Cycle Georgia: Day 0 Pre – Tour of Tbilisi and off to Korsha
Pre-Tour – CITY OF TBILISI: Shortly after making our way to the hotel and unboxing our bikes, we were presented by our host with a…
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Cycle Georgia: Assault on Atsunta
Cycle Georgia: Assault on Atsunta Our (mis) adventure began at 05h00am when the alarm awoke us to the sound of gentle rain – “Let’s wait…
Cycle Georgia: Mutso to Pshaveli
Cycle Georgia: Mutso to Pshaveli After paying him handsomely for his unprecedented hospitality, we bid nagwamdis 2 ( goodbye again) to our saviour Mundia and…
Cycle Georgia: The Battle of Abano
Cycle Georgia: The Battle of Abano The alarm woke us to a beautiful day with sunlight streaming into the room, but I would be lying…
Cycle Georgia: Omalo to Dartlo
Cycle Georgia: Omalo to Dartlo Feeling wonderfully restored after a fabulous and well-earned rest day yesterday – aside from cleaning all our muddy kit, all…
Cycle Georgia: The Road to Diklo
Cycle Georgia: The Road to Dikolo So we set off at 10h00 for another restful day excursion. Within the first 5 mins we were headed…
Cycle Georgia: Abano Both Ways
Cycle Georgia: Abano Both Ways We had grown quite attached to our “home” for the last 4 nights at Shina Guest House. It was great…
Cycle Georgia: Korsha to Roshka
Day 2: Korsha to Roshka The day began with a massive climb up to the little village of Roshka, here we unloaded our bags and…
Cycle Georgia: Roshka to Mutso via Shatili
Day 3: ROSHKA TO SHATILI Today basically consisted of 8 km back down a mine shaft to the turn-off, then 20km straight up Bear Crossing Pass…
Cycle Georgia: Of Graves, Garbage, Boiling Heat & Bees
Day 13: Of Graves, Garbage, Boiling Heat & Bees Oh my, how to explain today? It was hot from the get go. Very hot and…
Cycle Georgia: Back into the Big Mountains
Day 14: Back into the Big Mountains I slept like the dead with the sound of the raging river right next to my head. When…
Marvelous Mestia
Day 15: Marvelous Mestia After sailing downhill into the incredibly quaint little town of Mestia, we headed straight for the central square and adjacent bar.…
Cycle Georgia: Oh Gosh, Oh Golly; Sweaty Ride to Ushguli
Day 16: Oh Gosh, Oh Golly; Sweaty Ride to Ushguli Last night was festive indeed. We hooked up with two SA girls (Lindy & Bridget),…
Cycle Georgia: Oh Gosh, Oh Golly; Here We Go Again
Day 16: Oh Gosh, Oh Golly; Here We Go Again A recurring theme of this trip has been Gamarjoba 2 & Nagwamdis 2 (Hello again…
Cycle Georgia: The Long Road Home
Day 18: The Long Road Home We awoke early to a beautiful morning in Mestia and flung the curtains wide to drink in the view…
Cycle Georgia: Home via Istanbul
Day 19-21: Home via Instabul When we were in Istanbul 30 years ago we stayed in what was surely the biggest shithole in the city.…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Preamble: Beating the Dreaded Jet Lag
Bike-Packing Preamble: Beating the Dreaded Jet Lag There’s an up and a down to everything in Life and for bike-packing, it’s always the getting there…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 1: Finding our Feet
Day 1: Finding our Feet A very wobbly exit from Bishkek, through right-hand-drive traffic on HEAVILY LADEN bikes, has us a little rattled, but we…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 2: Into the Foothills
Packing Day 2: Into the Foothills If I should ever be asked on a quiz show for a million $, what the favourite Bishkekian Sunday…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 3: Conquering Kegeti
Bike-Packing: Summiting the Beast Breakfast this morning is a sparse affair – coffee with honey and powdered milk plus a couple of small chocolate chip…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 4: Cracking Karakol
Bike-Packing Day 4: Cracking Karakol Last night we polished off 2 more of the 5 x freeze dried meals we’ve packed, plus 3 of the…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 5: Running on Empty
Bike-Packing Day 5: Running on Empty I suppose it’s inevitable that after 3 tough days without sufficient food, it eventually takes its toll. I have…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 6: Testing my Equanimity
Packing Day 6: Testing my Equanimity Breakfast consists of hard, doughnut- shaped cookies dusted with icing sugar, dipped in coffee. We then head back up…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 7: Ghastly Gradients lead to glamping
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 7: Ghastly Gradients lead to glamping It’s not often I get off my bike and elect to push, especially with a…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 8: Into the Swiss Alps
Bike Packing Day 8: Into the Swiss Alps After a hearty breakfast we bid a reluctant goodbye to our comfy yurt camp and head towards…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 9: And it all goes tits up
Bike Packing Day 9: And it all goes tits up Steve wakes feeling worse than ever – he’s got the runs in earnest now and…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 10: Splitting up the Team
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 10: Splitting up the Team Breakfast consists of 3 hard fried eggs each plus some bread (fresh!!) and jam. Finally, we…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 11: Two days in one
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 11: Two days in one After a breakfast of chai, bread, butter, cream and keifer (soured milk – like Amasi), Yurt…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 12: Yurting Again
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 12: Yurting Again Sleep definitely does the trick and I feel great after a clean, warm night in a proper bed.…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 13: Getting off the beaten track
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 13: Getting off the beaten track As we head out past the next yurt camp, we see about 15 top end cross…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 14: Experience Kyrgyz family life
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 14: Experience Kyrgyz family life Kati wakes up and pronounces this to have been the best tent sleep of the trip so…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 15: Hit by the storm!
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 15: Hit by the storm! I wake at 05h30 with a bulging bladder. We’ve agreed 08h00 breakfast, but there’s no ways I…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 16: The Grand Migration
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 16: The Grand Migration I awake at 05h30. It’s still bucketing down. My bladder is fit to burst. I decide to make…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 17: oh FLOCK!
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 17: Oh FLOCK! We awake to glorious blue skies (with a few renegade clouds about). Hallelujah!! Yippeeee!!!! Yeeehaaa!!!! We are ecstatic and feeling…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 18 & 19: R&R
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 18 & 19: R&R Sadly, the guest house has a group coming in tonight and is fully booked. We would’ve preferred to…
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 20: Issy Kul, Supa Cool!
Kyrgyzstan Bike-Packing Day 20: Issy Kul It’s 100km on a busy road from Karakol to Bokonbaevo, the town from which we can best access Lake…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 21: Ask and ye shall receive
Packing Day 21: Ask and ye shall receive I wake and check the time. 05h00 on the dot. I unzip the tent flap and WOW,…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 22: So much for Democracy!
Packing Day 22: So much for Democracy! The tent is literally coated with muggies when I awake, but I am not letting them stand in…
Kyrgyzstan Bike- Packing Day 23: Conclusion
Packing Day 23: Conclusion We spend the next 2 days hunkered down in the aircon and only venture out to eat. On day 1 we…
New Zealand : Pre Amble
New Zealand post 1: Pre Amble My head is pounding fit to explode! We’ve been travelling for 35 hours thus far and still have1 flight…
New Zealand post 2: LORD OF THE CHAIN RINGS
New Zealand post 2: LORD OF THE CHAIN RINGS We cook up our oats and are up and away before 07h00. Just out of town,…
New Zealand post 3: HUNKERING DOWN
New Zealand post 3: HUNKERING DOWN Steve is studying the map and I lie down on the single mattress that we’ve decided we’ll both squeeze…
New Zealand post 4: MANAGING THE MAUNGATAPU TRACK
New Zealand post 4: MANAGING THE MAUNGATAPU TRACK It’s hardly first light when we get away at 07h45 after cooking oats and coffee, cleaning up,…
New Zealand post 5: PERFECTLY PERFECT
New Zealand post 5: PERFECTLY PERFECT We re-join the bike path and pedal along merrily, free of traffic worries. Daily commuters in their neon green…
New Zealand post 6: BECOMING ROAD KILL
New Zealand post 6: BECOMING ROAD KILL Since we have a fully fledged kitchen in the campsite, we decide to forgo our usual oats this…
New Zealand post 7: THE LONG, LONG ROAD TO REEFTON
New Zealand post 7: THE LONG, LONG ROAD TO REEFTON As we head out of town, we are on the lookout for some good bread…
New Zealand post 8: THE WAIUTA BIG RIVER TRACK
New Zealand post 8: THE WAIUTA BIG RIVER TRACK We make up for the lack of dinner last night, by indulging in a fabulous breakfast…
New Zealand post 9: CONSERVATION BY POISON & DOG RACES IN BLACKBALL
New Zealand post 9: CONSERVATION BY POISON & DOG RACES IN BLACKBALL Despite the cosy cabin I don’t sleep well. The midge bites from a…
New Zealand post 10: A VERY GREY DAY
New Zealand post 10: A VERY GREY DAY I have lost my cycle jacket and gloves. Disaster! I know for sure I had them coming…
New Zealand post 11: RECALCULATING – HEAD EAST TO ESCAPE WEATHER AND LANDSLIDES
New Zealand post 11: RECALCULATING – HEAD EAST TO ESCAPE WEATHER AND LANDSLIDES The weather report says 100% chance of heavy rain at 12h00 on…
New Zealand post 12: A REAL DAMPENER, FOLLOWED BY A DAZZLER
New Zealand post 12: A REAL DAMPENER, FOLLOWED BY A DAZZLER I have been snoozing for 12 hours straight. It was raining when I went…
New Zealand post 13: INTO THE WEST WIND!
New Zealand post 13: INTO THE WEST WIND! It’s pleasant enough when we set off and we’re happy to be back on small country roads.…
New Zealand post 14: THIS PLACE IS BONKERS!
New Zealand post 14: THIS PLACE IS BONKERS! When we arrived at the accommodation yesterday, there was nobody about, just a sign on the door:…
New Zealand post 15: A FAIRLIE FORGETTABLE DAY
New Zealand post 15: A FAIRLIE FORGETTABLE DAY Digging deep for blog fodder today. Nothing much has come our way. The sun is out and…
New Zealand post 16: A REAL MIXED BAG
New Zealand post 16: A REAL MIXED BAG Today is just like a packet of Liquorice Allsorts. You only really like a few, but to…
New Zealand post 17: ALL MY FAVOURITES
New Zealand post 17: ALL MY FAVOURITES Today more than makes up for any penance we had to pay yesterday! We are on a dedicated…
New Zealand post 18: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS…
New Zealand post 18: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS… The clouds are looking menacing as we head towards the mountains. We’ve lightened our load considerably,…
New Zealand post 19: A DODDLE OF A DAY – TOOT! TOOT!
New Zealand post 19: A DODDLE OF A DAY – TOOT! TOOT! I make sure to turn off all alarms before going to sleep. I…
New Zealand post 20: ATTACKING “THE WALL”
New Zealand post 20: ATTACKING “THE WALL” In our attempt to avoid RV Hell today, we innocently decide instead to go over the Cairnmuir Mnts,…
New Zealand post 21: FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS
New Zealand post 21: FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS We leave Cromwell on a lovely path alongside Lake Dunston, then wend our way through…
New Zealand post 22: WANNA RIDE LAKE WANAKA
New Zealand post 22: WANNA RIDE LAKE WANAKA As there’s no urgency to get anywhere today, we snooze until 08h00, then very slowly pull together…
New Zealand post 23: ENFORCED STRENGTH TRAINING
New Zealand post 23: ENFORCED STRENGTH TRAINING Today we are on what is affectionately known as “The Race Track Road”. This does not inspire great…
New Zealand post 24: BUMBLING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A BANG!
New Zealand post 24: BUMBLING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A BANG! It’s a slow getaway, what with the 3 of us all packing up…
New Zealand post 25: HOPING FOR HOTEL CALIFORNIA …
New Zealand post 25: HOPING FOR HOTEL CALIFORNIA … There’s no sleeping in after our restless night, as the cars are streaming back out by…
New Zealand post 26: KEEPING OURSELVES ENTERTAINED
New Zealand post 26: KEEPING OURSELVES ENTERTAINED We are told that breakfast is included in the room rate. It is on a help yourself basis.…
New Zealand post 27: CALLING OUR BLUFF
New Zealand post 27: CALLING OUR BLUFF We awake to thunderous rain. I make coffee and take it back to bed, then call reception and…
New Zealand post 28: THE OLD GHOST ROAD
New Zealand post 28: THE OLD GHOST ROAD The alarm blasts through my deepest sleep at 05h00 am. My first thought is that I set…
New Zealand post 29: CONCLUSION
New Zealand post 29: CONCLUSION Our trip has effectively come to an end and we are slowly making our way back to Wellington for the…