congo\u2019s countryside by boarding a freight train guarded by scruffy, heavily armed and half-drunk government soldiers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_539\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-539\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4381-train-congo.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-539\" title=\"img_4381-train-congo\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4381-train-congo.jpg\" alt=\"Really not that reassuring as far as safety was concerned. Maybe we would have been better off with the ninjasM\" width=\"300\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Really not that reassuring as far as safety was concerned. We might have been better off with the ninjas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Being woken up in our tent on the West Bank in Jordan to a group of well-armed soldiers with their weapons pointing right us.\u00a0 They ended up being friendly enough, just concerned about tourists wild-camping in such a sensitive zone.<\/p>\n<p>7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Regularly setting up our tent smack-dab in the middle of the market in small towns throughout Brazil.\u00a0 A strange concept for us, but Brazilians find it quite normal to sling their hammocks up at markets and gas stations while traveling.<\/p>\n<p>8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Getting pulled over by a local Sherriff not once, not twice, but three times for such a serious offense as \u2018cycling on the road\u2019.\u00a0 In some states, those on bicycles really are third-class citizens.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_552\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-552\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_4502-share-the-road.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-552 \" style=\"border: 8px solid black;\" title=\"IMG_4502-share-the-road\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_4502-share-the-road.gif\" alt=\"In somes ome states locals aren't as keen to share the road. Ride with the traffic and somebody is likely to call in to the police and complain. Then the sirens start wailing.\" width=\"450\" height=\"271\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-552\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In some some states locals aren&#8217;t as keen to share the road. Ride with the traffic and somebody is likely to call into the police and complain. Then the sirens start wailing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Grabbing on to the back of a truck and hitching a ride up a steep hill in Burundi.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_540\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-540\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4936-lorry-surfing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-540\" title=\"img_4936-lorry-surfing\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4936-lorry-surfing.jpg\" alt=\"Lorry surfing in Burundi. Lot's of fun, but you've really got to hold on tight.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4936-lorry-surfing.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4936-lorry-surfing-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_4936-lorry-surfing-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-540\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lorry surfing in Burundi. Lot&#8217;s of fun, but you&#8217;ve really got to hold on tight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>10.\u00a0\u00a0 Dodging stone-throwing youths in Ethiopia.\u00a0 The only country in Africa where I was really truly glad to get out.\u00a0 The Sudanese just across the border were far friendlier.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_541\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-541\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_9272-malawi-kids.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-541\" title=\"IMG_9272-malawi-kids\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_9272-malawi-kids.jpg\" alt=\"No, these kids are not from Ethiopia. Those happy faces can be found in Malawi.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_9272-malawi-kids.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_9272-malawi-kids-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_9272-malawi-kids-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-541\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">No, these kids are not from Ethiopia. Those happy faces can be found in Malawi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>11.\u00a0\u00a0 Coming down with Malaria twice.\u00a0 Could have been worse.\u00a0 \u00a0Eric also got laid up with malaria twice plus a nasty case of Dengue Fever and a mysterious case of Typhoid Fever.\u00a0 He even managed to pick up pneumonia and break his collar bone.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-542\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2381eric-malaria.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-542\" title=\"img_2381eric-malaria\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2381eric-malaria.jpg\" alt=\"Poor Eric. He really hasn't been very lucky when it comes to tropical diseases.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2381eric-malaria.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2381eric-malaria-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_2381eric-malaria-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Poor Eric. He really hasn&#8217;t been very lucky when it comes to tropical diseases.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>12.\u00a0\u00a0 Camping at a military compound in Colombia and spending the evening listening to the soldiers brag about taking on the FARC.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_543\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-543\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6382-colombia-military.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-543 \" title=\"IMG_6382-colombia-military\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6382-colombia-military.jpg\" alt=\"A friendly soldier in Colombia's infantry. \" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6382-colombia-military.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6382-colombia-military-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6382-colombia-military-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A friendly soldier in Colombia&#8217;s infantry. Not an obvious choice when searching for hospitality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>13.\u00a0\u00a0 Sampling all of Syria\u2019s delicious sweets and pastries and seldom pulling out my wallet to pay.\u00a0 Syrians are generous by nature and so thrilled to see foreign visitors on bicycles that local shop owners almost always insist <em>it\u2019s on the house<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_544\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-544\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_2354-syrian-sweets.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-544\" title=\"IMG_2354-syrian-sweets\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_2354-syrian-sweets.jpg\" alt=\"DELICIOUS! And what a bargain.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_2354-syrian-sweets.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_2354-syrian-sweets-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_2354-syrian-sweets-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-544\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">DELICIOUS! And what a bargain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>14.\u00a0\u00a0 Pedaling right past elephants, zebras and giraffes in southern Africa.\u00a0 Just glad we never crossed paths with a hungry lion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_562\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-562\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6152-giraffes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-562\" title=\"IMG_6152-giraffes\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6152-giraffes.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_6152-giraffes\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6152-giraffes.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6152-giraffes-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6152-giraffes-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Look closely&#8230;those are giraffes loping across the road.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>15.\u00a0\u00a0 Getting caught up in tribal warfare between the tribes of northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia.\u00a0 Locals insist the internal conflicts never affect foreigners, but it\u2019s hard to feel safe when cycling past men toting AK-47\u2019s and sharpening spears for battle.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_553\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-553\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_0705-ethiopia.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-553\" title=\"IMG_0705-ethiopia\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_0705-ethiopia.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0705-ethiopia\" width=\"450\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_0705-ethiopia.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_0705-ethiopia-333x500.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-553\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Ethiopian with a gun? Nothing strange about that.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>16.\u00a0\u00a0 Meeting up with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone and finding them quite normal, just like any other teenage boys.<\/p>\n<p>17.\u00a0\u00a0 Taking a ride on a riverboat down the mighty Amazon.<\/p>\n<p>18.\u00a0\u00a0 Meeting up with all sorts of slightly crazy Americans.\u00a0 From Greenpeace loving vegans in California to an exorcist in Missouri and an out-house using recluse in the hills of Kentucky.\u00a0 We learned something from each and every one of them.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_563\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-563\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/spring-outhouse.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-563\" title=\"spring outhouse\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/spring-outhouse.jpg\" alt=\"spring outhouse\" width=\"450\" height=\"338\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photo from our friend RB. This is his outhouse. The guy lives simply, way back in the Kentucky woods, but in an odd contradiction, he gets the Economist delivered directly to his well&#8230;&#8217;shack&#8217; and has a high-speed Internet connection. His priorities differ from those of your average American.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>19.\u00a0\u00a0 Crossing the Omo River with my bike and all my belongings perched in a precarious dugout canoe.\u00a0 Could have lost everything in an unanticipated tip.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_545\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-545\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_0323-omo-canoe.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-545\" title=\"IMG_0323-omo-canoe\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_0323-omo-canoe.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0323-omo-canoe\" width=\"300\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-545\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yikes! I hope the boatman knows what he&#8217;s doing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>20.\u00a0\u00a0 Climbing the Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namibia.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_6431_dune_amaya-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"450\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-546\" title=\"img_6431_dune_amaya-\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/img_6431_dune_amaya-.jpg\" alt=\"img_6431_dune_amaya-\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>21.\u00a0\u00a0 Peering out over Cape Town from atop Table Mountain.<\/p>\n<p>22.\u00a0\u00a0 Partly pushing, occasionally riding my bike along the worst road in Brazil.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_547\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-547\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6832-brazil-worst-road.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-547\" title=\"IMG_6832-brazil-worst-road\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6832-brazil-worst-road.jpg\" alt=\"So much mud.\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6832-brazil-worst-road.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6832-brazil-worst-road-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_6832-brazil-worst-road-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-547\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">So much mud.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>23.\u00a0\u00a0 Biking through the giant Redwoods of northern California.<\/p>\n<p>24.\u00a0\u00a0 Touching down at JFK and cycling into New York City. At night.<\/p>\n<p>25.\u00a0\u00a0 Being offered hospitality by complete strangers in every, single country we have cycled through.\u00a0 When you\u2019re on a bicycle, it seems the good people you meet outweigh the bad ones by about 1,000 to 1.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_548\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-548\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_1214_sudanese-family1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-548\" title=\"IMG_1214_sudanese-family\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_1214_sudanese-family1.jpg\" alt=\"This family, like so many others around the world, insisted we spend the night at their home. \" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_1214_sudanese-family1.jpg 450w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_1214_sudanese-family1-195x130.jpg 195w, http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_1214_sudanese-family1-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-548\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This family, like so many others around the world, insisted we spend the night at their home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you pedal almost 90,000 kilometers around the world, you\u2019re bound to have some out-of-the-ordinary experiences.\u00a0 Here are a few them. I never thought I\u2019d end up\u2026 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sleeping on the floor of an all-women\u2019s mosque on the border between<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>25 strange, bizarre and beautiful experiences. - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/25-strange-bizarre-and-beautiful-experiences\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"25 strange, bizarre and beautiful experiences. - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you pedal almost 90,000 kilometers around the world, you\u2019re bound to have some out-of-the-ordinary experiences.\u00a0 Here are a few them. 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