So... Here is my bathroom! Very small. Those who know me also know that I never wear make-up or use crèmes and all that stuff. Everything fits in this green bag, which is waterproof (well... before there was a hole in it). I put everything in one bag, so I have everything at hand at once. 1 = towel (tenipuri, small towel, from Japan)
2 = ear-buds 3 = toilet paper (for wild camping and campings without toilet paper) 4 = tooth brush (collapsible) 5 = tooth paste 6 = razor (might be left at home... easy to replace if necessary) 7 = soap, which is also used as shampoo 8 = brush (wich will be left at home during the first part, maybe also later...) 9 = deodorant It isn't much, but if you think about it, it's enough. I'll have to replenish toilet paper often, but I can do this wherever I find a toilet with toilet paper. Another thing that will often be replenished is the soap and deodorant. I'm curious to see how I'll be able to do this. Don't forget you can give me challenges! :) See you next time!
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Hi all!! :) So during the Easter weekend I went to a cycling weekend from the Wereldfietser. It's an organization for people that like to travel by bicycle, in Europe and beyond. In total there were 54 people present and there were only 4 Belgians: me and 3 guys. All the tents in these picture were from the Wereldfietser, and we weren't even complete at that time! The 4 Belgians went together in a big van, with all of our stuff and arrived on Friday. It was already dark and when we unloaded the bicycles there was a problem. My front tire was flat, very flat. Since it was dark, we decided to fix it the next morning. We put up our tent and started cooking. But again... something was wrong! The gas canister I bought wasn't compatible with my stove... . Luckily my friend brought an extra stove and happened to be in need of some extra gas. We shared the stove and gas, so that problem was solved. This was the first time I used my new cooking pot and mug. The water boiled pretty slowly, but that was because I was scared to raise the flame. The flame can't reach the sides of the cooking pot, because the sides are made of rubber and will melt. I cooked some rice and put in some peaches and tuna in it. It was yummy and I was happy I had a bowl to put my food in. Before I only had one cooking pot and its lid, which was also a pan and my plate. Not a lot of options... . I went to sleep on my new mattress, with a new pillow and a new liner bag. I used a borrowed sleeping bag, because mine aren't ready yet. After a nice, but chilly night. I showered, ate breakfast and started to pack. I felt really disorganized and was very slow with packing. My friends helped by already changing my flat tire, but I still left last.... . I kept on thinking that I forgot something and whatever. We're cycling 92 km, which is a lot is you haven't done a lot of cycling before. The sun was shining, there was no rain and not a lot of wind. We arrived a bit before 5 in the evening. We cycled at a slow pace, but in the end we went a lot quicker because of tail wind! I had to push my body to cycle this many kilometers in one day, so my butt wasn't feeling too good. Later in the evening I also felt my achilles tendons hurt... . We put up the tent again and started cooking. I made pasta, baked a salmon and heated up some sauce with mushrooms. I threw in some ansjovis and olives and had a very yummy meal! Other people made wraps, bacon and eggs, cabbage with potatoes, mashed potatoes with sausages and vegetables, a pasta packages where you only had to add hot water, ... . After that it became a bit chilly and about half of the group ended up in the bar and talked until around 22h at the latest: bedtime! In the morning we woke up with the sound of rain. I love the sound of rain on my tent when I don't have to exit it, but I hate it in the morning, because it means I'll probably have to cycle in the rain! Some people ate in the toilet building, so I joined them. Because I already felt that my body wasn't accustomed to long bicycle hours I decided to take a shorter route, cycling only 55 kilometers. The downside was that today we had a very strong headwind. We arrived at the camping around 16h30 and put up our tents in the sunshine, with a beautiful rainbow above us. With a few people we went out to dinner. The rest stayed at the campsite or went to the Paasvuren nearby. Paasvuren is when they burn a gigantic pile of wood, at Easter obviously. When we came back from dinner I noticed that my knees were hurting a lot as well. This was probably due to the strong headwind we had faced all day. And listening to fellow cyclists it would also be the case the next morning, but luckily it would be side wind, slightly better. The next morning I was packed first of our group: so organized! The trick? Packing in my sleeping bag and everything I can before I have breakfast and start talking to people! :) My body was in a lot of pain though and we had 66 kilometers to cycle, to get to the car. The side wind was very strong and sometimes it aided us and sometimes it didn't. I lowered my saddle, which I should've done earlier (reason for the aching of my achilles tendons and probably also knees). At 30kilometers, about halfway, we had a lot of heavy rain for a while. It felt like hail on my face and my clothes on the right side (side wind, remember) was soaked. The fun was over at that point and since we were already way past lunchtime we went and sat down to eat in a bar. Our clothes were put on the heating and we enjoyed some soup and eggs and toast. Then we figured out a shorter route, but ended up doing about the same amount of kilometers planned. We arrived at around 16h, changed outfits and left for Belgium again.
Because of the terrorist attack a week before there were no metro's riding after 19pm, so I had to cycle home as well, in the dark... I was very happy when I was laying in my bed! So, after reading this, you'll probably think: why on earth does she like this kind of trip and how can she think about doing this for 15 months? Well... First of all I won't be forcing myself like I did this weekend when I'm alone. On my own trip I'll listen closely to my body and respect my limits a lot more. Second: I'll have a better bicycle with a perfectly adjusted seat (I hope). The bike I'm currently riding isn't configured the way it should, which means I'll always suffer to some degree on longer tours. Yes, in Japan I also suffered a lot. Not from the knees or the achilles tendons, but also from the butt. Not an agonizing pain like on this weekend, but a very dull pain and every evening the wounds from the shavings were opened again, to be closed again the next day. So, why do I like this? When all is fun and good I'll answer because of the freedom, the sense of adventure, the close relationship with nature you build, the things you see and people you meet, the time you finally have to do whatever you want and to think about whatever you want, however long you want to think about it, the fact that you don't worry about bills and work and problems with your house and .... , but just enjoy the ride. I can even say this when I'm cycling uphill, as long as it's in good weather. On bad days, days in pain and days in rain and heavy headwind.... It's nice to force your limits a bit (not too much!!), to extend boundaries, to focus on just one task: to reach the net town, the next crossing or the next meter in front of you. The moment you're noticing that you're pushing too far, you do have to be lucky to find a place to stop.... . If you don't: the day sucks and that's okay! Next update: my very small bathroom! ;) Oh, and don't forget that you can challenge me during my trip! :) Kelly Hi there! Slowly but surely I'm getting closer and closer to my trip. I have a lot of my equipment ready, but still need a few things. My kitchen (not counting the food) is ready however. This is how my kitchen looks when everything is packed. In the black bag I hold my lighter, spoon, gas canister, stove and thee and sugar. There is enough space left to put some small food in: sauce packages, minute soup, a can of tuna fish, .... . For this post there is no food in there. In the round orange bowl I have a cooking pot, a bowl, mug, fork, chopsticks and my knife. Now to the picture with everything unpacked: 1 = cooking pot with a see-through lid, including drain holes for hot water.
2 = a big bowl 3 = a big mug 4 = a lightweight, plastic fork 5 = Opinel, a sturdy knife 6 = lightweight spoon 7 = chopsticks (can be halved in size) 8 = lighter (will look for one with a flexible end, but still need a big one, because I'm scared of fire 9 = my stove, a MSR Pocket Rocket 10 = gas canister (wrong one though...) 11 = ziplock bag with teabags and tiny sugars 12 = black bag and canister for my stove Is this all you need while camping? A lot of people take two cooking pots and / or a pan with them. I do not need a second pot, since my cooking isn't very elaborate. A pan would be nice, but I can also use my cooking pot for it. I also carry a sponge and a very small part of a kitchen towel to clean my gear (not pictured, I forgot). I will not be carrying soap, but clean my dishes as soon as I can with water. If I have the possibility to wash my dishes with soap, I will obviously do this. Do you have any questions about my kitchen? Or how I cook? Let me know in the comments! :) Hi again!
It's crazy busy in life so it's hard to make time for my preparations. I take it slow and do things one at a time. The past weeks I've spent mainly on my first aid-kit. I went to see a specialized doctor to see what vaccinations I need. I surfed the net and my own mind and put a list together of things I think would be useful. Then I went to my own doctor and discussed the items. For some items we discovered better ones, but it was a pretty good list. Next stop? The pharmacy. I had a lot of prescriptions with me and a list of items that do not need prescriptions, so it took a while before everything was found. The pharmacist told me I could come back the next day, so that he could order missing items and I could make sure I had enough money. Yes, I had to spend quite a lot of money... . But hey: it's important to have these things in case you get hurt badly! I guess you guys are wondering what I took? Well, here it is: First of all I take some personal medication with me. This takes up a lot of space, because I have to take two pills every night. I'm also allergic to certain trees and stuff, so medication again. And obviously you need normal painkillers. Second part of the medication is bandaging and desinfectant for wounds. I've bought some steristrips (for heavy cuts), some band-aids, gauze and bandages. I also have soms tubes with me to clean wounds and keep them from infecting. Third part are items related to specific situations. Obviously I take medication for malaria, altitude sickness and travelers diarrhea. I also have a rescue blanket with me, after sun and ORS (for dehydration). Fourth and final part are vaccinations. I have had almost all vaccinations that are necessary; but I still need the one for rabiës and a second one for Hepatitis A. How will I transport it all? I'll punch as many pills as I can and put each kind in a small ziplock bag, with instructions and name of the pills. I will try to minimalize volume wherever I can and ultimately I'll put everything in a sturdy plastic box. This makes my first-aid kit waterproof and protects everything from being crushed. Let's hope I can leave the box deep in my panniers for my entire trip! Happy holidays and for 2016 I wish that everyone is able to see a small glimmer of good in everyone, everything and every situation, how afwul it may be. Kelly Hi everyone!
Do you recognize the feeling you get when you are packing for a holiday of two weeks in a hotel somewhere sunny? Most of the time you're switching between "I am taking way too much" and "Oh, I forgot this" and "Do I need to take this? You never know when ....". It can be hard sometimes to figure out what you need to take and leave home, even for a short trip. Most of the time you can solve it pretty good just by taking a big enough suitcase with wheels, to make transportation and decision-making easier. I have had friends going to Japan for a year (studying) and they could take up to 23kg with them on the plane. For one it was more than enough (she even took printing paper, just because she could) and for the other it was a really tough decision. And here I am... . I will not be staying in one place, but will travel all the time. I need to be self-supporting during this trip, which means I'll have to be able to manage my own meals and sleeping spots. My outfits need to be accommodating the tourist days, but also the many many cycling days. I will be going away for 15 months, most of the time in very good weather, but some weeks in colder weather due to the mountains. I have to take stuff with me to fix my bicycle and to keep it going. And with all this to take along I always have to remind myself that I have only one way of making transportation easier. That way is to take less stuff (less volume and less weight). In the summer of Japan I managed to cycle with 12kg (excluding bicycle, food and water). For this trip I'm aiming for no more than 15kg (once again excluding bicycle, food and water). I also aim for only 2 big bags on my bicycle (and one very small pouch). How can I achieve this? Every item I want to take with me has a friendly chat with the weighing scale, even a fork of 9 grams! When I need to buy new stuff I tried to find the version that weighs less, is still very useful and isn't overly expensive. Wherever possible I try to find more than one use for my items. My cooking pan is also a lid for the cooking pot and can be used as a plate. A liner bag can be used to keep your sleeping bag clean, but also to make it warmer and it can be used on its own in very warm weather, or when sleeping in a bed with dubiously clean sheets. A buff on the head can be used during the day(to keep the sweat away and to not have a sunburn on your head) or at night, to make it less cold. It can also be used as a neck scarf, wristband or to make your pillow softer. Further more I consequently think about weight opposed to the advantages of taking items. Initially I planned to take my DSLR camera with me, so I would be able to take gorgeous pictures. This meant a lot of weight: 1kg for the camera, 800grams for the handlebar bar that I would need to take, a tripod of 400grams, ... . I noticed that I didn't take full advantage of the camera though and didn't use it as much as a small digital camera, due to it's weight and need for taking your time. I was planning on buying a new lens for this camera but decided to spend the money on a quality digital camera instead. This means I don't have to take a handlebar bar, saving me a lot of space and weight. It also means I can take a tripod that is smaller and weighs a lot less and of course the camera itself is a lot less heavier. I can put it in a small pouch on my bicycle, so I always have it close. In total the weight gain will be around 1,5 kg! The most important things I'm still lacking at the moment are my sleeping bags, a pump and a water filter. I already know which sleeping bags I'll buy, but I'm waiting for the winter to buy them (so I can buy them in a group sale and get a discount). The pump will be ordered soon. For the water filter I still need to do a lot of research before I purchase it. A final big question about my gear is the one concerning my clothes. I believe I'm taking too much clothing with me, since I have to be prepared for colder and warmer temperatures. I'm still trying to figure out how I can diminish the amount I'll be taking with me... . Once I have ALL of my stuff I will take some pictures of it, so you can see what I'm taking and where on my bicycle I'll leave it. That will be for somewhere in 2016, hopefully around March-April. If you'd like me to write a post about something specific, let me know! Hugs, Kelly Hi there!
Those who liked my page "kikitjah" on Facebook will already know that this blogpost will not be about my packing list, but about my week of cycling in the Netherlands! Very early in the morning on Saturday I took the train to Assen (near Groningen, in the north of The Netherlands) and cycled to the man who will build my new bicycle. Over tea we discussed possibilities and preferences and prices. Afterwards I cycled a bit south, bought food in the supermarket (pasta and sushi!) and went to a camping. I ate the sushi and didn't feel so hungry anymore, so left the pasta for another day. I had wifi, so I arranged a WarmShowers address for the next night. I noticed that my sleeping bag was just a bit too cold (as in: I'm going to buy a new one because this one is only useful in very warm weather) and by morning I could hear the rain falling.... Guess what I forgot to pack that friday-night at 21u30? Indeed... warm clothes or even anything remotely useful when it would rain... . I ended up buying an expensive (but very good) jacket and –obviously- it didn’t rain again after that… . My first WarmShowers experiences were very positive, but it does need some getting used to. I'm used to being on my own during cycling trips and selfsupporting and all of a sudden you're in a house where people feed you and provide you with all the warmth en things you might need. It was a very nice experience though and it made me feel more comfortable with using this system during my big trip. I cooked a real meal on the camping for the first time some days later: pasta with a watery sauce and some tuna and ansjovis. I discovered a lot of things doing that! First of all I noticed that even the smallest of my cooking pots is more than big enough for one person: I even had pasta for breakfast. This immediately led to a second discovery: I NEED MORE PLASTIC BAGS! Normally I get them when I buy groceries and I use them as trash-bags, but now I also needed one to drain the water from the pasta and another one (without holes) for the leftover pasta… . Another realization came earlier that week: I only packed my front bags and noticed that they are quite okay, until you want to put in some groceries. So from now on I’ll cycle with back bags everytime I cycle longer than a weekend. It did made me realize that I should have enough space with only my bag bags. A final realization had to do with my camera. I planned to take a big SLR camera with me, to take nice pictures. I realized however that I took a lot less pictures then when I still had my small digital camera with me. My big camera is placed in a handlebar bag, with other stuff. So every time I wanted my camera I had to stop, take it out, try not to drop other stuff, get the cap off, use the correct settings and by then whatever I wanted to photograph was long gone. I also noticed that most of the times I just used the auto setting, so that I didn’t take advantage of the possibilities of the SLR camera. So instead of buying a new lens for my camera I’m going to buy a digital camera. This also allows me to leave the handlebar bag at home and save me at least 1,5 kg (no handlebar bag and the new camera weighs a lot less, as will the tripod)! Once again I had a lot of fun cycling during this trip, even though I –once again- had a lot of issues and hurts along the way (mostly muscles in my right leg and a lot of sadle hurt). This made me decide to make sure I start my big trip slowly, so I can allow my body to adjust properly. Hopefully the new bicycle will also help with this! Stay tuned for more news! Kelly Hello again! In this post I'll give you a detailed version of my itinerary. Those who are following me on facebook will already know the global idea, but anyway, here goes: I'll start my trip somewhere around the 4th of July. On that day I'll take a train to Paris where I'll board another train that will take me to Moskou. There I'll transfer once again to another train that takes me to Almaty (Kazakhstan). This will be my starting point and I'll leave Almaty on my bicycle around the 17th of July. I'll first be going to Kashgar in China, passing Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Samarkand and Buxoro), Tadjikistan (Dushanbe, Khorog and the Pamir Highway) and a very small part of Kyrgyzstan along the way. This part will be very warm (between 17 and 36degrees, but lower on the Pamir Highway (10 to 26degrees) and will involve a lot of hard climbing, mainly in Tadjikistan since the Pamir Highway goes up to 4000 meter. I hope to arrive in Kashgar on the 16th of September. After some rest in Kashgar I'll take a train to Lanzhou, where I hope to start the second cycling part of my trip on the 24th of September. From Lanzhou I'll cycle south, straight to Laos. I can choose between a very nice route in the mountains (colder, more climbing, way more beautiful and rural) or a route along the river (easier, warmer). I'll pass Chengdu and Kunming along the way and hope to arrive in Luang Namtha (Laos) on the 15th of November. The part will be colder (starting at 10 - 21 degrees.and lovwering to 4 -15 before warming up again a bit more) and it will all be in China, a country that for now doesn't really appeal to me, nor does the people as a matter of fact. Hopefully I'll learn to appreciate their ways and enjoy my time there! The third part of my trip is a lazy one: I'll spend my time doing whatever I feel like doing in South-East Asia (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, maybe Myanmar, Vietnam, .... ) until the weather in China gets warm enough to go cycling again (I plan to leave from Hanoi (Vietnam) on the 12th of April). During this relaxing time (where I'll probably also be cycling a lot) I'll also get a visit from my boyfriend in December. He'll visit me for two, three weeks and when he goes back his suitcase will be filled with all the stuff I don't need anymore (mainly stuff for the colder weather). Then it's time for another cycling adventure, once again in China. From Hanoi I'll cycle north towards Beijing, where I should arrive on the 3th of June. From there I'll take a ferry to South-Korea and cycle from Seoul to Pusan. From there I'll take one last ferry and arrive in Japan. This part will include very few mountains so it should be easier The weather will be between 17 and 31 degrees, so very pleasant. The fifth and second-last part of the trip will be in Japan. I hope to arrive in Japan on the 18th of June and will leave it again around the 8th of September. I plan to cycle the island of Kyushu first in June, then go up tot Honshu. I don't know yet what I'll do there: cycling, volunteering, ... but it will be fun! In August I'll spend three weeks with my taiko-group from home. Taiko is a form of drumming, from Japan and we'll be visiting a huge taiko-festival in Japan. Of course my boyfriend will be coming over as well, since he's also a member of the group. When they go back to Belgium by airplane I hope to send my bicycle and a few other items with them, so I don't have to worry about them anymore during the final part of my trip. The final part of my journey is the return trip to Belgium. This will be done by taking the Transsiberian train from Vladivotok (leaving on the 10th of September) to Moskou. From there it's once again a train to Paris and then on to Brussels: home and ending of my fabulous journey of 14 months and the place where my boyfriend is! I plan on arriving there the 27th of September 2017. Just one thing people: the dates are guidelines, not exact science. During the trip I'll spend more time in certain cities and less in others, take different routes, have troubles here and there and godspeed at others... . So don't put any of those dates in a calender, 'cause you can't trust it! :) In the meantime I figured out what sleeping bag I'd like to buy and put all the stuff that I already have on a scale. This means that my next post will probably be something about my packing list. see you next time! Kelly Hi there! First of all: why did I want a new tent? The tent that I bought for Japan was one with few demands: cheap, but very water-resistant, easy to pitch, lightweight if possible and I needed to be able to sit up in it. It was a very good tent and I still like it very much. For this new trip though I had some extra demands. The sitting up was just barely possible in my previous tent and I never had to spend an entire day in the tent. I can't imagine it to be productive though: I can only sit up in one position, at one place in the tent, I absolutely can't cook inside the tent and if I have to get out the rain will immediately fall on the inside of my inner tent... . So I needed a new tent: one with large vestibule in which I would be able to cook. The route I'm taking is very adventurous and it is certainly possible that I will need to spend a lot more time in it! the other demands are also still valid, although my price range went up and the water-resistant level went down a bit. I ended up with the tent you see here, a Mini Peak II. It has a lot of space and when it's really warm and there are no bugs you can even use it without the inner tent. It weighs a little less than my previous tent, but I still need to buy a groundsheet so the weight will be equal (just under 2 kg). The online reviews are very good and the minor points were mainly for higher people or nitpickers, so those I could dismiss. The tent isn't sold in Belgium, so I had to trust my gut-feeling and the internet. I bought the tent and that same weekend went camping with it. How did it go? Unpacking was easy. Setting up the outer tent was easy, but damn.... That's a large tent! Putting in the pole was fairly easy as well as putting in the inner tent. damn, that inner tent looks really tiny... . I adjusted the tent here and there and everything fell into place a bit more. I now realise that I should've put my pole higher, because that's why it didn't all work out perfectly. Okay, tent is set: let's take a tour. The tent has two entrances: one in the front with a large vestibule (see picture) and another one that is pretty useless when you have pitched your inner tent as well (you can't enter the tent from that side!). You can allow a nice breeze though, so that's good. The vestibule is more than large enough to sit in, lay down in, cook in, put stuff in, ... In worst case scenario's I think I can even fit my bike in there! (No idea how to get access to my inner tent than though, unless I turn it around and use the other exit) The inner tent is big enough for my sleeping gear and an extra bag. In case of extreme need I can also take the other bag inside, but then it will be filled with bags! I have no clear image of the inner tent, so I give you another one of the tent as a whole. I slept only one night in the tent, the second one was too cold (I'm in the process of buying a new sleeping bag so it will not be 'too cold' anymore). At first glance the inner tent seemed small, but once inside it was spacious enough. I do not believe it's meant to stay in for long periods of time while you're awake, but hey... You have a vestibule for that. I could feel a difference in temperature when I stepped out of the inner tent into the vestibule in the morning, so that's a good sign as well. The outside of my tent had frost on it and that also got on the inside of the outer tent, so that worried me a bit (it was pretty though, it sparkled!). Fortunately it did not have any effect on the inner tent! It was sooooo nice to be able to get in and out of the inner tent in a fairly normal position and not crawling, or keeping your head very low. So, what are the downsides? To be able to enjoy the space of the vestibule I'll need to buy a groundsheet, which will make sure I can sit in the vestibule without sitting on wet grass and stuff. This will add some weight and make it equally as heavy as my previous tent AND bulkier. That will be solved by putting the outer tent and groundsheet on top of my bags, so all in all not that much of a problem. The positive side of a groundsheet is that it will also protect the weak underground of the inner tent, so less chance of sharp edges making holes in it.
Another downside is that you can pitch it with just 4 pegs, but I do find the sides sagging a bit then. I suspect it will be less when I highten the length of the pole, but still I'll need 7-8 pegs to pitch it good. On the positive side that means it's more weather proof and there are additional guylines provided for real stormweather. I really love this tent, so that was about it! I might find more, but I'll let you know if I do. My next focus will be on a new, warm sleeping bag. I want it to have a comfort level of -5°C, but don't like the weight of 1.5 kg that comes with it! I already found some alternatives, but of course.... they are a bit more expensive (plus added costs of sending it from oversea to here...). I'll let you know when I have more detailed progression on this! To close: another nice picture of the tent! :) Hello there again! It's final: I have a route. The starting point isn't entirely in order yet, but otherwise I'm ready to go! (just kidding...) So, I'll start my journey in the -stan countries. I'll take the train to somewhere in Kazakhstan and cycle towards Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. From there I'll cycle to Dushanbe in Tadjikistan, passing Samarkand along the way. There the real fun is going to start: bad roads and cycling up and up in the mountains! I'll take the famous Pamir Highway and cross the border to Kyrgyzstan. I won't go far into Kyrgyzstan though, because the border crossing to China is pretty close. Yes indeed, the next leg of my trip will be China. The first big city in China will be Kashgar. From there I'll take a train to Nanjing, passing XinJiang. From there I'll cycle south through the mountains to Kunming in the south. I have a second option here: if I'm tired of the mountains or I'm running short on time I can take an easier road near the river, but with lesser sights. From Kunming I'll cycle towards South-East Asia. I'll probably cycle in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. If possible I'll also go to Myanmar. Th reason I say possible is because my boyfriend will come visit me during that time. We do not know yet how long, when, where, ... so I can't be more specific about this. Luckily there is so much information online about South-East Asia that it's not really necessary to have it all pinned down again. so, when winter is over (april/may) I'll go back to China and cycle towards Beijing. There I'll take a ferry to South-Korea and from there I'll take a ferry to Japan. In Japan I'll stay for two months. I'm planning on joining a taiko drumming course for one week and our (my boyfriend and mine) taiko group will be coming to Japan for 3 weeks as well and of course I'll join them. After Japan I'll go to Vladivostok in Russia (with another ferry of course) and take the Transsiberian train to Moskou and from there the train home. For those who like this all visualised on a map: here it is! :) The blue lines are what I'll be cycling, the red lines are other kinds of transportation (train/ferry) and the green line in South-East Asia is an optional route, but probably won't be possible because of my boyfriends visit. There might be a new border crossing opening soon between Kyrgyzstan and China, in the north. It it does and is considered safe I'll probably cross there and take the train somewhere in Xinjiang. This entire trip will have a duration of about 14 months and several thousands kilometers on my bicycle. I don't know when I'll post a new blog entry, nor what it will be containing, but keep posted! As soon as I know more, I'll let you know :) Congratulations on getting a rough idea on your route! Now it's time for important checks!
- is the weather okay everywhere? How about typhoons, landslide, earthquakes, ...? - visa: do you need one? For how long can you get one? Can you renew it? Can you extend it? Where? Are there extra demands for obtaining one (you can't enter Pakistan if you have a visa for Iran in your passport, for some countries you need a special invitation letter or you have to give a detailed itinerary). Check this thoroughly for every country and see if you have to obtain it while in your home country or if you can obtain it from somewhere else (also check the time it might take AND the attitude of the people issuing it (friendly, corrupted, swift, ... )). - Are there dangers? Go to the website of external affairs and check the travel section for detailed information on each country. Check the internet for people who've been there: are there still problems, did they feel save, what about the landmines, ... ? Whatever you read or feel: follow your feelings. If reading certain stuff makes you uncomfortable: don't go there, make a detour or look up if you can take a train through that area. - have contact (e-mail, fora, skype, personal) with cyclists who have been to the countries you want to go. What route did they take? Why? What do they think of your route? Adjustments they suggest? Extra precautions? Listen to their advice, they know what they are talking about! The answers for my trip are: - weather is almost everywhere green with some possible orange spots. Typhoons shouldn't be a big issue, landslides are mostly in monsoon times and I'm avoiding those. You can't really prepare for earthquakes, but I now know in which countries they are possible. - visa: I'll obtain my visa for the -stan countries and China in advance, as far as possible. Visa for South East Asia, South Korea and Japan will be obtained on arrival or in a neighbouring country. There are a lot of changes going on with the demands for obtaining visa, so I'm keeping my eye on it and will be going into more detail about this for myself in a year, when leaving home is getting a lot closer. - there are dangers along my way. On the website of foreign affairs I read about mines, fighting and borders being closed. It scared me bit, but I realised that a lot of my itinerary has been done before by other cyclists. I checked with some cyclists that had cycled 'dangerous' parts and came to the conclusion that foreign affairs is very careful. Most other cyclists didn't really have issues with a lot of the dangers. I will of course keep them in mind while cycling through them. - most cyclists thought my global route was pretty good. One of the adjustments made were to cycle the Pamir Highway instead of the 'shortcut'. the shortcut apparently has a very terrible road and it would take you as much time as taking the Pamir Highway. Besides that the Pamir Highway is very beautiful, not that hard (since you've been going up the entire time already) and you can team up with other cyclists when necessary or desired. A second (big!) adjustment was made in China. The road I planned on taking was a bit too close to Tibet and apparently extremely hardcore (high altitude, climbing, very bad roads, almost no shops along the way, ...). A fellow cyclist told me he had taken a train to somewhere else and cycled a beautiful path with two options: through the mountains (beautiful and quiet) or next to the river (faster and easier). I decided to follow his advice. So, my route is fixed now (more or less). How about yours? Having a good idea about your route means you'll find it easier to look up information about visa, route conditions, availability of water and food, hospitality, repair shops and all the more. So, next up: part 4! :) |
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July 2016
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