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Hey! There was a thread on NSG a couple of years ago about bicycle touring and quite a few people were into it. I mentioned on there that I was planning a big ride from Japan to the UK. Well, I'm finally doing it.
So far we (my wife and I) have ridden from Hokkaido in the north of Japan down to Kyushu in the south, then over to South Korea, and now we just arrived into China. If anyone is interested in it, our blog is http://www.pedallingwest.wordpress.com and our Instagram is @pedallingwest
China is a trip, and totally different to the calm of Japan and South Korea. The riding is a lot of fun and it feels like now the adventure is really starting! Hope some of you might be interested in following. I can update this thread with photos etc if people want see what we're up to.
MagSevenYou have, or will have a tourist visa I assume? If you're staying in hotels, you won't have a problem. The hotel will register you with the local Public Security Bureau automatically when you check in. So as long as you stay in a hotel within the first few days of arriving, you'll be registered and fine.
If you're staying with friends in private accommodation it is a little more complicated, you need to visit the PSB office yourself to register.
Some very cheap guesthouses etc, or hotels in the Tibet area or in the far West aren't licensed to accept foreign guests, but around Shanghai and the East, almost everywhere should be fine.
Yeah i know that but is it a huge hassle staying in a house or something? i was invited to hangzhou and my friend said i could stay at her place which would be chill, but is it really a complete hassle like some people say it is?
roddy116Yeah i know that but is it a huge hassle staying in a house or something? i was invited to hangzhou and my friend said i could stay at her place which would be chill, but is it really a complete hassle like some people say it is?
Gotcha. I think you'd just have to go down to the local PSB (Public Security Bureau office) once to fill out a form with the address to register. I never had to do that, so I don't know how much of a pain it is. If your friend (or you?) is a Chinese speaker, it'd no doubt be less confusing!
Or, to save the hassle, you could just book into a hotel for one night, (you wouldn't even need to stay there, just check in) then have them register your passport. Then you'd be all set. For the sake of $8-10 for a cheap hotel, it could be easier!
I think as you're registered once, within a couple of days of arriving, then that's all you need to do.
MagSevenGotcha. I think you'd just have to go down to the local PSB (Public Security Bureau office) once to fill out a form with the address to register. I never had to do that, so I don't know how much of a pain it is. If your friend (or you?) is a Chinese speaker, it'd no doubt be less confusing!
Or, to save the hassle, you could just book into a hotel for one night, (you wouldn't even need to stay there, just check in) then have them register your passport. Then you'd be all set. For the sake of $8-10 for a cheap hotel, it could be easier!
I think as you're registered once, within a couple of days of arriving, then that's all you need to do.
Ok thanks a ton that's probably a good idea to check into a hotel, and yeah she is Chinese.
I'm not sure what I'd do when we're done. The thought of working is kind of scary after almost a year off! Ideally I'd like to change direction and set up a travel company for people travelling to Hokkaido in Japan. We lived there five years and have a good knowledge of the place. It seems like I help out quite a lot of skiers from NS with info for their trips, and also cyclists via other sites. So I'd like to turn that into a business - winter skiing and then hiking and cycling tours in the summer. Easy to talk about, probably a lot harder to do for real, but I'd like to end up working for myself!
Man that sounds really really really cool. That's my goal one day as well... To be my own boss. Best of luck.
Alright, hello again, from Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. Our first couple of 'Stans have been really interesting. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, totally different to China, and anywhere else we've been before. Amazing how moving a few kilometres on the map can change the feel of a place so dramatically. We love this way of travelling, and it seems like we've moved on to another stage. We're staying here for a couple of weeks, on a tour of various embassies and consulates, arranging our visas for the next few countries. Kaz and Kyrg are both visa free now, but we will need visas for Tajikistan, Uzbekistan (which we received yesterday) and Azerbaijan. Annoying paperwork and bureaucracy, but a necessary evil for a trip like this.
Here's a few photos, riding through amazing open spaces. Big skies and big distances. Very easy to find a quiet spot to camp here! Almaty was a very cool city, large and cosmopolitan. And surprisingly close to big, skiable mountains!
Hello again from Kyrgyzstan! We're on the move again finally! We were held up tooooo long in Bishkek waiting for our Azerbaijan visa, nearly 4 weeks in the city in total. We're heading slowly south towards Osh and Tajikistan now, through the most incredible scenery either of us have ever seen. Truly pinch yourself views at every turn. A few photos...
Tough climb up to Song Kol lake at 3,000m
Crossing the pass before Song Kol at a touch over 3,500m
Dirt roads all the way
Spending a lot of time in the tent these days
This dude just pulled over in his car as we were riding and poured us huge mugs of vodka!
We're in Osh now, and will be heading into Tajikistan next, following the Pamir Highway. This is the part of the trip we've been looking forward to the most. We won't have reliable wi-fi after we set off, so it'll be a few weeks until our next updates!
We're in Osh now, and will be heading into Tajikistan next, following the Pamir Highway. This is the part of the trip we've been looking forward to the most. We won't have reliable wi-fi after we set off, so it'll be a few weeks until our next updates!
Hey! We're back into a city - Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan so can check in on this thread and update with a few more photos from the last month.
We've just finished cycling the Pamir Highway, between here and Osh in Kyrgyzstan. This was the part of the trip that I had been looking forward to the most, and it definitely lived up to the hype. We were way up at over 4,000m for long periods of time, the highest pass we crossed was 4,655m. Some gruelling cycling but absolutely mind blowing scenery. Then we followed the Wakhan Valley along the Afghan border, lower altitude but views to the south of the Hindu Kush range in Pakistan.
Some photos:
First glimpse of the Pamirs from Sary Tash. Peak Lenin 7,134m
Heading up to the first major pass, Kizil Art, 4,280m
At the Ak-Baital Pass, 4,655m. This sign just marked the start of the climb, the pass itself was unmarked!
Karakol Lake
Murghab, one of the only towns up on the Pamirs
Shitty roads in the Wakhan Valley
Camping in the Wakhan Valley, Afghanistan on the other side of the river
Wakhan Valley
Hindu Kush range in Pakistan in the background, Afghan mountains in the foreground
MagSevenAnother poorly filmed and edited video, but hopefully gives a better picture of the kind of landscape we were riding through on the Pamir Highway.
mirozAwesome! Absolutely unbelievable. What an amazing journey. If you don't mind me asking, why were you not wearing helmets in some of those shots?
I love keeping up with you, best of luck and safe travels! Thank you!!!
Thanks man! Usually we wear our helmets all the time. On this section though, there was no traffic at all, (like 3-5 vehicles per day) and a lot of the time was spent climbing at slow speeds, so we haven't been wearing them. It's nice to feel the wind in our hair from time to time!
Definitely on normal roads or urban areas, we wear helmets.
mirozAwesome! Absolutely unbelievable. What an amazing journey. If you don't mind me asking, why were you not wearing helmets in some of those shots?
I love keeping up with you, best of luck and safe travels! Thank you!!!
Thanks man! Usually we wear our helmets all the time. On this section though, there was no traffic at all, (like 3-5 vehicles per day) and a lot of the time was spent climbing at slow speeds, so we haven't been wearing them. It's nice to feel the wind in our hair from time to time!
Definitely on normal roads or urban areas, we wear helmets.
And hello again, from Uzbekistan, country number 12. We're definitely out of the mountains now and into the desert. The riding hasn't been the most exciting, but the amazing Silk Road cities here more than make up for it. Just sharing a few more photos from the last couple of weeks.
Before we left Tajikistan, we went on a quick hiking trip without the bikes up into the Fan Mountains, north of Dushanbe. We've seen a lot of amazing places on this trip, so it takes something very spectacular to raise the bar. But when we arrived here, we were totally blown away by the mountains and alpine lakes. We camped next to Alauddin Lake and did a couple of day hikes in the surrounding area.
Camping next to the lake
Looking back down towards the lake, amazingly clear water
Hiking in the mountains, we reached around 3,800m the surrounding mountains were well over 5,000m
The Registan, Samarkand.
Mausoleums at Samarkand
Hitting the road for the ride West to Bukhara
Bukhara
Continuing from here towards Khiva and then to what remains of the Aral Sea which should be an interesting side trip. For some of the way we'll probably be taking taxis or a train for Uzbekistan, partly because riding through the desert isn't that fun, but also so we can get through the country a bit quicker. Next is Kazakhstan again, then a ferry across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan. Our Azeri visa starts on Oct 5th, so we'd like to get there for then, allowing us to see a bit of Azerbaijan and Georgia before it gets too cold!
More from the Fan Mountains and the first leg in Uzbekistan on our blog, (pedallingwest.wordpress.com). Thanks for reading!
Just posted a video from our time in Uzbekistan. The main spots were the three famous Silk Road cities, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. We also went up to a town that used to be a big fishing port on the Aral Sea. Now it's a ghost-town and the ships are all washed up in the middle of the desert. The sea has shrunk and almost disappeared because the rivers were diverted to the cotton farms in Soviet times. Very trippy place, seeing the rusting ships hundreds of miles from any water!
Man that looks like an amazing time. Planning on heading down to SEA for a few months in december, anything you felt was a must see? Probably avoiding the more southern countries like Indo because of rainy season.
Furrer92Man that looks like an amazing time. Planning on heading down to SEA for a few months in december, anything you felt was a must see? Probably avoiding the more southern countries like Indo because of rainy season.
If you haven't been to the area before, Thailand is the easiest country to travel. Get out to an island and relax. And eat everything! Might be a strange vibe there for the next few months as their King just died. The north is really nice too.
Vietnam is cool, the north (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay etc) will be pretty cold in the winter time too. The south should be good around then though.
Cambodia, apart from the famous sights at Angkor Wat isn't that interesting in my opinion.
Laos is fun. A little wilder and less developed. Amazing scenery in the mountains.
But really, anywhere you go, if you bring a smile, some respect, and an open mind, you'll have a good time in South East Asia.
Hello from Georgia. Here's a snow alert. It's dumping here! Normally I'd be stoked, but it's not so cool when we're on our bikes! Hopefully it shouldn't last though....
Other than the weather, this place is awesome. Amazing food and wine, and super friendly locals. I'd really recommend it. And they have good skiing here in the winter. What a place!
MagSevenIf you haven't been to the area before, Thailand is the easiest country to travel. Get out to an island and relax. And eat everything! Might be a strange vibe there for the next few months as their King just died. The north is really nice too.
Vietnam is cool, the north (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay etc) will be pretty cold in the winter time too. The south should be good around then though.
Cambodia, apart from the famous sights at Angkor Wat isn't that interesting in my opinion.
Laos is fun. A little wilder and less developed. Amazing scenery in the mountains.
But really, anywhere you go, if you bring a smile, some respect, and an open mind, you'll have a good time in South East Asia.
Cheers dude, sounds pretty much like what I was thinking. Definitely want to check out Angkor but good to know the rest isn't a priority. Seems like the trip is going well still, Georgia looks pretty awesome.
Hello from Turkey! We're now down on the Mediterranean, having crossed from the Black Sea, through the middle of the country, which got pretty cold. But we're now back in the warm and enjoying riding along the coast.
Turkey has been awesome, a really beautiful and varied country. Tourism here has been hit hard, so people are pleased to see foreign travellers.
A few photos:
Snowy mountains on the Black Sea coast, just over the border from Georgia, near Rize
Heading inland, south from Unye. We had a few evenings leading up to the 'Supermoon' last week when the moon was rising just as the sun set.
Arid landscape near Kayseri. Mt Ericiyes (3,916m) in the distance
Ballooning in Cappadocia. A big hit for the budget, but totally worth it.
Beautiful camping spot a few hundred metres down a dirt track off the main road. This was our coldest night. Our gear is decent, so could go colder if needed, but it was still tough getting out the tent in the morning!
Much warmer down here on the coast. The sea is still warm enough to swim and the weather has been really good. A lot of steep climbing though!
We've now done over 17,000km and have been on the road for 16 months. We'll soon be in Greece, into Europe for real!
If you want to read more - pedallingwest.wordpress.com and more photos on Instagram @pedallingwest
Happy New Year! It's been a while since I last posted any photos on here, so here's an update. The big one is that we're now in Europe! Right now we're in Paros in the Cyclades Islands of Greece. We crossed over from Turkey to Rhodes just before Christmas and then spent some time off there with family. We then went over to Crete, where we got hammered with loads of rain and snow, and now are moving slowly north, island hopping our way towards Athens. Here's some photos from the past few weeks.
Mediterranean coast of Turkey, near Kas
Kaputas beach. This is a really famous spot (it's on the cover of the Turkey Lonely Planet) but we had it completely to ourselves, and it was still warm enough to swim.
Arriving in Europe, Rhodes harbour.
Amazing diving board just off Elli Beach in Rhodes.
The road up from the ferry port to the main town in Santorini
Santorini in the sun
We're looking at getting to Athens close to the end of January, and then continuing north west from there. We're not sure whether we'll get a ferry over to Southern Italy, or continue up through Albania and Montenegro to Croatia. The weather will probably be warmer in Italy/Sicily, but it'll be more interesting and unfamiliar going into Albania....
There's more on our blog, pedallingwest.wordpress.com
No fricking way I literally saw this exact same thing except the guy I saw started in Britain and ended in Indonesia -- Always wanted to do it but just scared that piss outta me having to drive through the Middle East! Be safe out there bro and fly some random countries flag so no one kills you like Cyprus! lol -- for sure checking this thing out the whole way!
ZennanNo fricking way I literally saw this exact same thing except the guy I saw started in Britain and ended in Indonesia -- Always wanted to do it but just scared that piss outta me having to drive through the Middle East! Be safe out there bro and fly some random countries flag so no one kills you like Cyprus! lol -- for sure checking this thing out the whole way!
Do you remember who it was? Was it recently? We passed quite a few people heading in the opposite direction, maybe our paths crossed...
OK, a little more of an update on what we've been up to. We reached Athens, capital of Greece, towards the end of January. We met up with some friends who, conveniently, have a yacht. We went sailing with them for a couple of weeks. A nice little diversion and a break from cycling in the cold.
Moored up at Ermoupolis, Syros.
At a random bay off Kea in the northern Cyclades Islands
Then we cycled away from Athens, across the Corinth Canal to the west coast. Really beautiful once we were away from the built up areas, and finally some much warmer weather.
Very windy, near Corinth
Big suspension bridge near Patra
Lazy morning in the sunshine after camping in an empty beach bar
Last night in Greece, camping on the beach north of Igoumenitsa
Then into Albania. It's a beautiful country, but amazing how it's like stepping back in time, or back to Central Asia. No doubt it's developing quickly, but it feels a long way from western Europe. I like it a lot here. Our first couple of days along the coast were similar to the Greek coast, then we started climbing and heading slightly inland. Not massively high mountains, but up to over 1,000m from sea level.
Between Sarande and Vlore
Up to the snowline. Our bad luck, we climbed this pass on one of the only days we've cycled in the rain for a long time!
Some very rural roads and quite poor towns slightly further north. It's clearly one of the least developed countries in this part of the world.
We're into Tirana now, the capital, where we'll stay for a few days. It's got that fast developing, cosmopolitan feel of central Asian cities like Almaty or Baku, while still being quite rough around the edges. Old men in flat caps on rusty bikes riding past brand new Mercedes SUVs driven by twenty-somethings in wrap-around shades.
Complete change next week - ferry over to Bari in Italy.
MagSevenOK, a little more of an update on what we've been up to. We reached Athens, capital of Greece, towards the end of January. We met up with some friends who, conveniently, have a yacht. We went sailing with them for a couple of weeks. A nice little diversion and a break from cycling in the cold.
Moored up at Ermoupolis, Syros.
At a random bay off Kea in the northern Cyclades Islands
Then we cycled away from Athens, across the Corinth Canal to the west coast. Really beautiful once we were away from the built up areas, and finally some much warmer weather.
Very windy, near Corinth
Big suspension bridge near Patra
Lazy morning in the sunshine after camping in an empty beach bar
Last night in Greece, camping on the beach north of Igoumenitsa
Then into Albania. It's a beautiful country, but amazing how it's like stepping back in time, or back to Central Asia. No doubt it's developing quickly, but it feels a long way from western Europe. I like it a lot here. Our first couple of days along the coast were similar to the Greek coast, then we started climbing and heading slightly inland. Not massively high mountains, but up to over 1,000m from sea level.
Between Sarande and Vlore
Up to the snowline. Our bad luck, we climbed this pass on one of the only days we've cycled in the rain for a long time!
Some very rural roads and quite poor towns slightly further north. It's clearly one of the least developed countries in this part of the world.
We're into Tirana now, the capital, where we'll stay for a few days. It's got that fast developing, cosmopolitan feel of central Asian cities like Almaty or Baku, while still being quite rough around the edges. Old men in flat caps on rusty bikes riding past brand new Mercedes SUVs driven by twenty-somethings in wrap-around shades.
Complete change next week - ferry over to Bari in Italy.
what. the. actual. fuck. How long have you been out for?
MagSevenOK, a little more of an update on what we've been up to. We reached Athens, capital of Greece, towards the end of January. We met up with some friends who, conveniently, have a yacht. We went sailing with them for a couple of weeks. A nice little diversion and a break from cycling in the cold.
Moored up at Ermoupolis, Syros.
At a random bay off Kea in the northern Cyclades Islands
Then we cycled away from Athens, across the Corinth Canal to the west coast. Really beautiful once we were away from the built up areas, and finally some much warmer weather.
Very windy, near Corinth
Big suspension bridge near Patra
Lazy morning in the sunshine after camping in an empty beach bar
Last night in Greece, camping on the beach north of Igoumenitsa
Then into Albania. It's a beautiful country, but amazing how it's like stepping back in time, or back to Central Asia. No doubt it's developing quickly, but it feels a long way from western Europe. I like it a lot here. Our first couple of days along the coast were similar to the Greek coast, then we started climbing and heading slightly inland. Not massively high mountains, but up to over 1,000m from sea level.
Between Sarande and Vlore
Up to the snowline. Our bad luck, we climbed this pass on one of the only days we've cycled in the rain for a long time!
Some very rural roads and quite poor towns slightly further north. It's clearly one of the least developed countries in this part of the world.
We're into Tirana now, the capital, where we'll stay for a few days. It's got that fast developing, cosmopolitan feel of central Asian cities like Almaty or Baku, while still being quite rough around the edges. Old men in flat caps on rusty bikes riding past brand new Mercedes SUVs driven by twenty-somethings in wrap-around shades.
Complete change next week - ferry over to Bari in Italy.
glad to here its all going well dude! keep up the good work!! one of my best pals is kosavan. been meaning to go for years. he also says the beaches in Albania are some of the best in Europe.
MagSevenDo you remember who it was? Was it recently? We passed quite a few people heading in the opposite direction, maybe our paths crossed...
You know I don't, but they were from Britain, London I believe? They started in Indonesia area I believe, and they were in India for the last few weeks, just driving around touring India. My brother actually ran into them when he was in India a couple weeks ago and they have a full blog up and running like yours! I can try and find out again and let you know!
We're in Florence right now. We arrived in Bari, in Puglia (the heel) by ferry a few weeks ago, then crossed over to Naples. After much eating of pizza, we've been riding north, bypassing Rome, up through Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. What an absolutely beautiful country! Nothing too gnarly or extreme, but just amazing scenery and we've been super lucky with the weather. We reached a total of 20,000km the other day too, which felt like quite a milestone. We're definitely on the home leg now!
A few photos....
Pizza-land aka Naples:
Morning coffee breaks are pretty good here:
Wild camping on the coast north of Naples. Most of the coast is closed off by private beach clubs, so accessing the beach was tricky. We had to lift the bikes and bags through the side openings of a road tunnel to get to this flat spot. Worth it for the sunset!
Climbing away from Orvieto:
Crazy landscape in the Val d'Orcia. Looks like the Windows background. Honestly, no photoshopping or filters on this pic!
Piazza del Campo in Siena:
And a video edit from a few days through Umbria and Tuscany and ticking over the 20k
We're in Florence right now. We arrived in Bari, in Puglia (the heel) by ferry a few weeks ago, then crossed over to Naples. After much eating of pizza, we've been riding north, bypassing Rome, up through Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. What an absolutely beautiful country! Nothing too gnarly or extreme, but just amazing scenery and we've been super lucky with the weather. We reached a total of 20,000km the other day too, which felt like quite a milestone. We're definitely on the home leg now!
The longest cable-stayed bridge in the world! Cool!
I've just tuned in for your most recent updates, absolutely fantastic. I'm glad to see you're doing well and these pictures are just stunning. All the best, keep it coming :)
Hi! We're powering our way through Europe and now we're into France. Scarily close to getting home, probably less than two months now until we complete this thing. From Florence we headed up to the Italian Lakes, to visit Lake Garda where my wife and I got married nearly 9 years ago. A real nice trip down memory lane and an excuse to take a few days off the bikes. We just chilled, eating and drinking next to the lake!
Then it was across the north of Italy to cross the Alps at the Col de Montgenevre, our final pass of the trip. It reminded me how awesome the mountains in Europe are, I'd kind of forgotten after so long away.
And, the cherry on the top of reaching the top of the pass... when we got up there, we saw that the lifts were still turning. (I'd assumed the season was over!) So we stashed the bikes and got a few hours of skiing. The first time I've been on skis for two years! (The only downside of being on this extended trip!) It was slushy spring snow, but so much fun, and we hadn't forgotten how to ski. I even managed to hit a few jumps.
We made a video of the few days crossing the Alps:
Right now we're in Provence, in the south of France, above Marseilles. Really nice rolling terrain, lots of quaint old villages and vineyards. We'll probably taste quite a lot of the produce! We're heading west and the next target is reaching the coast, so we can say we've cycled from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Then we'll be turning north to head slowly for home....
W knocked off the Coast to Coast ride! Took us nearly 2 years and a little over 22,000km but we rode from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Top photo is on the south east coast of Japan, bottom is on the west coast of France:
We're really coming to the end of this thing now - we've got a few weeks left, riding around Brittany to Normandy where we'll take the ferry across the Channel to the UK on 23rd June. Then finishing up for good in West Sussex on the 24th.
