A break down after four months
I left England in winter time it happens to be the coldest winter in thirty years. A kind of miserable one of my first month on road. It was very cold and small children attack me with snowballs. So for about 100 miles I was attacked by group of children. It was quite difficult. Things got worst in mid-winter but I did persevere going down the mountains. Cooking over fires, camping by rivers, these were the adventure that I really wanted but I had another problem my left knee was swelling up and painful. My cartilage was broken for 2 cm. I got back home after four months. There was another problem there was no flight from Turkey to England as volcano erupted.
Back on the wheel
“After the surgery on my knee I was back to cycle. I started from Syria. I got more hospitality in Syria. Eight or nine times a day people will stop me and offer me food and drink. The world is friendlier and less dangerous place than sometimes we think it is. They threw me a birthday party in Syria.
I set out to Africa. I have to cross the vastSahara desert. In the evening, temperature was so nice but in the middle of the day it was so hot that we have to crawl under a tunnel. There is no place for shade.
Utopia was a big mountain series where some children having fun in the mountain threw stones on me. It is a beautiful country and full of surprises. Some children also pushed my cycle for ten kilometers helping me through the mountain.
There were no more roadsat one point of time and I put my cycle in a canoe and cross the water body. In a desert my cycle became very heavy with 20 litres of water I carry to drink.I came across a place where it was written“beware of animals”. Then in the night I hear Lions roaring as I sleep in my tent and next day I see all lions in my eyes”, laughed out Steve when he narrated about a fearful day.
Steve came across Black Widow Spider, dangerousSnakes during his tour.
An interesting human behavior
“I have heard this in almost all the country people would say to me don’t worry you are safe with us be careful about the next town and the next country. That’s where the bad people are. I get to the next town and next country and I find people were very nice to me and they will say the same thing about the next place. So it is kind of repeating itself around the world ”,smiled a well tour experienced Steve
I cycled the Volcano ashes for 3 hours
“At South Africa people give me money. Few days later I said I am going to Cape Town on a road and the guy ask me if I would like to stay in the beach house or city house and he gave me the front door key as I said city house. So generous people I came across.
To South America all along to Chile mountain to Columbia. In Argentina a volcano was erupting. I travelled across the ashes for three days. It wasdeep very difficult to travel. It was across the side of the volcano that I travel”,
Company rides
From Sydney to Indonesia I rode with my girlfriendClaria. A friend also rides with me in UK and Africa for seven months. Sometimes few days sometimes few weeks I have company cyclists.
An extra edge for Cycle Tourists !
Cycle travelers are increasing in number.
Cycling is much cheaper. I have to spentvery less in transport, sleep for free like road camping and sleep in Churches, Mosques, Temples, School, Hospitals, thus no much in accommodation. I eat a lot of food is the main expenses I eat twice as much as I do in normal days while I am cycling.
I have one month Visa in India said Steve. He will be riding Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and try to find a way to Nepal and ride back in India for few days.
May be another 15 to 20 countries and he completes his mission of covering six continents extensively.
Why Cycle
It is very important to get back to cycle as it is less traffic for the street, good for everyone and good for the environment. If we get more people on bicycle instead ofcar and buses it is going to help.
We donot use bicycle because it is more dangerous. We need infrastructureand we need more bicycle lanes.
You got to see lots of different places. If you give little effort on small rides it is the wilderness that is much better.And adaptability in meeting strange people.
A friendly world
Magazine coverage is helpful because it helps people read my blog and increase traffic.
Also itmakes people aware that this is the kind of thing people do go for environment. Hopefully I was also inspired by other cyclists from books and magazine I read about other cyclists before I left.
I got dengue in Thailand; I have had problems with food and stomach ache, rest everything is fine with my health
It is important to travel. Not to rely on the media and travel, it is friendlier.
Concluded
