Journeying east on a bicycle, to see what's there
I've been home in Melbourne now for two weeks. Since arriving my tent has stayed packed in its bag, I've been having hot showers, my stove hasn't been used and I haven't ridden more than a few kilometers a day. Yet despite that it's only just beginning to dawn on me that my trip is … Continue reading 15: Australia, End of the Road
Continuing on from Laos Part 1: Rural Laos is strung together by a seemingly endless web of spectacular dirt roads, stretching into forgotten little corners of South East Asia. Twisting through the jungle, the air thick with humidity and butterflies, most roads are rarely trafficked by anything other than the occasional motorbike and it's easy … Continue reading 14. Laos Part 2: Solitude and Strange Encounters
While in Kunming I found and bought a cheap flight to Sydney leaving on December 5th and in doing so imposed a non-negotiable time limit on my trip for the first time in nearly eight months. My ride would wrap up in Vientiane and then I would fly to Sydney and ride to Melbourne by … Continue reading 13. Laos Part 1: Lumbering through Laos
China was the nation about which I had the greatest preconceptions before visiting on my journey, and I'm glad and unsurprised to say that many of them have on a local level been wrong. Yes the massive country has a poor human rights record, poor work practices, pollution, overpopulation and is prone to strong-arming and … Continue reading 12. China Part 2: A Different China
For a large portion of my trip I didn't know whether I would make it to China. I knew that I would make it to the border, that was never in question, but making it across the border was something else. No embassy in Central Asia, Europe or the Middle East would issue me a tourist … Continue reading 11. China Part 1: ‘Uhhh… Ting Bu Dong’
From Zong onwards our jolly band of three became a band of four as we adopted our friend Nigel into the fold. A fair dinkum 61 year old Aussie from Coffs Harbour (despite being born in New Zealand) Nigel was an inspiration to us all. After the end of his marriage he needed a change, … Continue reading 10. Tajikistan Part 2: The Best Road I’ve Ever Ridden (Zong to Sary Tash)
Tajikistan is home to the Pamir mountains, a range sandwiched between the Tian Shan, Himalaya and Karakoram, and the site of some of the tallest and most beautiful peaks in the world. In many ways Tajikistan is the jewel of my meandering bike ride east. From the early planning stages of the trip when I … Continue reading 9. Tajikistan Part 1: Climbing to the Roof of the World (Dushanbe to Zong)
The road since Kazakhstan hasn't risen or dipped. It has rarely turned. Instead, it has shot a nearly straight line through the Uzbek landscape from Nukus in the north west to Samarkand in the south east. Much of the riding has been, to be honest, a bit uninspiring. The landscape has been flat, the wild … Continue reading 8. Deserts, dust and domes in Uzbekistan
It is rare for a desert to be a pleasant surprise, but the ~500km stretch of road from Aktau to Beyneu in eastern Kazakhstan was just that. I had read blogs telling tales of terribly surfaced roads, relentless headwinds and unfriendly locals and I briefly considered taking the train. Luckily though, with some bike friends … Continue reading 7. The Desert Dash Through Kazakhstan
The sign on the Georgian side of the border with Azerbaijan said 'Good Luck!" I laughed as I passed under it, not realising that I would be needing some luck very soon. I was about to dip my toes in the murky pool of post soviet bureaucracy for the first time. Azerbaijan uses an e … Continue reading 6. Bound for Baku
East Overland 