Tag Archives: cycle around the world

India: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on by
16

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”

Asia, more specifically India and Nepal, have taught me more about myself than I could have ever imagined. Spending a year between these countries, mostly alone as a young female, has lead to some of the best and worst experiences I have ever had. The memories of families who took me in, the beauty of the Himalayas, the wonderful nights in my tent, and the constant stares and harassment I received from trying to live in a scarily patriarchal society will stay with me forever. More than that though, this year has shown me how much I value where I grew up and the things, equality of women, openness to difference, and abolition of a ridged social hierarchy for instance, that I take for granted.

Continue Reading…

An Ode to the Himalayas: Nights on the Road

Posted on by
1

“I can’t have bad dreams when I sleep under the stars.”

20140720-135919.jpg

As a final farewell to the Himalayas and to mountains in general for the next little while (ok, long while, the alps are still quite a few kilometers away) here are a few of my favorite camping spots (that I remembered to take pictures at) from my stay in the mountains.

Continue Reading…

Mountains, Camping, and A Whole Lot of Cyclists: Part 2

Posted on by
4

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine: it is lethal.”

20140720-132616.jpg

When we woke up to an overcast sky on our sixth day of cycling we were relieved for a reprieve from the ever-present high altitude sun we have been constantly cycling under. Of course the clouds did turn into a rain storm, but surprisingly enough it still turned out to be our best day yet.

Continue Reading…

Mountains, Camping, and A Whole Lot of Cyclists: Part 1

Posted on by
5

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.”

20140720-125837.jpg

The famous Leh to Manali highway was a wonderful 500km ride which combined tough high altitude cycling with beautiful Himalayan camping. This ten day adventure took us over five very high passes (including the second highest pass in the world) and led us out of the arid Himalayas and into the green foothills below. Best of all, since this route is so popular amongst world touring cyclists, we met nearly a dozen tourers just like us.

Continue Reading…

365 Days and Counting

Posted on by
6

“She loved life and it loved her right back.”

How do you sum up a year which has changed the course of your life? A year in which I experienced innumerable acts of kindness throughout my own country as well as in India and Nepal. A year throughout which I also learned the daily hardships of many women in our world who live in oppressively patriarchal societies . A year which involved cycling over the highest passes in the world, trekking in some of the most isolated regions, and camping for weeks on end beneath the stars in the middle of the Himalayas. A year during which I was invited in by families in every country I visited to eat with them, sleep with them, and live, if only for a day or a week, as they do.

Continue Reading…

Cycling On The Moon: Ladakh

Posted on by
4

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.”

The last few days before Leh proved to be more difficult than we had thought. After completing two passes in a day, we figured we would have an easy two days out, gaining only about 500m of elevation in order to reach Leh, the capital of Ladakh and a pleasant tourist city situated in the mountains. Boy were we wrong! Instead of simply gaining the elevation we needed, we instead climbed another two unofficial passes, gaining and loosing 600m… Twice. And that doesn’t even include the smaller ups and downs which lead us through this high desert terrain. It wasn’t simply the altitude (3,500-4,000m) that was difficult either, it was the extremely intense heat (40c) beating down on us constantly and, as we were really in a desert, there was no shade or water.

Continue Reading…

Ladakh: Hospitality At Its Finest

Posted on by
3

“Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire.”

20140611-090443.jpg

Just before reaching the pass that would officially bring us into the Zanskar valley we encountered two Indian motorcyclists who had just come from farther ahead. They flagged us down to explain that the pass had been impossible for them to complete as there was no road. Not a bad road, or a washed out road, simply, no road. And on top of that, there was new snowfall (unsurprising as farther below we had experienced over twelve hours straight of rain) and apparently a river (or part of the non road) which would have water up to our waists due to the extensive snow melt. So, after spending one last night surrounded by beautiful mountains over 7,000m, we decided to cycle out and towards Leh in order to return a few weeks later for a twenty day trans Himalayan trek through the Zanskar valley.

Continue Reading…