Renew Ride

My loop through Southeast Asia has taken me across rural Laos where I participated in a local Buddhist festival serving beer to elderly women. Reaching the Pacific ocean on the coast of Vietnam marked the end of an eight month trip across Eurasia from the Atlantic. And the days get hotter and hotter here in Cambodia where I hope for cloud cover, rain and anything that relieves the heat throughout the day.       Laos 3/3/19 - Siem Reap, Cambodia 1/4/19

VietnamI say goodbye to my Costa Rican machete which has been carving my pineapples for more than three years.Eight months ago I said goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean in the Netherlands. Now I say hello to the Pacific again in Vietnam. This picture shows these cool little bowl fishing boats used here.

These guys tried and failed to get me drunk on local Laos rice whisky, which goes great with freshly fried pork rindsThe world's most heavy duty mopeds can be found throughout Southeast Asia

In Laos, tree stumps are never wasted

I biked with Naomi over three years ago when I was crossing the United States. Reunited for a tropical fruit feast on the beach of Vietnam! Vietnam and USA are good

Typical home construction in Laos

Offerings to Buddha Laos

Cambodian beer advertisements cover the sides of rural homes tempting consumption prizes of air conditioners, flat screen televisions, and washing machines which would all fit just perfectly in these homes.

They are used to make statues like this!

Cycling through the rest of Burma, a rather cloistered country for so long, was a forward step back in time. The world felt old and original, with people still getting around in ox carts, rice fields being farmed in traditional ways, and life moving by just a little more slowly. The transition into Thailand was shockingly stark. I felt the heavy influence of western materialism, and the difference between two neighboring countries was one of the stronger I felt on this trip. But along back country roads through hilly Thailand, provincial Thai farmers still pick tamarinds off their trees by hand, and invited me over to share sticky rice out of bamboo baskets. And while the heat is nearly insufferable some afternoons, the myriad tropical fruits keep me motivated to explore almost every local market to shock my taste buds and watch the happy reaction of the people when they are.     Mandalay, Burma 7/2/19 - Vientiane, Laos 3/3/19

Kitty want my sandwich

Buddhist monks in supermarkets make my dayFirst jackfruit since Uganda!

Next Thai Generation

Thailand Burma

Bamboo used for everything in Burma

I met Nigel, a 63 year old Aussie finishing a seven year bike trip around the world. We shared more than a few good stories from the road.

Maybe the most poignant police statue on Earth

Goats

I started the New Year riding out of India across the Northeast States, a unique part of India surrounded by Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Burma that many different tribal groups still call home. Crossing into Burma I made my way to the old city of Mandalay where I completed a 10 day Vipassana Meditation course in noble silence. The positive experience left me feeling recharged physically and emotionally, ready to explore more of Southeast Asia.   Siliguri, India to Mandalay, Burma 1/1/19-7/2/19   (Warning, the video above contains content that some may find disturbing)

On the dusty roads of Northeast India

I went for my first teeth cleaning in 3.5 years before leaving India. The sounds from the cleaning tool like a rusty screwdriver scraping on glass accompanied by the screams of a little girl sitting one meter away from me contrasted considerably to the dental experience in the United States. But boy are my teeth clean now. Fun fact: while I thought my cavity was due to my excessive consumption of cane sugar here, turns out cane sugar actually has cleaning agents. Even today some Indians use cane sugar as an alternative to brushing their teeth.Outside Mandalay, Burma

Northwest BurmaBurmese Ox Cart

Burmese ox facial hairWhile change currency in a Burmese bank, two men walked in and dumped this pile of cash on the floor out of a white sack taken from a truck parked directly outside the bank entrance. The men then threw stacked piles of cash over the counter.

Food offerings to local Gods during a festival in Manipur India

Endless construction on dusty roads in Manipur India

Manipur, India

Live frogs for sale in a market in Northeast India

Indian soldier on special operations shopping duty

Throughout India I find men bathing around small pools of water at truck stops on the side of the road. I join to wash my clothes and self, or just to cool down in the afternoon heat.

Merry Belated Christmas from India

So there are Baptists in IndiaSo many random gun stores in Nagaland, India, I felt like I was back in 'MericaThis is by far the coolest motorcycle I have ever seen 

HOW TO MAKE CHIPATI / ROTI IN INDIA:

India on a protest day

More chickensLive borol (hornet grubs) for sale in a market in Northeast India

Bamboo ox carts in IndiaFrom the way Indians make the most of their bikes, my loaded bike blends right inBollywood feature filmI often saw families fishing in these muddy shallow pools. The children would move their hands through the mud until they found a fish and then throw it five meters up to dry land.

Chickens

Bed nets that I used to see in Northern Africa are common here in India as well

Pig

Unable to secure a visa for Pakistan or China, I had to fly from Uzbekistan to northern India. Cycling with a Dutch couple for a week brought peanut butter and Sinterklaas into my life, which made life more enjoyable amidst the constant din of horns that comes with cycling through crazy India. After a little trekking in the Himalayas, I made my way into Nepal to enjoy the serenity and playfulness of the gentle Nepalese people. Happy New Year to everyone, may 2019 be a special one.          Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Siliguri, India 19/11/18 to 31/12/18

I wish these Nepalese signs were posted in India where the horn happy culture creates a din of honking all day everyday. I think my best idea to date is becoming a horn salesman in India, a lucrative endeavor undoubtedly.Helped cut and pack mushrooms with a family on a farm one night

Royal Enfield motorcycles are everywhere in IndiaPancake breakfasts in the foothills of the Himalayas

Kareri Lake in the HimalayasThis guy wins person of the day

Stayed with Hindu monk Swami G!

Met my new favorite Dutch couple, Tim and Gynn, in Uzbekistan and in India we biked togetherWhy is there a stadium built around this stretch of road? The bizarre police marching competition/ceremony that takes place daily at the border between India and Pakistan.

Nepal

Monkey country again, red butts featured here

Golden Temple, Amritsar India

These Nepalese stools made of bamboo are lighter, stronger, and more aesthetic than any other I have seen in the world. Note the old bicycle tire used on the bottom.

A sprint across Azerbaijan and I reached the Caspian Sea, home of most of the world's caviar? While anchored aboard a cargo ship offshore in the Caspian Sea, I enjoyed typical Russian food and taught Russians how to play the card game Bulls**t. I wasn't as strong as the wild horses, the two humped camels, nor Borat in the cold steppe country of Kazakhstan, and so I took an old Soviet platskartny train into Uzbekistan. Biking the silk road in Uzbekistan has been a pure joy, enjoying old cities along the historic trade route, and the overwhelming hospitality of Uzbeks along the way who want to give me everything I could possibly need. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Tbilisi, Georgia through Azerbaijan, cargo ship across Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan 17/10/18 to 19/11/18

 Tashkent, Uzbekistan

When camping lately, my bike and tent are covered in frost by morning

Are these Uzbek children real or not? I was fooled multiple times while biking past these signs to slow down traffic, even smiling and waving before I was close enough to realize I was effectively fooledWhen staying with families in Uzbekistan, I sleep comfortably between thick cotton blankets next to gas heaters

 Uzbek gas tanks

Cotton carts of Uzbekistan 

Kazak oven gloves as second pair of gloves, like when Jim Carrey wore his second pair of gloves when motorcycling into Aspen, Colorado in Dumb and Dumber

Soviet Union shirt, gift from Azerbaijan home builder who missed the good old days

Turkish style hat, offering no warmth whatsoever for ears but superior style like the older Uzbek gentlemen

Uzbek cotton handkerchief for chronic runny nose

 

 

 

KazakhstanI love you manti dumplingsModern day silk trade on an train between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Heating up the old soviet platskartny train with coalHonorary English teacher with Kazak studentsLifting power lines to allow massive gas tanks to pass through towns in KazakhstanCanned Kazak horsemeat, oh yes it's goodFirst double humped camel sighting

Wild horses of the steppe, Kazakhstan

Cargo crew workout boys

Kitchen on cargo ship across Caspian Sea Soviet tractors I have been seeing everywhere in Georgia and AzerbaijanCandy ladies of Azerbaijan!

 

While biking through the Blakans I helped make local plum brandy with a man on the side of the road, I survived the traffic nightmare that is biking in and out of Istanbul, and a race across Turkey has me into Asia now. I had heard good things about Georgia before arriving, and I have not been disappointed. The autumn season is in full bloom, the first I have experienced in three years, and harvest season means local men fill my hands with walnuts and freshly fallen apples as they greet me in the small farming towns I pass through.

Timisoara, Romania to Tbilisi, Georgia 10/9/18 to 17/10/19

This little guy was close to being my new travel partner, but he couldn’t quite keep upHay runners, gotta love emGrapevine/St. Nino's Cross of Georgia

Turks rival U.S. of Americans with their patriotic display of flags everywhereMosque construction, IstanbulFerry across the Bosporus StraightBulgaria

I had to amputate my girlfriend's foot

This Serbian farmer invited me for a drink of fruit brandy as I biked by his home. While we couldn’t speak one another's language very well, he understood that I wanted to help him distill his next batch. The photo here is him putting the lid over all the plums we had just poured in with old buckets. We then rolled bread dough into long strips to seal all the cracks of the still. Serbians make good use of all the fruit they grow on small farms and in their gardens, even fruit that is spoiling makes for good brandy ingredients.

Georgia

 GeorgiaFirst for me on the trip, welcome to Georgia

 Turkey

Turkish honey comb for sale

Galata Tower, IstanbulAlexander Nevsky Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria BulgariaTimisoara, Romania

After cycling around Germany and racing on the famous Nurburgring Grand Prix race track, I made my way to Switzerland to unite with my father. Hiking through glorious alpine mountains, enjoying Swiss cheese and German libations, and visiting castles and fortified cities in Bavaria made for a wonderful reunion. Now I move east quickly as summer comes to an end.          Hamburg, Germany to Timisoara, Roamnia 26/7/18 to 10/9/18

Looking down the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland

Freiburg, Deutschland

Rothenburg, Deutschland

Vineyards of Alsace, France

Gimmelwald, Switzerland

Austrian hunting tree standPoor weather obscured most of my alpine views in Austria

I asked my buddy Norman if he wanted to trade my bike for his German Volkswagon. I still have my bike…But then I traded it for something a little faster!

Rheinfels Castle, Deutschland

Meet Johann Pollinger, an Austrian cow farmer who built this small hydroelectric plant on his land to power his farm and home. He generates more power than he needs and is credited by an Austrian electric company. I have been skeptical of hydro power plants due to stories of environmental damage, but after staying one night on Johann's farm he showed me that on a small scale hydro power plants can work well within the environment. Great work Hans! Salzburg, Austria

My teammates before the bike race Rad am Ring on the famous Nurburgring Grand Prix race track in Germany

 Monastery of Notre Dame d'Oelenberg in France

While blackberry season has ended, apple, pear, plum, and sometimes little peach season has arrived!!!

 U-Pick flower farms in Germany operating on the honor system

On to Belgium where I met with old friends to celebrate Belgium's run to third place in the World Cup. This led to plenty of good Belgian beer consumption where I learned that the winner buys the beer. Further north I learned more about my Dutch roots, meeting family and seeing the birthplaces of my Oma and Opa. I find it a strange coincidence that my fatherland is a country with such a strong history of cycling and wind energy, two things I am deeply interested in.          Paris, France 19/6/18 to Hamburg, Germany 26/7/18

Classic Dutch windmillIt's blackberry season in Northern Europe, and I am consuming at least one kilo of them daily as I bike through the Dutch and German countrysideBelgian bike lanesBrussels, BelgiumGermans are quickly winning award for best use of solar for residential and commercial purposesI met Has Van Der Muelen, the most accomplished mountaineer in Dutch history, back in Argentina before he summited the tallest mountain in the Americas. We met again at his home where he continued to amaze me with stories of his expeditions.Haarlem, Netherlands, the home of my OmaDutch essentials- Note stroopwafels are some of the best cookies everThe Atlantic Coast, NetherlandsMust be in AmsterdamCyclists fill the bike lanes in HollandWorld Cup Semifinal viewing, Belgium vs France, in BrusselsBelgian music festival

Brussels, Belgium

Amsterdam

Nederland, at last I have reached my fatherland!My bike is an art bike now!Roadside maps throughout the Netherlands help cyclist as they navigate the bike paths that cover the entire countryAmsterdam

Meeting my Dutch relatives for the first time. Danke veel Van Der Pols!Reunited and it feels so goooooodDelft, Netherlands

Belgian bike cultureBelgian chocolate I will dream of you foreverAlexandre Pirson started Sun for Schools in Belgium, a cooperative that installs solar energy systems for schools to educate youth about renewable energy and a sustainable future.

Biking through plenty of rain from Northern Spain across the Pyrenees into France. Learning from the French to enjoying the finer things in life, like good cheese, has been enlightening and my life will never be the same again.          Madrid, Spain 25/5/18 to Paris, France 19/6/18

Paris, FranceFamily photos on an old French manufacturing plant

Spanish supermarket jamSolar, solar, solarCastle of Murol, France

My first plateau de fromage, and my life will never be the sameAuvergne, FranceToulouse, FranceCol du Tourmalet, France

Sadly my cloudy view on the way up Col du AubisqueCan you ask for a better morning view when camping?

 Col du Aubisque, France

Thanks for hosting Hugounet in Auvergne, FranceFirst sighting of the Pyrenees Orleans, FranceWindmills dot the farms of northern France and southern Belgium Clermont, FranceSome of the best cheese in the world comes from these French cowsFrench postal service by bike!Meeting up with my French friends Vincent & Melanie in Toulouse, France. We met over 2 years ago and biked together through Baja California in Mexico for three weeks.

Plateau de Fromage #2, merci beaucoup Debilly family!

Morocco 4/5/18 to Portugal to Madrid, Spain 25/5/18

A procession for the celebration of San Isidro in MadridToo much sweat has eroded my handlebarBut the journey continues!MadridCould this be the greatest family of bikers?

Typical rural town in Portugal

Plenty of old windmills on the old Portuguese farms

Solar farm in sunny southern Spain

 Tapas! Bullfighting in Madrid Madrid Madrid

 

Narrow white washed streets of Portugal

My last mint tea in MoroccoThanks to the generous folks at Boa Vista Restaurante in Portugal. After biking 10 minutes in the country, the owner of this restaurant invited me in for a great meal and a taste of port as we listened to traditional Portuguese fado music. One of the best first hours I have spent in a country so far.Why not use a solar panel to charge your electric bike?

Procession outside Sevilla, Spain

Big wind farms in southern Spain