tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71048097993072677972024-02-18T17:51:47.810-08:00Passing That WayAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-13523114271346521282014-05-16T14:18:00.001-07:002014-05-16T14:18:54.039-07:00Homecoming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my xedap (bicycle in Vietnamese) safely arrived in Wellington airport to be met by Dad!! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The time has come and the time is now...! A very long-awaited time, the terribly precious time of home-coming! We had looked forward to it for so long, to tell the truth we'd looked forward to it even before we left home! We'd definitely looked forward to it as we took off from NZ soil last April, so nervous about our reception in China and really about all that would come to pass before we returned to this soil again. And we looked forward to it dreamily as we lay too weak to ride but too nauseus to eat in our stony campsites along the remote Panj Valley in Tadjikistan, feeling so very far from all home comforts and people. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beaut Pukerua Bay day with Anna's family, Andy, Dad, Anna and Mum. What a brilliant bright land and sea we have!</td></tr>
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And then we actually got there! We woke one morning in our Ho Chi Minh city hostel, and 21 hours later we taxied along the tarmac to the Wellington Airport terminal, and to everything that is homely and familiar, to all our people and all our places (and some changes since we left too of course!).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fun Wellington day with bro Andy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan cooked us a good kiwi meal of roast lamb and vegies mmm mmm!</td></tr>
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We had a wonderful five days in Pukerua Bay and Wellington, spending lots of time with my (Anna's) folks and brother Andy, just catching up, walking around the beautiful coast and roads, eating great food, sharing stories and pictures, resting, and enjoying being together! We also caught up with a good friend Ryan for a scrummy welcome home dinner! </div>
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Yes it was a bit of a head spin. Just in the way that everything seems quite normal on one level, while on another it simultaneously feels totally unreal and impossible to fathom, and even more so because it kind of feels normal... </div>
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It was a wonderful time, and we slowly settled in, our heads, hearts and bodies all gradually getting insync again. We noticed things: the brightness of the colours in the vegetation and the sky; the clean orderliness of our city streets; the casual dress code of kiwis; the return of our asthma and hayfever; the richness of our food; the speed at which we drive; the great clear feeling air. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch stop on the road again, this time on Queen Charlotte Drive</td></tr>
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We rode our bikes again for one last stage of our great tour, from Picton around Queen Charlotte to Pelorus Bridge campground and then on to Nelson. On the outskirts of Nelson my sister Katie met us on her bike, and we rode the final kilometres together to her place. We rolled over the 16000km mark with Ollie's front tyre worn to the point of showing an awful lot of its blue inner layer, my front hub needing regular and delicate finger tightening to keep it rolling but not too wobbly, our hearts so very very full with all the wonders of what this last year has been, our bodies suprisingly well, and altogether brimming with a huge thankfulness to now be safely and happily back riding in our own beloved homeland and amongst our favourite people!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last kms with Katie! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The after-shot, in front of Katie's place in Nelson. Looking quite good really, with gear and bikes all cleaned up for Customs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's something we've been hanging out for all year, fish and chips by the beach! With Katie, Jude, Alana and Angus. </td></tr>
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It felt like we arrived in Nelson just in time to experience the last of the kiwi summer, with beaut sunny weather for walks, runs, trips to the park and the beach, having a great time with Katie, Jude, Alana and Angus.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with a much-grown nephew Angus, who's showing off his best "happy face" for the photo! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cosy evening with much loved family in Christchurch - Em, Lan, Ols, Mon, Anna and Dave. Special to be together! </td></tr>
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Slowly making our way south down the island we got to Christchurch. We were super stoked to be able to cross over with Mon and Dave before they head away on their next great cycle journey through South America! So we had a fun few days with Em, Lan, Mon and Dave, as well as lots of time with Ollie's Grandpa Yeoman and some of the wider Yeoman clan! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wee picnic by St Kilda Beach, some special time remembering our parents and grandparents and other much-loved people who are no longer with us, and lovely time just being together.</td></tr>
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Then down to Dunedin, to Ollie's parents, my Grandad and Aunty Beth, many friends and most homely places. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bikes again, this time an Otago Harbour ride with Nat and Sel. We even found this great stone couch to have our Easter eggs on!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wee running adventure up Mt Cargill in some good bracing Southern Ocean conditions!! With Miri and Andy! A wonderful return to a favourite hill! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dinner for kings and queens! Much dreamed of food while we were away, it was wonderful to be back enjoying such treats! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6R4k4p7719THU_1EGXuXeUep02kia0mobrW4GBfTVNtRp-l1S7-9R3_5AaV2d59bPQ1Q8kE-IcHAbwVtZZ0wXqyZzjR7SSEAPSUmQ9GDQyPvCBnjrinPdqaP4fksWo15WePnQf0mjIzyc/s1600/winders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6R4k4p7719THU_1EGXuXeUep02kia0mobrW4GBfTVNtRp-l1S7-9R3_5AaV2d59bPQ1Q8kE-IcHAbwVtZZ0wXqyZzjR7SSEAPSUmQ9GDQyPvCBnjrinPdqaP4fksWo15WePnQf0mjIzyc/s1600/winders.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking again! This time with Ollie's sister Hannah and her and Nige's four kids on the Queenstown bike trails.<br />
Some super impressive biking demonstrated by the next generation! Go you guys! </td></tr>
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<br />
It was a good time to come back. We felt very ready for it. A year is a very long time and it has packed a huge lot of experiences. "Our cups runneth over" so to speak. We felt like we couldn't fit very much more in in terms of wonderful new experiences, new places and people, and we were more than ready to return to life back here, to some stability, some routine, more chance to contribute meaningfully and be connected. And be home. We still dream a lot and love recalling the memories of our year. We sometimes read Ollie's diary entry from the day's date last year, setting us laughing and sighing over amazing memories.<br />
<br />
Thank you so much to all of you who've been interested in reading our stories on the blog. Having the blog has been a wonderful part of the journey for us too, and knowing it has a wee audience has encouraged us to put some thought into processing and retelling aspects of our travels which in turn has ended up being very meaningful for us. Thanks for your curiosity, your love, your prayers. Those at home, thanks for such a lovely welcome home! We are truly blessed to have such people in our lives! And for those who've read this after meeting us along the road, thanks for the part you played in the journey.<br />
<br />
Anna<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvMyu3o2SM9N7nBkcWzgaV7paMbLcsK1x6zAxDs5uqZ0gyXAj5kgpRvLfvHmNLbGPcXqssUGP0KIPm7rB_f6bN3ZFmeo4s7budl8H0saEZbRDUHqwn6YaatXEmIz4h8It4iK6Q3ZdPLn5/s1600/P1030879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvMyu3o2SM9N7nBkcWzgaV7paMbLcsK1x6zAxDs5uqZ0gyXAj5kgpRvLfvHmNLbGPcXqssUGP0KIPm7rB_f6bN3ZFmeo4s7budl8H0saEZbRDUHqwn6YaatXEmIz4h8It4iK6Q3ZdPLn5/s1600/P1030879.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And here is our wee home for now, our caravan and awning on a walnut farm near Bannockburn, Central Otago! I've got a full-time early childhood teaching job in Cromwell, and Ollie's relief teaching and looking for a teaching job. </div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-84121081371186137592014-05-15T00:07:00.000-07:002014-05-15T00:08:29.425-07:00Crazy Beautiful World - Another fun short movie!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A short film celebration of our cycle adventure from China to Vietnam, via Morocco! <br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/b8vqGmtZ3V8" width="700"></iframe></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-81397318807423656192014-04-07T19:19:00.000-07:002014-04-13T04:36:59.657-07:00The final glorious pedal strokes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bullet points</div>
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-After cycling for the last 12 months we decided enough was enough and we simply stopped cycling. Just like that we were finished!</div>
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-We caught a few buses and enjoyed a cruisy final week in Ho Chi Minh City in Southern Vietnam</div>
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After
dropping out of the Cardamom mountains near to the Cambodia-Thailand border we
couldn’t help but question- What on earth are we doing here? With less than two
weeks until our flight home from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam we had ambitiously
headed a few hundred kilometres in the wrong direction and now found ourselves
needing to cross Cambodia and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta with little spare time to
relax and enjoy the last days of our journey. So with that in mind we got stuck
in and hammered out a couple of big days before wisdom prevailed and we opted
for some public transport in order to get back on the front foot!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Cambodian public transport</td></tr>
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Border
crossings have always proven to be fascinating experiences, occasionally
stressful, sometimes hilarious, often entertaining, always exciting.
Re-entering Vietnam after two weeks in Cambodia was as big a contrast as any
border we had ever crossed. Thatched bamboo housing gave way to concrete brick
and tilt slab, quiet rural scenes were replaced by chaotically busy urban
sprawl, empty broken and bumpy roads were soon smoothed and filled with the
quintessential Vietnamese motorbike mass! Vietnam, when contrasted with
Cambodia, suddenly seemed like a land of plenty.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Re-entering the wonderful chaos that is Vietnam!</td></tr>
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The
plan was to gain some time by bussing to Can Tho on the Mekong Delta in
Southern Vietnam, and to complete our year of cycling adventure with a crusiy
four day ride up to Ho Chi Minh. The vision was a glorious final section,
perhaps riding into the city with crowds of fans cheering us on as the sun set
on another day and on our journey. In reality it all turned out a little
different. We just stopped biking. We departed Can Tho, rode 10km out of town,
got disorientated on an unmarked road, stopped into a café for a drink and a
team meeting and decided to stop. We were pretty happy with all that the year
had given us, we’d had a little taste of relaxation and we liked the flavor. We
were happy to put the bikes away and have a holiday for our final week out of
New Zealand. Just like Forrest Gump stopping running, we stopped biking. We
turned back, rode the final glorious pedal strokes back into town, checked back into the hotel we’d just checked
out of, much to the amusement of the staff, and entered into our new life of
relaxation and luxury!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cafe where it was decided the ride was complete.</td></tr>
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So instead
of another bike ride our final week consisted of a wonderful boat ride
exploring some of the floating markets and the myriad of canals around Can
Tho, indulging in the vast array of fine foods available in Ho Chi Minh City
and wandering it’s parks and museums and meeting distant relatives. Amongst all
this we reveled in the celebratory vibes at the culmination of this very fine
year spent exploring this landmass and the hugely exciting anticipation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of our return home.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdpiKaPg5QEic9ObtzAw3GagOAervBS1IEdM7_GQaOr2jTNiguiGteYcc9DY3eLQjouh1YRtOVC9MYE9vQIu-UoUd6_-OJCIzya1heRuN1PwvR4YaMLqpCL4HTycOE1hGYhCIZVy0OrIa/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdpiKaPg5QEic9ObtzAw3GagOAervBS1IEdM7_GQaOr2jTNiguiGteYcc9DY3eLQjouh1YRtOVC9MYE9vQIu-UoUd6_-OJCIzya1heRuN1PwvR4YaMLqpCL4HTycOE1hGYhCIZVy0OrIa/s1600/3.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cai Rang Floating Market. Mekong River Delta.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phong Dien Floating Market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Mekong Delta produce and attire!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canals near Can Tho</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) by night.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0Wix73aaAhdXk8r3xsAM0siNxfH5TdrmUwaBXbfXOpi8Xm9mhyphenhyphendmVsOeVhCvPAsWm8WKGbyqQh_mJ73aRY9F9tKVSS7Sd3ZCm-Zpz5SnZBnsJyVIDZUTj-ml9fH5mLaPiUZO-MQNVyBc/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0Wix73aaAhdXk8r3xsAM0siNxfH5TdrmUwaBXbfXOpi8Xm9mhyphenhyphendmVsOeVhCvPAsWm8WKGbyqQh_mJ73aRY9F9tKVSS7Sd3ZCm-Zpz5SnZBnsJyVIDZUTj-ml9fH5mLaPiUZO-MQNVyBc/s1600/9.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Police in Ho Chi Minh are currently trying to clear all business from the footpaths. They confiscate any restaurant furniture found on the footpaths. In a cheeky act of resistance the bar owners have gotten one step ahead of the Police, the furniture was all taken inside, for those of us outside we were all offered a piece of cardboard to sit on!</td></tr>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-91931483868853724732014-03-18T08:04:00.000-07:002014-03-18T08:07:38.029-07:00Carnage in the Cardamoms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bullet points</div>
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<br /></div>
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-After 3 days resting in Phnom Penh we caught a bus north west to Pursat and from there rode west into the Cardamom Mountains.</div>
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-Riding via Pra Maoy and Ou Soam we traversed south through the hills to Koh Kong in the far south west of Cambodia.</div>
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<br /></div>
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---------------------------------</div>
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<br /></div>
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In
the dull grey of the morning we ride slowly and quietly through this demolition
site, speechless, both aware the other is deep in thought and shocked by the
scene we behold. All manner of rubbish lines the roadsides, thousands of small
stumps protrude from the burnt bare ground, charred logs lie scattered and
wasted, some grand old trunks still stand but have been reduced to blackened
lifeless remains. People squat under their little bamboo shacks, cooking
breakfast over a small open fire, huge overhead lines run high above us, taking
power from the many hydro electric schemes, and yet the local villages<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are drip-fed only 3-4 hours electricity each
day. What on earth has happened here? The place is a mystery, a horror, an
apocalyptic-like scene. I find myself wanting to hear what the few chirping birds
would have to say. If only they could speak my language and give me an honest
account of historical events here. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmy0wdZ7xy161rSaLBksu3wQnVPq5AT8JLp5s5tuiwL32NCzDG5DsnRWx2GJW-LTBrJXIC4B2FEMHrZw7hwCann25-uz0-mwOvmQtIz2xC6ex4iZEs2G_Yk4f8jOoNDqCHziBrUT5XXyA/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmy0wdZ7xy161rSaLBksu3wQnVPq5AT8JLp5s5tuiwL32NCzDG5DsnRWx2GJW-LTBrJXIC4B2FEMHrZw7hwCann25-uz0-mwOvmQtIz2xC6ex4iZEs2G_Yk4f8jOoNDqCHziBrUT5XXyA/s1600/1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deforestation near Pra Moy.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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Some
of my questions were soon answered as I sat and read another chapter of
‘Cambodia’s Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land’ by Joel Brinkley. As
it turns out, the worst of what happened here happened quite some years back.
Many of us have heard of the Khmer Rouge and the atrocities they brought upon
Cambodian people through the late 1970’s. What I’ve since discovered about
Cambodia’s more recent history is almost equally appalling.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZfUoDFuTWTTwXN_u77zv0NKhAqL_hcT6ZqIu5Dkecvbiifj2jcEJEburq7IBBAOx2YeDIwno7aPw1MqkxMSUoha8XyRarYt6ryn7TtxcGy-oI-DuKEeb3sjviJTs_sqQ7BxC5d8hsakG/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZfUoDFuTWTTwXN_u77zv0NKhAqL_hcT6ZqIu5Dkecvbiifj2jcEJEburq7IBBAOx2YeDIwno7aPw1MqkxMSUoha8XyRarYt6ryn7TtxcGy-oI-DuKEeb3sjviJTs_sqQ7BxC5d8hsakG/s1600/2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More deforestation. Pursat Province.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k0ROZ42aJlOp6y-i_AOD-KvbJsC5yCKXl4-L7W8MnE89N2BvnJFXpamF10KcdNTuO-4DofnzQc_uk2uqRbvh0HPD9GlDGEAdKHZ49ViKzbYEUw9tcasIDiqGYRm_ZM_xo-7QGLzFIF5N/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k0ROZ42aJlOp6y-i_AOD-KvbJsC5yCKXl4-L7W8MnE89N2BvnJFXpamF10KcdNTuO-4DofnzQc_uk2uqRbvh0HPD9GlDGEAdKHZ49ViKzbYEUw9tcasIDiqGYRm_ZM_xo-7QGLzFIF5N/s1600/3.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deforestation and hydro-electric lake near Ou Soam</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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After
being thrown from power after their short yet crippling four years the Khmer
Rogue retreated to the region of Pailin, just north of our route through the
Cardamom mountains. Left to their own devices and powerless to rule the country
any longer they took little time in setting about gaining all they could for
themselves, stripping the region of its rich forests and illegally exporting
the timber across the border, mainly to Thailand. In a very short period of
time Pol Pot and a small number of his buddies that he hadn’t already turned on
became extremely rich men at the expense of large tracts of Cambodia’s forests,
the lifeblood for people living in these rural areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is all shocking but shouldn’t come as a
great surprise that a man responsible for the death of around 2 million people
would then go on and carry out further evil acts. What came as news to me
though was the acts of the current Cambodian Government.<br />
<br />
After the UN
occupation of Cambodia in 1992 current Prime Minister Hun Sen shared power of
the country with Prince Ranariddh. In a letter to the Thai Government they
outlined that they were the only individuals allowed to approve timber exports
and that all exports would occur through the Ministry of Defence! In reality
what happened is that these two ‘leaders’ sold logging concessions to their
fellow government officials, friends, and family, they pocketed the proceeds
from the concessions and their mates ravaged Cambodia’s forests and pocketed
the proceeds from the export sales. The local people who had forever survived
by living off the forest were now left with no forest. So it was for much of
our 260km journey from Pursat through the Cardamom Mountains to Koh Kong, there
was in fact very little forest remaining. This area must have been an
incredible place, the small sections of wonderful jungle we passed through with
the sounds of tropical birds and gibbons a fleeting glimpse of what once must
have been widespread across much of Cambodia.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37J9TIiGGxOWUxjfaPJiVbW_T_KcMKsabCmHe7B1uydOwEMg1r-0SSqOAnZcUSRP_nJP3T0W9cVMCPTaf3e4GFBhaJyKFdZDoItOYGTEpZdYFO42ni9KVk8SiPB7H-XMBI-JEsQCpZk9g/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37J9TIiGGxOWUxjfaPJiVbW_T_KcMKsabCmHe7B1uydOwEMg1r-0SSqOAnZcUSRP_nJP3T0W9cVMCPTaf3e4GFBhaJyKFdZDoItOYGTEpZdYFO42ni9KVk8SiPB7H-XMBI-JEsQCpZk9g/s1600/4.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deforestation and overhead lines carrying electricity the locals can look at but can't have.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfXJEVeJplBwl3t7OzlU8BVaiKXDFxEK7hrQp_TRPV8uwGv7ypQMeMmbbbHcHE-Nc6UbagX3dV8M9FptMDtxAitWFwdbkRvTmgnomNDW8PXzvMRVHsKafLJkuvx0gr0nfEkAW-EM4U_8P/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfXJEVeJplBwl3t7OzlU8BVaiKXDFxEK7hrQp_TRPV8uwGv7ypQMeMmbbbHcHE-Nc6UbagX3dV8M9FptMDtxAitWFwdbkRvTmgnomNDW8PXzvMRVHsKafLJkuvx0gr0nfEkAW-EM4U_8P/s1600/5.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More dams under construction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2bSYUKQXrlA6amsubr9zvdR1HUX4z5x4Jvxpifx4L2hyxoEzMEorV-npUK7uNfnFhTAqXQHJM0yncQJeeo6xZVLUDcRbVmdzKcWRivqQMFQQI174x6Qn_eF9S8JkyCubI74foPaMbVqC/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2bSYUKQXrlA6amsubr9zvdR1HUX4z5x4Jvxpifx4L2hyxoEzMEorV-npUK7uNfnFhTAqXQHJM0yncQJeeo6xZVLUDcRbVmdzKcWRivqQMFQQI174x6Qn_eF9S8JkyCubI74foPaMbVqC/s1600/6.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical village. Cardamom Mountains.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The
ride was a tough little adventure, packing in plenty of kilometres, plenty of
gravel road and plenty of hills, with temperatures way too hot to be combining
such things! Cycling in the heat on smooth flat roads has always turned out to
be a surprisingly okay experience for us, the cooling of the breeze we generate
always offers relief. Hill climbing on the other hand gets the body working so
much harder and is so much slower that we don’t generate any air flow. Grinding
our way up yet another steep climb with temperatures sitting around 40 degrees
I swear I have never felt so unbearably hot in my life. My chest burned and my
head felt about to implode! A new experience I hope not to repeat too often, yet
at the same time strangely fun to widen one’s physical experiences in life! We
arrived in Koh Kong pretty thrashed, happy we’d sidetracked and gotten off the
beaten track, yet saddened and challenged to have witnessed such a beaten land.
This was a side of Cambodia we hadn’t previously entered into.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sHsgLEU9_3xgL3HwhPEu0TOnB6Dw8qZJvSE6UyA4I7y0eDlWzvBH8XZdF8X6WSLp9qdG0lEU6wn6T6pgz5buOxrH5I075CJFz3YfNmRaiMFiHF8ng8gSBstxX713JRA7OCz6u6klHBNI/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sHsgLEU9_3xgL3HwhPEu0TOnB6Dw8qZJvSE6UyA4I7y0eDlWzvBH8XZdF8X6WSLp9qdG0lEU6wn6T6pgz5buOxrH5I075CJFz3YfNmRaiMFiHF8ng8gSBstxX713JRA7OCz6u6klHBNI/s1600/9.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good gritty adventures. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvYxy4WfROdGirOQ_QsBWpxLbxYsXpq40BxDaZXYUgBG9SYGJ2RHZ5kjLe6KRB7n20Na-RI5n_9D1r2tLQP7HjtBw_tKVl2caGTYuRReMswvQTtrVRWfRUuDYpmojRoR4Rzl62h09D0tO/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvYxy4WfROdGirOQ_QsBWpxLbxYsXpq40BxDaZXYUgBG9SYGJ2RHZ5kjLe6KRB7n20Na-RI5n_9D1r2tLQP7HjtBw_tKVl2caGTYuRReMswvQTtrVRWfRUuDYpmojRoR4Rzl62h09D0tO/s1600/10.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging deep: Dust, heat and hills.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoyDVOJVdEyJvJtdjir9LJOmrwvd_gQuykbuxNOmIQ9lIgvLQiOHHZ6GGOpB9UJuRqqv6I9NUGfcdAwrlD1Qhbd1-mTMjRvmqJycwyeUPsaJ25sMfDVfUphTKSrjqAeMKmC5Ilbd7njAQ/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoyDVOJVdEyJvJtdjir9LJOmrwvd_gQuykbuxNOmIQ9lIgvLQiOHHZ6GGOpB9UJuRqqv6I9NUGfcdAwrlD1Qhbd1-mTMjRvmqJycwyeUPsaJ25sMfDVfUphTKSrjqAeMKmC5Ilbd7njAQ/s1600/11.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thankfully some stunning forest filled with wonderful life does still remain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8O4hvC4UH5wq4HrfFLm-rjjoS2dDw0mVxnM-4j-WA-CEDC0706hED4_HzGoPRDXYBo1OhizcOMnJwLsOYMHkD8eVerpZaY4BOjYcApNvCIF29BYrUBjXvFELI63meGEzwlJuXfMh92FD9/s1600/12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8O4hvC4UH5wq4HrfFLm-rjjoS2dDw0mVxnM-4j-WA-CEDC0706hED4_HzGoPRDXYBo1OhizcOMnJwLsOYMHkD8eVerpZaY4BOjYcApNvCIF29BYrUBjXvFELI63meGEzwlJuXfMh92FD9/s1600/12.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big country of the Cardamoms.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQbDl8BazJQVfsZFqFqx5pcPHoTdXE1m5LgbYaECVVaIc9r1SOUdic0OQ1v2GzFQsAEk5KRzUoBewr7rUq91JuCsGef1LDgxJr6Dm6o2tcE1fQ85akOmdU-0oop__tzNaB42ZN-kQuwZe/s1600/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQbDl8BazJQVfsZFqFqx5pcPHoTdXE1m5LgbYaECVVaIc9r1SOUdic0OQ1v2GzFQsAEk5KRzUoBewr7rUq91JuCsGef1LDgxJr6Dm6o2tcE1fQ85akOmdU-0oop__tzNaB42ZN-kQuwZe/s1600/13.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final descent to Koh Kong.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkXHIpFR3ZmnGCCpPzsr8hhVqjmsDaXUNtQx3UBy4a1Zl_nNqR20NV_Jg7LLZOSHVuAg9kyIBhkRjRB3qDLJSDJTq-at61kzvIrvipdzzvEPtIxvrIGc4D-I7bk7z3hbfXObA_1uM164S/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkXHIpFR3ZmnGCCpPzsr8hhVqjmsDaXUNtQx3UBy4a1Zl_nNqR20NV_Jg7LLZOSHVuAg9kyIBhkRjRB3qDLJSDJTq-at61kzvIrvipdzzvEPtIxvrIGc4D-I7bk7z3hbfXObA_1uM164S/s1600/14.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who would take these scruffs into their hotel??</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Further
reading has revealed more of the awful situation Cambodians still face today.
Corruption is rampant, engrained. People are being regularly thrown off their
land as it’s sold to developers, it is not at all uncommon for activists and
journalists to be jailed or even killed. Factory workers rallies are currently
banned in Phnom Penh’s ‘Freedom Square’. Police have been paid cash bonus’s by
interior Minister Sar Kheng for their work in controlling previous rallies,
where beatings and killings have occurred. Many children must pay teachers a
small sum on a daily basis before being allowed to enter class, the sick pay
Doctors if they want to be attended to, drivers routinely pay Police a small
sum if they want to avoid a larger fine. At every election time opposition
party members are bribed and many are killed. These murders have repeatedly
gone uninvestigated. Millions of dollars from international donors go missing
every year. A tourist I spoke to was pulled over by Police and fined for not
showing his drivers licence, the fine was $50 if he wanted a receipt, but could
be reduced to $10 if he was happy not to have a receipt!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2aHww_f_y366iSvetelF3Df_OTJO2msAKyB7fqfxzC9lnv_BVt8vksIBEN9PZxkzEok5Q8CnENOOXY2bA3pc47DTQzlZKtzMqz58Nc9afCOef5z3ngowYDDQKZt7Z22DIyzsi4jg1e3P/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2aHww_f_y366iSvetelF3Df_OTJO2msAKyB7fqfxzC9lnv_BVt8vksIBEN9PZxkzEok5Q8CnENOOXY2bA3pc47DTQzlZKtzMqz58Nc9afCOef5z3ngowYDDQKZt7Z22DIyzsi4jg1e3P/s1600/8.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hun Sen and his cronies from the Cambodia People's Party (CPP). Propaganda has lined the roadside from the first very kilometre we entered Cambodia. I think you do a little better in Cambodia if you have a CPP billboard in your front yard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLn7AS1GcR6HmdxcDebjTvZ9y7J4gJpSyl-S5wZaeGCdlqPy6nriSeiSpap5UOjAhb-PywT2poF3yDC1jtCZrnQOpJrHA11_ekmK3Ib1IpP2LaCEXUL9HfC8Q0bkNYIOqM-4GnhoZaWOv/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLn7AS1GcR6HmdxcDebjTvZ9y7J4gJpSyl-S5wZaeGCdlqPy6nriSeiSpap5UOjAhb-PywT2poF3yDC1jtCZrnQOpJrHA11_ekmK3Ib1IpP2LaCEXUL9HfC8Q0bkNYIOqM-4GnhoZaWOv/s1600/7.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does not apply if you are high up in CPP.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For
us Cambodia has been a pretty challenging experience, the insights gained from
travelling and reading a relevant book simultaneously are quite profound. We
have experienced beauty and kindness, and we have caught just a little glimpse
of the devastation and oppression that so many Cambodians live under daily. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Ollie</b></i> </div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-56784938132537321472014-03-12T06:56:00.000-07:002014-03-12T06:56:09.966-07:00Cambodia: A Week Meandering Down the Mekong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bullet/route points:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>We spent seven days cycling from the southern
Laos border at Khong to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>We stuck as close as possible to the Mekong
River, following the Mekong Discovery Trail route from Stung Treng to Kratie,
the west bank to Kampong Cham and then the east side to Phnom Penh. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjltzFhckBXMSgY7o3B8HqJmaW_5ndDAykotRlGAEHRhwsTsqAD_1_m4Y9zq1V6bZVK_NvD-7i3hw8NMg1rTOEirMgxfqkCvLXQ7qeOnITxcYbIy7TkEykhrydMVrt5N6pZ63zqYLrheP/s1600/another+mekong+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjltzFhckBXMSgY7o3B8HqJmaW_5ndDAykotRlGAEHRhwsTsqAD_1_m4Y9zq1V6bZVK_NvD-7i3hw8NMg1rTOEirMgxfqkCvLXQ7qeOnITxcYbIy7TkEykhrydMVrt5N6pZ63zqYLrheP/s1600/another+mekong+sunset.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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We can only describe it as a magic time. A week spent by the
slow-moving but life-giving giant of a river, the Mekong. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusgPy9Fku_-318rzVIfV7_xlpeh7AloZinYtXYb297_uyXN0Kgx-dGnVerRIuI8DMHgmu9vSsHaKTB8L9wMiarKWaE_MzFYZFN3DL4ScEatHbeSLvCnicaicRejd4vcIQkLTgdZuZirRD/s1600/P1030172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusgPy9Fku_-318rzVIfV7_xlpeh7AloZinYtXYb297_uyXN0Kgx-dGnVerRIuI8DMHgmu9vSsHaKTB8L9wMiarKWaE_MzFYZFN3DL4ScEatHbeSLvCnicaicRejd4vcIQkLTgdZuZirRD/s1600/P1030172.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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After the long tarseal straights of southern Laos, we felt
keen for some higher interest and slower pace riding, so we put aside six days
to do a journey that most would do in three, from Stung Treng in the far
northwest of Cambodia, down to Phnom Penh. We left the main road and wove a
route on dirt trails, gravel roads, small sections of seal and even occasionally
single track. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dst9roQ0wZPrfyzHiqJ4w2qbKJqTPrAMWb2JE01jdoXdb074ZtBm_XIMGmGBNSRB0eW-0y2Wz7VH5Fzuv1ieyY_CTKemehAcG_xb7dkuxnCNZsuPwQQi08Zwu06gi0voJsXFvqiLS2gn/s1600/P1030173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dst9roQ0wZPrfyzHiqJ4w2qbKJqTPrAMWb2JE01jdoXdb074ZtBm_XIMGmGBNSRB0eW-0y2Wz7VH5Fzuv1ieyY_CTKemehAcG_xb7dkuxnCNZsuPwQQi08Zwu06gi0voJsXFvqiLS2gn/s1600/P1030173.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Linking it all together we took ferries of varying sizes and
styles, eight in total, as we crossed from east bank to west, and to some of
the sizeable islands in between.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlevneqTZ22Om83f0EG-wUN5SAHZK-_MtOgKpDlSTM2HrdSacYrW6I0SyhjoARKFv26Ie5aXjlk0jIxNpw2O9Z3vkZSHFX-DLauefOnKwo5MKl4H4Ts_QawXfvFj26pHIqKaOfakkIUzl/s1600/P1030207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlevneqTZ22Om83f0EG-wUN5SAHZK-_MtOgKpDlSTM2HrdSacYrW6I0SyhjoARKFv26Ie5aXjlk0jIxNpw2O9Z3vkZSHFX-DLauefOnKwo5MKl4H4Ts_QawXfvFj26pHIqKaOfakkIUzl/s1600/P1030207.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the boat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHy1TUQe7G6VqfNPOJI2CnPTATaOfuBEjecDmRfrtr03f1VhsABGD4vnU-mkjftEsFYB9VTRB7wPT32K99IMmFKxKR5SD2weI7Krc0mv0E0M3KM2-VlcUCrJLh_-esB-3sEMqQ03zqrh8/s1600/P1030159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHy1TUQe7G6VqfNPOJI2CnPTATaOfuBEjecDmRfrtr03f1VhsABGD4vnU-mkjftEsFYB9VTRB7wPT32K99IMmFKxKR5SD2weI7Krc0mv0E0M3KM2-VlcUCrJLh_-esB-3sEMqQ03zqrh8/s1600/P1030159.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some were very small</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2jLKl_BzWoZCibWkc757Q6uykrJcxnptZDMBmJU7NVgYCCNKtfV0CxcFam7T2D2HL1c8QRUj8Agop8juro8Ig9G9AcIMJhwt3ZQxcEBguR4E5XEEd4xLApFP2beLS4PFyPV3bOxuUoj9/s1600/P1030201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2jLKl_BzWoZCibWkc757Q6uykrJcxnptZDMBmJU7NVgYCCNKtfV0CxcFam7T2D2HL1c8QRUj8Agop8juro8Ig9G9AcIMJhwt3ZQxcEBguR4E5XEEd4xLApFP2beLS4PFyPV3bOxuUoj9/s1600/P1030201.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On some we joined regular commuters</td></tr>
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The northern section of our route followed
the “Mekong Discovery Trail”, maybe something like New Zealand's new Alps to Ocean Trail but with
less signage, more sand holes and plenty of Cambodian flair! It is an eco-tourism/rural
development initiative to encourage tourism in this poorer and less-visited
part of the country. With some good online maps and descriptions copied into our notebook, we set out to enjoy! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-1Ge_VJtjtdho1fvnGyTLTTNkaBi4JzEQ6cCrbEQ_tWp9JBuzhgwHDH5X64W7Ep0jjHEegKRX2puoIEIOK0IxGv9RFECJ6CksT8J9HfmIEthS5Gc86ShLrCfe6_yQEz5k10POEHZag07/s1600/P1030090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-1Ge_VJtjtdho1fvnGyTLTTNkaBi4JzEQ6cCrbEQ_tWp9JBuzhgwHDH5X64W7Ep0jjHEegKRX2puoIEIOK0IxGv9RFECJ6CksT8J9HfmIEthS5Gc86ShLrCfe6_yQEz5k10POEHZag07/s1600/P1030090.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding out of Stung Treng</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7XP6ztwMtUz_uK6TubwIiyqxmNvlapSb9HHhAqvXC9Wfe6TNJ2a2oO0Q1uYdwnH0zhdrZXVtJr4tDzEzivqMtN2oElQ3bmuH3TfgwIoZWM8RjerYz3vgovdceVBDEHgyNNWYFCznGPIJ/s1600/P1030169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7XP6ztwMtUz_uK6TubwIiyqxmNvlapSb9HHhAqvXC9Wfe6TNJ2a2oO0Q1uYdwnH0zhdrZXVtJr4tDzEzivqMtN2oElQ3bmuH3TfgwIoZWM8RjerYz3vgovdceVBDEHgyNNWYFCznGPIJ/s1600/P1030169.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Koh Pdau</td></tr>
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We were able to stay the first three nights at homestays. These were associated with the Discovery Trail, and seemed a good way to support the local community, as well as have a very special experience ourselves. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerV_St1wTjk6wy9XN3LG-h_Y-ettHJayJFlJHOtyAy9LRlcvEV4udRBJKC0PcJgLLnBHopA0dv-ap1kDkBT_E9TRseYab6p1-Db_Mjy0AaJxS8h33TeykIZvtyJlIeUw_G-mL35Rtawch/s1600/P1030194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerV_St1wTjk6wy9XN3LG-h_Y-ettHJayJFlJHOtyAy9LRlcvEV4udRBJKC0PcJgLLnBHopA0dv-ap1kDkBT_E9TRseYab6p1-Db_Mjy0AaJxS8h33TeykIZvtyJlIeUw_G-mL35Rtawch/s1600/P1030194.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were given dinner, breakfast and if we wanted a packed lunch. We ate great feasts of rice, eggs and vegetables and even fish, all very tasty, and importantly for us, very sizeable!!</td></tr>
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As we arrived at the village of Koh Preah to look for our first homestay, we found a welcoming and wonderfully organised system, with neat painted signs at the edge of the village informing us how the homestays worked and teaching us useful Khmer language phrases. We learnt that seven families take it in turns to be the homestay, and soon we were shepherded to the Community Chief, who then led us to our homestay for the night and helped us get settled in.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our homestay in Koh Pdau village, easily located by the "My Turn" sign out the front! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Saylom, the Community Chief of Koh Preah village, the two boys from our homestay and their cousin. </td></tr>
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Probably the crux of the Trail was a 40km section that ran the length of Koh Rogniev Island, where the largest "roads" were ox-cart tracks, and numerous smaller trails headed off into the bush from unmarked intersections. We'd read some horror tales of lost cyclists before us, but had been told that the best strategy was to simply always choose the most substantial trail, and if that failed, to pull out the compass and head south! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Koh Rogniev </td></tr>
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We had a wonderful time, weaving through the dry forests, sometimes drifting and foundering in deep sand drifts, and sometimes cruising sublimley on hard dirt single track! We felt quite remote for a while, seeing no-one, until the ice-cream man on his motorbike turned up! Sadness at losing remote vibes was well offset by a dreamy ice cream though! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOM3Oj8I5oI1p9-Honin-drwqgnArBqRC87btVExyUZTv8PFgIP6qIbpU5F-zkZFBh7omYZTuC587Lb-8Qn0KrxDY3UScBq9wtcKA7xsZz5-UsLpLlY_SfsPQkRr1ycSz-MpXiZ5txGgt/s1600/P1140170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOM3Oj8I5oI1p9-Honin-drwqgnArBqRC87btVExyUZTv8PFgIP6qIbpU5F-zkZFBh7omYZTuC587Lb-8Qn0KrxDY3UScBq9wtcKA7xsZz5-UsLpLlY_SfsPQkRr1ycSz-MpXiZ5txGgt/s1600/P1140170.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie and the ice cream man! Ooo yeah!</td></tr>
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Through this section the heat has really kicked in. 41 degrees the daily high, cooling finally to about 24 degrees about 4am. It has seemed particularly intense on the bright dirt roads, and definitely leaves me more tired! It became a routine to cool off in the afternoon by getting in the river. Trying to keep our heads out of the water for safety reasons, we felt more like wallowing buffalo than legitimate swimmers, but either way it was divine! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot riding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjm58RGqlLvHitjM7_9RWFbb560e85T9N-_w-wAXPFgjajx557vKJQgNAR-I94ds2PY5EVlhbB9hMLhBCKqilDdpRi_8V_2q3u1UTKb9jT2IkQWICz5l9-EAHSacyXg_0FSv86v1DwW4f/s1600/P1030174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjm58RGqlLvHitjM7_9RWFbb560e85T9N-_w-wAXPFgjajx557vKJQgNAR-I94ds2PY5EVlhbB9hMLhBCKqilDdpRi_8V_2q3u1UTKb9jT2IkQWICz5l9-EAHSacyXg_0FSv86v1DwW4f/s1600/P1030174.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely shady spot under our homestay. Wonderfully well-designed houses for the climate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkSYtEV4C3TtgbYLd1kdQNYFeJ_P1u6GvANo4MlzB6w3Vy_2bskE_ES7YlT7UOx-Fv7wUPVSY_YpUdZ87_PMVX2k1EN_seb3FxnKYUEtPoPiUqS0Sx0kxCOc9N3M9gIdCSyzkELYVKNgy/s1600/P1030119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkSYtEV4C3TtgbYLd1kdQNYFeJ_P1u6GvANo4MlzB6w3Vy_2bskE_ES7YlT7UOx-Fv7wUPVSY_YpUdZ87_PMVX2k1EN_seb3FxnKYUEtPoPiUqS0Sx0kxCOc9N3M9gIdCSyzkELYVKNgy/s1600/P1030119.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river at dusk</td></tr>
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The Mekong Trail ended at Kratie, so from there to Phnom Penh we picked our own trail of small roads by the riverside. More wonderful riding, rural villages, friendly people - all pretty idyllic! Occassionally getting a little lost, it all eventually came together very well! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLKLiLu-o5dZb4KuDPm3-C4HWC7uhmar7QgcJwN2wSde2-m-bimHBhBfAz6vguANyOYL0Z4V9pHkSOrF4dkxoDRTsQZDbn06bpnoSCMXtsl2J2Rq_rX0Nktctc7xsVH3aJC5Ap6xDQ2fJ/s1600/P1030246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLKLiLu-o5dZb4KuDPm3-C4HWC7uhmar7QgcJwN2wSde2-m-bimHBhBfAz6vguANyOYL0Z4V9pHkSOrF4dkxoDRTsQZDbn06bpnoSCMXtsl2J2Rq_rX0Nktctc7xsVH3aJC5Ap6xDQ2fJ/s1600/P1030246.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the west bank of the Mekong</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0YWcAQFUD8yIBgWehwMOTBaWU9rUmt6fk3hIPibblSGvIfxy48KS_GdwCJjiOzIoJErgfpiMMdxEk1tiq0cB7CdMOXjvzRINdOiBOHrknL6-9qw3N3bgIFr8fmIoKq9wHiDxRzl7rODm/s1600/P1030272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0YWcAQFUD8yIBgWehwMOTBaWU9rUmt6fk3hIPibblSGvIfxy48KS_GdwCJjiOzIoJErgfpiMMdxEk1tiq0cB7CdMOXjvzRINdOiBOHrknL6-9qw3N3bgIFr8fmIoKq9wHiDxRzl7rODm/s1600/P1030272.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slighty lost on a lovely concrete lane, south of Kampong Cham</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVjXcS9AMD_s3iUZyd_p5SGer9L0cPMVxYVbQ1t2lHdeluijKXPrbEA99UAG6sU6DccD8lrZ02m-Odu0DLlQEcFfQxWCawegA_2_JA3osatihyphenhyphenX-SsrO5Rdrrd68ch4X5j72rn0n2V5ya/s1600/P1030274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVjXcS9AMD_s3iUZyd_p5SGer9L0cPMVxYVbQ1t2lHdeluijKXPrbEA99UAG6sU6DccD8lrZ02m-Odu0DLlQEcFfQxWCawegA_2_JA3osatihyphenhyphenX-SsrO5Rdrrd68ch4X5j72rn0n2V5ya/s1600/P1030274.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the super friendly children! Strangly though, they do seem at libery to run out of the classroom and school grounds at any time to see us, so maybe not really ideal! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOTP1vUePKUbRB5AzaGc7EOdlOPPzMLv3swCyZOrIkz0cSMdv-RkUjJRAKQTWYPeruly3yTxAk9VHkQhwpqYaH9Xt7orkoGyhVwZwsRJSIVi9efczUdDiBG0Qi-lYklqzPjDSnny6hebO/s1600/P1030297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOTP1vUePKUbRB5AzaGc7EOdlOPPzMLv3swCyZOrIkz0cSMdv-RkUjJRAKQTWYPeruly3yTxAk9VHkQhwpqYaH9Xt7orkoGyhVwZwsRJSIVi9efczUdDiBG0Qi-lYklqzPjDSnny6hebO/s1600/P1030297.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of you have commented on our impressive browness - but let you in on a secret, it's not all tan!!</td></tr>
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Very dusty, sweaty but happy we turned up at the ferry crossing to Phnom Penh. Incredibly, by staying on the east side of the Mekong for the final day, we could ride dirt back roads right until the ferry that took us across the river and into downtown Phnom Penh! A real treat compared with the usual tens of kilometres of industry and busyness to battle through on entering a major city. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilled village riding 4km from downtown Phnom Penh</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phnom Penh ferry</td></tr>
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Anna</div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-80941636698288343212014-03-07T00:42:00.001-08:002014-03-07T06:33:07.321-08:00The Dark Blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XJS4biGe1B1zYyEEIJv5CepXOnVH_9I0PVtt2b9mXp6-SIUVR-Ktuxv2WtsQv_LYQae2XIH4x90TRLEbmMjQaUBmNVeZyUQX_JCukylCOtZnIAS4LIfnLq3CKLtyQJ4pPAdrZHqRjdou/s1600/14+beauty+lost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XJS4biGe1B1zYyEEIJv5CepXOnVH_9I0PVtt2b9mXp6-SIUVR-Ktuxv2WtsQv_LYQae2XIH4x90TRLEbmMjQaUBmNVeZyUQX_JCukylCOtZnIAS4LIfnLq3CKLtyQJ4pPAdrZHqRjdou/s1600/14+beauty+lost.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
One
would be a fool to journey for a year and celebrate the world’s wonders without
being struck by its horrors. Ironically this year of adventure has probably
lead us to spend more time searching the internet than ever before, researching
our path ahead. Browsing blogs and sites for information and inspiration has made me
realize just how easily we can tell just one side of a story, or how simple it
is to take a pretty photo and block out the destruction beyond the frame. Perhaps we should have shared more of this 'dark side' as we've journeyed instead of lumping it all in here, I don't know. Anyway here’s an attempt at a sobering and honest blog, the dark side, showing some
grim realities and sadnesses that should never be ignored. It's by no means an exhaustive list of our challenging experiences and as is the case with so much of what we observe, we are left with many questions and uncertainties. What we observe is just a glimpse, but a real glimpse nonetheless.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dams,
dams, dams. Plenty of them around, some
countries seem to have developed a particular obsession for them. As we made
our way down this beautiful Georgian Valley the stunning mountain scene was
suddenly scarred by this enormous hydro-electric lake. Choked with logs, the
water quality plummeted to a smelly brown slop, the water fluctuation level
leaving a great scar on the hillside.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFRSGFscJ5NH77CA54wMSG4NWOm6wxyV-Oba3JeRmefdu9cqNj_GzhZaSYV_sFmnOYSX9Dl20JZ1RL81QWk_S4b2QL2JmmZBWWYWSPdkvwNWITsyWn57M6ubVd5nXTmW4SQxpEXwi9odx/s1600/1+turkey+dam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFRSGFscJ5NH77CA54wMSG4NWOm6wxyV-Oba3JeRmefdu9cqNj_GzhZaSYV_sFmnOYSX9Dl20JZ1RL81QWk_S4b2QL2JmmZBWWYWSPdkvwNWITsyWn57M6ubVd5nXTmW4SQxpEXwi9odx/s1600/1+turkey+dam.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Turkey
is developing it’s hydro-electric network at a phenomenal rate. All over
Eastern Turkey we witnessed dams and more dams under construction. Formerly
free flowing rivers have been drowned. The valley upstream from this large
project was home to dozens of beautiful villages and orchards which will soon
be inundated.</span></div>
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The Nam
Na river in Vietnam has been reduced to a series of hydro-electric lakes. The
resettlement of people was obvious as we passed by villages of mass uniform
housing at the new high water level. At their best the lakes came near to being
scenic from a distance, at their worst they were completely stagnant, and full
of this oily green slime. I was almost reduced to tears as we passed by a small
village whom no doubt used to have a healthy stream running through their
centre and now have to eek out a desperate looking life right on the banks of
this filth. We passed by here as my bottom bracket broke down, my troubles seemed so measly in comparison.</div>
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Sadly
there is more to come, roadside billboards mark these proud aspirations. The
Gaizi river along which runs the famous Karakoram highway in China looks to
soon fall victim.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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It
is said that Laos aims to be the ‘battery of South East Asia’. With huge river
resources at it’s disposal it seems that Laos is very much rolling up it’s
sleeves and getting stuck into the work of daming it’s rivers. I thought this
billboard gave an interesting and disturbing insight into the mindset and the
pride which is taken in these developments. Currently Laos, against all
recommendations is planning the Don Sahong dam just a few kilometres downstream
from where we stayed on Dong Khong Island. Predictions are that this dam would
severely restrict the migration of fish on the Mekong. When one considers the
food chain it’s sad to think of the likely outcome for the few Irrawaddy
Dolphin and the less famous Giant Catfish, not to mention the 60 million people
living in the Lower Mekong basin who feed from this river.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Laos,
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have signed up to the ‘Mekong River Commission’, and yet
between them are planning 11 dams for the Lower Mekong! China lies upstream and
is unwilling to partake in the commission, currently constructing multiple
Mekong dams themselves. In a country as heavily touristed and ‘open’ as Laos
it’s easy to presume there is a freedom of speech around such issues.
Shockingly river protection activist Sombath Somphone was captured at a Police
checkpoint in Vientianne in December
2012 and as been missing since.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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Right
in down town Rome, just a few minutes walk from the Colosseum, the Fontana de
Trevi, and the Vatican, while wandering beside the Tiber river these squatters
were in full view. The place stunk like piss and the river won’t have to rise
much before they’re forced on to other places. To see this poverty in Central Rome caught me by surprise and the
contrast with the wealth all around was striking.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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Attitudes
to rubbish disposal amaze me. It’s hard to figure out to what degree mess like
this is a result of inadequate resources for better disposal systems and what
is simply attitudinal. Perhaps the careless attitude evolves as a result of not
having many better options. It’s hasn’t been uncommon though for us to sit in
an eatery that’s floor is completely littered with old tissues, bottles and
food scraps. When many people take such pride in tidiness, perhaps sweeping
their mud floors with their cane broom, how strange that others can be totally
ok living in such squalid mess.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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During
the Vietnam-American War the Americans were also fighting their secret war in
Laos, the full truth of which only began to be revealed far later. Laos became
the most bombed country in history and many of it’s forests were stripped by napalm
attacks. Doubled with a traditional ‘slash and burn’ approach to agriculture
and the hills have been left as a patchwork with enough forest left to show the
previous splendor but much of it stripped back to scrubby regrowth.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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The
far north of Cambodia was a desolate place, the most haunting ride of our
journey for me. Cycling through bare land, scorched black from burn off, with
huge areas of forest cut down was like cycling through a graveyard, a graveyard
of large trees that have been toppled. A
few folk live in huts amongst the carnage and for them life looks extremely
tough. I have little idea to what degree this depravity was brought about by
large scale industry and what was simply local loggers, either way the result
is awful, the land laid to waste, now just dead stumps and smouldering ground.
The village of Koh Knear sits amongst several palm trees, a tiny island of
shade left in this parched land. I looked on in silent disbelief as a man hacked
down another tree with powerful swings of his axe, I simply could not
understand.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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As
we rumbled across China by train this scene was repeated literally hundreds of
time. The speed of development is outrageously bizarre. Considering they have a
‘one child’ policy the mind boggles as to who these high rise apartments are
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I
couldn’t help but think development at this rate will surely leave a great un-used
mess in times ahead. Throughout many of the ex-Soviet countries that we visited
we saw unused or unfinished buildings, often hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, that may have had their heyday but more recently had been deserted as they no
longer had a use or the resources to upkeep them. Will China be filled with
vacant or incomplete apartments in the future?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiUOOPGE18Bbo5l1d9VxoUNQfOnyi_O3ZjlQ-ulhBx4KQRkuiRvcyzJ4MjZNcRwGSpgpLlBPluElJOpy5_CXpvQWhW_ME1d4dCcZG8REq3X613n-Ke6phpSRiqIQOn6FIP0l_AB0UX1DX/s1600/13+transport.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiUOOPGE18Bbo5l1d9VxoUNQfOnyi_O3ZjlQ-ulhBx4KQRkuiRvcyzJ4MjZNcRwGSpgpLlBPluElJOpy5_CXpvQWhW_ME1d4dCcZG8REq3X613n-Ke6phpSRiqIQOn6FIP0l_AB0UX1DX/s1600/13+transport.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The
morning we crossed the border from Iran to Turkey we passed an astonishing
number of trucks, all parked up and waiting their turn to cross the border or
transfer goods. For 5km on each side of the border they lined the roadside.
Much smaller than many international shipping ports it was still a reminder of
the huge amount of resource that gets poured into carting our goods around the
planet so we can have whatever we want, whenever we want it.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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What kind of prick keeps a Monkey on a one foot chain stuck under the table on the floor of a grotty eatery? Looking into the eyes of this little dude was just like looking into the eyes of a little human. His life must be hell.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikBQWejWAO2MkAHF8t-EmzJ90IMpN2TTbguVVhHxgRYzAhC-djxsHiWcjHlMf8tNKwvLJg0mW21c4VCFSYmnv3srI3_blRp9D5Br6FTHJS6tlZvNgYr1mlIUUL41AzV_niMaRtReUp3yV/s1600/P1010320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikBQWejWAO2MkAHF8t-EmzJ90IMpN2TTbguVVhHxgRYzAhC-djxsHiWcjHlMf8tNKwvLJg0mW21c4VCFSYmnv3srI3_blRp9D5Br6FTHJS6tlZvNgYr1mlIUUL41AzV_niMaRtReUp3yV/s1600/P1010320.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
These nomadic Berber people live high up in the Atlas mountains of Sahara. It's one thing to live in poverty in a place with mild climate and a chance at growing some food but seems like quite a different scene to be poor in a place like this. The winters are harsh, with sub-zero temperatures and snow on the ground, while summers are baking hot with extremely little rainfall. As the climate changes the winter snowpack is getting less putting greater pressure on their already precious water supply.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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All this got me to musing - is it not a very scary thought that each new generation sees the current state of the planet as the norm?! How massively important it is that we take some time to dwell on what has already been ruined, to mourn what has already been lost. Not to become incapacitated and depressed but rather to motivate us into some positive response to protect all the wonders that still exist, to remember that carnage need not be the norm! I love this book "Sensational Survivors" by Kiwi author Sandra Morris, it delves into the tragedy of what we have lost forever and the huge sadness of that, while also marveling and celebrating all that still exists. Without remembering the losses we forget the fragility of what we have and the responsibility that comes with being human.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Ollie</i></b></div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-92215643820751929402014-02-27T03:28:00.000-08:002014-02-27T03:28:00.040-08:00Onto the Mekong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Bullet
points</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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-Our
journey in Laos has taken us south from Luang Prabang to Vientianne and onward
through the cities of Thakek, Seno, Pakse to Don Khong Island on the Mekong
River.</div>
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-We
will soon cross into Cambodia and continue to follow the Mekong River
southward.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After a fun ride in the north of Laos, Luang
Prabang proved a fun town to be stopped in for a couple of days. For the first
time we laid eyes on the great Mekong river, already a phenomenal mass of water
even this far from the sea and in the height of the dry season. With a
population of 50, 000 it was big enough to provide us with a few treats and
comforts and more importantly some bike replacement parts (again!). Being tucked
amongst hills and at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers it all adds
up to being a pretty pleasant place to hang out.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZbZMFkXxE5vES1UhTOFShyaqebE1YcnIXbILIy_Pv6y6Mf76sY_LtmHcTf5x6IN_9jqEQfSVIyA1ry1e43SenebYtcqEtGzJzoAtVfLMLdY8HHe_UU03ItiXXkpsdaBooQft2uG2MaTx/s1600/1+Luang+Prabang.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZbZMFkXxE5vES1UhTOFShyaqebE1YcnIXbILIy_Pv6y6Mf76sY_LtmHcTf5x6IN_9jqEQfSVIyA1ry1e43SenebYtcqEtGzJzoAtVfLMLdY8HHe_UU03ItiXXkpsdaBooQft2uG2MaTx/s1600/1+Luang+Prabang.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mekong River from Phousi Hil, Luang Prabang. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp64vQV5tf42vfjrGl24NkIucD_SC1cctKsZ3JJUYO0R-tgqPcqoj-vH69-v6_xyk8EeqrfXWa25dVkJ7KfjIkvk1bMDtpTS_hjTmLX_RSYkPmbPaOPxDIOvh2Z-naIKQlUY0ntpslnxfj/s1600/11+seasonality.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp64vQV5tf42vfjrGl24NkIucD_SC1cctKsZ3JJUYO0R-tgqPcqoj-vH69-v6_xyk8EeqrfXWa25dVkJ7KfjIkvk1bMDtpTS_hjTmLX_RSYkPmbPaOPxDIOvh2Z-naIKQlUY0ntpslnxfj/s1600/11+seasonality.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks and Bamboo Bridge, Luang Prabang.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Yet more hills awaited us as we set out again on
the road south, each day consisting of at least one big climb and plenty of
ridge top undulations, passing through villages of woven houses, some nice
forest land interspersed with deforested slopes, and into dramatic limestone
karst country. After three days we very suddenly dropped from the hills and
exited out onto expansive flat lands like we’ve not seen in our whole year of
riding.</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQqxotQwvPgZ6LUXW80Fen2YMK8yJDn6Fsl4-VWYl-Vfw3kEzUwR4qE1Wewp6JYNo1CRpWasMDCxB0Z90o_17moKzBuL56WJAiBBXlynxdqjlWvYPL4zYP7TobLQZ9wgZcsnUexnt_2Tk/s1600/2+journey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQqxotQwvPgZ6LUXW80Fen2YMK8yJDn6Fsl4-VWYl-Vfw3kEzUwR4qE1Wewp6JYNo1CRpWasMDCxB0Z90o_17moKzBuL56WJAiBBXlynxdqjlWvYPL4zYP7TobLQZ9wgZcsnUexnt_2Tk/s1600/2+journey.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enroute to Vang Vieng</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxM5AguAMYVnUNrKpgAjqfmHyq5NyFgKHHNkiQc9SmHX1BOMVAsfShhk4Ejl7AB0oIBrTok-ZDTJ2A8SGjNA_0pHpcSz4iFEYZy1VBmi3xddVh_8rOZOSzHznEbCQaFnSBd-ogpGxFhCT/s1600/3+journey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxM5AguAMYVnUNrKpgAjqfmHyq5NyFgKHHNkiQc9SmHX1BOMVAsfShhk4Ejl7AB0oIBrTok-ZDTJ2A8SGjNA_0pHpcSz4iFEYZy1VBmi3xddVh_8rOZOSzHznEbCQaFnSBd-ogpGxFhCT/s1600/3+journey.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back into dramatic limestone country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXItv1Vcht20lOazEVCIHNX1Ks_gV7Vs3vLNFj3nuCXnPHaW-ybd7mtuAZDUIvtvkNC3CF9-s8yjaVlOYhzWkrAsxh_WukFTMTzBYxJG-h9azjtmCSukqtxe4k-BYyH19RJU7j128iK-c/s1600/4+journey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXItv1Vcht20lOazEVCIHNX1Ks_gV7Vs3vLNFj3nuCXnPHaW-ybd7mtuAZDUIvtvkNC3CF9-s8yjaVlOYhzWkrAsxh_WukFTMTzBYxJG-h9azjtmCSukqtxe4k-BYyH19RJU7j128iK-c/s1600/4+journey.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out onto the flatlands and long straights</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Getting
in the groove of flat land riding has proven to be quite a change, each day
achieving many more kilometres but with less variety with which to stimulate
the mind as we rolled on down into Southern Laos. In Laos there are two
distinct seasons, wet and dry. Right now we are nearing the end of the dry
season meaning that far from my misconception that all of South East Asia would
be green and lush we have found a land that is dry, dusty and largely colored
in shades of brown. To be honest we’d both say the recent days riding have held
the least interest for us of our whole trip, yet we had a curiosity for this
area and that curiosity has now been met, so we hold no regrets whatsoever.
Even among the mundane there is plenty to observe and mull on…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
In
the north we loved seeing hoards of kids commuting to school together on push
bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unexpectedly, from our short
observations, motorbikes seem to be the more common mode of transport in the
south, even amongst young school students! As the push bike is making a
resurgence in much of the Western world I suspect here there will be a
continuing trend toward racing around on a motorbike for some time yet. How the
world swings in strange roundabouts!</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8W0XkqKbw3PPa2PjlLlAyO4DpyjyPLYrUqNl3fwR4yiTEnElW3oUiBT-IzpD6GxLMUJLL1KX24vWVA9a9JF295irfDqQut0MS6pz6fRGWPf7uh2jxsofhRLv824hfeS39N5PZeVJFQV0/s1600/8+bikes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8W0XkqKbw3PPa2PjlLlAyO4DpyjyPLYrUqNl3fwR4yiTEnElW3oUiBT-IzpD6GxLMUJLL1KX24vWVA9a9JF295irfDqQut0MS6pz6fRGWPf7uh2jxsofhRLv824hfeS39N5PZeVJFQV0/s1600/8+bikes.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a beautiful sight!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We
rode with a group of really nice kids as they went home for their lunch break from
school. We’ve come across very little English language in Laos (other than in
tourist destinations) yet to our surprise in this relatively remote village
these kids could all speak easily with us. I suspect it’s a result of one very
motivated, committed and skilled teacher at the school. It’s quite phenomenal
to think of the impact that this teacher will likely have and the opportunities
that may well open up for these kids as a direct result. I’m not suggesting
that speaking English is the be-all-and-end all, but let’s be honest with the
world the way it is being an English speaker has huge advantages. What a
reminder it is that a great teacher can have a big impact!</div>
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDITA_M7wy9QrRb2UY4QjhB6FmcIBOQmSOep5QAzoGQHs3qgBfgR5QxLidZF3BOQ1f4NpJ4zepinrVlyBLMCLETAdJGJoSLlMhBwN-0fUOcvQxozGi4c_kfWzxQW8P4-YoT37nDtcMWkn/s1600/7+bikes+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDITA_M7wy9QrRb2UY4QjhB6FmcIBOQmSOep5QAzoGQHs3qgBfgR5QxLidZF3BOQ1f4NpJ4zepinrVlyBLMCLETAdJGJoSLlMhBwN-0fUOcvQxozGi4c_kfWzxQW8P4-YoT37nDtcMWkn/s1600/7+bikes+2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joining the commuters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
To
save ourselves a little time we took bus journey through some of Central Laos.
We opted for the “local bus” rather than “VIP” bus in order to save $6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 350km journey, on well sealed, straight
flat roads took 8 hours! Why? Breakdowns, re-loads, unloads, flaming vehicles
blocking the road, picking up passengers from another broken down bus, and
plenty of mystery stops with no explanation for anyone on board! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTazfbmcc6cOtqkeNj0RNO2zxPCqF91e9SmlW3Oi14JjZFn0zPt9yz10V88WAd9XQBpJ7UTSTP6mpL5Pcih7f-586DpB-UTesM6zjwEjCnkSltjcpKce4oi4c3RZE3BMoyOlcJnv47mNn/s1600/5+bus+saga+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTazfbmcc6cOtqkeNj0RNO2zxPCqF91e9SmlW3Oi14JjZFn0zPt9yz10V88WAd9XQBpJ7UTSTP6mpL5Pcih7f-586DpB-UTesM6zjwEjCnkSltjcpKce4oi4c3RZE3BMoyOlcJnv47mNn/s1600/5+bus+saga+1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road blockage. Eventually we raced by so we'll never know the outcome of this drama.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Laos
food isn’t too bad, we just find there’s not always enough of it to fuel our cycling
engines. As our return to NZ gets ever closer I find food is becoming more and
more of an obsession and several times now food crises have arisen! The
greatest challenge is not simply the lack of food it’s just not quite knowing
what food sources lie ahead. Will we get a hearty feed of eggs and rice and
bananas for lunch, or will be left stranded with a measly little noodle soup?!
The term ‘food security’ has taken on a new meaning for us!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgVvZtsBf9FzxpIk8YFfgMuuKvdjYNc8vwDUitnsWJyAaNzKbTrKEYzMNazNRIFz7lZZtL_kjnebvNoa3bigc4Yd2uBqKSXZDza-aPyiG12vY83KfAqtpeTd244FCaoNV-obWyNR5o-Bn/s1600/9+food.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgVvZtsBf9FzxpIk8YFfgMuuKvdjYNc8vwDUitnsWJyAaNzKbTrKEYzMNazNRIFz7lZZtL_kjnebvNoa3bigc4Yd2uBqKSXZDza-aPyiG12vY83KfAqtpeTd244FCaoNV-obWyNR5o-Bn/s1600/9+food.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food crisis victim.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I
don’t know if it’s a result of natural atmospheric conditions or a consequence
of all the burn-off that goes on at this time of year but each morning we see a
stunningly beautiful sunrise. The sun glows orange through the haze and can
easily be looked directly at. A pretty reward for those 530am wakeups!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0EGoAhjkYfEUaX4WRXzxb7hUJJM93nadsKcrch96L2DS5nTPbjJ_kjE2EIlosKGTEWIoloPAtlDk_hjDpkoapyIRJmbLJR3uYeqH-B-iULixez6rev-zIi3EJAKQsuCA1WtlM-lvF7Gt/s1600/10+sunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0EGoAhjkYfEUaX4WRXzxb7hUJJM93nadsKcrch96L2DS5nTPbjJ_kjE2EIlosKGTEWIoloPAtlDk_hjDpkoapyIRJmbLJR3uYeqH-B-iULixez6rev-zIi3EJAKQsuCA1WtlM-lvF7Gt/s1600/10+sunrise.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn beauty. Possibly a result of atmospheric pollution.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Even
amongst the northern hills many of Laos’ rivers are navigable by motorboat and
so a strong river culture has developed. Now that we’ve reached the flatlands
the Mekong has gained a huge volume, has widened, and is home to a larger
population and a lot of boating. We’ve entered a river-life where commuters
take ferries, tourists cruise on site-seeing vessels, and men buzz about
casting their nets from small sleek craft to make their living and feed their
families.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcK7JtCGin3CvETUQFWb742XblUJLOFDrKD22hcjLOd_EV5r8M2VzHiA-upRN6BAH0pRZWE9pygzvNNh6ZEe6CClQfmgYvcJIcusFmCIS-8BhHn_-XxGaTEsbn9i8oBtndRy4Cld8O0D5/s1600/14+riverlife.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcK7JtCGin3CvETUQFWb742XblUJLOFDrKD22hcjLOd_EV5r8M2VzHiA-upRN6BAH0pRZWE9pygzvNNh6ZEe6CClQfmgYvcJIcusFmCIS-8BhHn_-XxGaTEsbn9i8oBtndRy4Cld8O0D5/s1600/14+riverlife.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferry boats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-CwMb9_xgVfIdqIm9WgVmFPh_iXr-N-UQ-NVe8dTl2A6QWiDbNaCWoY1a7RThlK_P3OP7QG2xhU10b9Sxa7E5u2raSQyCSarSqrO6IhXzwnwd5X7UPy2mLv2hyphenhyphenOrYPLgHW_kExiDJ2Hg/s1600/15+riverlife.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-CwMb9_xgVfIdqIm9WgVmFPh_iXr-N-UQ-NVe8dTl2A6QWiDbNaCWoY1a7RThlK_P3OP7QG2xhU10b9Sxa7E5u2raSQyCSarSqrO6IhXzwnwd5X7UPy2mLv2hyphenhyphenOrYPLgHW_kExiDJ2Hg/s1600/15+riverlife.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruise boats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIjOx7z_8KklLMjfBod4YL3toeMsHg7gmao_NTCYykzwLxw1s1CNU5tQTgdWSYjOPjcfu-uMJd3Tcp9GZWSNcIMJh-aJV20-TL5jdJxmc_9lO2vI6ADhbwlTvvEeILWBU03DL_zPHQaqM/s1600/16+river+life.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIjOx7z_8KklLMjfBod4YL3toeMsHg7gmao_NTCYykzwLxw1s1CNU5tQTgdWSYjOPjcfu-uMJd3Tcp9GZWSNcIMJh-aJV20-TL5jdJxmc_9lO2vI6ADhbwlTvvEeILWBU03DL_zPHQaqM/s1600/16+river+life.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work boats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Sitting
on Don Khong Island gazing over the river we pour over the maps in excited
anticipation that we will now more or less follow this river to it’s end point,
the Mekong Delta in the South China Sea. The river began it’s journey on the
Tibetan Plateau and runs 4350km to the sea. We too began our journey on the
Tibetan Plateau but by the end of it in just three weeks will have taken a
slightly more convoluted journey to the South China Sea…via Morocco!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cB9Lluq2I_uOJC7TPps_3xqkb5T4OPxWnAtV4LF1aw5VsHhzUafM_kmvo_gPCtecss8IRU5T3xsGorGGF4C4EgPDpG7T7mvAT-npqb8nh3x94-Fn0wHGHeuulp5zyPqxZmdya_6gWoQd/s1600/4a+journey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cB9Lluq2I_uOJC7TPps_3xqkb5T4OPxWnAtV4LF1aw5VsHhzUafM_kmvo_gPCtecss8IRU5T3xsGorGGF4C4EgPDpG7T7mvAT-npqb8nh3x94-Fn0wHGHeuulp5zyPqxZmdya_6gWoQd/s1600/4a+journey.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final stage to Don Khong Island, Mekong River.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><b> </b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Ollie </b></i></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-29858784781611884422014-02-27T03:26:00.001-08:002014-02-27T05:04:14.796-08:00An Intoxicating Aura<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">An Intoxicating Aura</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reflections on the interface between curiosity and
experience</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It could well be an ancient phenomenon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scene One</b>,
set a thousand years ago: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m sitting at the fireside of a friend’s small roadside inn
one evening when a traveller descends in from the cold to join our circle. His
feet are dusty, his sandals well past worn-in. His walking stick looks strong
and business-like and it fits the curve of his hand like a long-time friend. His
robe is fringed with the same frayed and dusty look as his sandals, and from
the folds of its fabric as he moves through us to settle into his seat waft
intriguing scents – the incense of Eastern temples, fragrant spices from the
South, the sharp tang of the northern forests. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through the evening as he quietly, slowly tells us tales of
the far-off lands he has trod, we listen spellbound. As he paints pictures with
his words, our imaginations flesh it out still more. Mysterious, alluring
something like a dream but with more colour and surprise. The strange foods we
hear of are as heavenly feasts, the battles with wolves and coldness are tales
of epic triumph, even the endless burning deserts are glorious austerity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scene Two</b>, last
year: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m sitting on the cream synthetic leather couch at 67
Hillary Street, Dunedin, the MacBook Pro warm on my lap, a cup of peppermint
tea growing cold on the coffee table while I pour over a blog showing photos of
Tajikistan’s Pamir. The raggedy endlessly-stretching road, even the slightly
leaning wooden power poles, the dusty looking bicycle, all speak to me of
adventure. The frames of photographs are small peepholes to some other wonderful,
fascinating world. Brightening each of them, suffusing every object and place,
is the intoxicating aura of mystery. Everything glows with a kind of otherworldly
light. Even the snapshot showing an overnight snowfall blanketing tent and
bicycle with a painfully freezing white crust produces in me a warm thrill at
the glorious hardships and triumphs of high adventure, and I long to take part.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scene Three</b>, last
month:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ollie and I laze on the stained gold coloured quilt of a
Vietnamese guesthouse, watching a slideshow run though of a random selection of
our year’s photographs. We exclaim, sigh and reminisce over a bright Kyrgyz
morning, a bread-stop in Georgia, a Turkish coast road. A photo flicks up of
Vietnam hill country, and we are quiet. It is too fresh. Our older photos have
gained a glow of nostalgia that this does not yet have. Instead it has an
almost unsettling quality, reminding us that there is work still to be done to
navigate our way safely and successfully through this part of the world, still
guesthouses, roads, food and water to be negotiated and attained. I know that
within a month’s time, when this chapter too is complete, this photo will glow
as brightly with nostalgia as the others around it. For now though it is
present, and that is too raw and not altogether relaxing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scene Four</b>,
recently:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I pull out our map of Central Asia, and look at our
wonderful winding route through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. My mind
flashes back to the map in the front of the book I read at home, “The Great
Game: On Secret Service in High Asia”. Now our map of the area has memories attached.
The names of little villages spring up for me an image of a friendly encounter,
a confusing intersection, a particularly good bread oven. The high passes have
a 3D and almost a physical memory, I know their height in my legs and lungs,
and know the exhilaration of their drops. All so precious. But I wonder if it
comes at a cost. I know these places with a different quality than I knew them
as I read The Great Game. I’m not certain that these places have not lost some
of their size for me. My eyes have seen the peaks, my bicycle wheels have
rolled the trade routes, and I have been deeply blessed and in ways changed by
them. But the thrill of mystique that made the peaks soar beyond comprehension
in my imagination has lessened. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nhYy7LxJKbgBDV3iYhX8z7jPc7l1fDHqYesA0wfbydmrydcRrehj8VcahZpnrieQcWZezKfIUWfbar_rnZC9k9XPLR82RI2UPpKgT4hRy4F6cuLEtho8Kirv2Abov2zhNOZeRaiUrwdS/s1600/Central_Asian_trade_routes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nhYy7LxJKbgBDV3iYhX8z7jPc7l1fDHqYesA0wfbydmrydcRrehj8VcahZpnrieQcWZezKfIUWfbar_rnZC9k9XPLR82RI2UPpKgT4hRy4F6cuLEtho8Kirv2Abov2zhNOZeRaiUrwdS/s1600/Central_Asian_trade_routes.jpg" height="452" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Scene Five</b>, today:
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We cycle the road out of Thakkek in Southern Laos. The road
we have chosen is a flat road by the mighty Mekong River, fringed with palm
trees, orange dirt and a motley collection of housing. Away to the west of us
is a line of great looking forest clad karst hills. Appealing in the mystery
they hold, they are just out of reach of this journey of ours, leaving us to
wonder in curiosity what it is hiding over there. Our ride can only ever be one
line on a sprawling map. There are always things just off our map that are
tantalizingly unexplored. What is it like further up the Bartang Valley? How
about in South Eastern Turkey? What is it like to ride in the Dolomites? Massive
thankfulness for our amazingly full journey precludes any regrets, but does not
squash a curiosity in the next hills over, the other road, the country across
the border. Terra incognito (land unknown) will surely always be alluring!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Concluding thoughts</b>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not sad to not go everywhere in the world. I am
massively happy that we have been given a world that as hard as a person tried,
they could never reach the devastating position of having “seen it all”. I like
it that some things are left to the imagination, because imagination can give
so much delight! When we hear or read a tale, unbidden our mind builds worlds
of pictures, pictures that seem deep with concept, feeling and wonder. I love
it that for me, the ideas of the frozen Far North, where snow-covered forests are
filled with bison, wolves and bears and the huge ice covered rivers lead out
into a stark endless sunset tundra, are just that for me, just ideas. Ideas
huge in their aura of mystery and wonder. Enriching me even without a physical
encounter. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We look forward to getting home and watching some David
Attenborough documentaries, reading more tales of daring exploration in
the Himalaya and Pamir, finding out about recent Chinese history, keeping tabs
on dam projects on the Mekong and finding “terra incognito” on the rough tracks
behind Swampy Summit, Dunedin. So many ways to love and delight in this
fascinating world. Our bicycle journey this year has given us questions,
encouragements, sadnesses, curiosities, revelations. We have been challenged
and enriched by experiencing the world in this way, and when we are back home
we will carry all this with us, although we’re still unsure all the ways that
that will play out. For certain, we will continue to find delight both in the
intoxicating aura of the world's distant wonderlands, and in exploring the terra incognito that
is there for the finding not that far from the back doorstep. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anna</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-70950275196036937632014-02-15T07:13:00.001-08:002014-02-15T07:13:06.671-08:00The Hills of Northern Laos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bullet Points:<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
- We rode across the Vietnam - Laos border at Dien Bien Phu to enter northern Laos.<br />
- We spent one week cycling on the quiet hilly main roads and then a dirt backroad to get to the city of Luang Prabang.<br />
- Our route was Namnga, Muang Khoua, Pak Nam Noi, Oudomxay, Pakmong, Nong Khiaw, Viang Kham, Sam Soun, Pakxeng, Luang Prabang.<br />
- After a couple of days resting in Luang Prabang we now coninue our ride south towards Vientiane. <br />
<br /></div>
<iframe height="500" src="http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/ollie_yeoman/embed/slideshow/northern%20laos" width="700"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Laos Morning</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think a part of me will be </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
always </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
riding these roads. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This morning cool air on my bare arms and </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
breakfast in my belly,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a hill under my wheels. Heart, lungs, legs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
working strong and clean.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bright morning mist glowing around me,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
lip prickling droplets as I turn my face upwards seeing</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
white giving way to hot blue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smells of vegetation,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sounds of birds and people</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
calling out as they work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy sounds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And around the corner the happiest – is it not</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
for us all? –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Children’s brightness, speedy hands waving, clear voices</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
calling, bare</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
feet running in the soft dusty verges.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scurries and shining grins, a giggle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the youngest</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
watching steadily, small feet planted squarely on the earth,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
all that is solemn in their large eyes and careful quiet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
greeting. Fresh in reverence at the</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sacredness of a meeting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
where I am riding these roads forever and </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
this morning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anna</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>First Impressions of Laos</b><br />
<br />
The reports we'd heard had all been rave reviews: "so peaceful," "very friendly," "highlight of South East Asia,""cycling paradise." So it was with pretty high expectations that we crossed the border last week, if also with some uncertainty about just how well we could really find all these claims met. It took all of about five minutes to realise that there was a huge difference on the roads - a near absense of motorbikes, or of any traffic at all. It really was peaceful, and we relaxed very happily into cycling the empty roads with a backing track of bird song and insects in place of the motorbike engines and tooting. Any stress left from the last week oozed off us into the quiet bush-covered land.<br />
<br />
This legend of Laos friendliness was the next one to be overwhlemingly verified. As we rode into the first bamboo and thatch village we were greeted with the greatest celebrity welcome one could wish for, with children leaping up from their games and appearing from behind or within huts to greet us with calls of "Sa-bai-deeeeee!" (hello), sometimes followed up by the boldest spokespeople with "Thank you! Okay!! I love you!" This was accompanied by the most physically rigourous arm waving I've encountered. The adults, while not so flamboyant in their welcome, were equally warm in their returns of "Sa-bai-deee" as they worked, cooked or sat gathered in groups in the shade of their doorways.<br />
<br />
So far in northern Laos we have seen people living with less of the mod-cons than we encountered in neighbouring Vietnam. A lot of cooking is done over open fires, a large number of houses are built of natural materials (wood, bamboo, palm), loads are carried by foot and a lot of back breaking labour appears to be put into gathering and processing by hand certain plant crops. Interestingly, alongside this we have noticed a greater international presence, with offices of NGOs such as World Vision, European Union marked trucks, Chinese road and dam building projects and China-Laos partnership hospitals and buses. After our time here, we will watch with interest how Laos develops in the next years and decades. Laos was known from the 14th to the 18th century as "Xan Lang", which translates to "Land of a Million Elephants", and we've learnt that it's rich forests have also been home to tigers, bears, monkeys, gibbons, snakes, rhinos, bats and a multitude of birds. The government has set aside a number of National Biodiversity Conservation Areas in an effort to protect these, but of course there are also significant pressures from deforestation for timber and farming, population growth, hydroelectric projects and mineral exploration. While we have enjoyed the bush-clad hills and relatively clear looking rivers, we have seen some of these pressures and realised it is not quite the unspoilt jungle paradise I had half hoped to find. <br />
<br />
The main two cautionary notes that sat alongside the rave reviews from cycle tourists were that in Northern Laos there are a LOT of hills, and that food can be a bit scant. So we entered the country well stocked up with Vietnamese snack bars and back-up instant noodles, but quickly embraced the local specialty here, sticky rice. We have marvelled at its incredible qualities. It sits in the stomach like a happy brick, leaving you feeling full even after its energy-giving properties have well expired. It has a wonderful clumping ability in its stickiness, so that it is best eaten as finger food, pulling off pieces and dipping them in chilli sauce. It is sold in half-kilogram lumps for 80cents a pop, and can be taken as a takeaway lunch in small plastic bags. We have also enjoyed omelettes, noodle soups and the occasional bread roll, but they can't compete with the fill-for-money qualities of sticky rice! <br />
<br />
The hills have been formidable at times, but wonderful. We really are passionate hill-cycle tourers, to the point where I'm a little anxious how I will find the upcoming flat lands of southern Laos and Cambodia. The bicycles though will be glad of some flatter land coming up I think, with signs of wear and age now coming rather thick and fast. Although we have replaced Ollie's bottom bracket, the rims, brakes, pedals and tires are all keeping us on our toes! Anyway, before we quite hit those flat lands, we have three more days of spectacular sounding hills as we make our way south towards the capital city Vientiane. I can't wait!<br />
<br />
Anna<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-75701462909009216202014-02-09T06:25:00.001-08:002014-02-09T06:25:33.614-08:00Chuc Mung Nam Moi!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBx0o01B3_dr_JCOP2FiF3m4edNUmvZBGDuDbWMlf7GSMmHFSCNi2DYwaEtS6UPJQ7TmckECJMhwc7vVQt4GXxTWYHOPpwC8-By6xz56wut7gcy5lh5ESs5Su6PuPRNc5N8DdFefimaVd/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBx0o01B3_dr_JCOP2FiF3m4edNUmvZBGDuDbWMlf7GSMmHFSCNi2DYwaEtS6UPJQ7TmckECJMhwc7vVQt4GXxTWYHOPpwC8-By6xz56wut7gcy5lh5ESs5Su6PuPRNc5N8DdFefimaVd/s1600/1.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Bullet points</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
-North
West Vietnam provided us with a few more days and a few more km’s of lovely cycling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
-We
had the bottom bracket (the piece where your pedal cranks pivot around) break
down on Ollie’s bike. This took a week and a whole bunch of bus journeys,
problem solving and patience to get replaced.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
-We
have now entered Laos, our 14<sup>th</sup> country of the trip. It is a
splendid place to be!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<b><u>“Chuc Mung Nam Moi!”</u></b></div>
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In
our minds cycling through Northern Vietnam would consist of two phases; the
first stretching north from Hanoi up to Lao Cai, a city bordering China on the
banks of the great Red River; and the second phase from Lao Cai through
Vietnam’s tallest mountains and then south to Dien Bien, our gateway to cross
the border into Northern Laos. As it turned out things weren’t quite that
simple!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrFURW8VLzx7-lz0MnELaR7Jpeuqo7FC4nx3fCgdgZPhmCOjl5epTeI0TL-dTM2WtkbtNLY-pRnWueiFExej8mWYxHgI-RfufP6PRCeTE36k3YaCgXbtnBRO4iCaxhv4n-eLZQs9VDmln/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrFURW8VLzx7-lz0MnELaR7Jpeuqo7FC4nx3fCgdgZPhmCOjl5epTeI0TL-dTM2WtkbtNLY-pRnWueiFExej8mWYxHgI-RfufP6PRCeTE36k3YaCgXbtnBRO4iCaxhv4n-eLZQs9VDmln/s1600/2.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life in the fast lane. Descending from Vietnam's high places. Sapa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0otzKQAAXeuN1n6fsKbtmJGMZiKc9KGj5lO0MMoaZ1l6mylCHIQ7UYFD8q7xHQFO991tOs-TsCCVYleSqqRXi06pmyoodF0BuztZ2vnDqspZeG7gLo0iuYPIQ_CA76CfLfRsqutBicd0/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0otzKQAAXeuN1n6fsKbtmJGMZiKc9KGj5lO0MMoaZ1l6mylCHIQ7UYFD8q7xHQFO991tOs-TsCCVYleSqqRXi06pmyoodF0BuztZ2vnDqspZeG7gLo0iuYPIQ_CA76CfLfRsqutBicd0/s1600/3.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temporarily lost on a backroad near Lao Cai</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBKKffp0JXmtFWlINkNNwY4e_hFVMDWe6MSSuT8ZW2rc4j2WKIPLBUMd5GnRmQ1bjb1c5K2JSQiKVivEYlZvHNlx3n9EbxAbtkYeavyIBftbTuIAkIAsVxYTYsTMA0vB_5k3qDLO3hU0A/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBKKffp0JXmtFWlINkNNwY4e_hFVMDWe6MSSuT8ZW2rc4j2WKIPLBUMd5GnRmQ1bjb1c5K2JSQiKVivEYlZvHNlx3n9EbxAbtkYeavyIBftbTuIAkIAsVxYTYsTMA0vB_5k3qDLO3hU0A/s1600/4.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contemplative valley riding. Lai Chau to Muong Lay.</td></tr>
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On
Jan 30<sup>th</sup> the Vietnamese saw in their New Year. The ‘Tet’ holiday is
the biggest event of the year and in the days and weeks beforehand we’d witnessed
their preparations. Families were gathering, blossom and mandarin trees were
being carted around on every motorbike, fattened pigs were being killed, and apparently
gold fish and budgies were being released. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QaNXPjlH2V4u_Fk7wLfHDuXZDWADibOuPbBdbYBd9AWNc-eeOzCMGfAcIuxh_4TJVylWmLfOvKfdGbQs-Mn6HOmIdJAWRZht1U4_9H_j1cfz02rGrU730Eqn2PuT3m2qSI0CvL2xIDpn/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QaNXPjlH2V4u_Fk7wLfHDuXZDWADibOuPbBdbYBd9AWNc-eeOzCMGfAcIuxh_4TJVylWmLfOvKfdGbQs-Mn6HOmIdJAWRZht1U4_9H_j1cfz02rGrU730Eqn2PuT3m2qSI0CvL2xIDpn/s1600/5.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Vietnamese rural scene</td></tr>
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As
is the sad case with many folk, I saw in the New Year crouched over a toilet
bowl hurling out the contents of my lunch. No alcohol had I consumed, not even
a shot of rice wine, just a seemingly innocent Chicken noodle soup that turned
out to be not so innocent after all. The Vietnamese were singing, fireworks
were exploding, and I was rushing between my bed and the bathroom, violently
emptying my stomach. “Chuc Mung Nam Moi!” (“Happy New Year!”)</div>
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Jan
31<sup>st</sup> dawned sunny and clear and my little bug appeared to have
passed, the Chicken Noodle soup had all but passed out of me. From Lai Chau we
cycled off into the new year, a little weak but in good spirits. The first 80km
went well enough and then with a ‘clunk’ and a ‘crack’ and the tell tale wobble
of my pedals I ground to a halt. “Chuc Mung Nam Moi!”</div>
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My
bottom bracket had decided that after offering its services for 13 000km it had
done enough, it’s journey was over. I can’t complain really, that’s a fair few
pedal revolutions it’s allowed me to do. But to carry on our way we’d have to
find another, so the search for bottom bracket number two began. We set to
work!</div>
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To
sum it up in brief, we pushed bikes up hills, we waited for buses, we spent
unplanned nights in unmarked villages, we rode on long haul bus journeys, we
waited for bike parts to arrive, we navigated the chaos that is Hanoi once
more, and we bartered and begged in chaotic bus yards to get us and our bikes
on journeys at a time when all of Vietnam seemed to be traveling. The whole
week has been a patience-testing, problem-solving fiasco. “Chuc Mung Nam Moi!”</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAITVeT35gY0kQyT0db3gx3-XkIaOwryiG0nouCJQIhISpKv0qMr8Mi5Ncl_1WSSubX1bsu291efugkauSB29QQGqUFCkyY7Q7_j2NvInBCnXgMmCJjxi7jaVn8KQlCeKxDJ8QBSM2XdF/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAITVeT35gY0kQyT0db3gx3-XkIaOwryiG0nouCJQIhISpKv0qMr8Mi5Ncl_1WSSubX1bsu291efugkauSB29QQGqUFCkyY7Q7_j2NvInBCnXgMmCJjxi7jaVn8KQlCeKxDJ8QBSM2XdF/s1600/10.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wating for a bus. This one never arrived.</td></tr>
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“No
bus to Dien Bien.” I couldn’t believe what I was being told. 36 hours earlier
this same woman had assured me buses would leave at 6pm and 7pm from this
station to Dien Bien. After a bit of fossicking and haggling it really did
appear there were NO buses to Dien Bien.</div>
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“Take
bus number 16 to My Dinh,” said another women, My Dinh being another station in
Hanoi, a long way from where we were, in a direction we did not know, in a city
of 9 million, in the middle of a chaotic public holiday. Bus 16 being an
overcrowded local bus which we didn’t stand a chance of getting on with our
bikes. With no map and no ideas we were stumped. “Chuc Mung Nam Moi!” </div>
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Stumped
that is until Anna and I both simultaneously had the same stroke of genius. If
we can’t ride <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on</i> the bus…let’s ride <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">behind</i> the bus! As Bus 16 rolled out of
the yard we were hot in pursuit. For 12 crazy kilometres we sprinted and halted,
we inhaled hot and stinky bus exhaust, we hollered and giggled, and as night
fell we arrived victorious at My Dinh station…only to find all buses to Dien
Bien were booked.</div>
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“Please
come back tomorrow sir. No we cannot sell you a ticket. Chuc Mung Nam Moi!”</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LCVo3icqeUp_dS7KQ9e994GWqFITzqjIRM2qkzWEO6aoAvkd2IIuHyxBLFBCcV0ERPF5LjgfqUAGiVPpieMmCLHwrihofiC1C51iIYXWhapl7CS_fvXXmKW5-X45WJu2mnJ6Y8gUUOno/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LCVo3icqeUp_dS7KQ9e994GWqFITzqjIRM2qkzWEO6aoAvkd2IIuHyxBLFBCcV0ERPF5LjgfqUAGiVPpieMmCLHwrihofiC1C51iIYXWhapl7CS_fvXXmKW5-X45WJu2mnJ6Y8gUUOno/s1600/11.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot on the tail of Bus # 16</td></tr>
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By
the end of Thursday Feb 6<sup>th</sup> we were relieved to have escaped the
clutches of Hanoi and be back in Dien Bien with functioning bikes, feeling like
we’d completed something special. We honestly felt victorious and quite proud
of our efforts and the fact that at no point had we completely lost the plot
despite running into hurdle after hurdle! On Friday Feb 7<sup>th</sup> we rode
out of Vietnam and into Laos, the work of the last week made our entry oh soooo
sweeeet!! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnjZqxSvNU9ch02lXW7ixt1dB969QiXkPsWupmuMrXR1CNj-Ox5lf6VLV2xAEKKSz1oD0u-IUtdHFo5REHXMFRpi0lVOe8oYXFPTxI4rCe9YmuflAtNywMIynS88sLcqFkmbXiKsOOceH/s1600/11a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnjZqxSvNU9ch02lXW7ixt1dB969QiXkPsWupmuMrXR1CNj-Ox5lf6VLV2xAEKKSz1oD0u-IUtdHFo5REHXMFRpi0lVOe8oYXFPTxI4rCe9YmuflAtNywMIynS88sLcqFkmbXiKsOOceH/s1600/11a.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebratory feasting on western goodness. Medicinal for recovering stomachs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2PqQmRmj7OX1cvhaeqtRynnM7sJisCROGzUDrdNjCC00k-NJdg3XMfQwc6ZM6f2jg4LuLPXNeTFAeTxymLhGCQlbqpT7XsgG6qKI0X7tof1NWjtyl63YI9oSZtP6CD_UFPAY4ZM5RPTn/s1600/12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2PqQmRmj7OX1cvhaeqtRynnM7sJisCROGzUDrdNjCC00k-NJdg3XMfQwc6ZM6f2jg4LuLPXNeTFAeTxymLhGCQlbqpT7XsgG6qKI0X7tof1NWjtyl63YI9oSZtP6CD_UFPAY4ZM5RPTn/s1600/12.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the most remarkable photo at first glance but the first opportunity we've ever had to photograph a border post. Usually they're surrounded by armed guards, this time we had to rouse the slumbering guard from his post-lunch siesta!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yx2C4wYSRmYm8yZNUFtkwXYsLiL02tTYUwY1MySB_9D8Vlpx9B_QRO6PLgIQWc37d75ZbXIK72WYoiUCk1v2lXxK8WT3l_Dw-tYgLspowwjzrSjX6bMGT8neIniaIqdxYuh1gTcJOBfK/s1600/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yx2C4wYSRmYm8yZNUFtkwXYsLiL02tTYUwY1MySB_9D8Vlpx9B_QRO6PLgIQWc37d75ZbXIK72WYoiUCk1v2lXxK8WT3l_Dw-tYgLspowwjzrSjX6bMGT8neIniaIqdxYuh1gTcJOBfK/s1600/13.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally we've arrived in Laos!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Chuc
Mung Nam Moi!! Thankyou Vietnam for a Tet New Year we will savour forever!!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuE4X4T-is6yOvyg3_7_AGySbO1J33eYTVwjEtMgOwj9oFeNvQ2Oq7B9lB86n0PndYK8Tk3uaOfK0gLKt2Z5Pui7R48dCcrpmOW1LxV1XJoO1h-S7Xa2V5fXJy6WsiMyslq87dYp6r81O/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuE4X4T-is6yOvyg3_7_AGySbO1J33eYTVwjEtMgOwj9oFeNvQ2Oq7B9lB86n0PndYK8Tk3uaOfK0gLKt2Z5Pui7R48dCcrpmOW1LxV1XJoO1h-S7Xa2V5fXJy6WsiMyslq87dYp6r81O/s1600/14.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 metres later...a flat tyre! What a welcome!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Afterword</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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HUGE
thank you to Hazel Murray for showering us with warm hospitality and great home
cooking during our spontaneous stay in Hanoi and for pointing us to some great
shops where we could indulge in some yummy treats!! This bike-breaking cloud
most certainly had a silver lining! Thanks!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ollie</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtB0H7e9KstP_nKP5CL7wNDuSOVukMHl21Z4Qo0lKXfec5Jqo4q_dItiHBf7Z97TMrRChyEHy_53f9YSrvhwlE2OfBKaZBc-vqkZ8NfsA5yDGx2-Oju3ebqIijKmMAu4oNhLi4Ep4SOmM/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtB0H7e9KstP_nKP5CL7wNDuSOVukMHl21Z4Qo0lKXfec5Jqo4q_dItiHBf7Z97TMrRChyEHy_53f9YSrvhwlE2OfBKaZBc-vqkZ8NfsA5yDGx2-Oju3ebqIijKmMAu4oNhLi4Ep4SOmM/s1600/7.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-42702364733807087802014-01-25T06:01:00.003-08:002014-01-25T06:30:17.325-08:00Winding mountain lanes of Northern Vietnam: A Photo Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Bullet Points:<br />
<br />
- We cycled north out of Hanoi eight days ago <br />
- We have cycled on small roads through the mountain country of the far northern provinces of Vietnam: Thai Nguyen, Bac Can, Cao Bang and Ha Giang.<br />
- We are now in Ha Giang town, and will head west towards Sapa and Dien Bien Phu. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0kabv0dDCBOIrpNnLLaWf8VNqyyXMQuYKVNfgxBDi7tIAnW03WgiN5JKoJA57csvaM_geNz9qDSDFwcNUOr8U4NkGdQQcBCM3Ohz1WuKlkRmyPz5GZ-ypl4rxj5cvJzaozbA8tn5P-J7/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0kabv0dDCBOIrpNnLLaWf8VNqyyXMQuYKVNfgxBDi7tIAnW03WgiN5JKoJA57csvaM_geNz9qDSDFwcNUOr8U4NkGdQQcBCM3Ohz1WuKlkRmyPz5GZ-ypl4rxj5cvJzaozbA8tn5P-J7/s1600/1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day Two and the quiet lanes begin</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OFdfS3uAnvXV8b7qS45E3WJVNo322FpyyPC1Vp5nJJ2LBFuMwgkPFDW4X5T7GVgQFwtx3q4qID1qQsrRx8fZBhEZntZdyO8XOgfTbF9PpbRRhIv8itFgXrLKFdI2_Pyy_53LSLwUNfvf/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OFdfS3uAnvXV8b7qS45E3WJVNo322FpyyPC1Vp5nJJ2LBFuMwgkPFDW4X5T7GVgQFwtx3q4qID1qQsrRx8fZBhEZntZdyO8XOgfTbF9PpbRRhIv8itFgXrLKFdI2_Pyy_53LSLwUNfvf/s1600/2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every morning for breakfast we buy "banh me trung" (egg in bread) from a roadside stall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jlavdkZavk3xJnqarkhoolfYSFbGuZNxwEpzNYqEKXwviPw1Mowta9J0NjMuAwGkWq4vWHRhimuPh_CXUaz9DVx-9dsmlx7lPxOwlDJ2iUxK9VBcXHXTdL2mJUEFWBHTPa4p13KDeKi-/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jlavdkZavk3xJnqarkhoolfYSFbGuZNxwEpzNYqEKXwviPw1Mowta9J0NjMuAwGkWq4vWHRhimuPh_CXUaz9DVx-9dsmlx7lPxOwlDJ2iUxK9VBcXHXTdL2mJUEFWBHTPa4p13KDeKi-/s1600/3.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babe Lake, Babe National Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqZR8eG4aj6lBv0AInw-4DrkysGVZsmP85an4poRfQuldYKKezyNNGJxX03itilv-AqVqGIZXBKdjx1h1o_c1qUOK3uXWmMuzNgWT0ERgr9-mjg19vLcrDGfh5VN6nvTsC38Nw2MkteIa/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqZR8eG4aj6lBv0AInw-4DrkysGVZsmP85an4poRfQuldYKKezyNNGJxX03itilv-AqVqGIZXBKdjx1h1o_c1qUOK3uXWmMuzNgWT0ERgr9-mjg19vLcrDGfh5VN6nvTsC38Nw2MkteIa/s1600/4.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie fixes a rare puncture under audience pressure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc79CMPHw_JdgZ0Mccv70_29h0uadPNWZMLFZdsF8kz_YmFPmdqe8CN7Uz8Fh_dWdxubNcG8qEy_b4zdj0BelXS4400nEG_abYFeJFkO-8mvMlFtSTnOi10XNvmJIJf_KKb3h6TX-45jY/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc79CMPHw_JdgZ0Mccv70_29h0uadPNWZMLFZdsF8kz_YmFPmdqe8CN7Uz8Fh_dWdxubNcG8qEy_b4zdj0BelXS4400nEG_abYFeJFkO-8mvMlFtSTnOi10XNvmJIJf_KKb3h6TX-45jY/s1600/5.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our shortcut becomes a beautiful dirt lane</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H8ZambHInsJM646Pps90rmG5rClTBPeveyju24hvtNZsvnl9ZxxwDrtKIvc0Au_zWj-NjiVYaT3PN8g28dcEiSqTi_s3tkF0hMPyrTJr9ZVfiBejyqENmxgCG4Cp7kiuXTNxA3sFdwY5/s1600/5a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H8ZambHInsJM646Pps90rmG5rClTBPeveyju24hvtNZsvnl9ZxxwDrtKIvc0Au_zWj-NjiVYaT3PN8g28dcEiSqTi_s3tkF0hMPyrTJr9ZVfiBejyqENmxgCG4Cp7kiuXTNxA3sFdwY5/s1600/5a.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A clear blue day in the mountains</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58fgYwbesP14tMwtJnK0Lwlc0H9yE3oV3ut86GSKKd3T5VSbDiWKDi4woV7Dy_6JqWOQAyZmz-tu8bwBYUd5UvOINOlIjIYZKXKmEqlzssS1y90W0HHJNvGOh9l135yN3LBE_H1hy4dPN/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58fgYwbesP14tMwtJnK0Lwlc0H9yE3oV3ut86GSKKd3T5VSbDiWKDi4woV7Dy_6JqWOQAyZmz-tu8bwBYUd5UvOINOlIjIYZKXKmEqlzssS1y90W0HHJNvGOh9l135yN3LBE_H1hy4dPN/s1600/6.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New friends who watch us as we munch our morning tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZiEw2F5hInFqyBBBRZkwjeUc_2TyAAATy-8-pQiklFrVFJ1R2i4BmzkgJKvZ-jsXShs5dsqEln0VKN8zM7FAvD_drGSqfFPvvmvs68ypds2NtC3y0G7HUgtWo1IlUo74Cenvms6WO-OT/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZiEw2F5hInFqyBBBRZkwjeUc_2TyAAATy-8-pQiklFrVFJ1R2i4BmzkgJKvZ-jsXShs5dsqEln0VKN8zM7FAvD_drGSqfFPvvmvs68ypds2NtC3y0G7HUgtWo1IlUo74Cenvms6WO-OT/s1600/7.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They load the buses hard! They offered to take us, but we thought riding looked more comfortable!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00eGu33QiZAXOmmg5-IuQ2muvhrjux70aamBwut5PWx1MlK3GpupOxf4dNjS0gcg2NEo_3MKkuePzNpDy1meqiLyfDSlBCgPjHFNi4bOwhkgLjQlU0XsRX2djPa10DpRPqsFSHRB11f_0/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00eGu33QiZAXOmmg5-IuQ2muvhrjux70aamBwut5PWx1MlK3GpupOxf4dNjS0gcg2NEo_3MKkuePzNpDy1meqiLyfDSlBCgPjHFNi4bOwhkgLjQlU0XsRX2djPa10DpRPqsFSHRB11f_0/s1600/8.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A winding route through the karst land</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUy-i3ea87FcjdHRGo4X7veWOmYM1fL5a4CI2MvyRSO2T8EpRKYmeX3DHrcUgVMMT1dCYjTptKg9awsAd8_LTLpL1NRurl3h7h9WL6wiDSxjX8RS_68ZvAYnb5CBd7WfOUpFzlhcWeY0R/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUy-i3ea87FcjdHRGo4X7veWOmYM1fL5a4CI2MvyRSO2T8EpRKYmeX3DHrcUgVMMT1dCYjTptKg9awsAd8_LTLpL1NRurl3h7h9WL6wiDSxjX8RS_68ZvAYnb5CBd7WfOUpFzlhcWeY0R/s1600/9.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big climbs with big views</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevbBPC2GZ-KPWnE0qTKwgcq6BGLENg071QlyM_4Wdh1imuJU-LMJMtQysSyNR0SKDFNVSQHci_kaFOhyphenhyphenavXLlVKAuysLy-32o3CiQ-OrfWfoTTZ2CNRCXj0yBpKsaK61FBJ4vMqmlhyIi/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevbBPC2GZ-KPWnE0qTKwgcq6BGLENg071QlyM_4Wdh1imuJU-LMJMtQysSyNR0SKDFNVSQHci_kaFOhyphenhyphenavXLlVKAuysLy-32o3CiQ-OrfWfoTTZ2CNRCXj0yBpKsaK61FBJ4vMqmlhyIi/s1600/10.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning market vendors, Bao Lac.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSNNzcwt0JqKYbOZeeU3Se2yTRlbRMtixAI1AEI0jwv-XD8raEFkx2w0vmbheET3C6lsuMLfvifeGvW7nnTBix9aY2ZLptedTb7ik-YzaK1dwKPQir8vJJB2fjqXmsHRPE-KPmAzn2IKU/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSNNzcwt0JqKYbOZeeU3Se2yTRlbRMtixAI1AEI0jwv-XD8raEFkx2w0vmbheET3C6lsuMLfvifeGvW7nnTBix9aY2ZLptedTb7ik-YzaK1dwKPQir8vJJB2fjqXmsHRPE-KPmAzn2IKU/s1600/11.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market day, Ma Na Phong, Bao Lac</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVR347o7qPhatP32BCo-Hy4qEbrskedJtfpV23oUIMDJhHl5sH9-RCUPhWKa_7SZvayjdNZd_nU9XV2OBMhgGYDqafg4jIZ9tNUJVRfyAS06HuZl02uKTbH87plqA-ZfXt0ZkFvC1Swdi/s1600/12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVR347o7qPhatP32BCo-Hy4qEbrskedJtfpV23oUIMDJhHl5sH9-RCUPhWKa_7SZvayjdNZd_nU9XV2OBMhgGYDqafg4jIZ9tNUJVRfyAS06HuZl02uKTbH87plqA-ZfXt0ZkFvC1Swdi/s1600/12.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brighter than your Kiwi motorbiking outfit </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxEm7G06Ymc_Cob9XHAC7nZDTVR4LVx3GT9azEMdaGBjkFkyctK5hH-ofhpHXRPvDWyDm7UTSdf6yw5o-JlcAP2xlwXlgU-8XHCJs9hrFgh2g3CrIBXDBQ1t10alcXt4-jC696Pu60TdR/s1600/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxEm7G06Ymc_Cob9XHAC7nZDTVR4LVx3GT9azEMdaGBjkFkyctK5hH-ofhpHXRPvDWyDm7UTSdf6yw5o-JlcAP2xlwXlgU-8XHCJs9hrFgh2g3CrIBXDBQ1t10alcXt4-jC696Pu60TdR/s1600/13.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village, Bao Lac - Meo Vac road</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaMPOjk01ml6XCPyM4GX5yZD1DYL4Z6GeGQBxmp8ILnF8oczwfFzGG_mWdBwdKJnMfOQC3xpPTAMYvKYjNOJjHPBXg4tp6Abm2b8AicrEC5g7eXdxZt_v-nM5IAtOpyXCHRUwq30AgdNR/s1600/13a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaMPOjk01ml6XCPyM4GX5yZD1DYL4Z6GeGQBxmp8ILnF8oczwfFzGG_mWdBwdKJnMfOQC3xpPTAMYvKYjNOJjHPBXg4tp6Abm2b8AicrEC5g7eXdxZt_v-nM5IAtOpyXCHRUwq30AgdNR/s1600/13a.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrying loads, Meo Vac</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lUXd8QeTU-1EG_u0BvPYvHYD83s3Axwjb0lcXv7Kk_UvOMTccyUmwVc0dnswgV6CIq6q12e_nbfGgEcF-KmYl5Tc6mSVamsN0wM5Sxs5t-dD0Qqtzp08WFpySSZhXxKo_uImgWHIiu9K/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lUXd8QeTU-1EG_u0BvPYvHYD83s3Axwjb0lcXv7Kk_UvOMTccyUmwVc0dnswgV6CIq6q12e_nbfGgEcF-KmYl5Tc6mSVamsN0wM5Sxs5t-dD0Qqtzp08WFpySSZhXxKo_uImgWHIiu9K/s1600/14.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Company for the beginning of the ascent up Ma Pi Leng Pass</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4MKS4c0miPqr33QG3Rqmi0LvXJqbnEL21iK8o0_YbhBKKVstE8dK9ENoZfGuyO9fDjcJdkf2o_KzZTshEFgVhPDY0tMRO9dUfAHsIRFBAuKVerqyKUjXULhnrjZGK4iWPD_eKI6jI2KN/s1600/15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4MKS4c0miPqr33QG3Rqmi0LvXJqbnEL21iK8o0_YbhBKKVstE8dK9ENoZfGuyO9fDjcJdkf2o_KzZTshEFgVhPDY0tMRO9dUfAHsIRFBAuKVerqyKUjXULhnrjZGK4iWPD_eKI6jI2KN/s1600/15.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing Ma Pi Leng</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRHhQgI7Jn6jTIGUaScbWm33hmonZkjvKnJaq9uaKP7B4dlTH6NRDoOirjDdshJEyvn8W8-3zso9egzwtVjZ5_8TVHgoq-EEfodzWnwARSF5SgpQs0ngdF7joFHiQ6DGOtwLwL5dlLixp/s1600/16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRHhQgI7Jn6jTIGUaScbWm33hmonZkjvKnJaq9uaKP7B4dlTH6NRDoOirjDdshJEyvn8W8-3zso9egzwtVjZ5_8TVHgoq-EEfodzWnwARSF5SgpQs0ngdF7joFHiQ6DGOtwLwL5dlLixp/s1600/16.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing Ma Pi Leng</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Rdd0llnYWflsDQrNrKLiZ_UYeVNXsC6iGuIoKfanKQ3NHMD6TxCIOgBMAxAvA5BgpnIKLwSRIKAg6BrUiFsn_bHYXGyIoKDkADONz7wFD68xH2iu0oQHqlwDOzqmJwZYWiztOS7TY2nC/s1600/17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Rdd0llnYWflsDQrNrKLiZ_UYeVNXsC6iGuIoKfanKQ3NHMD6TxCIOgBMAxAvA5BgpnIKLwSRIKAg6BrUiFsn_bHYXGyIoKDkADONz7wFD68xH2iu0oQHqlwDOzqmJwZYWiztOS7TY2nC/s1600/17.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pretty tough people have made these rugged mountains their homes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgfip3MDnFQG6esiReGdLSUezkJKO7QTlNAXdgqUh-lCm1poEYIoin0LeUqdO8h6_GdN2xwSVB_hSlrURiO8GPhT6jCzJmu2qEhMCzpNz6be9ADUS6khZqh4VYZXkO-nraQR4S4Hkm2nt/s1600/18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgfip3MDnFQG6esiReGdLSUezkJKO7QTlNAXdgqUh-lCm1poEYIoin0LeUqdO8h6_GdN2xwSVB_hSlrURiO8GPhT6jCzJmu2qEhMCzpNz6be9ADUS6khZqh4VYZXkO-nraQR4S4Hkm2nt/s1600/18.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Descending to Dong Van</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXKKju5vG6469kyzqojOGMMzo4BvZgAMMcbT0J2paLFwQXeiaox1RFRd1vcFY48HU00JxtR8mvR0Tn3l3BVkMGo7UrCqikTArg0ltnGsjBYvIUnKR-9-Wz4t5g0RUv7ytEXp-4CExeiy8/s1600/19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXKKju5vG6469kyzqojOGMMzo4BvZgAMMcbT0J2paLFwQXeiaox1RFRd1vcFY48HU00JxtR8mvR0Tn3l3BVkMGo7UrCqikTArg0ltnGsjBYvIUnKR-9-Wz4t5g0RUv7ytEXp-4CExeiy8/s1600/19.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River riding on the Yen Minh - Quan Ba road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBa7IjMJL1Eewqkb8qlKl1O2t_ok3lGMkuTzGABDp3c2zaFh5tSEeLaF1kXnsUtCwE6SWgmVka4dCZulzFZ9lYg0o2SC4yi3LH_08SV97X2eoXhPBJTakIa2llitoFJrWAiqnHHBozSJvS/s1600/20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBa7IjMJL1Eewqkb8qlKl1O2t_ok3lGMkuTzGABDp3c2zaFh5tSEeLaF1kXnsUtCwE6SWgmVka4dCZulzFZ9lYg0o2SC4yi3LH_08SV97X2eoXhPBJTakIa2llitoFJrWAiqnHHBozSJvS/s1600/20.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright warmth again as we descend Quan Ba Pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-86107049550021958882014-01-18T07:34:00.000-08:002014-01-18T07:49:10.564-08:00Hanoi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<u><b>Bullet Points</b></u><br />
<br />
-On January 9th we flew from Barcelona to Hanoi.<br />
-After an awesome week with my sister Monica in Hanoi we have departed to cycle around Northern Vietnam and in 2-3 weeks plan to cross the border into Northern Laos.<br />
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<br />
In a
bizarre change of direction and continent we touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam, a
long way and a far cry from Barcelona. We felt victorious after nearly 48 hours
of connecting metros, trains, buses and flights, and must say a huge thank you
to Adela, our friend in Spain, for helping us through the logistical challenge
of carrying our boxed up bikes to the airport.</div>
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Within
five minutes of arriving at our hostel in the old quarter of Hanoi my sister
Monica appeared outside the front door, our rendezvous a highly anticipated
occasion. Anna and I had seen no family, in fact nobody at all that we knew
previously, since leaving NZ on April 8<sup>th</sup>. Monica’s been living and
working in Hanoi since early November, being a ‘local’ she has come to know her
way around pretty darn well. She’s also a little bundle of energy and
enthusiasm and the three of us have had an amazing week together. We’re feeling
very lucky!</div>
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With
a population of around 7-8 million Hanoi is a lively place to visit and has a
cheerful vibe about it. The air is undeniably heavily polluted, but on the flip
side the city is blessed with a myriad of cute little lakes and parks, and in a
great piece of town planning many of it’s streets are lined with rows of great
leafy trees growing over to form long archways of greenery. The streets that we
experienced were kept surprisingly clean and amazingly free of the funky smells
you might expect with such a density of population!</div>
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Our
week has consisted of buzzing through the crowded streets, following Mon on our
bikes, amidst the sea of motorbikes, moving from one great eatery to another,
sampling a great range of delicious Vietnamese foods, and chatting over a great
range of topics. We’ve also loved just watching life go on by, so many curious
and entertaining things I’ve not seen before. Things like enmasse exercises,
aerobics and dancing in the park, young boys trying to repair Anna’s jandals as
she walks, babies squeezed between parents on motorbikes, crashed U.S. war
planes in stagnant lakes, a whole city curfew at 11pm, and themed streets where
all shops sell identical products. Space feels like it’s in short supply in
Hanoi, for the first time ever we were regularly charge a small fee to park our
bikes, most restaurants had chairs and tables the size of pre-school kids
furniture, footpaths were so filled with eateries and vendors that anybody
walking is forced to brave the road. Road traffic spills over onto the
footpaths and foot traffic spills onto the road! We’ve loved it. The week has
been an extremely precious time and Mon has given us a very good initiation to
the country. Massive thanks Mons!! After seven days of fun today it was time load
up the bikes again, to leave the nest and venture forth! To North Vietnam we
have embarked and by the sounds of it some very hilly adventures await us.
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<b><i>
<iframe height="485" src="http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/ollie_yeoman/embed/slideshow/hanoi" width="650"></iframe>
Ollie</i></b></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-64702448597962669522014-01-07T09:12:00.000-08:002014-01-07T09:12:09.758-08:00Journey: A brief film account of a 9 month cycle adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0bf3dExMLjQ" width="700"></iframe></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-24748076211296718452014-01-02T04:25:00.000-08:002014-01-02T07:52:41.074-08:00Finishing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Bullet points:<br />
- We cycled from Tafraout west to Plage Aglou and Mirleft on the Atlantic Coast.<br />
- We enjoyed some time and New Years festivities there.<br />
- We now catch a bus north to Tanger, catch the ferry to Barcelona, and fly from there to Hanoi.<br />
- We will spend time in Hanoi with Ollie's sister Monica, then spend about ten weeks cycling south through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, before flying home to NZ on the 25th March.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFLQkQAlq0ElX_2_fzehsemH4AYzdkgBXusqrHrJ9Knx73dFM_Xyi9dt4E2mUWUvuboX8Y8wBuQwyxPky8NO9stcMCSGHs5mt1Vqx-GHU05Z2X_dXSXDnlW2CiWhHQHpfPDyflThL8Auh/s1600/P1130405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFLQkQAlq0ElX_2_fzehsemH4AYzdkgBXusqrHrJ9Knx73dFM_Xyi9dt4E2mUWUvuboX8Y8wBuQwyxPky8NO9stcMCSGHs5mt1Vqx-GHU05Z2X_dXSXDnlW2CiWhHQHpfPDyflThL8Auh/s640/P1130405.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the last 11km</td></tr>
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How does one ride the last 11km to the Atlantic? The last
11km to the attaining of their goal? For 9 months we have been riding and there
has always been land out there to the west to be explored. For a long time our
initial plan of riding to Istanbul and a vague “beyond” had evolved into a type
of “coast to coast” from the Pacific to the Atlantic. A great thing to aim for,
adding some direction to our sometimes rather circuitous wanderings. </div>
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And now, as I read the road sign, “Plage Aglou 11km” I know
the end really is nigh, and I don’t know what I feel. I am aware of the
beautiful importance of this time, and I look around me at the square pink houses and dry pale hills
rolling under a bright blue sky, and I savour the place and the moment. I feel
reminiscent with almost a weight of all the memories, experiences, encounters
and kilometres of road stretching out behind me, a snail’s silvery trail
through the land and a forever blazed trail in my own heart. And alongside this
I feel a little anxious, anxious that we seem in immanent danger of achieving
our goal! Really a very scary thing! How <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does</i>
one finish a thing? How does one ride there, and arrive?</div>
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Sometimes it is more simple. Riding for Dushanbe as the
finish of the Pamir Highway we had no such qualms about reaching a goal.
Exhausted and drained by days spent at altitude, battling head winds, giardia, mid-40<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">°</span>C heat and a lack of decent food, we were hanging out for our
Dushanbe finish line and we welcomed it with open arms, falling happily into
its luxuries of vegies, meat, showers, fan and a couch. </div>
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Here in Morocco though, no great physical deprivations are
hastening our pedal strokes in desperation towards the finish. All is very
pleasant and very good. No, this is a different kind of finish. We finish here,
now, because it is the time to finish; we have chosen a place, and drawn a line
in the sand as they say, and now boldly we must claim this finish although we
cannot fully comprehend it. “Sad, sad!” I hear the voice of the free spirit
inside me, “Let no lines form your movements, don’t be hampered by such chains,
even of your own making. Drift along all the winding roads that entice you!”
But there are other voices I have chosen to listen to, and I choose them again.
Voices telling me that to recognize “enough” is important, and that reaching
always for more of a good thing is not always the best way to enjoy a good
thing. </div>
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However, I probably need to stop here, as I can anticipate
the odd chuckle from some of you at me philosophizing on these topics. As the
practical among you may be considering, our “line in the sand” is quite
literally a line in the sand, the sand of the coast where the land runs out, so
our finishing here may seem to be more of a necessity enforced by the laws of
geography than a humble and grateful claiming of “enough!”. Others may very
rightly point out that we are travelling on even beyond this line in the sand,
heading to South East Asia for ten more weeks cycling before we really head
home, and may question just which of those inner voices I’m actually following!
This would all be quite justified, and I venture no defence. </div>
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I only say that for us this is a finish. It is the finish of
a wonderful and extended period of journeying, and that the reaching of this
point has brought us both expected and unexpected feelings and discoveries.
Finishing is a strange thing, and achieving goals can be scary as well as
glorious. So we are toasting is with CocaColas and kofta sandwiches, burying
our toes in the wet shining sand, taking photos, writing thoughts, and holding
each other close, in the trust that in time we will make sense of it all, but for
now our job is to live it. </div>
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Anna </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Finishing celebrations </span></div>
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Reaching the goal of the Atlantic Ocean we did miss having friends and family to share this with (in the flesh I mean; we treasure your lovely and fun emails!). But like so many times on our trip, we have again been treated by wonderful people meeting us at the right time, welcoming us, offering kindness and enrichening our time greatly. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reaching the Atlantic!!!! </td></tr>
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Alain met us as we were trying to photograph ourselves by the "Plage
Aglou" sign, took a much better photograph and in an enthusiastic whirlwind
of gestures and excited French, dragged us to where he and his wife
Madeleine were camping and set us up in the spot beside him, gave us
their deckchairs and table, and kept checking with a huge smile and
thumbs up to see that we were relaxing and enjoying our well earned
rest! Madeleine, with a bit more English, asked us question about our
travels, and pulled out her world map to track it, with all the
wonderfully heart/ego warming exclamations to go with it! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the table and chairs from our kind neighbours at Plage Aglou. Somehow we missed getting a photo of them</td></tr>
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New Years Eve we were in another campervan park in Mirleft, with some spuds and eggs to cook up and a bottle of Coke to celebrate (no beer of wine in the shops here!). In a lovely, natural way our Danish neighbours Karl, Hanna and their son Aster had us join them first for wine, then smoked salmon, an apple-fed pork dish and later champagne, all totally top class food they had brought down from their home. They own a resturant on a small Danish Island, where they treat guests to fine local organic foods, and going by the taste we got of their cuisine and their hospitality, I think it must be a wonderful place! We had a lovely New Years with them, enjoying talking over aspects of our journey and our homeland, and hearing about their home and country. Interesting stuff! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanna, Aster, Karl and I ushering in 2014</td></tr>
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Then third and finally, Elizabeth and her husband Chris met us in the local shop, and asked questions that we were happy to answer about where we'd cycled from, followed up by handshakes and warm "congratulations"! They have been living in Rabat, Morocco for two and a half years, where Chris works at the American Embassy, Elizabeth teaches English and their youngest son attends school. They invited us for a New Year's breakfast at their holiday spot, and we spent a lovely time eating the most wonderful fruit salad, yoghurt, homemade muesli, toasted bread, chorizo, eggs, guacamole and orange juice! What a treat for us! So interesting to hear of their experiences in the foreign service, mobile around the world in a much more long-term way than us. We loved the warm and relaxed company of them and their two sons, it was lovely to be with a family like this. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning 2014 with a breakfast for kings and queens! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A better photo with our new friends Chris, Andrew, Peter, Elizabeth and us </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dropping two small shells from Aramoana Beach, Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic. We have carried a bag of these shells with us on our journey, and given a number as thank you tokens from our homeland to people along the way. </td></tr>
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Anna</div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-36445188300287257132013-12-27T08:39:00.000-08:002013-12-27T08:50:16.651-08:00A Moment at the Kitchen Bench<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As I
stood at the kitchen bench, the grey rice water draining down the plughole in
preparation for another camping meal, I had a moment. One of those moments
where it’s like I look down from above, I picture the whole world and I zoom in
on my own little figure, out here amidst the mountains of Southern Morocco. The
sun’s dipping low, lighting the rocks all around into a deep and earthy red,
the tops of the palms are silhouettes, fanning out as if exploding fireworks.
In the still quietness of the dusk an Arabic call is wailed out into the night,
the time to pray has arrived. A shepherd, clothed in brown camel hair cloak and
vibrant blue head scarf, quietly leads his flock to eat<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from the scrub before retiring to home and
shelter. The first stars are faintly twinkling, the moon will rise to join them
shortly in a great display of light in the darkness. Here at the bench it’s
just little me, just washing the rice. It’s one of those moments where I think
“Wow, how the heck did I end up here?!”</div>
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The
recent days cycling through Morocco have seen us on a steadily westward course,
each day inching us further along the map and closer to the Atlantic Ocean, our
finish line for this the major phase of our journey. Within our larger
pilgrimage to the Atlantic we were on pilgrimage to Tafraout, a town of 3000
people nestled in the Anti-Atlas mountains, our place to celebrate Christmas.</div>
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In
so many ways these recent days zeroing in on Tafraout have encompassed so many
of the reasons I would give you for loving bicycle travel. Let me tell you why.</div>
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We’ve
cycled for hours in wide open spaces on the edge of the desert, the land only
disappearing as it curves away over the horizon, and then in the space of mere
minutes we’ve entered spectacular gorges and hills of jagged rocky peaks. On
moving from the edge of the Sahara into the Anti-Atlas mountains the landscapes
have continually changed and been pretty inspiring in their beauty and variety.</div>
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Yet
inspiring landscapes alone would not satisfy. Dotted along our way, seemingly
at just the right interval for a cyclist, has been village after village. Foum-Zguid,
Tissint, Tata, Tagmoute, Anamer, Igherm, Azoura, Ait-Abdallah. Beforehand, for
us, each is just a name on a map, afterward they are a memory with a
distinctive event or character etched in our mind. In common each has food,
water and a friendly welcome, and yet each has their own distinctively unique
character. Some villages bustle with noise and activity, chaos to us but normal
daily life for locals. Other villages are quiet, the people industriously
working away at what they do, often hidden amongst the palms, the almonds or
the olive trees. We’re only aware of anybody there by the flash of a colourful
headscarf in the trees or quiet voices chatting one to another. Still another
village, from a distance seems void of activity or spirit, yet upon entering its
streets are found to be crowded with lively school students pouring out all
over the streets. </div>
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So
often along our way the chance take a break, to sit, to eat and drink, to watch
life go by has become a real highlight of a riding day. Once we’ve bought our
bread or biscuits or fruit and we’ve roved around in search of a place to sit,
a friendly face soon emerges carrying a table and chairs and inviting us to sit
and rest. Sometimes the locals will sit with us to chat, at other times they
will provide us with what we need and then just let us go about our business of
eating, resting and observing. What we observe is always fascinating, often
entertaining, and only occasionally disturbing!</div>
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Being
so close to Europe Morocco sees plenty of foreign tourists, mainly four wheel
drive enthusiasts and retired French campervan travellers. As a result a good
network of camping grounds are spread across much of the country. It’s great to
have good accommodation and all the conveniencies we need, within a town centre,
without having to check into some crusty hotel. Even better though have been
our wild camps, the real pinnacle of cycle touring accommodation options. Wild
camps have not been so common for us in Morocco due to the difficulty in
finding secret places in such open country, but they’ve been real gems when we have
come upon suitable spots. In recent days we developed a routine of arriving in
time to get the tent pitched and life sorted before brewing a cup of tea and
sitting in the last light to watch the sunset. Several nights we were fortunate
enough to then turn and watch the moonrise just minutes later! To complete our
classic African camping experience I thought I’d better be the man and light a
fire. I failed dismally yet Anna in her graciousness assured me that these
dry-land trees must surely have developed fireproof adaptations that were
resisting my efforts!</div>
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To
cycle through varied landscapes on both sealed and more adventurous roads, to
enter villages and experience their culture and kindness, to observe local life
happening all around us, to have some conveniences yet the freedom to be camped
in the wild, all these things make for a truly wonderful cycling experience. At
the end of it all we descended into Tafraout for Christmas. Knowing very little
about the place other than seeing on our map that it had a campsite, we’d taken
a bit of a punt. Our punt paid off and the mini pilgrimage was complete. Just
one phase left on our way to the Atlantic!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travelling through the horizontal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travelling through the vertical</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNGSF4RNnWuOulgvgSobzx1fxxPa7pioI31g-xtPNn_-1A_MGvsPtbl86abld4IQQeySYwEcOvkTLbVEOVn-xgNV0ArubvInSe0COKqhsdtbljnYHRb2uaudK96AWEiJ6K0gfItutrZ3S/s1600/2b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNGSF4RNnWuOulgvgSobzx1fxxPa7pioI31g-xtPNn_-1A_MGvsPtbl86abld4IQQeySYwEcOvkTLbVEOVn-xgNV0ArubvInSe0COKqhsdtbljnYHRb2uaudK96AWEiJ6K0gfItutrZ3S/s640/2b.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travelling smooth ways</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travelling rough ways</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcxIHk7z3pEFtJFN06fLXI6zgOUaQfN7MD0uTCd7q01jYpXTBbCSpSrHtkWHlNpjW5jXCQUXM1bQ14YXh7fOwyr3JM0lXmy9wPCscWyo_G0-eIr8pZ7zYzhchuzPnazIiM0MQflP1EP0z/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcxIHk7z3pEFtJFN06fLXI6zgOUaQfN7MD0uTCd7q01jYpXTBbCSpSrHtkWHlNpjW5jXCQUXM1bQ14YXh7fOwyr3JM0lXmy9wPCscWyo_G0-eIr8pZ7zYzhchuzPnazIiM0MQflP1EP0z/s640/3.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bustling villages</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Energetic markets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiet Villages</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning tea observations</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch time people watching</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset contemplation with a cuppa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHi9J3QeFD_RwBattiE9o6To-Wj1bloWvtrbHQj0hx-DLnGhHHnDCLVR_b4PCHKhx2L2pTx7pQSrHmSQUdTMRZRfWUxket5CG8-1RWi4rxWTapUDPFnu596aZSO7o5zJD1UAk7T2eJcuH/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHi9J3QeFD_RwBattiE9o6To-Wj1bloWvtrbHQj0hx-DLnGhHHnDCLVR_b4PCHKhx2L2pTx7pQSrHmSQUdTMRZRfWUxket5CG8-1RWi4rxWTapUDPFnu596aZSO7o5zJD1UAk7T2eJcuH/s640/8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild camp classic on the desert edge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXHMrAwhRZX7PpYAKkvWzdK3HaXSHJnqS9MyYSBT1oi7M37KxozgQRJN8MdxxoSH0OXkLZkQz_6VoLjMRJcYiP6wiDL1rGt_9KGCjYj6KBj6XwYSkNHr8R3Ka8VCu-PI8oUwaNd6W1Bj2/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXHMrAwhRZX7PpYAKkvWzdK3HaXSHJnqS9MyYSBT1oi7M37KxozgQRJN8MdxxoSH0OXkLZkQz_6VoLjMRJcYiP6wiDL1rGt_9KGCjYj6KBj6XwYSkNHr8R3Ka8VCu-PI8oUwaNd6W1Bj2/s640/9.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild camp under the moon's watchful eye</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjxxPPBZqx4WcQWa_MoiY0YegWHKBCM4V71YhiFzK-03BSz1avQtQjmHxU7vVRDf79kmF0qt1byVhMowQ828ibKN8rtLhJfpfRjmWENm3BbjQsD3zPuXUZjHzJiF56IFOezq9ewaK9OQd/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjxxPPBZqx4WcQWa_MoiY0YegWHKBCM4V71YhiFzK-03BSz1avQtQjmHxU7vVRDf79kmF0qt1byVhMowQ828ibKN8rtLhJfpfRjmWENm3BbjQsD3zPuXUZjHzJiF56IFOezq9ewaK9OQd/s640/10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild camp on a mountain top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70MFiDGdo7M_Vz8Iw54Bio6JBcAGdhNUGgidZAKrFhGG8cTzwKipcnuG-xLIsiDm0LABkmWE6GIy9kOo07w28IXIknbKtXzKFRwR1a9SZ3VpeSxGDBtv0AMyYFTO0VwHRZ2XtMGYIFZ4e/s1600/P1130391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70MFiDGdo7M_Vz8Iw54Bio6JBcAGdhNUGgidZAKrFhGG8cTzwKipcnuG-xLIsiDm0LABkmWE6GIy9kOo07w28IXIknbKtXzKFRwR1a9SZ3VpeSxGDBtv0AMyYFTO0VwHRZ2XtMGYIFZ4e/s640/P1130391.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pilgrimage to Christmas complete</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><b>Ollie</b></i><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-83434426766134278262013-12-17T09:39:00.001-08:002013-12-17T23:37:41.528-08:00Wonderment and Wonderings in Morocco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AIoUGutLuVeJhkfTMwOL_LKLIhSkz7ov6K3RaoAEs1t0UNYwp43kmmkYe4xNfQAaZdvWo8XeeaiVIvSk11DpLmqLBerpEzn_KwFemwO6aA9y7nbLpNevSWTpEDwvcSd8QXf0GGVQW1Ie/s1600/P1010157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AIoUGutLuVeJhkfTMwOL_LKLIhSkz7ov6K3RaoAEs1t0UNYwp43kmmkYe4xNfQAaZdvWo8XeeaiVIvSk11DpLmqLBerpEzn_KwFemwO6aA9y7nbLpNevSWTpEDwvcSd8QXf0GGVQW1Ie/s400/P1010157.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wonderment</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Morocco has given us absolutely amazing riding and exploring
joy; here are some of the scenes we've loved so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Marrakech is an ancient city, and the narrow winding lanes
of its old city were built for foot traffic and maybe the odd camel to squeeze
through. Nowadays they are dominated by a constant stream of motorbikes, giving
the place a constantly noisy and full on feel. The foot traffic is still there
though, and very well dressed, with men in their woven camel hair hooded cloaks and women in wonderful colour combinations of headscarves and dresses. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old town alleys of Marrakech</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBIaoJm2VJ6anDljCLcFhOJ2KYXr7J3NWWpv-yiHLlOtpmqyZJHY6-L3kZ0PQZemp0cW20oMEfVmXU0WWit6XrDrpTa0UVtjfOQNVtUXDSaNqI8_RBLHnlGUeYekfxI5w1qmjmGNKX5J8/s1600/P1010030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBIaoJm2VJ6anDljCLcFhOJ2KYXr7J3NWWpv-yiHLlOtpmqyZJHY6-L3kZ0PQZemp0cW20oMEfVmXU0WWit6XrDrpTa0UVtjfOQNVtUXDSaNqI8_RBLHnlGUeYekfxI5w1qmjmGNKX5J8/s640/P1010030.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The streets of Marrakech</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another town scene, market day in Jorf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We crossed the High Atlas Mountains on a clear calm winter’s
morning, with a dusting of new snow bright on the highest peaks. The road
snakes up the bulky, stratified hills, making its crossing from the wetter and
sometimes forested western flanks to the dry gorges facing out towards the
Sahara. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wetter flanks of the Atlas</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing Tizi N'Tichka Pass</td></tr>
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<o:p>Deep twisting gorges, the Dades and the Todra, coming out from the Atlas Mountains. As we rode inside them, I felt infused with the orange light that bounces off their walls. A line of palm trees, some patchwork strips of irrigated fields and occasionally the glint of a stream, give testament to the fact that this mighty passageway is indeed a watercourse. Along the sides of the gorge, and where it opens to more comfortable widths, villages are built from the earth on which they stand, now orange, now ochre, now brown houses clustered above their small green plots. </o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjpXJTvL3zDOlXG7YDuAWMavDuRc4Mg8ylXjxIoBc5SVKNJr04Qqm0PbAvJFvl79kDc3Db9FZFgAmRj96quD0TF7QR_SwT9D2TXcCZoMFCuUOYSGikra6Tbv5s2zddmElOxJchub42hvy/s1600/P1010235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjpXJTvL3zDOlXG7YDuAWMavDuRc4Mg8ylXjxIoBc5SVKNJr04Qqm0PbAvJFvl79kDc3Db9FZFgAmRj96quD0TF7QR_SwT9D2TXcCZoMFCuUOYSGikra6Tbv5s2zddmElOxJchub42hvy/s640/P1010235.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Dades Gorge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFRpDiXvaDhw8O6ME6csk0vrLEJMLdQdACQ84kMWyLJJCqUQ7lUhIva_UlmBr0UsMNNImFea8zYt5aUeN5RP1Rku_M3tzjDldU0GkAvG-pUbTdgRfna0nptsqQb-QhFeehkfGtrHHVOhl/s1600/P1130263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFRpDiXvaDhw8O6ME6csk0vrLEJMLdQdACQ84kMWyLJJCqUQ7lUhIva_UlmBr0UsMNNImFea8zYt5aUeN5RP1Rku_M3tzjDldU0GkAvG-pUbTdgRfna0nptsqQb-QhFeehkfGtrHHVOhl/s640/P1130263.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Todra Gorge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw4Vwsk76yG0tLz-PB5rcwork_pVxNPuvzKDb6lwDl7UTuZoqiPgVG2EU7ktEX8xUF6SanVAYVBkh4s9ZdjJtLAAkRl4BfLOICgMm_9LGza90NboW5zRXilMZZVrYNhkUX3e1sTT6-c8X/s1600/P1010139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw4Vwsk76yG0tLz-PB5rcwork_pVxNPuvzKDb6lwDl7UTuZoqiPgVG2EU7ktEX8xUF6SanVAYVBkh4s9ZdjJtLAAkRl4BfLOICgMm_9LGza90NboW5zRXilMZZVrYNhkUX3e1sTT6-c8X/s640/P1010139.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villages in the Ounila Valley, Atlas Mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL2rQMACZglVgWteSFpun1gAql8Ps8PqJMJqj5z84GpPooS08qNjYwJg81aVk8V4xdCw1fwHRLkEQ-6EUcrTbaxSp66mAod3ky8nJdurJuryOi5Yec5MyIrP8k0WROo8flpRimbze7ZXc/s1600/P1010269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL2rQMACZglVgWteSFpun1gAql8Ps8PqJMJqj5z84GpPooS08qNjYwJg81aVk8V4xdCw1fwHRLkEQ-6EUcrTbaxSp66mAod3ky8nJdurJuryOi5Yec5MyIrP8k0WROo8flpRimbze7ZXc/s640/P1010269.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The upper Dades Gorge</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Quiet, vast, ancient. We cycled out across the expansive dry landscapes that lie between the Atlas and the Sahara proper. Thorn trees, gravel, sand; flat topped strata outcrops, pieces of old plateaus, now tipped up, now scoured out by wind and maybe once, a long time ago, some water. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0GjrAHSPdGhB_xvbrnMQ5beHKEugWXZga4myFTJa7qyzQpnHngPQHgql670aguNTQvcnOKYA6EqzyqAfpRlUM6-fUvE196SVPJgz03j2anZY9RS40vYHEwIvml_tE6LTo1MR7IRlY1yf/s1600/P1010559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0GjrAHSPdGhB_xvbrnMQ5beHKEugWXZga4myFTJa7qyzQpnHngPQHgql670aguNTQvcnOKYA6EqzyqAfpRlUM6-fUvE196SVPJgz03j2anZY9RS40vYHEwIvml_tE6LTo1MR7IRlY1yf/s640/P1010559.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wonderings</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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There is a packet of biscuits. Round chocolate cream-filled
biscuits, their open silver wrapping glinting in the bright mountain sunlight.
At the base of this packet is my hand, holding on with determined if not slightly
desperate grip. On the other end of the packet is a hand much more weathered and
browned than mine, belonging to a nomadic shepherd of the Atlas Mountains, and he
is also not letting go. For a few seconds we stand like this, in a very quiet
but socially fascinating battle, until the nomad gives in and takes a healthy
stack of biscuits from the packet instead, and relieved I move on to offer them
to his mate, then Ollie and myself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This would probably go down as one of the least successful
cultural exchanges of our travels. I could try and explain my actions by saying
that this was the only packet of biscuits I had for what was going to be a long
tough day through the mountains. Or that when I offer an open packet of
biscuits around even such an impromptuely gathered morning tea group, I
consider it rude for someone to try and take the whole packet. But how much else
is going on here that I can’t easily explain! Why was that his expectation? Is
it indeed a reasonable one? What is a healthy way for our two cultures to
interact now, and what about for the future? <o:p></o:p></div>
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This first meeting of the day had caught us by surprise, and
as we continued to ride that isolated dirt road we got many other chances to
adapt our response to the small groups of tough mountain folk who came out to
meet us as we rode. But we never settled
on anything we felt totally happy with. Girls with chapped hands and ragged
skirts tugged at my polyprop and gloves, saying clearly in any language, “Can I
have these clothes for me?” Women with babies tied on their backs and no socks
in their shoes tried to sell us small fossils they’d gathered in the mountains,
or if they had none of these, to sell their photograph. This was no tourist gimmick, no dressing up poor to try and get some
easy money, they were running to us just as they were when we appeared around
the corner of their valley. If they had socks they’d wear them, the temperature
was about 4 degrees. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So we did leave some extra clothes of ours there in the
Atlas Mountains. As I rode down out of the mountains, I enjoyed thinking of the
people who these socks and gloves have come from, Beth, Mum, Grandpa Yule, and
the snug New Zealand wool they are made of, and hoped they would bring some joy
and relief. But I was also unsettled, uncomfortable and very tired from the
experience. Morocco has brought us more of these encounters than anywhere else
we’ve ridden so far. Questions but not many answers. Attempts at genuine
encounters, but realizations of huge inequalities not just in wealth, but also
in the reasons that we’re each in that place at that time, and our expectations
of our roles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_t1SpNLW7lAYSzKb_MFbYP8usch8Cq0UQDU7F9Wpx5F6izdEWrc3crMdzJ5q2ZD0LvLBSqih-SA-Sl1FpLVJk9fCLVBS9zc-xthjR6hZnXjhLVYy1Ia5Acl926LpyWl5vy2fjb6yPLgqN/s1600/P1010301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_t1SpNLW7lAYSzKb_MFbYP8usch8Cq0UQDU7F9Wpx5F6izdEWrc3crMdzJ5q2ZD0LvLBSqih-SA-Sl1FpLVJk9fCLVBS9zc-xthjR6hZnXjhLVYy1Ia5Acl926LpyWl5vy2fjb6yPLgqN/s640/P1010301.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With one of the nomadic Berber</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E4IkE03lwtzU8K-fb10ogn-aiYgv9Al45koocSPc6VdYL-ExBcZK-gFpOmDT5wLxRP8R-uHUSWBLNy6O4DS9YNLy6r2uzwWL26VT2Nn349y8jsG1W5odsrJSmwaxfGzM9KRK7E2qOAZr/s1600/P1130215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E4IkE03lwtzU8K-fb10ogn-aiYgv9Al45koocSPc6VdYL-ExBcZK-gFpOmDT5wLxRP8R-uHUSWBLNy6O4DS9YNLy6r2uzwWL26VT2Nn349y8jsG1W5odsrJSmwaxfGzM9KRK7E2qOAZr/s640/P1130215.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our track through the Atlas, between the Dades and Todra Gorges</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3s3Ur3qiqyRAh38CH_asRv9GpnQlceMDwH3CM1qNSMCz8CqW9woFFnUFhifhLzO_bV75g5m3LPazaZ_yZZixbM3QUzR-00aI8Paj5-XRr7GPAG0XYT7MAHKLx6m3YqCXxVaftLeYSdUdp/s1600/P1010478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3s3Ur3qiqyRAh38CH_asRv9GpnQlceMDwH3CM1qNSMCz8CqW9woFFnUFhifhLzO_bV75g5m3LPazaZ_yZZixbM3QUzR-00aI8Paj5-XRr7GPAG0XYT7MAHKLx6m3YqCXxVaftLeYSdUdp/s640/P1010478.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eTS6LXFVojfQp17HQrTJ07oAad4mJk_epTY0dz0ikh5FhmhJDftnISlu9XdJ07f5gwYRcpGhNlf5GQxnDTXriGRXpPQ79WiXMMmdsGnOSTPJ8LUq2iiXBcrQqA7bfPZc2aMAHF9781u8/s1600/P1010480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eTS6LXFVojfQp17HQrTJ07oAad4mJk_epTY0dz0ikh5FhmhJDftnISlu9XdJ07f5gwYRcpGhNlf5GQxnDTXriGRXpPQ79WiXMMmdsGnOSTPJ8LUq2iiXBcrQqA7bfPZc2aMAHF9781u8/s640/P1010480.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRqOOnioV30W0ItsdebkyuDTx0jzvqf-Ql14qhDD9NP_eJtG3IsiNQgYvyP6EwY0ly1G2XFz2207a6N_5x4VVEQqBwD25GyJdTEtE0iMcO0SC54v_EGXPJFnVuc-IeVyLRT8gUtCQecxi/s1600/P1010501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRqOOnioV30W0ItsdebkyuDTx0jzvqf-Ql14qhDD9NP_eJtG3IsiNQgYvyP6EwY0ly1G2XFz2207a6N_5x4VVEQqBwD25GyJdTEtE0iMcO0SC54v_EGXPJFnVuc-IeVyLRT8gUtCQecxi/s640/P1010501.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<o:p>In the huge orange dunes on the edge of the Sahara. The locals call them Erg Chebbi. They change in shape constantly, but are always there. Small groups of desert nomads still eek out a living amongst them, raising camels and goats. But with the Algerian border cutting through their traditional roaming grounds only 30km from here, it is now much harder. More of the nomads have now settled in villages on the edge of the desert, and many have found a way to continue in their beloved Sahara by working as tourist guides and hosts at the desert camps. A truly wonderful sea of sand, be it a little tracked out by tourist 4WD, camel and foot traffic. </o:p></div>
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<o:p>We've also had some wonderful meetings with some special people. With Youssef at his mountain auberge (hostel) where we were welcomed more like friends than paying guests; we were told to use it like our own home, and we shared our meals together: tomato pasta with Berber omelette; porridge with bread and home grown olives. </o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZIwIGQOqLTExxIceKxTDDd7v9gZE8UbnlzqeEbRpUw7ONVbEp_hY1zYXhzZD8XAtTfi25KUChCz7xmyZE23tmBQzw5YlQAv3sKzQFHWhDO5kYzj51_n9GX0R2v2jtEeIRCOZMj2iWkXE/s1600/P1010345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZIwIGQOqLTExxIceKxTDDd7v9gZE8UbnlzqeEbRpUw7ONVbEp_hY1zYXhzZD8XAtTfi25KUChCz7xmyZE23tmBQzw5YlQAv3sKzQFHWhDO5kYzj51_n9GX0R2v2jtEeIRCOZMj2iWkXE/s640/P1010345.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Youssef and Ollie</td></tr>
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<o:p>With Barek and his nephews under the striking (Mount) Djebel Rheriss, where we spent the evening learning a new game with coloured pebbles, sitting around the fire, drinking mint tea and then sleeping in their tent made of camel and goat hair. African dream!</o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdXFmAaWUT1T1xZk6CeuBvFDaVFr1-GvNY0CRzpmi1ezDRzhSbmPe2pXgKMVE_Di5HBXUD9SNSZTZi1DrmRvgWR78BxnMVtnqfKs4GDzmShyVWFnWN59J7Z_OtHXFjRYcjW-DQSt7bG1b/s1600/P1010576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdXFmAaWUT1T1xZk6CeuBvFDaVFr1-GvNY0CRzpmi1ezDRzhSbmPe2pXgKMVE_Di5HBXUD9SNSZTZi1DrmRvgWR78BxnMVtnqfKs4GDzmShyVWFnWN59J7Z_OtHXFjRYcjW-DQSt7bG1b/s640/P1010576.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna, Abdul Ali, Barek, Hammad and Ollie</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1azChxfPKCHnvh0XmM1ekcxAReY834b_pGbORBD2cVb5C1ee3GIOzEfyif7xWNGeJqUGc99Ntj82Aky-VtTS_kdZtJN9JygYvOvhkKHdVgAXArF-jhBt89vJ5VEuNJLHTuRmT7j2wiYI/s1600/P1130285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1azChxfPKCHnvh0XmM1ekcxAReY834b_pGbORBD2cVb5C1ee3GIOzEfyif7xWNGeJqUGc99Ntj82Aky-VtTS_kdZtJN9JygYvOvhkKHdVgAXArF-jhBt89vJ5VEuNJLHTuRmT7j2wiYI/s640/P1130285.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<o:p>With Lessin and Muhammed one cold morning in N'Kob, where they invited us into the carpenter's shed by the local shop and we shared lots of the sweet mint tea, hot fresh bread and the Christmas truffles I'd just made. </o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsvq56i8bSfTuDrqgdfSEZvXetmiIyVeLtzopqLYBQ6eAMvMEoeW4JSWH9PRSJQMUnA8PRgvLdmKxWpwyq9fFrYgjZ5PZzR8Gs9AxRdRxaQgqqcx-Lokerg1KeCk8W2qx_PO0u6lnfsav/s1600/P1010588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsvq56i8bSfTuDrqgdfSEZvXetmiIyVeLtzopqLYBQ6eAMvMEoeW4JSWH9PRSJQMUnA8PRgvLdmKxWpwyq9fFrYgjZ5PZzR8Gs9AxRdRxaQgqqcx-Lokerg1KeCk8W2qx_PO0u6lnfsav/s640/P1010588.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna, Muhammed and Lessin. Muhammed was serious about his tea making, and was determined that the photo would show him pouring the tea he'd been preparing for us!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few other favourite shots...</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFHdfGfc7VaVcW_bxMlVjM-WpLZAYV9XwBu5Vd7aFMBTz6y2HW7YOfh2ZeB6Lrt6zBTFQlrZYBQoycmnCM5JzN-c5hzZPqabkLgIh0warWh071HyMvft-e-PJwnwsKMXQghfJVCrlmYEW/s1600/P1010160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFHdfGfc7VaVcW_bxMlVjM-WpLZAYV9XwBu5Vd7aFMBTz6y2HW7YOfh2ZeB6Lrt6zBTFQlrZYBQoycmnCM5JzN-c5hzZPqabkLgIh0warWh071HyMvft-e-PJwnwsKMXQghfJVCrlmYEW/s640/P1010160.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTOBEW0oLItYF-dcwlKJtTCDJDQtx47f4QdIk6Ja4UWeP6U6TfTZdtEmi15NECwpJ7EIK0TqyLxJwhaq_3zh5VJ8LdVGY5LjPa5gS_geBT7uDBd0htTUulT6Y-DINXBooZTU6JVRWNRS1/s1600/P1010273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTOBEW0oLItYF-dcwlKJtTCDJDQtx47f4QdIk6Ja4UWeP6U6TfTZdtEmi15NECwpJ7EIK0TqyLxJwhaq_3zh5VJ8LdVGY5LjPa5gS_geBT7uDBd0htTUulT6Y-DINXBooZTU6JVRWNRS1/s640/P1010273.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bonus track: The Ginger Beard!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiKbU9nPtZIk5FcN3HRCK9MeADOAo2MvJVDD0u7J0UGToY9PHdaypxCSEArKYDi-T70Lsq383mH_N55agQOglZQK0frKRLS3UyC4gLRs2OmEpHSJAcA5vGvfysjHMeP93S83MnP54qxNZ/s1600/P1010342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiKbU9nPtZIk5FcN3HRCK9MeADOAo2MvJVDD0u7J0UGToY9PHdaypxCSEArKYDi-T70Lsq383mH_N55agQOglZQK0frKRLS3UyC4gLRs2OmEpHSJAcA5vGvfysjHMeP93S83MnP54qxNZ/s640/P1010342.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<o:p>Anna</o:p></div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-91531091456392286512013-12-02T10:35:00.003-08:002013-12-02T10:39:30.747-08:00Espania!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bullet Points:<br />
- We disembarked from our ferry in Barcelona<br />
- We caught a bus a long way south to Granada in the region of Andaloucia<br />
- We rode through the hills for 500km to the port town of Algeciras<br />
- We caught a ferry to Tanger Med in Morocco<br />
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Riding in southern Spain was to put it simply, a lovely experience. We loved cruising with other cyclists along the city cyclepaths of Barcelona, Granada and Malaga, while also finding that the country lanes that we rode for five days between Granada and Algeciras were virtually cyclepaths themselves, so smooth, small and almost void of traffic. And when any traffic did roll up behind us, we were treated with the utmost courtesy as the cars crawled quietly along behind us until they could 100% safely give us a very wide berth. What a treat! <br />
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We were very well cared for by Warmshowers hosts in Barcelona and Granada. Adela in Barcelona met us after our ferry from Italy, and we spent a lovely evening of pizza, wine and conversations about adventuring and living in our diverse world. In Granada, a culturally and historically rich cty in Andaloucia, Southern Spain, we were hosted by Manuel and Miguel. Again, so generously cared for, shown around and fed with amazing food, given an inspired route suggestion for our ride, and even accompanied for the first 30km! Another rare and treasured treat!<br />
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The city of Granada, named after the Spanish name for pomegranate, was a prominent city of the Moors (a medieval Islamic kingdom) who inhabited Southern Spain from the 8th to the 15th centuries. It was the last city to fall the to the Catholic "reconquista" in 1492, and it still retains a strong Moorish flavour. We visited the city's most famous showpiece, the Alhambra Palace, and wandered the intricately tiled rooms, the stately courts, fountains and pools and the finely arched colonnades. A really graceful and peaceful place.<br />
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The Spanish food we sampled was amazing! Selections of fried seafood, a tasty "paella" (like a rice risotto) with seafood and meat, delectable chocolate pastries, Spanish tortila a la our host Manuel. Even the simple breads, cheeses and toasts with olive oil drizzled on top were amazing!<br />
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Winter is making its presence felt even in this famously summery part of the globe. We had a couple of -4C frosts, which made for chilly starts on the bikes, but absolutely wonderful cool, clear blue sky days to follow! We rode through olive groves and ploughed fields, then into the sierras (mountains). Wonderful rocky peaks and bluffs, with areas of dry low conifers, which I think are called Spanish fir. Birds of prey with a huge wing span, again tentatively identified by us as griffin vultures, circled overhead as we rode and camped.<br />
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Every now and then we came to picturesque villages, with their white painted houses shining brilliantly in the low winter sun. Beautiful churches, common "squares" filled with socialable groups of elderly men, and the occassional stone castle and remains of city walls made these villages quite unique. Ronda was one of our favourites, set on a bluffed promontary, with a striking bridge and the oldest bull ring in Spain.<br />
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What a wonderful place to ride! A great end to our European section of our cycle journey. On our final night we camped in a wonderful hidden grassy spot under a tall bluff, and in the morning cruised a windy downhill out to the lowlands and the port, and the Straits of Gibraltar! <br />
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<b>Anna</b></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-73752167499651400862013-11-30T14:00:00.003-08:002013-11-30T14:00:46.270-08:00Along the road to Rome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bullet Points</b></div>
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-After
catching a ferry from Patras in Greece, we’ve spent ten days in Italy cycling
from Bari on the East coast to Rome on the West.</div>
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-We're actually now in...North Africa! A blog of our Spanish experiences will be coming soon but for now Morocco is just outside our door and begging exploration! </div>
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I
have to admit that I expected the open and often spontaneous welcomes we’ve so
often received along our journey to come to an end upon arriving in Europe. Our
experience in Italy was a far from it. </div>
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There
was the farming family, who took us in on our first night. To them we must have
been a bizarre sight arriving out of the darkness, dressed in our high-viz
vests and flashing lights, but despite this their welcome was warm. </div>
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In
the hill top village of Accadia we arrived on a cold dusk, the rain setting in.
Out of the local store emerged Antonia. Perhaps we looked a bit bedraggled I don’t
know, but whatever our appearance Antonio perceived we needed a bed, some warm
shelter and a meal, and all of these things he proceeded to gift us
enthusiastically. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antonio: The king of the Kitchen and all round top guy.</td></tr>
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Half
way along the journey, in the city of Benevento, we spent two days and three nights
with Massimo Mazzone and his wonderful extended family, dossing down on their
office floor. Massimo is a transport planner and involved in the development of
the EuroVelo cycling routes. His wealth of knowledge assured that our route
through Italy was anything but straight and flat, yet so extremely interesting
and rewarding.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massimo and family</td></tr>
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With
the shortening daylight hours we found ourselves often being caught out by the
early Italian darkness. One night, again dressed up in high-viz gear and with
flashing lights, I knocked upon the door of Eugene and Sabina to ask if we
could camp on their lawn. As it panned out I had chosen the most wonderful home
on which to door knock. Camping on the lawn evolved to sleeping inside, which
then lead to coffee, then beers, and before long we sharing a wonderful meal
together with their friends in a lounge overflowing with laughter and singing
and even toasts to us!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eugene and Sabina: An incredible welcome in Castelliri after being caught in the dark...again!</td></tr>
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And
finally in Rome, I could not believe our good fortune, hosted by Paolo and
Giusi and their two girls Greta and Yola, in the heart of the old city, in fact on the same street that Julius Caesar was born on! Paolo,
a journalist and cycling activist, is planning his own cycle expedition around
the world, his 50<sup>th</sup> birthday celebration. An incredibly creative and
adventurous character, he builds his own bikes from scratch, right from the
welding of the frame, and we loved getting to see the local ‘bike kitchen’ that
he’s involved in as a volunteer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqLFmyaysK7AGJ0xopEYwup1_gd68aBhdjtgrl4ktsOWFVQ2jvvsnJjO1l-RADQVCNO-1rHXuULrz7SQ0sXaPmAtk-bu11AEkccpuiV0DyHXLXfsj-lB1JSdgMAke-FzWMzAZbKEFfZj5/s1600/Paolo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqLFmyaysK7AGJ0xopEYwup1_gd68aBhdjtgrl4ktsOWFVQ2jvvsnJjO1l-RADQVCNO-1rHXuULrz7SQ0sXaPmAtk-bu11AEkccpuiV0DyHXLXfsj-lB1JSdgMAke-FzWMzAZbKEFfZj5/s640/Paolo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paolo. He'd visited NZ in1995 and ever since has mourned the Diamond Pasta recipe for 'Good Italian Cooking'. He even kept this momento framed on the wall of his home to serve as a reminder of how badly we misrepresented his home country's fine cuisine. </td></tr>
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Along
the way this little part of Italy has been a unique cycling experience. Unlike
many parts of our journey the land has been inhabited almost constantly, the
rolling green hills dotted with houses and mini farms, often clustered into
classicly cute villages. To weave and wind our way through this style of
civilization was a playful cycling experience. Every hill top would have a village,
often hemmed in by ancient city walls. Again and again we would wind our way up
through the lanes and then whizz down the other side. I will remember fondly
any time we stopped to ask for instructions and true to their reputation yet
another friendly Italian would exuberantly and dramatically wave their arms
wildly and give us a long list of instructions, all in Italian of course. Our
lack of understanding and dumbfounded looks did nothing to stop their eloquent
and detailed descriptions. Repeatedly we would emerge none the wiser but very
entertained! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiul-TDHJdVSFdcsWXNXNywG4uILXzNwWdTITLwxLdK84hixRxrffMHfTKDTWa12Gm0WzfukizcJamICwUzUn10ohqSzEGvn__glmRuy-t85QIcOAAzlVxni-FQPdG4rK6M758TOvV1ypL2/s1600/Belmonte+Castello.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiul-TDHJdVSFdcsWXNXNywG4uILXzNwWdTITLwxLdK84hixRxrffMHfTKDTWa12Gm0WzfukizcJamICwUzUn10ohqSzEGvn__glmRuy-t85QIcOAAzlVxni-FQPdG4rK6M758TOvV1ypL2/s640/Belmonte+Castello.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belmonte Castello. Winding our way up to another grand village on a hill top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD6Z78rq0Kq9Eb0_ziMy3S0p0ExgfRt6LcvPHCwXZwDyK36VzxKN_o4LgY4hIaIVFKeHFUMz_81YcIKfqJfOivGAzZEnIeoj_OPSFp1IjKhACk79jW_ngvaox4-tIdyiUaidLjtPvD0ex/s1600/Classic+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD6Z78rq0Kq9Eb0_ziMy3S0p0ExgfRt6LcvPHCwXZwDyK36VzxKN_o4LgY4hIaIVFKeHFUMz_81YcIKfqJfOivGAzZEnIeoj_OPSFp1IjKhACk79jW_ngvaox4-tIdyiUaidLjtPvD0ex/s640/Classic+Bridge.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Italian beauty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlyN-AKlLiN4fPnH_vAX4cNJDmBQG6QTgsRv1Ixdq9XqgNyGqPxyvuilETP6NSmMPUx2yzmwyAoktSU_9bizRmAcK6Dqs6kiNOB3AoA4J6BoICcaLnJJSvc9D2f3i6l6aBVxKs39KyiNr/s1600/Veroli+village.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlyN-AKlLiN4fPnH_vAX4cNJDmBQG6QTgsRv1Ixdq9XqgNyGqPxyvuilETP6NSmMPUx2yzmwyAoktSU_9bizRmAcK6Dqs6kiNOB3AoA4J6BoICcaLnJJSvc9D2f3i6l6aBVxKs39KyiNr/s640/Veroli+village.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weaving through the lanes of Veroli.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna looking out over the sprawling civilisation. </td></tr>
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On a
more serious note, our route to Rome also lead us to the town of Cassino, site
of the famous World War Two ‘Battle of Monte Cassino’ in 1944. My Grandpa
Yeoman, now aged 91, was a conscientious objector at the time of the war, he
was willing however to serve as a medic and served for some time at Cassino. We
found our way to the cemetery for Commonwealth soldiers, and wandered amongst
the graves, of which many were young New Zealanders. The experience was moving.
I was left reflecting on how many people all over the world never got to
farewell their lost loved ones. I was also filled with a huge respect for my
Grandpa, and for all those who witnessed such atrocities and yet have managed
to retain their sanity and return home to build good lives.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery.</td></tr>
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Arriving
in Rome was awesome!! To ride through the arches of the old city walls and down
the ‘Via Labicana’ to the Colosseum was absolutely brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything was so big and so grand and for us
such a culmination of a great Italian experience. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqQ2e3W1Gc-vJZMMow4s17cvs5QssKpL9Q1Uojp_G_UvebAxcnCFH4htvTcKs32CX-n2PLP4vN8InBuDrcZ3pElX6uIMHUf6a2nRiq1C6y_YszCXHKumfu49fS4h6kt69uJzYksph8-wA/s1600/Colosseum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqQ2e3W1Gc-vJZMMow4s17cvs5QssKpL9Q1Uojp_G_UvebAxcnCFH4htvTcKs32CX-n2PLP4vN8InBuDrcZ3pElX6uIMHUf6a2nRiq1C6y_YszCXHKumfu49fS4h6kt69uJzYksph8-wA/s640/Colosseum.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Needs no introduction. AWESOME!!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ7ypfjW8n2iPp9sLqiKqKHUbsLNvoSwg270Imf_28Hf_pWI_DD_Ynknq7BYUuEjaugjVdR93366tjfRumArD6Y_y604lfb6X7BqHB29TcXZ_taLV6uUvdzEodllcWVNrq8Z8ciQfNZxm/s1600/Riding+Rome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ7ypfjW8n2iPp9sLqiKqKHUbsLNvoSwg270Imf_28Hf_pWI_DD_Ynknq7BYUuEjaugjVdR93366tjfRumArD6Y_y604lfb6X7BqHB29TcXZ_taLV6uUvdzEodllcWVNrq8Z8ciQfNZxm/s640/Riding+Rome.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding Rome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcXuyYmCenCwycgPR9LW8bp3LRYNnjDF9Toagd9NQio7RMzcZqDkAvrhmvQXc3dHFh5eOIuAGoQPXtD0rMRLQQSOwlPBkHM3MoGPOTsGIB1WZzN0p9hx9Efztld0Z-vwUcm-3n1JeT73G/s1600/Pantheon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcXuyYmCenCwycgPR9LW8bp3LRYNnjDF9Toagd9NQio7RMzcZqDkAvrhmvQXc3dHFh5eOIuAGoQPXtD0rMRLQQSOwlPBkHM3MoGPOTsGIB1WZzN0p9hx9Efztld0Z-vwUcm-3n1JeT73G/s640/Pantheon.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome does things BIG. Ollie at the Pantheon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3idJ0kskvNM8h5w8hUAaNTFUhqhmCSJeUDaobfokp-nOZyI6s5DQKnPTkH3FabyXUtifhS6SLzl8j6cXXvjgy7DD1-yBkdjcqPPlaSJcBnfiZMhMjuMGRG1PUjEKIEsNU9MilyZ1E5go/s1600/Piazza+del+Popolo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3idJ0kskvNM8h5w8hUAaNTFUhqhmCSJeUDaobfokp-nOZyI6s5DQKnPTkH3FabyXUtifhS6SLzl8j6cXXvjgy7DD1-yBkdjcqPPlaSJcBnfiZMhMjuMGRG1PUjEKIEsNU9MilyZ1E5go/s640/Piazza+del+Popolo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over looking Rome from Piazza del Popolo. The Vatican most prominent on the skyline. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJWrFuFsdG0DafCco1nlyr0xjGtN4IAJ6L3vs8QbFt3-weGV9svhcKHCDxO3Flp0neDZcADPzdSgpf-86eedv7_t5YsRPeJ-a0_nl0Hfisigc_ULTO5csDDu5Dr8EcLaSh3OZn5eJZJL_/s1600/Fontana+de+Treni.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJWrFuFsdG0DafCco1nlyr0xjGtN4IAJ6L3vs8QbFt3-weGV9svhcKHCDxO3Flp0neDZcADPzdSgpf-86eedv7_t5YsRPeJ-a0_nl0Hfisigc_ULTO5csDDu5Dr8EcLaSh3OZn5eJZJL_/s640/Fontana+de+Treni.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fontana de Trevi. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><i> Ollie</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-44455746916986295622013-11-28T05:04:00.001-08:002013-11-28T05:05:52.808-08:00Shanghai to Rome: A short film celebration of our journey so far<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9aCuOUGWLFY" width="700"></iframe></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-70528247095168302822013-11-14T08:28:00.001-08:002013-11-14T08:51:38.419-08:00Greece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe height="530" src="http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/ollie_yeoman/embed/slideshow/Greece" width="700"></iframe><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><br /></b>
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<b>Bullet Points:</b><br />
- We travelled by ferry from Cesme, Turkey to Athens, Greece.<br />
- We rode for five days from Athen to Patra.<br />
- We caught a ferry from Patra to Bari, Italy. <br />
<br />
<b>Details: </b><br />
As our overnight ferry pulled into the port in Athens right
on sun up, we arrived in Europe proper! Not without some trepidation, because
while a lot of things would be so much easier and culturally familiar, to navigate
this highly developed world on bicycles and a tight budget could take more
creativity than ever! We also arrived with quite a lot of amazement, Anna and
Ollie in Europe, in Greece!! How did this happen?! What a long way from Tibetan
China! </div>
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A fun day in Athens enjoying some of its ancient wonders,
and an amazing evening with our Warmshowers host Dimitris, and we were feeling
more settled in. Then four days of wonderful cycling along the north side of
the Gulf of Korinthos and we were well in love with Greece! The landscape was a
mixture of small scale farmland, olive groves, bush covered hills and pine-clad
rocky peaks. The lanes winding through this were narrow but sealed, making for
wonderfully fun riding between some picturesque villages. Lots of white painted
walls and orange tile roofs, and lovely Orhodox churches and squares in the
village centres. The later section of riding was along the coast, again lots of
bright blue sea, bright scrubby headlands and a few late-season swims! </div>
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We loved what Greek food we tried! “Pita gyros” were soft
warm pita breads wrapped around tasty doner kebab pork, tomato, raw onion, hot
chips and lashings of thick garlic-herb-yoghurt dressing. Delicious olives,
feta (must be pronounced ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feeeehh</i>-ta’
to ensure understanding! None of this Kiwi speed-talking!), dense but tasty
loaves of bread and the thickest yoghurt I’ve ever eaten. </div>
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We were of course interested to see how life was on the
ground in a country that has been in the news so much with its huge financial
troubles. In terms of what we saw, nothing jumped out at us as being very
different. But we had interesting talks with a couple of people about it. There
was some frustration with the government whose policy seemed to them to be to
simply impose one tax after another on the population to pay off the massive
debts, without trying any more creative endeavours. Each week they would find
there was a tax on something else, electricity bills, buying food, building
fences. One man joked that next there would be a tax on his dog kennel! Salaries
had been nearly halved, but prices had gone up rather than down. Huge
unemployment. We were told that some people were “going back to the land”,
growing more of their own vegetables, keeping chickens etc. When were things
meant to improve? 2018 was the word out there. Seems rather a long time! But
people are keeping on, life carrying on. Kind of amazing really. </div>
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After four days riding we crossed the striking Rio-Anttirio Bridge linking mainland Greece with the Peloponnese. It is considered an engineering masterpiece, as spanning a plate boundary it is built to withstand tsunamis, seismic ativity and the 1 cm a year drift of the Peloponnese away from the mainland! So it has stretchable sections! Quite a buzz to ride over! We said goodbye to Greece as we sailed out of the port of Patra on a 15 hour crossing to Bari in southern Italy. We are trying to traverse Europe while staying as far south as possible, to avoid the fast-encroaching winter! Sunset time at present is 4.15pm, and for the first time in five months we are sometimes getting more than one rainy day a month! Horrors! The adventure continues! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anna</div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-48000795855000488172013-11-13T12:38:00.004-08:002013-11-13T13:34:11.554-08:00Our Little Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiW2RNso8e0EZpKDYgDui2666b1fyPhopX8U6I5XKqhXURNQenXhzGdTyjAU5JGUcp91gDWqdoyHnSZuLPU8qWHIOYhco4I4KrHowMHOHvwveZLik6S9h-lHURZkYwEKerrmt34gEhbx2/s1600/blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiW2RNso8e0EZpKDYgDui2666b1fyPhopX8U6I5XKqhXURNQenXhzGdTyjAU5JGUcp91gDWqdoyHnSZuLPU8qWHIOYhco4I4KrHowMHOHvwveZLik6S9h-lHURZkYwEKerrmt34gEhbx2/s640/blog.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s
been over seven months now that we’ve been slowly weaving our way across the great
landmass of Eurasia. In that time we’ve passed through nine countries. Not one
day is the same, I’m constantly in awe of how varied the earth is. One
landscape might remind me of another but always there is something new,
something different, the variety within nature seems infinite and is quite
astounding. There are in fact very few things which remain constant for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The changes we experience as we
cross another border I find quite phenomenal. Like the wardrobe to Narnia we
literally walk through a building and into a vastly different culture with
different foods, currency and accompanied mental arithmetic, new written and
spoken language, road signage, social norms, driving styles, architecture and
building materials, means of energy production, plug sockets, clothing, the
list could go on. Our travelling world is dynamic and all this change can send
our minds into somewhat of a dazed turmoil as we quite suddenly give up the old
that has became semi-familiar and work at adapting to the new. All a great part
of the adventure. All taxing stuff!</div>
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<br /></div>
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With
all this change and constant unfamiliarity I find myself taking great pleasure
and comfort in the little familiar things. Slipping into my snuggly down
jacket, sitting down with a good book, settling into the well worn bike saddle
for another day, firing up the stove to cook another evening meal, my evening
diary writing session, or even the simple routine of brushing the teeth! </div>
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<br /></div>
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Yet
the finest and most comforting routine is without a doubt crawling into our
beloved tent at the close of another day. 98 times now on this journey we’ve
enjoyed this simple pleasure. Surely the most valuable asset we brought with
us, our home away from home. Once inside and the zip is closed our world
suddenly shrinks into a small cocoon of familiarity. Nothing changes in this
little orange dome of homeliness, it’s bright yellow lining brings brightness
to any situation. Everyday is sunny inside a yellow tent!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We’ve dived inside, shivering cold and sodden
wet, caught short by electrical storms in Kyrgyzstan. We’ve leapt out of it,
overheating in the early mornings of high summer in Tajikistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve not wanted to leave it and head out
into driving sleet high on the Tibetan Plateau. We’ve clung on to our Big
Orange as it’s been almost ripped off the ground during a particularly
memorable midnight weather onslaught in Greece. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I remember fondly some of the interesting
spots our little home has stood upon in these 98 nights, they are varied but
the inside of the tent goes unchanged. Orchards and vineyards, petrol stations,
cafes, hotel balconies, gravel pits, beaches, river banks, police stations, lakesides,
playgrounds, ancient fortresses and castles, road roundabouts, public parks,
front lawns and backyards, on mountain tops, amongst yurts, and even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inside </i>hotels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Given
to us nearly three years ago as a wedding present by my family, our little tent
has become much more than just a shelter. It is the one thing most familiar to
us as we journey. It is our mobile home for these days. It is a daily place to
retreat to and the feeling as we zip up the door, lie down and pull the
sleeping bags up tight for another night is always one of happiness! As I write
the rain is drizzling, the goat bells (that’s right, not cow bells) are
chiming, the distant dogs are barking and the wind turbines are humming, and
I’m tucked up all cozy and getting those happy vibes once again.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Thanks
Whanau for our little home of 2013!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ollie</i></b></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-13607548075288277032013-11-03T04:08:00.002-08:002013-11-03T04:49:28.187-08:00Western Turkey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Bullet points and route description:</b></div>
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- We road west for 8 days from Antalya to Fethiye, Datca, Bodrum and Kusadasi.</div>
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- From Kusadasi we visited Ephesus, and then bused and ferried on a side trip to Istanbul.</div>
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- We returned to our bikes at Kusadasi and rode to Cesme to catch the ferry to Athens, finishing 2500km of riding in Turkey!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV2v96v98McIrMmBlv34WGGhuep-klXZUHeoMCEZfCM_P-zwBUwN2csQYefY_t2AYJ45OPZVXTNKr7LBxjWcG87jZNunt7iVNLaEm5f1eqhs9elAUx939ufHPYF17YpfBXHdC8lWzy5UC/s1600/hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV2v96v98McIrMmBlv34WGGhuep-klXZUHeoMCEZfCM_P-zwBUwN2csQYefY_t2AYJ45OPZVXTNKr7LBxjWcG87jZNunt7iVNLaEm5f1eqhs9elAUx939ufHPYF17YpfBXHdC8lWzy5UC/s1600/hills.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Photos and some choice details: </b></div>
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Leaving Antalya we chose a route heading through the hills, looking
for relaxed rural Turkey again after the somewhat touristy coast! We found it,
in narrow winding lanes through the forested hills, in classic wee villages,
and in amazing hospitality yet again! Being put up in the village cafeteria was
a highlight, and we spent that evening celebrating the second night of Bayram
Kurban, their four-day holiday. </div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_QTjg3IC47IXrviLsV1gezos_lPqdqgI3-F5GpsH-HSnfrEx2ISWjT0j7TZ6cugUguYEVo92po1rE-eDUeSL4dUXevzBDksMu0s_3cqw8a9dAEIpMEqBC2uX-sYiMSppnu3rZfty_znv/s1600/P1120493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_QTjg3IC47IXrviLsV1gezos_lPqdqgI3-F5GpsH-HSnfrEx2ISWjT0j7TZ6cugUguYEVo92po1rE-eDUeSL4dUXevzBDksMu0s_3cqw8a9dAEIpMEqBC2uX-sYiMSppnu3rZfty_znv/s640/P1120493.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the windy hill roads from Cameli to Fethiye</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOviFbP4P86iiwg-XzIaHKMOUqXjAxCQOOmelJdIJLnRv7fKRzJp5S2Pk8Q8i6grrTafXI2sWTh3i6ZZ2EEfOqDu4fwAjPp84emiYJYeI0Dar7hNZjKaiNqLDwi1nqxnfHPqTTXYAAMAbD/s1600/P1120460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOviFbP4P86iiwg-XzIaHKMOUqXjAxCQOOmelJdIJLnRv7fKRzJp5S2Pk8Q8i6grrTafXI2sWTh3i6ZZ2EEfOqDu4fwAjPp84emiYJYeI0Dar7hNZjKaiNqLDwi1nqxnfHPqTTXYAAMAbD/s640/P1120460.JPG" width="640" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to tuck into the third course, pomegranates, apples, peanuts and seeds. With a wonderful extended family gathered in Kizilcadag for Bayram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After three days through the hills we popped out on the
coast again, straight into bling marina towns and wide roads cutting, instead
of winding, through the hilly country. After some adjustment, we again found
peaceful places to ride on the Datca Peninsula. The forested hills, calm water
and idyllic inlets and islands reminded us a bit of the Marlborough Sounds. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf8_KcQa4L2B7LiCLv3-6308DV8i0hSotk8AS4yC_sXyB9wb_SbsVLYyCRHWpkGmK2HI6rQkRGNPg67rjxVyt5MmFmY89gefWx5gl2KOYWX8B6gleefBP_u-Wo4JYlEwYfTmREsCM516o/s1600/P1120535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf8_KcQa4L2B7LiCLv3-6308DV8i0hSotk8AS4yC_sXyB9wb_SbsVLYyCRHWpkGmK2HI6rQkRGNPg67rjxVyt5MmFmY89gefWx5gl2KOYWX8B6gleefBP_u-Wo4JYlEwYfTmREsCM516o/s640/P1120535.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaceful late afternoon at our campsite, Datca Peninsula</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJ_WFo8OFNEok90N8vNPaxQNlvEXdyv2EeWXf2owoXs-cQBFdfWFPZPjw48ZYR7gvz7fhLjmOJF5juEAywO3ju4CjWkCih07KslGKG-0ivZpxgsavbMxicb_69kf5_kxh7mVyStHYhyqd/s1600/P1120576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJ_WFo8OFNEok90N8vNPaxQNlvEXdyv2EeWXf2owoXs-cQBFdfWFPZPjw48ZYR7gvz7fhLjmOJF5juEAywO3ju4CjWkCih07KslGKG-0ivZpxgsavbMxicb_69kf5_kxh7mVyStHYhyqd/s640/P1120576.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful boats in bling town Bodrum</td></tr>
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We made our way north up the Aegean coast to Kusadasi,
including in our journey a fun ferry ride across one great inlet. In Kusadasi
we were lucky enough to stay with a WarmShowers (couch surfing equivalent for
cycle tourers) host called Ege Ertas, a really top-class guy and brilliant host.
We shared wonderful meals, conversations and laughs. He is studying to be a
tour guide and is an enthusiastic fountain of knowledge about his country, as
well as being a critical thinker about its future. It was great to get an
insight into student Turkey. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9q0l3OvLolZG7avnu1SS7Sn5FvSXjzh_7PH9xTdqI1bu_24oGZXNUk8IeCfLXXDDNifTfgVqhPSh-qXUuTJQ-bOmoTiMNu_432BYfVxoiQNviQiNRKgleZen6ii2X3_Zd1cGULzPkyiS/s1600/eph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9q0l3OvLolZG7avnu1SS7Sn5FvSXjzh_7PH9xTdqI1bu_24oGZXNUk8IeCfLXXDDNifTfgVqhPSh-qXUuTJQ-bOmoTiMNu_432BYfVxoiQNviQiNRKgleZen6ii2X3_Zd1cGULzPkyiS/s1600/eph.jpg" /></a></div>
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Visiting the ancient city of Ephesus was really special.
Inhabited since about 1000BC, for a while the Roman capital of Asia Minor, it
was abandoned in around 600AD because its harbor became progressively more
silted up, thus cutting off the city’s transport and trade means. It now stands
10km from the sea. It is also amazing to imagine the Apostle Paul preaching in
the city, and the early church that grew up there through some pretty hard
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed right up until closing
time, and as the cruise ship crowds gradually cleared off for their dinners, we
had the place to ourselves, and wandering through the quiet, spacious streets
was wonderfully atmospheric! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_2ZP4HkoVui0OBoL-QzD-pVLJPUeFiFR3p_o1jPG4DGpdYfM7RbEWPKagTuBq9En6xyW5Gi7WpkEAvm39gBwcTCT-WdGDo8DbfR-hntSI32t_GFFa0WnWw19c-dP3BbDlO6_rLb4x3hC/s1600/P1120645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_2ZP4HkoVui0OBoL-QzD-pVLJPUeFiFR3p_o1jPG4DGpdYfM7RbEWPKagTuBq9En6xyW5Gi7WpkEAvm39gBwcTCT-WdGDo8DbfR-hntSI32t_GFFa0WnWw19c-dP3BbDlO6_rLb4x3hC/s640/P1120645.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Grand Theatre, Ephesus. Trying out the great accoustics!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wandering the great streets in the early evening quietness</td></tr>
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Leaving our bicycles and luggage at Ege’s place, we made the
pilgrimage by bus and ferry to the great city of Istanbul. For us this has
always been a special destination in our journey. Since Shanghai we’ve been on
the road to Istanbul, with plans beyond that a lot more fluid. So it was very
special for us to arrive here, coming in by ferry to the mouth of the
Bosphorus, with the Aya Sophia and Blue Mosque forming our skyline. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZeOu5ariExQjlPbQXFpUdtY1HsMPs1GYAJylot8yCRoP1FRbWH69CYXQgj5drKbZwb2562ZDgJ-w4iWmpartlL32OJuMsATFFiDAorRWawN7vwRmEGEJ2W6rkjo8pIEQGDG3KwJZWq9r/s1600/ist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZeOu5ariExQjlPbQXFpUdtY1HsMPs1GYAJylot8yCRoP1FRbWH69CYXQgj5drKbZwb2562ZDgJ-w4iWmpartlL32OJuMsATFFiDAorRWawN7vwRmEGEJ2W6rkjo8pIEQGDG3KwJZWq9r/s1600/ist.jpg" /></a></div>
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For five
wonderful days we wandered the narrow cobbled streets of the old city, gazed up
in wonder at the high domes of the mosques and churches, rode the trams, buses
and Bosphorus ferries, and sat by the Galata bridge over the Golden Horn with
the fishermen, food sellers and the coursing bustle of city life moving all
around us, listening to the call of the gulls and the call to prayer.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Istanbul and the Golden Horn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishermen on the Galata Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Camii) by night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Bosphorus</td></tr>
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Now we've just completed our final stage of Turkish riding, from
Kusadasi to the port town of Cesme where we catch the ferry to Greece. Our last day in Kusadasi
we headed out with Ege and a friendly Austian cyclist named Ursie, cruising
happily on our light bikes in the Dilek Peninsula National Park for the day.
Special stuff! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bike gang!</td></tr>
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</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ege, Ursie and Anna picnicking in the National Park</td></tr>
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We are sad to leave Turkey, in that happy thankful way! It's been a wonderful country to ride across these last seven weeks. When I think of what I'll miss most, I think straight away of the Turkish chai (cay) in it's trademark small curved glasses. On my first days in Turkey I thought these were rather a silly idea, but now whenever I see these glasses all the Turkish chai memories come flooding back into my mind and heart. Memories of being welcomed, of being cared for, of being allowed to share in conversations and village life, of being given shelter from storms and refreshment in the heat. Special times spent with incredibly generous and welcoming people. We are once again feeling so very thankful to have been able to journey here. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
Anna</div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-5914230279130887932013-10-17T10:51:00.001-07:002013-10-17T10:53:53.122-07:00Mountains to the Sea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Bullet
Points</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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-From
Erzurum in Eastern Turkey we caught a train for 14 hours westward to Kayseri on
the edge of the Cappadocia region.</div>
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<br /></div>
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-We
spent a few days with friends enjoying Cappadocia and since then have cycled 1000km
south to Mersin and west along the Mediterranean coast to Antalya.</div>
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<br /></div>
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
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<br /></div>
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Arriving
in Cappadocia I really had no idea what to expect. I’ve never really been one
for pottering slowly around museums, art galleries or historic sites reading
information boards and wowing over cultural phenomena that is supposed to
impress and engage me. Often I associate these places with the guilt I feel for
becoming quickly bored and tired! With it’s famous ‘open air museums’ and big
reputation would Cappadocia really be any different? It was.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I
was energized as we scampered around the cliffside remains of the Cavusin
acient city and my imagination was excited as we wound our way around the
‘fairy chimney’ cone-shaped limestone houses of Zelve and Goreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was far from bored climbing the
tunnel-ridden rock towers of Ortahisar and camping amongst the limestone
littered hillsides near Urgup, waking to a sky filled with all colours and sizes
of hot air balloon.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Our
final foray in Cappadocia was a visit to the Kaymakli underground city, an
incredible labyrinth of eight levels with tunnels leading to wineries, living
areas, sleeping quarters, stables, communal kitchens, food storage spaces and
churches. Kaymakli was just one of many underground cities in the area, between
the 5<sup>th</sup> and 10<sup>th</sup> centuries and was home to several
thousand early Christians who would move underground when there was threat of
attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scurrying about in a space now
well lit by electric lighting it was easy to romanticize the experience. The
huge circular stones sitting ready to block any entrance ways served as a sobering
reminder that this was not an enchanted fairytale experience but must have been
literally dark and desperate times lived out of necessity in order to simply
survive.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yet
amongst all the ‘normal’ wonders of Cappadocia a great highlight for me was
slowing down and spending some very special time with wonderful friends. We
were delighted to catch up once again with our friends Michael and Lulu and
along with other cycle tourists Rafael (Spanish) and Heike (German) we had a
very cruisy few days and fun 32<sup>nd</sup> birthday party for Michael. We’ve
now met up with Michael and Lulu in Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and
Turkey!</div>
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<br /></div>
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New
Zealand may have a dramatic climate and fast changing weather systems but never
before have I experienced the temperature changes of the last ten days. Over
three days in Cappadocia temperatures dropped from a high of 30 degrees to a
high of just four degrees. As we cycled through the Taurus Mountains we
encountered flurries of snow, yet soon after were back to shorts, t’s and
jandals on the beaches and banana growing regions lining the Mediterranean
coastline. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Turkey
is a land riddled with grand remains of a rich history. There is so so much
that one can be overwhelmed by what to prioritise and we must be ok with not
doing everything. Fortunately for us along our way, without having to deviate off
our route we’ve sampled the beauties of the island castle at Kizkalesi, the
inspiring castle remains at Anamur, and the peaceful sprawl of Anamurym, an
ancient coastal city from the 3-4<sup>th</sup> century.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Along
our way the Turkish kindness has consistently prevailed. Somehow within cycle
tourist folklore an expectation has arisen that in Turkey you will be welcome
to camp at petrol stations. Not really knowing how true this was and how this
expectation had come to be we thought we’d give it a shot anyway and have not
been disappointed. Our petrol station camps have come with free wifi, chai,
Fanta, showers, toilets, chilled water and even lentil soup on occasion! With
the feel of a modern day Caravanserai we’ve been consistently warmly welcomed
and cared for and have felt very safe, even in busy areas, camped under
security surveillance cameras and with an attendant being on duty 24hours a
day! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
As
it turns out October 15th is a very significant national holiday and Muslim
celebration, Korban Bayram, we’re told similar to the significance of the
Christmas holiday for Westerners. In our naivety we asked some locals if we
could camp in the back yard of their restaurant, imagine doing that in NZ on
Christmas day! Soon enough we were witnessing the traditional killing of their
goat and not long later sitting down to enjoy the annual feast.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Navigating
through Turkey on a map that covers the whole country means it’s often
difficult to really know what’s coming up and certainly what the terrain may be
like. Fortunately the roads with special scenic interest are marked with a
green line and so we’ve based our route loosely around that. The beauty of the
coast of the Eastern Med has exceeded any hopes we had and the size and number
of hill climbs we’ve had to ride has similarly exceeded our expectations . To
reach the flat lands of the Antalya coastline has been both a relief for the
legs and an enormous change. Our quiet roads and small villages have been
suddenly replaced by multi-lane highways and high-rise hotels. The friendly
Turkish village roadside stall has given way to beaches filled with overweight
foreigners sunning themselves to a crisp and riding camels with sun hats! Needless
to say we’ve found Turkey to be a land of incredible diversity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Where
to from here? The roads are insanely busy, possibly added to by the national
public holiday, roads labelled as back-roads on our map have recently been widened
to four or six lane main highways. We hope to ride to Izmir, leave the bikes
there and bus to Istanbul for a while before returning to Izmir and catching a
ferry to Greece. With every day surprises arise so we will just wait and see
what’s around the corner!<br />
<br />
<i><b>Ollie </b></i></div>
</div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-4939003487833272402013-10-11T11:33:00.001-07:002013-10-11T11:33:42.672-07:00Some things are unexpected<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The item that I spent the most time deliberating over in
preparation for our travels was my pair of shoes. In a two month long saga I
scoured Trademe, US shoe sites and Dunedin sales tables. The reason it took so
long was that I was looking for a pair of shoes that was tough, waterproof and
warm for cycling in the blizzards of High Asia, while also being light and
springy for trail and mountain running as we went (and costing less than $50 of
course!). This single memory is now a fascinating insight for me into the
expectations and mindset I held as we prepared for this great adventure from
the dining room at Glendining Ave, and in what ways this has differed from what
we have found. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I haven’t gone running once. Despite all our passion for
trail running, and having on my feet these perfectly running-capable shoes, I
have only broken into maybe a five minute jog on no more than two occasions
that I can remember. I had no idea how all-engaging cycle touring would be. How
much more it is than a physical challenge. My expectations were that on a half
day or a day off the bikes, if we weren’t too tired we might go for a wee
scamper up a hill, explore some off-road terrain and fun little tracks. At the
end of any short day or day off, I read, I sleep, I email home and I eat. There’s
been no running happening here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqosvFU16KV3SaPq1v8v2G1hXNGnYoZl_tQScZWjSrhUj9gc2CYVfoNLLZOZ0K9mO3_9XWiHw_n6ExgXVB-fNlN1gCeAZ2rONPje1RPhmjN5eEuKP1WtK-PJ1XnY5p9DhZE665ZlXg50J/s1600/typical+end+of+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqosvFU16KV3SaPq1v8v2G1hXNGnYoZl_tQScZWjSrhUj9gc2CYVfoNLLZOZ0K9mO3_9XWiHw_n6ExgXVB-fNlN1gCeAZ2rONPje1RPhmjN5eEuKP1WtK-PJ1XnY5p9DhZE665ZlXg50J/s640/typical+end+of+day.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical end of day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has surprised me how much energy and time it takes to
find us a safe home at the end of each day, and how to time this with having
the necessary water and wholesome food that we need onboard the bikes. How
dramatically the temperature and weather changes with any altitude gained or
lost on the road, and how we need to find a route that puts us in the right
places for the fast changing seasons of a continental climate. We are often communicating in situations where no English is spoken, and have had to learn a smattering of seven different languages so far, and expand our repertoire of mime. It takes some
thought and shrewdness to maintain the security of our possessions without
truly lockable bags, vehicles or homes. And to stop animals peeing on our tent
every night. The food is different in each place, and it takes time in a new
country to find the foods that we can carry on the bikes and create three meals
a day from. Sickness has been a big challenge. We have spent a lot of time bent
over all manner of toilets, with an impressive track record of giardia
acquirement, and everything is hard when you’re sick. We have found how small
our “bubble” is on a bike, as opposed to a car. When anything changes –
weather, air quality, traffic, gradient, population density, it effects you and
you engage with it. We require frequent stops for food, water and shelter, and
so rely on the kindness and welcome from numerous strangers every day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I am not writing all this to impress you all, I think most
of you are already more impressed than you ought to be! We have not made a long
line on the world map, we’ve cycled a few squiggles here and there through
Central Asia, and made most of our progress westwards on trains. We have
clocked up some kms, but it comes out at a very poor daily average if you count
all the time we’ve been away. This has surprised me. I had thought we might do
something quite physically impressive, linking huge areas of the globe only by
bike. We have met a number of cycle tourers who do do some amazingly long
journeys through some horrific conditions, and achieve amazing kilometer
counts, and they deserve a lot of respect. But that’s definitely not us. Cycle
touring has been a much more holistically challenging and rewarding experience
than I had imagined from home. Truly remarkable, engaging, humbling and full of
wonderful surprises. The learning is still going on! What will tomorrow bring?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anna</div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104809799307267797.post-65919706510273357112013-09-28T12:25:00.003-07:002013-10-17T10:53:31.708-07:00Eastern Turkey Meanderings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<embed flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed1325.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu631%2Follie_yeoman%2FEastern%2520Turkey%2Ffeed.rss" height="500" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="675" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border: none;" /></a><a href="http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/ollie_yeoman/library/Eastern%20Turkey" target="_blank"><img alt="ollie_yeoman's Eastern Turkey album on Photobucket" src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Bullet Points</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">-We've now spent two weeks in Eastern Turkey and are
now in the city of Erzurum.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">-Half the time we've been riding and with the rest of
our time we've been chilling out in a small town named Yusufeli and wandering
in the Kackar Mountains.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">-Tomorrow we catch a train west to Kayseri and hope to
meet our friends Michal and Lulu to enjoy Cappadocia and celebrate Michal's
32nd birthday!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The last two weeks have been a really interesting time
for us. After the high adventure of our Iranian departure I think we were
perhaps left a little jaded and in need of refreshment. It took us a few days
in Turkey before this realisation set in. In this few days we cycled our way
northward around the flanks of the impressive Mt Ararat (made famous by Noah's
Ark!) and out to Yusufeli at the foot of the Kackar Mountains. You might
chuckle if you were to look at our route on a map as you'd see we've looped
right back up to within 100km of Batumi (Georgia) where we were over a month
ago! For a journey heading west we are doing pretty well at generally heading
either north or south. I giggled to myself as I rode into the glare of the
setting sun yesterday and realised very rarely have I encountered this
true-west direction! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">After rounding the volcanics of Ararat we passed
through vast open lands, deep gorges of rock strata all twisted, bent and
broken, sub alpine pine forests, precipitous canyon lands, rolling golden hill
country and castle after broken castle all sitting precariously on their high
perches. It all sounds dramatic, and much of it was, but amongst all this we
began to feel a tiredness that we've not felt before. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Upon reaching Yusufeli it was time for refreshing, for
something different, and for some down time from the journey. We savoured some
special time wandering high in the mountains, breathing the icy cold air. We
took the bikes up on a bus from 600m to 2500m altitude and enjoyed the freedom
of whizzing back down through gorges and villages. We spent a few days doing
very little other than being in the same place, returning to the same friendly
bakery and shop owners, and enjoying the simple things like watching kids
wander to and from school and drinking chai alongside retired old men.
Eventually we journeyed onward, increasingly aware that what we’re wanting is not
just impressive landscapes but connection with people. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Thus far we’re struck by the beautiful way in which
the Kurdish and Turkish have offered their kindness. This may be a spot to
camp, a meal, chai, a friendly conversation, a small gift, a roof over our
heads. In some ways the gift has not mattered greatly, what we’ve been touched
by is the way in which it’s given. We’ve encountered a gentleness, an ease, a
simplicity which has been quite stunning to be the recipients of. It’s hard to
exactly describe in words but we feel so so thankful and quite in awe of the
way in which these people give. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Just last night this kindness reached new heights.
Arriving in a little village named Guzel Yayla, one which obviously tourists do not frequent, we
caused quite a stir looking for a tent sight. Men appeared from all directions,
all yelling, waving arms, laughing, disagreeing with each other and scratching
their heads. Amongst the chaos emerged two real stars, Dogan and Mehmet, who cut straight through
the verbal clutter and dragged us off to their little hut in the fields on the
edge of town. Camping was off the agenda, they made that quite clear. Instead
we were given the house to sleep in, we shared dinner and breakfast together,
we drank chai after chai after chai,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
we worked our way through all kinds of conversation topics with the help of an
English-Turkish dictionary and the determination of people committed to
connecting with one another. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">These times are incredibly rewarding and although we
move on with our very different lives we are deeply impacted by such wonderful
meetings. We’re left hoping that just a little of the goodness we have received,
our hosts might also have received by our passing their way. When we look over
our map for the present time we’re now looking for roads with lots of towns
rather than wild remoteness. There is a time for both but for now that’s what
we’ll enjoy as we journey on!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Ollie</span></i></b></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14935577203871783136noreply@blogger.com0