Why are you cycling to South Africa?
I get that question quite a lot. It's often follwed by "You're crazy!" Honestly I don't have a legitimate answer other than I can and because I want to. I've always had a taste for adventure and I don't like doing things the easy way. Especially when it comes to travelling.
Sure, there is something to be said about luxury travel and being pampered to feel good. Being pampered makes me feel uneasy. I feel like I should be the one doing the pampering (for those in the know, that why I don't go for massages).
Backpacking is also a great way to travel. Taking a bus or train from town to town to see the sites is a lot of fun. You get to meet the locals and interact with them in a different way. I recall a journey in Laos where I travelled from xx to Luang Probang. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous as the bus swerved around the rolling hills that went on for mile after mile. This sweet old lady who sat next to me didn't speak a word of English but we had a jolly old time getting to know each other. In my limited Laos I was able to express where I came from and what I did for a living. She told me about her two kids and her grand children. In her generosity she shared some snack with me. I think this was a down payment for sleeping on my shoulder for the next 10 hours.
Hitchhiking is also a lot of fun. You never know who is going to stop for you, and how far they'll take you. Will it be an ambulance driver in Thailand, a sweet old lady who doesn't know why she stopped in Malaysia or even a military convoy in Cambodia.
But cycling, that's where the challenge lies. I can liken it to the way I climb a mountain. It's me against the uphill. Nobody else is involved. You have to have your wits about you every step of the way. Or else one misstep and you could... get a bruised shin?
Now its me and the open road. I'm following the sun over the horizon into the west.
I get that question quite a lot. It's often follwed by "You're crazy!" Honestly I don't have a legitimate answer other than I can and because I want to. I've always had a taste for adventure and I don't like doing things the easy way. Especially when it comes to travelling.
Sure, there is something to be said about luxury travel and being pampered to feel good. Being pampered makes me feel uneasy. I feel like I should be the one doing the pampering (for those in the know, that why I don't go for massages).
Backpacking is also a great way to travel. Taking a bus or train from town to town to see the sites is a lot of fun. You get to meet the locals and interact with them in a different way. I recall a journey in Laos where I travelled from xx to Luang Probang. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous as the bus swerved around the rolling hills that went on for mile after mile. This sweet old lady who sat next to me didn't speak a word of English but we had a jolly old time getting to know each other. In my limited Laos I was able to express where I came from and what I did for a living. She told me about her two kids and her grand children. In her generosity she shared some snack with me. I think this was a down payment for sleeping on my shoulder for the next 10 hours.
Hitchhiking is also a lot of fun. You never know who is going to stop for you, and how far they'll take you. Will it be an ambulance driver in Thailand, a sweet old lady who doesn't know why she stopped in Malaysia or even a military convoy in Cambodia.
But cycling, that's where the challenge lies. I can liken it to the way I climb a mountain. It's me against the uphill. Nobody else is involved. You have to have your wits about you every step of the way. Or else one misstep and you could... get a bruised shin?
Now its me and the open road. I'm following the sun over the horizon into the west.
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