Travel As A Lifestyle: Knowing When to Press Pause

Posted on March 16, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Let the dream devour your life so that the life does not devour your dream.”

Though it’s taken awhile for Kevin and I to actually realize this phenomenon, while traveling as we are, we have noticed that we need a “break” every two months or so in order to reboot and keep enjoying life on the road. We haven’t really noticed it before because we have been pressing pause naturally in a variety of ways. Between my time in long term home stays in India and working at a children’s home in Nepal, to working multiple weeks in Georgia, and backpacking with my brother and friend in Turkey (mind you a month off the bike there was a wee bit too long), Kevin and I usually end up taking some sort of non-cycling week/month every so often just because something falls into our lap. Now though, it’s been two months and two thousand kilometers of non stop action and though we both feel that we are ready for a reboot, it’s easier said than done down here as we haven’t found anywhere to work, and at forty bucks a night, we can’t exactly just find a town to live in for a few weeks either.

Families, Cyclists, and A Real Paved Road: The Carretera Austral

Posted on March 7, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

After a few beautiful days of sun we entered into the rainy region of the Carretera, a region which really reminds the four of us Oregonians of home. We can pretty easily predict the weather here as the closer we get to Argentina, the driers, sunnier, and windier it gets, whereas whenever we head west, we end up in the lush green wet forests and waterfalls which surround the white covered peaks. As we were buying veggies in one of these small rainy towns a friendly French traveler started talking to us and eventually invited us back to his place to meet his wife and two small children. Though we went over for tea, tea turned into dinner and then the night as they kindly let us all stay in their cabin in order to avoid the huge storm raging outside. Les Petits Voyageurs quit their jobs and packed up their possessions a few months ago in order to spend the next year and a half traveling around the world with their two boys (age two and four). Kevin and I really enjoy meeting traveling families as someday we too want to travel with our future children. We had a lovely evening hanging out with their family, and I had a wonderful time befriending the kids as they don’t often find others who can play with them in French.

BBQs, Cyclists, and a Whole Lot of Observations: Patagonia

Posted on February 17, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”

Kevin at the BBQ.

These last few days in Argentina have been our much needed rest days after weeks of non-stop action. When we arrived into Calafate we found a campground with hot showers, wifi, and a whole lot of other cyclists so we ended up staying three nights during which time we BBQed, hung out with our fellow two-wheelers, and simply stayed around camp not doing a thing.

The Hardest Part About Cycle Touring: The Mental Game

Posted on February 7, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Your legs aren’t giving up, your head is.”

People often ask what the hardest part about cycle touring is, but in reality, the hardest part can change with every country, or even daily, depending on where your mind is at. In general, the hardest part in Georgia was the heat as it was often over 40C, whereas in India, the most difficult part was the people. Here in Patagonia, the hardest part is going to be (and has been) the wind, as there is nothing more frustrating than pedaling as hard as you can on the flats only to see your speedometer hovering at a measly 8km/h.

Cycling Through Tierra Del Fuego

Posted on February 2, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

This last week was a difficult yet wonderful introduction to cycling through Patagonia as we cycled the small dirt route “b” from Ushuaia up to Punta Arenas. Though the first 200km of this route were paved, we quickly encountered strong headwinds which managed to slow us down to 8km/h on the flats for hours and even days at a time before we made it to the 350km of unpaved gravel roads that were to follow with just as much headwind. Though it wasn’t windy everyday, on the days it was we found ourselves pushing hard against a never ceasing barrier, as like everyone has already told us, we are going “the wrong way” through Patagonia in terms of the wind.

The Cyclists Bakery: A Slice of Heaven in Tierra Del Fuego

Posted on January 29, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“If you don’t know where you are going, then any road will take you there.”

We had heard from two passing French cyclists that the bakery in the small town of Thulin hosted French cyclists for free, so as we were buying some delicious baked goods at the enormous bakery, we asked one of the workers if she knew anything about this. Less than a minute later two other cyclists, an American and an Argentinian, appeared to show us to the “cyclists quartets” where there were already nine other fully loaded touring bicycles from all around the world. Though we didn’t end up meeting everyone, there was an Argentinian, an American, a Mexican, a German, a couple from the Netherlands, and a couple from France (and someone else we never met) all touring for different amounts of time, and in different directions, with one thing in common: through word of mouth they had all heard about this incredible cyclists refuge in the middle of Tierra del Fuego.

Ushuaia: A Few Days at the Bottom of the World

Posted on January 23, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“On the loose to climb a mountain, on the loose where I am free. On the loose to live my life, the way I think my life should be. For I’ve only got a moment, and a whole world yet to see, And I’ll be searching for tomorrow, from sea to shining in sea.”

The town of Ushuaia.

Ushuaia is known to be the southernmost city in the world with only 1,000km separating it from Antarctica. It’s a place I’ve always dreamed about visiting, well not Ushuaia in particular, but Patagonia in general which is what this amazing mountainous expanse of land at the very bottom of Chile and Argentina is referred to. I couldn’t imagine a place more suited to Kevin and I as we have been told that we will find vast spaces of nothingness, some of the best rivers for fly fishing, and of course, mountains upon mountains to cycle through! Needless to say we are extremely excited and honored to begin our year long expedition throughout the Andes here at the bottom of the world.

Bike Touring 101: How To Get Started

Posted on January 21, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“The journey itself is my home.”

Cycling Through Kashmir in the northern Indian Himalayas.

Cycle tourists, you know, the people who cycle around their neighborhood or even around the world fully self-supported with bags attached to their bikes must be crazy athletes. They must have trained for years before embarking on such an adventure, an adventure reserved for a very select (slightly crazy) few. They must be hardcore cyclists who eat, breath, and think about cycling 24/7. And because I’m not like that, it must not be for me. That’s what you are thinking, right? Don’t worry, that’s what I thought too before I actually began, so now I’m here to debunk a few myths surrounding cycle touring in order to prepare you for your very own two-wheeled adventure.

The Stress of Airplane Travel

Posted on January 19, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“There are dreamers and there are doers, but what the world needs are dreamers that do.”

Kevin and I have had a stressful week, though as you will see, everything did end up working out as we are currently in Ushuaia – at the very bottom of South America – more than ready to explore the Andes.

Ephesus: Ruins and Camping

Posted on December 26, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“What good is a Bill of Rights that doesn’t include the right to play, to wander, to explore, the right to stillness and solitude, to discovery and physical freedom?”

Ephesus, which has taken 150 years to excavate, is Europe’s most complete classical metropolis even though less than twenty percent of the city has been unearthed. At one time Ephesus boasted a population of 250,000 inhabitants (though many historians believe this to be an exaggeration because back then people didn’t live in such dense cities, and there isn’t enough room in the surrounding area to expand), though between the traders, sailors, and pilgrims (to the Temple of Artemis) visiting the area, this diverse city could have hosted even more. Due to Ephesus’ wealth and importance, it’s Temple of Artemis (which is now little more than one single column) was at one point the biggest on earth, and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Wandering Nomads

Two bikes, one life, and the whole world to see

Tag Archives: cycle around the world

Travel As A Lifestyle: Knowing When to Press Pause

Families, Cyclists, and A Real Paved Road: The Carretera Austral

BBQs, Cyclists, and a Whole Lot of Observations: Patagonia

The Hardest Part About Cycle Touring: The Mental Game

Cycling Through Tierra Del Fuego

The Cyclists Bakery: A Slice of Heaven in Tierra Del Fuego

Ushuaia: A Few Days at the Bottom of the World

Bike Touring 101: How To Get Started

The Stress of Airplane Travel

Ephesus: Ruins and Camping