Revista - Bicycle Traveler 06- Australia

8/10/2019 Revista - Bicycle Traveler 06- Australia

1/52JUNE 2014 - WWW.BICYCLETRAVELER.NL1

WWW.BICYCLETRAVELER.NL - JUNE

LionsCable Ties Costa Rica- - -

International Magazine on Bicycle Touring Bic yc le Trave ler

Sleeping Pads -Indonesia



E QUIPMENT

20 TRIP G EAR By Grace Johnson

over Photo: PAUL JEURISSEN www.pauljeurissen.nlhoto Left: TOM WALWYN www.bicyclenomad.com

CONTENTS

THE C URSE O F D AY O NE By Michael Tran51UPS AND DOWNS

34 P ETER J ORDAN By Grace JohnsonINTERVIEW

Bic yc le Trave ler ARTICLES

16 INTERNATIONAL R IDE A B IKER D AY By Mike Boles08

C OSTA R ICAN F IRE S TATIONS By Rick Galezowski

30

06

P EDALLING T O B UDAPEST By Rob Philippe

IN P RAISE O F C ABLE T IES By Dean Clementson

40 L IVING W ITH L IONS By Helen Lloyd

G EAR R EVIEW - S LEEPING P ADS By Logan Watts18

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44

P ARTING S HOT - C ANADA By Rick Galezowski

P HOTOGRAPHY

12IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - M ALAWI By Paul Jeurissen

P HOTO S TORY - I NDONESIA By Mark Watson22

IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - K YRGYZSTAN By Stphane Girard

14

IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - K YRGYZSTAN By Alena Pesavento46IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - A RGENTINA By Neil Pike

52

IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - T AJIKISTAN By Heike Pirngruber

IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - E NGLAND By Paul Grover 48IMAGE F ROM T HE R OAD - I NDIA By Paul Jeurissen50



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Bicycle Traveler is copyrightGrace Johnson. All material has

been used with permission and iscopyright original sources.

The articles published re ect the

opinions of their respective authorsand are not necessarily

those of the editor.

COPYRIGHT

CONTACT

[email protected]

DISCLAIMER

EDITOR S N OTE C ONTRIBUTORS

Alena PesaventoDean Clementson

Derek KeatsHeike Pirngruber

Helen LloydLogan WattsMark Watson

Mica RaduMichael TranMike BolesNeil Pike

Paul Grover Paul JeurissenPeter Jordan

Rick GalezowskiRob Philippe

Sarah Hedges

Stphane GirardTom Walwyn

Urbanist Cycling

Attention solo cyclists! Are you inter-ested in tips on how to improve your self portraits? Then check out professional

photographer Peter Jordans interview inthis edition. ~ Grace Johnson



With this in mind, we arrived, at the endof a long day, in the driveway of the Libe-ria Cuerpo de Bomberos , the rst such

re station eastbound along the Pana -mericana highway.

Anyone who has ever spent a day ina re station can tell you that the menspend 90% of their time dutifully polish-ing the pumper, and this was exactlyhow we found them, in the middle of vig-orous lathering. One by one they pausedin silence, and for a few awkward mo-ments it seemed that maybe wed made

a mistake; that we had rudely intrudedupon their fastidious world of lustrous

chrome bells and whistles. So imagineour surprise when they dropped theirsponges and welcomed us warmly; andwe were ushered inside, upstairs, and

into a private room, clean and spacious,with comfortable beds, hot showers andair conditioning. Furthermore, there wasa full kitchen at our disposal, a pool table,satellite television... even HBO! How this

tradition began we have no idea; why itextends only to cyclists remains a mys-tery; and while all of this may sound lessthan spectacular to anyone who normal-ly sleeps in a bed, given our usual ac-commodations, we assure you, this wasPura Vida! On our map we plotted the fullconstellation of re stations clear across

the country and off we went- connectingthe dots, savoring the air-conditionedhospitality of our new best friends - theBomberos of Costa Rica.

AFTER A FEW successive nights itseemed our good times might last for-ever. But adventure was not long in call-ing. With an everlasting itch for thingswild and forbidden, we said our farewellsto the beaten path of the Panamericana,and pushed off toward distant, uncharted

A little-known fact about Costa Rica is that many of the coun-trys re stations offer free accommodation to touring cy -clists, and it is quite possible to travel all the way from Nica-ragua to Panama without ever having to stay anywhere else.

Costa RicanFIRE STATIONSBy: RICK GALEZOWSKI

there was a kitchen,a pool table, satellite

television... even HBO!



re stations, where we discovered, to ourastonishment, men who knew nothing ofthis wonderful tradition. To assist in theircultivation, and for the sake of thosewho might follow, it became our missionto spread the good word. They alwaystreated us gently, with slow movementsand lots of agreeable nodding (perhapssuspecting some sort of mental impair-ment), and they always invited us to stay.

And the two times that these re stationsdidnt have any room, they directed usaround the corner to the ambulance sta-tion, where they invited us to stay. Andthe one time the ambulance stationdidnt have enough room, two paramed-ics insisted that we take their beds forthe night, choosing to sleep on the oorinstead. All told, we spent every nightbut one in the company of Costa Ricas

emergency service personnel, and itsays a lot about Tico hospitality that allof this was achieved by doing nothingmore than showing up, announcing thatwe had cycled here from Canada andwere looking for a place to sleep, andthen standing there- sometimes for along while- grinning our most ingratiatinggrins. In a desperate bid to keep a goodthing going, we arrived at the rst restation in Panama and asked if perhapswe could stay with them too.

We were told politely but rmly, No .

Rick Galezowski and Maggie Bennedsenare Canadian architects who have touredextensively through Asia and the Americas.Their website www.backintheworld.com isfull of inspiring photos and stories.

B T

PhooSARAHHEDGESwwwbcycenomadcom



Cable ties. What would we do with-out them? What did we do beforethem? They come in a variety ofsizes and colors, and you can even getre-usable ones.

I was reminded of their near-in niteusefulness the other day. I was just leav-ing a small village, off the main highway,riding towards the Indian town of Bundion a real boneshaker of a road - bumps,lumps, potholes, the lot.

There were three grinning loons on amotorbike riding behind me, just abouton my wheel, and I waved at them toclear off or come past, but they were

having too good a time staring at me toleave yet. I had to brake sharply to missa wheel-munching pothole, and as theywere so close and paying so little atten-tion, they clouted into the back of me.

I picked myself out of the dirt. My rightpannier had been knocked off by the im-pact. The motorbikers had stopped just

ahead - they looked at the damage, andat me in a fury, screaming abuse at them.Then they left. Bastards.

I WAS IN a real oor-kicking, stone-chucking rage. I started throwing rocksafter them, but (luckily) they were outof range.

A busload of Italian tourists stoppedto check I was OK. I scrounged a fagoff one of them (my rst cigarette in fouryears) and had a smoko while I assessed

the damage. My good old Carradice Su-per C pannier was undamaged, as you'dexpect from something sturdily made inBRITAIN, except for the hooks which at-tach it to the rack. They weren't repairable- however, I quickly realized that I couldbodge a temporary x with... cable ties!

By then, a huge crowd from two bus-es and umpteen motorbikes had gath-ered to watch, and pass comment, andhelp. But mainly to watch. I was a bit toofocused to let it bother me. In short or-der I had my pannier re-attached, anda murmur of admiration went throughthe crowd. We all shook hands, one of

the tourists took my photo, and I packedaway my gear, with many hands passingmy possessions back to me.

I'm pleased it happened, even thoughI later discovered that the screen on myereader was another victim of the colli-sion. Not only did I get chance to showoff my bodging skills to an attentive audi-

ence, it encapsulated the best and worstof the Indian experience, as my moodwent from exasperation to red rage tocalm acceptance and nally amusementat how my situation had become anotherpart of the street theatre that passes foryour average day in India.

In praise of...

B T

Dean Clementson cycled from the UK to...asfar as he could get before his sanity or moneyran out. You can read about is journey at:http://aroundtheworldbyaccident.blogspot.com

Cable TiesBy: DEAN CLEMENTSON

AULEUR

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STPHANE GIRARD

www.ouestef.com

KyrgyzstanImage

Road:thefrom



HEIKE PIRNGRUBER

www.pushbikegirl.com

TajikistanImage

Road:thefrom



PAUL JEURISSENwww.pauljeurissen.nl

MalawiImage Road:the from



IVE BEEN in Kalbarri, Australia for four days for no particularreason while I drink wine on the beach and wink at the beautifulpeople. The sun hasnt risen in the same place twice, though eachmorning it spreads light on the only path out of town. Something

keeps me from it, unable to shake the sand from between my toes.In travels past the culprit would have been sickness or exhaus-

tion. Now I think I just need to get laid.Knocking boots with the anybody of my dreams is hardly an ig-

noble endeavour. But the problem is this, and its the one inviolable

truth Ive discovered on my journey: Bikers just aint sexy.In theory it shouldnt be this way. Cyclists are in incredible shape

and generally have a big smile on their face. Some of us are evennice people.

THE TROUBLE is that we wear Lycra and helmets. Spandexalone is okay. Wonder Woman wore tights and she was a part of theSuper Friends and Justice League of America. No doubt she had her

of ce ings.On their own, helmets are ne also. George Patton wore a lid. Sotoo did Joan of Arc, Neil Armstrong and Evel Knievel. These folks in-spired awe in the masses while keeping their brains from spilling outtheir ears. Nothing could be hotter.

But can you picture Superman with his tongue squeezed betweenhis lips as he tries to buckle his bike helmet? How about Darth Vader

dgeting with the padded bum in his elastic shorts?Me neither.

International

Ride A Biker Day

By: MIKE BOLES



OF COURSE, the fact that I sport a scraggly beard and carry mostof Australia beneath my ngernails doesnt help my cause.

Nor does my wardrobe. My Sunday best is a red hoodie and my

right shoe keeps falling off my foot. If it were a dog Id have to shoot it.But I shall overcome these obstacles. Ill meet the right person

well touch as we reach for the last package of expired biscuits in thediscount bin. Our eyes will lock and lustily theyll ask if I know whereto steal wireless Internet.

Well walk hand in hand to that special place, lling our bottles inpublic fountains as we go.

It will be magic.

Mike has been cycling around the world for four years and has no plansto stop anytime soon. He writes, "Every single day on the road is agift, a precious ash of something sublime, and if I had any goal at all,it was only to experience that beauty rsthand." Follow his journey athttp://mikeonbike.wordpress.com.

B T

P h o t o : w w w . u

r b a n i s t c y c

l i n g . c o m



Q-C ORE SLS ize : 20 x 78 x 3.25

Weight : 17 oz .

G EAR R EVIEW S LEEPING P ADSBy: LOGAN WATTS

Ihave been sold on Big Agnes gear since I rst stretched out on their Insulated AirCore sleeping pad I got for my birthday 2 years ago. On our recent tour in Mexicoand Central America I carried their Copper Spur UL3 tent, the Insulated Air Core

sleeping pad and the Pitchpine SL sleeping bag. All of this gear was purchased basedon reading solid reviews and being generally impressed by the feather-weight prod-ucts in Big Agnes super and ultra light categories. Now that I am putting together anultra light pannier less kit for an upcoming trip, I was glad to nd out that they haveseveral new products that boast even lighter and smaller packages. Here are threetried and tested air chamber sleeping pads for bike touring (one non-Big Agnes). Twoof which have a lot of road use from our recent tour.

INSULATED A IR C ORES ize : 20 x 78 x 3.25

W eight : 24 oz .

EXPED S YNM ATS ize : 20 x 72 x 2.8

W eight : 29 oz .



EQUIPMENT

B IG A GNES Q-C ORE SLThe most interesting of the three is theQ-Core Super Light (SL) sleeping pad.It comes in several widths and lengths,in both rectangle and mummy. I chosethe 20 x 78 x 3.25 mummy variationbecause of its packed size. It rolls nice-ly into a 3.5 x 11 burrito-sized roll thatcan easily t on a fork-mount cage or bestrapped on to a rack.

I had the opportunity to give it a goon our trip to Vermont and was very im-pressed. Because Ive only used this pada few times, I cant vouch for its tough-ness, but it feels durable. I found the Q-Core to be even more comfortable thanmy Air Core. It seems slightly thickerand cozier. The dimpled, quilt style feelsmore plush, and the slightly loftier siderails keep you from rolling off of the pad.I can only hope that it holds up as well as

my Air Core. Another plus for the Q-Coreis the amount of time it takes to blow up.This could be attributable to the mummyshape, but it seemed to take half of thetime that I usually spend huf ng andpuf ng my Air Core. My only complaintabout this sleeping pad is the stuff sack.Mesh!? Not very durable or protective,

but thats hardly a deal-breaker.

B IG A GNES I NSULATED A IR C OREI am brie y highlighting this pad becauseI have given it a thorough testing. Al-though it was slightly bulkier and heavierthan I wanted, this is the pad I settled onfor our Central American tour, and I haveput in countless hours on it, in both ridic-ulously hot and fairly cold temperatures.I love this sleeping pad. I have honestly

stated on several occasions that its morecomfortable than most beds. However,its no superlight tiny packed roll like thenew Q-Core. Never-the-less, it servedme very well.

E XPED S YN M ATMy wife, Virginia, decided on this sleep-ing pad for our trip. I can vouch for itscomfort and its durability, but other thanthat, I only included it here as a point ofcomparison. In my opinion, its heavierand slightly noisier than the Big Agnespads. Its only two bene ts can be derivedfrom its unique hand pump system. Thissystem was designed to allow for mat in-

ation without lling the chambers withhumidity from ones breath. Im not re-ally sure what advantage that ultimatelyprovides. It also allows you to save yourbreath for more important things. Also, to

let air out, you just open the valve insteadof having to lie and wait for the slowerBig Agnes valve to expel all of its air. De-spite those bene ts, Gin is opting for aBig Agnes for our next tour. She nds thehand pump system to be a little awkwardand more time consuming than the oldfashioned Big Bad Wolf method. B T

Logan Watts site www.pedalingnowhere.comstarted as a blog about a bike tour and hasbecome a place to document a rambling ob-session with bikes, gear and adventure.

For more information on the Insulated AirCore and the Q-Core SL sleeping pads seewww.bigagnes.com. For the Exped SynMatvisit: www.exped.com.



TRIP G EAR

Sea To Summits lightweight Ultra-SilView dry sacks come with a clear TPU

window so that you can easily viewthe contents inside.

Price: varies depending on size.www.seatosummit.com

Dry Bag With Window

Mini Camera Tripod

A look at equipment for bicycle travelers.

The UltraLite Bike Mirror from Ortliebprovides a wide eld of view. It can be

mounted on all types of handlebarsas well as forks.

Price: $26.99 U.S.www.ortlieb.com

Bike Mirror

By: GRACE JOHNSON

The Gorilla Pod Micro 800 has analuminum positioning ball with 36of movement in any direction andits feet can be folded up to t in a

camera case or shirt pocket.Weight: 2.3oz. (65gr.)

Price: $20.47 U.S.www.joby.com



Increase your visibility with this smallsafety triangle from Rivendell BicycleWorks. Its Velcro straps can easily be

attached to saddlebag loops, straps oreven bungy cords.

Price: $8. U.S.www.rivbike.com

Small Safety Triangle

The Sea To Summit silk travel liner islightweight, super compact and helpsto extend the life of sleeping bags by

keeping them clean.Price: varies depending on length.

www.seatosummit.com

Silk Liner

The Buff balaclava offers breathabilityand humidity control with the bene t ofa Polygiene treatment to keep the fab-

ric smelling fresher for longer. It comesin either 100% Polyester Micro bre or

100% Merino Wool.Price: $28. U.S.

www.buffwear.com

Balaclava

EQUIPMENT



IndonesiaPhotographer Mark Watson and his partner

Hana Black set off on a 2500km journeydown the giant island of Sumatra.Photos: MARK WATSON

P HOTO S TORY



Upper left: Small roadside stall.Upper right: Slow moving traf c.Left: A rebuilt village on the road south to Meulaboh. Above: A rickety building with a shop in the bottom left.



Above: Stopping for lunch at the local cafe.Left: The verdant green plains of the highlands.

Mark Watson is a New Zealand based freelance photographer and graphicdesigner. He photographs travel, adventure, lifestyle, landscape and hiswork can be seen at: www.highlux.co.nz/blog The Indonesia images are

from Mark and Hanas 9 month bike trip from China to Sumatra.



Pedalling t



By: ROB PHILIPPED

Photo: MICA RADU www.fickr.com/photos/micuradu

Budapest



In Slovakia - while good food is h

THE DAY was the classic Dan-ube Bike Trail that one mayimagine, but it doesnt really ex-ist. It was a rollicking ride along

the big, wide river into big and busy Vi-enna. This city is made for bike ridingand the locals are out in full force. Tobegin with there is some confusion, andfollowing the ow we eventually gure itout. My wife Valerie imagines a rest offthe bikes; its not to be. The next day, wehave the bellman rolling the now road-worn two-wheelers through the lobbyand out the front door, much to the de-light of the other guests.

The ride out of Vienna is as fantas-tic as the ride in. Bicycle-clogged citystreets soon cross the Danube and dis-appear into an extensive city park and

then into the wilderness, but not beforeriding through the nudist-friendly river-bank parks and clothing-optional beergardens. Chomping at the bit, we are offon the quest for a new capital city in thenext country of the tour.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAK Republic,

the tour literature says maybe a goodspot for an extra day. I say not; yet itis still a great ride, with long bridges tocross back and forth, always in sight ofthe armadas of long, skinny river cruiseships navigating through locks. Eventu-ally, a beautiful old city emerges frombehind ugly and dirty concrete buildingsfrom a not-so-distant repressive past.

Slovakia is the poor cousin of theCzech Republic, while good food is

hard to nd, good beer ows freely. Thevillages are more drab and boring, yetthe beauty of Gothic and Renaissancearchitecture is everywhere, so are theremnants of communal life and industry,boarded up factories and public buildings.

We had survived the rst night of thetour in a strange and creepy place, so weknew we could survive the night in a smalland nondescript wide spot on the trailcalled Gabeikovo. Here the route myste-riously disappeared into construction sur-rounding the megalomaniac dam thatseparates Hungary and Slovakia. Thereis no prescribed detour, but by now weare road warriors and take it all in stride.

The next day we head off to the laststop in Slovakia, Komarno which is lo-cated at the con uence of the rivers

Danube and Vah.

KOMARNO IS the site of possibly thebest three-star hotel of our tour, HotelBanderium. But the town overall is one-star, full of empty buildings, an entiretown built with each individual structuredesigned to look like that of another coun-

try in Europe. Maybe 50 different build -ings, mostly empty, as are the streets. Anyway, it is the last night in Slovakiaand the hotels restaurant is excellent.

We get our rst rain day of the entiretour. After determining the days routewas mostly highway and not pathway, wedecide to ride with the luggage transfer no reason to risk life or limb this close tothe nish. A quick email to the tour of ceand a second taxi is offered up for the



bicycles and we all head for the border andinto Esztergorm, the Rome of Hungary.

Glad to be dry and to have a rest daybefore the last big ride into Budapest, wesoon discover that Esztergorm is worth afull days visit. Eventually, we end up atthe famous basilica and decide to climbto the top, not knowing that few attemptthat feat. Now we know why, after navi-gating up extremely narrow 24-inch wideancient stone circular stairs, up over 30stories of windowless towers designed toturn the strongest believer into a shiver-ing, claustrophobic, sweat-drenched pil-grim. We are treated to a 360-degree walkaround a very shaky walkway of rottenwooden planks ringed by a rusted out ca-ble rail in a blustery wind and driving rain.

Why are we here? It must be the view,

down the Danube in the direction of Bu-dapest, across the Danube to the Slova-kian side of the city called Storovo andup the Danube from whence we came.

ONE MORE reward for our efforts asa tiny little elf of an old man, the keeperof the dome, appears and motions us to

follow him through a locked gate into thedarkness. Here he demonstrates with ayelp, the reverberating, round and roundand round echo. Stay here, he motions,and disappears, soon the most beautifulchoir boy voice serenades us from theother side of the dome, we sing back andthis becomes one of the most memora-ble events of a memorable tour.

With only 70 more miles of typicalDanube Bike Trail, from path to highway,

some traf c, then more traf c, we are zig -zagging in and out of villages. Its detours,dirt tracks, washed out paths, more high-ways and then the trail gets friendlier withmiles of riverfront vacation cottages andsmall hotels, even a few restaurants andbars. So close, yet lost again in a confus-ing urban landscape, we nd ourselveson the wrong side of the tracks, literally.

GETTING GOOD directions from help-ful English-speaking locals means thatwe are close to the city; few people speakEnglish outside of the cities. We can senseBudapest, yet we still cant quite get there.

All of the sudden we are swept up bya pack of 7- and 8-year-olds out for aclub ride. Pedalling their little mountainbikes with reckless abandon decked out

in high visibility green bike vests decorat-ed with a logo of the Big Bad Wolf. Theyhoot and holler as they ride through theunderpasses and tunnels as they leadus to the Erasable Bridge, one of eightthat join Buda with Pest, and the bridgethat leads us to the nal hotel of the tour.Wow, what a nale! We check in and head

to the bar for a well-deserved celebratorycocktail. We get what we want withoutthe now-tattered map and meet Zoltan,the barman who learned to speak Eng-lish by watching the Cartoon Network.

But that is another story and the endof this one.

Rob Philippe and Valerie Weber enjoy thecombination of bicycle touring and nehotels. www.robertsphilippe.com/media

rd to nd, good beer ows freely.

B T



In 2013 Peter Jordan spent 5 months cy -cling through France and afterwards hepublished a photo book titled Me, mybike and a compact camera. France.The book preview can be viewed here and Peters facebook pro le here .

Q: During that trip you carrieda Canon G12 compact camerawith an optical zoom of 28 140.Why did you choose that insteadof carrying multiple lenses?

A: I would have to carry 4 prime lenses- a 28mm-50mm-85mm and a 135mm -plus a camera body to put them on, tohave the same range as I get from thecompact I carry. That's a lot of weight.Yes you do get better quality picturesfrom a prime lens but I have no com-

plaints from the quality of my photostaken on the Canon G12. I have A4 sizeprints on my walls at home that look greatand could have been bigger if I wanted. Ieven had a 13x11 inch photo book madeand it looks superb. Why would I want tolug around such heavy equipment whenI can do the same job with a small light-weight and easily accessible camera?

A lot of people seem to think (under-standably) that you have to have top ofthe range expensive gear to take great

pictures. I think that's rubbish.

Q: You also carried a Gorilla Podtripod how did that work outfor you?

The Gorilla Pod is a great bit of kit. Theyhave different sizes to t a variety ofcameras and lenses. The one I have tsin the front bar bag alongside my cam-era. You can put it in places where a nor-mal tripod won't go. Because of its bendydesign you can wrap it around almostanything. Ive used it on tree branches,fences, sign posts, rocks and even mybike handle bars. The only advantage Ican see from carrying a tripod is that you

P ETER J ORDAN London newspaper photographer and solo cyclist Peter Jordan

traveled through France with a compact camera and a Gorilla Pod.

Interview: GRACE JOHNSON Photos: PETER JORDAN

INTERVIEW

Me, my bike and a compact camera.France book cover.
http://store.blurb.co.uk/ebooks/443401-me-my-bike-and-a-compact-camera-francehttp://store.blurb.co.uk/ebooks/443401-me-my-bike-and-a-compact-camera-francehttps://www.facebook.com/peter.jordan2?fref=tshttps://www.facebook.com/peter.jordan2?fref=tshttp://store.blurb.co.uk/ebooks/443401-me-my-bike-and-a-compact-camera-france



can use the camera at different heightsbut even this isnt an issue if you thinkcreatively about how to place the tripod.

Q: Peter you travelled solo yetyour photo book preview is full ofself portraits. How did you man-age to get all of those shots?

I almost never ask a passerby to takea picture of me. That's because I'm al-ways disappointed with the results. Tak-ing good sel es takes time and effort,most of the time. I love taking them andwill spend a lot of time getting it right.Once I've seen what I think might makea nice picture I will look for somewhereto put the camera and then do some test

shots. I will change the angle and moveit around. I look at the back screen andthink how I can make it better, maybe un-der exposing the pic depending on thecircumstances or shooting from groundlevel looking up or from above lookingdown. Some people can see a picturestraight away in their mind before theyeven take it. I can't. I cover all the possi-bilities until I see what I like. I sometimestake dozens of shots until I'm happy with

just one. When I am happy with the resultI will dump the rejects to free up memoryspace. Theres no point in keeping pixyou won't use.

Q: In the book forward you write,There is no rhyme, reason or

Beach shower at Lion-sur-Mur in Normandy.



theme to the pictures. If I sawsomething I liked, then I wouldstop and take a picture of it.

Yet when I view the book pre-view its full of a variety of im-ages ranging from a fence gate

to a pan of pasta. Did you makea list before the trip of subjectsthat you wanted to shoot or is it

just all of your years of newspa-per experience that helped youphotographically document yourtrip so well?

I never make a list. I sometimes have anidea but most of the time I just bump intopictures along my route. I'm always look-ing as I ride along. If I see something I

will stop and take it. People say to me "Isaw a great picture today but they nevertook it. You have to stop. It does take ef-fort and time but for me it's part of thewhole cycling experience along with thecamping, cooking and being free. It also

gives you great memories too.I like taking pictures of the food Icook. If I've spent time preparing some-thing nice then I want to show it off toothers. It's a pride thing too, I don't wantall my Facebook friends thinking I live onPot Noodles all the time, although I dolike them too.

Working as a press photographeris an advantage but our eyes are thesame. Just think pictures and it will fallinto place eventually.

Shaving in the lake at Arques after wild camping.



Q: In the future - would you carrythe same photography equip-ment or is there something youwish to change?

I love the combination of the Canon G12and the Gorilla Pod. No, I would notchange anything at the moment. Thecamera did start playing up towards theend of my trip. I have had it repaired nowbut I know it has a shelf life. If I had to re-place it then as a lover of the Canon G se-ries it would be one of the newer models.The Gorilla Pod is a great bit of lightweightkit and would also stay, no question.

Q: Any last words of advice?

You dont need a big expensive camerawith the biggest sensor to take good

pictures. Try looking for a decent com-pact with a zoom lens (you dont needthe longest zoom either). The camerashould have a few different settings onit. I would look for one with a Programand Manual setting, exposure compen-sation, the ability to focus at close range(macro setting), to take HD videos andthe option to turn the ash off. My G12has a few fancy settings which I hardlyever use but theyre fun when I do. Learnabout the camera. Read the manual in-side out until you know what all the set-tings and buttons are for. The more youknow how to use the camera, the morecomfortable you will be about taking pic-tures with it. Experiment with it to seewhat it is capable of.

A spare battery is a must. Keep itcharged up. Two memory cards was ne

Fireworks over Rennes les Bains on Bastille Day.



for me. I never used the second one asI edited on a Mini iPad along the wayand dumped the rubbish pictures to freeup space. If you intend to edit after yourtrip then take several cards with you andgo through your days pix on the back ofthe camera deleting any that don't makethe grade.

Take time out for your photography.Look and think all the time of what mightmake a nice frame. When you see one,do it properly. Take lots of different pic-tures, not just landscapes. There are

loads of nice images out there waitingto be taken; you just have to nd themby keeping your eyes open. Don't worryabout the weather or if it's day or night.Think silhouettes or expose for just thehighlights of something. Maybe use aslow shutter speed and pan a movingsubject for a creative blur effect. Themacro can produce some stunning closeups. Make sure your pictures are sharpand well focused, if not do it again andget it right.

1. Pork chops with rosemary and garlic cooked in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

2. A fence stands on its own in the middle of a eld just south of Rouen. 3. A local Frenchman inthe village of Revel poses for me in the window of his house. 4. A dog sits in a shoppingtrolley in the back streets of Bordeaux. 5. Celebrating my new found freedom. 6. Anotherlittle chap standing in the middle of the cycle path on the Canal Lateral. 7 . Enjoying a bigsplash back in England.

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YOU MUST PRAY to God everynight.

NoYou do believe in God though?Hmm... I decided to be honest, noYou must believe in God. You cycled

here from England and youre still alive!

Well, no I dont. But yes I am, clearly.Then what do you believe in?

There was not time for a long philosoph-ical debate. I was waiting for the boat tocross the river into Botswana, and it wasalready on the way.

Im not sure. I suppose, I believein sound judgement, I smiled, and a

spot of good luck. I was thinking backto when I swam in the Sankuru River inthe Congo and was later told there weremany crocodiles lurking in the murkydepths. That was de nitely not one ofmy smarter moves. It is easy to forgetabout unseen threats.

Perhaps just a lot of good luck.The young man in smart trousers and

polo shirt tucked in at the waist stud-ied me and shifted his bag uneasily onhis shoulder. He was not sure what to

believe now. We both stood in silenceuntil the platform ferry reached the bankand then walked on.

But arent you scared?Of what people? No.Scared of animals?Not so much.

But the lions. You must be scared oflions.

Not really. There werent many lionsto worry about the way I had come. Theywere on my mind though. I often thoughtabout what was down the road, and lionswere de nitely there. I have been think -ing about them, I admitted.

What are you going to do aboutthem?Good question. I had been wondering

about that too.

WELL UNLESS I hear better advice,I guess Ill cycle in the daylight and stayin my tent at night when theyll be hunt-ing. And trust to luck.

Man, I cant believe youre still alive. Imean, this is Africa. As I pushed my bikedown the ramp into Botswana, he called

LIVING AMONG

LIONSBy: HELEN LLOYD



after me, I shall pray for you tonight.Those words were ringing in my ears

as I started south towards Nata. The roadpasses through game reserves, whichmeans fewer people and more animals.I kept a lookout for any unsavoury wildlifethat might consider me a savoury snack.Perhaps I have been lucky until now. Idbetter not push it. My eld of view waslimited by dense green bush to my leftand right. Only the grey asphalt contin-ued ahead endlessly to the horizon.

It was a grey, dull day and certain torain. I intensely scanned the bush look-ing for lions. My plan was to cycle onlyonce the sun was well up, when any li-ons would be resting from the heat. Thisdidnt account for cool, overcast days liketoday. Hopefully, they wouldnt be hunting

me. Elephants, I had been warned, werealso numerous on this road. I guredthey would be easy to see.

IT WAS NOT long before I sighted the

rst elephant, surprisingly well camou -aged by the thick bush and grazing on

a tree by the roadside. I was almost ontop of him before we both saw each oth-er. He immediately stopped eating andturned to face me. I pedalled faster.

I was still wondering how I managedto miss seeing the elephant when I saw aherd of them ahead. I had slowed downto consider the options when a white 4x4pulled up alongside me. It was the policefrom the checkpoint I had passed earlier.

Are you OK? one of cer asked, asyou might to someone who looks lost.

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Fine, I said.You do know there are wild animals

on this road, dont you?Yes. Im not stupid.Do you know what to do if you see

a lion?Is this a test? I would like to know

what you advise, I said tentatively.Well, we havent tried this you re-

alise, and the of cers exchanged glanc -es, but this is what you are supposed todo if you see a lion: you stop, face thelion and dont move. Its very importantthat you dont run away.

I stood silently, expecting to hear whatI should do next, but nothing more wasoffered. OK, I encouraged and waitedfor the of cer to continue.

Well, if you are OK, take care and besafe. The driver turned on the ignitionand started to make a U-turn.

Thats it?I pedalled away, confused, wondering

how any wild cat staring contest wouldend. Then I remembered the elephants.One had seen or smelt me. It turned, with

trunk in the air and huge ears agitated,and then the others reacted too. Uh oh.

FORTUNATELY, THE police sawand drove up alongside to shelter me.Now that I was hidden from view, the el-ephants went back to grazing. Then thepolice left.

Alone once moreThis whole time, I was cycling faster

than usual and didnt stop for breaks. Itwas a completely irrational response to

the lion threat. I would only be more tiredif (and hopefully now when) there wasa problem. Adrenalin fuelled me on, butthat could not last

My mind wandered, and the next thingI was aware of was that the bush hadgone and I was cycling through opensavannah. I wondered how long I hadbeen lost in my own thoughts, not think-ing about lions or elephants. Since I wasfailing to see huge elephants that didnteven try to hide, I was unlikely to see alion stealthily stalking me. I decided tostop thinking about it, turned on my mu-sic and tuned. Ignorance is bliss.

I couldnt ignore the little Metro withthree young girls and their luggagecrammed inside. It pulled up alongside me.

Hi. We thought we should warn youthat there is a lion ahead.

Oh. How far ahead?Um. Not far. Not helpful.Just roughly. Is it 100 metres? One

kilometre? Five?You see that tree over there? Near

there, the girl pointed. About 500 me-

tres then.

I CLEARLY DIDNT look too con-cerned because the blonde girl in thepassenger seat leant over and went onto clarify, Its a rather, um, aggressivelion.

Really? Whats that supposed tomean?

Yes, its rather aggressive. It tried toclimb on the car.

I looked at the little blue and white

If you see a lion - you stop, face the lion and dont



metal box they were crammed in andthought that wouldnt be hard. I thankedthem for warning me, thought quickly,and concluded I should wait for the nextsizeable vehicle to come and ask for a lift.

It was the end of the South AfricanChristmas vacation time, and many fam-ilies were returning to Johannesburg.While loading my bike onto the roof onone couples vehicle, another stopped.The driver leant out to ask what theproblem was.

Theres no problem. Apparentlytheres an angry lion ahead, so Im goingto get a lift past.

A lion! The lady passenger ex-claimed.

Well go and check it out for you, the

driver said, already swinging his LandCruiser around in the road. They justwanted a photograph.

WHEN WE PASSED the couple wereout of their vehicle on the other side

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of the road. That didnt strike me as asensible thing to do. We slowed down,curious and concerned.

You know that feeling when you havespent the morning cleaning the car onlyto have your pet cat jump up and leavea trail of paw prints over the bonnet?You might even want to strangle the cat.Now imagine you are driving through Bo-tswana in your shiny white, brand newland Cruiser, and you stop to take a pho-tograph of a lion, and it leaps. Now youhave huge muddy paw marks smudgeddown the side of your vehicle along withdeep scratches and a hole where therear side window used to be with glassshattered over your luggage in the back.If that happened, you would be really

pissed off.

Helen Lloyds book Desert Snow is herTake On Africa - 25,000km from the U.K.to Cape Town, fuelled on with 1,000 beers.http://helenstakeon.com.

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move. Its very important that you dont run away.



NEIL PIKEwww.pikesonbikes.com

ArgentinaImage

Road:thefrom



ALENA PESAVENTOwww.frischlufttour.ch

KyrgyzstanImage

Road:thefrom



By: PAUL GROVER

Photo of: PETER JORDAN

EnglandImage

Road:thefrom


50/52JUNE 2014 - WWW.BICYCLETRAVELER.NL50India

mage

Road:thefrom

PAUL JEURISSENwww.pauljeurissen.nl



Ups and Downs: A Cycling Journey across the Alps by Michael Tran tells thestory of his bicycle journey from Paris to Munich. This humorous and entertainingbook combines two of the authors greatest passions in life, bicycle touring andgraphic design. For more infromation see: www.michaeltran.info


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Trave lerBic c le

Parting shot

I met this gentleman years ago while touring in the Rockies nearRevelstoke. He was on his way to Ottawa, Canada.

Yes, thats a spare prosthetic leg hanging up there in the rigging. Andyes, those are his ducks riding along on the overturned kiddie pool

(which explains the pool skimmer, I suppose).. ~ Rick Galezowski

P h o t o : R

I C K G A L E Z O W S K I w w w . b

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Revista - Bicycle Traveler 06- Australia

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