Commencing 16 January 2016 I set off with the aim of cycling from Ho-Chi-Minh City in southern Vietnam to home in Wiltshire, UK. As most people considered this a bonkers undertaking I went solo. My route took in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and France; covering just over 14,000 miles in the process. I had to skip Pakistan as it was not possible to obtain a tourist visa from the Embassy in Delhi and the visa for Turkmenistan failed to materialise before my Uzbeck expired so I had to make a quick dash across the country making for some long cycling days the longest of which was 220 km and fly from Tashkent to Masshad in western Iran. You don’t overstay you visa in Uzbekistan. The wiggles and detours along the way meant that my total distance was about what I expected despite the unplanned air transfers. I always new that some countries along my chosen route where difficult visa wise and had contingency for this. I new the key places I wanted to take in en route, but did not do any pre-planning of the route before I departed as I did not want to be constrained by a fixed itinerary.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. People right the way across Asia and Europe of all faiths have been friendly and willing to help. At no stage along the trip did I feel “this is a bit dodgy, I need to make a swift exit”. The welcome in some villages was really exceptional. Arriving solo on a loaded touring bike can be like the circus just arrived in town especially when your skin is a different colour to everyone else’s. Be prepared to be the guest of honour.
Highlights - The friendliness and helpfulness of the people along the way. Cycling Highlights- I like the mountains so Bishkek – Osh – Dushanbe via the Pamir highway was the highlight. Between Bishkek and Osh is a high green plateau populated by yurts which is very scenic. The Pamir highway by contrast is more of a moonscape. The Ho Chi Minh highway up the western side of Vietnam was also very nice, and quiet in contrast to the manic coastal strip.
I would recommend to anyone considering a trip to make it happen. There will be plenty of nay sayers but don’t be put off. Along the way I have passed cyclists of all ages travelling solo including females as well as many couples and family groups. Some have been doing a similar route in the reverse direction and others shorter sections that can be squeezed into annual leave and school holidays. I am no far out hippy. I have a decent job and mortgage to repay. So these things frequently used as excuses for inaction can be resolved. Such a trip would make a fantastic adventure and education for those with children.
One of the main things I want to get across is it really is not that difficult. Just think about the trip in bite size chunks of a few days each between more major towns just like any normal cycling holiday. Apart from sorting out travel jabs and preparing a list of visa requirements for each country, I did no planning before I left. With all the information that is available on the internet, online mapping and mobile phones, undertaking these trips easier than ever.
Why? I think people should be encouraged to travel. In the West we are lucky that many have the means to travel and visitors from high GDP countries are usually afforded fairly easy short term entry requirements. Proper travelling, getting beyond the confines of the all inclusive holiday complex is an education. You soon realise that across the world peoples aspirations for themselves and their families are not so different to ours. Most just want to go about there daily lives without fear, to earn a decent living and to provide the best opportunities for their children. Different traditions, religions, the wearing of the Hijab, these are nothing to fear. The Trumps and Farrage’s of this world rely on peoples ignorance to spread unjustified fear to bolster their support.
It was my first proper job with Bombardier and its predecessors ADtranz and ABB that got me interested in travelling. Working as a technician in the products development department I was sent out to assist with the introduction of new products on rail projects in a number of countries including the Philippines, South Korea and Iran. I found how other people work and lived very interesting.
My first cycle trips where with Red Spokes Adventure Tours. I enjoyed these immensely. I went on trips to Kashmir, India; Nepal; Karakorum Highway through Pakistan, China and Krgyzstan. These trips gave me the confidence to go unguided in more remote regions. It was talking to others on these trips that inspired me to try it and to an extent a guided trip where someone else has done the work to find the route and accommodation with a sag-wagon provided to carry the kit felt a bit like cheating. I was not so interested in China, so decided that I would like to cycle from Vietnam taking a southerly route via Myanmar and India rather than the more normal northern route from Laos into China, skirting to the east and north of Tibet and across to Uzbekistan.