After 20 000km on a bike, I thought a couple of long distance trip reports might interest you, so here are some thoughts on both of them. If you have more questions, let me know!
– **Trip 1**: the Silk Road, Belgium to Vietnam. +12 000 kms, 2018-2019
– **Trip 2**: South America by the Andes, +8000 kms so far, 2023-ongoing
**Bike and notable gear**
– vsf-fahradmanufactur tx-400 (shwalbe marathon plus 26×1.75), Ortlieb panniers, classical setup (between 20 to 30 kg of gear)
– Thermarest neoair xlite matress, top peak repair gear, more whisperlight stove
**Budget strategy** I didnt want to have to count and stress about it, but I was not overspending either. One fancy activity per country on Trip 2(like a tour, diving class or so), less than that on Trip 1.
###Trip 1
*Budget*: 700euros/month
*Route*: followed the Danube -> Turkey -> Iran -> UAE -> Oman -> India (mostly the south) -> Myanmar-> Thailand -> Laos -> Vietnam
Trip 1 was the Silk Road, but not through the ‘stans but through Oman and India. I really wanted to go to India, so I made the choice to divert from the main road. On this trip there were really 3 distinctive regions: easy and fast Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. I didn’t look up too many routes beforehand, and I didn’t pass through really remote areas, so I’d say it was easier and more cultural than the second one. The countries traversed were also very different from the Western world, so that was definitely an important aspect of it (great people s hospitality and warmth, so many funny and strange moments).
This is a difficult section but… **Highlights**
– To cycle >2 weeks: Oman
– The hardest but amazing and more adventurous : India and Myanmar
– Best food, good riding: Vietnam
– Easiest: eurovelo 6 route up to Vienna, and Thailand is very easy as well
**Lessons learned**
– seasons are also important when planning a long distance trip, I would leave more “in season”
– I had a couple of hard deadlines on the trip, i decided to avoid that in the future. You don’t know how much you’ll enjoy any given area, and having to suddenly rush through one to meet a deadline was an annoyance
**1 tip**
It was not a hard trip per say, but you’d have to be prepared and opened to other cultures and their ways
###Trip 2 …Almost finished
*Budget*: 1000e/month
*Route*: Colombia -> Ecuador -> Peru -> Bolivia -> Argentina, mostly through the Andes
This trip was more different to the 1st one than I expected. Way more remote, more physically challenging, harder on the bike. And the conquistadores did a good job and the culture was in a lot of places not too far from I knew. There is no way to have good weather all the way, so I must admit I rushed through Ecuador (1 month), but the rest was still amazing. Peru and Bolivia were more difficult in all aspects, and ending with Argentina was a good decision as it is way easier, more comfy to travel after the hard previous months.
This is a difficult section but… **Highlights**:
– Hardest country: Bolivia (again, still amazing), particularly the lagunas route.
– Easiest so far: Colombia or Argentina, eventho if you can skip the Colombian coast
– Best food: Argentina, best fruits: Colombia
– Best nature/landscape: Peru central mountains for sure
**Lessons learned**
I should have had slightly bigger tyres, maybe 2″. 26″ and v-brakes can be a problem, but I didn’t want to buy a new bike. Next time I’d get a 29″, hydrolic disk brakes bike.
Resilience. With 80000m positive elevation mostly on gravel, this one was definitely harder!
**1 tip**
Be prepared for the cold in altitude (talking -10 to -15°C nights). This will give you more flexibility and enjoyment👍Also, speaking Spanish was really important to get the people to open up more!
‐——————————–
As you might imagine, I travel this way mostly for adventures rather than the sport. And I’ll keep doing it! There is a ton of reasons why, but to mention one: it gives us access to unique experiences and a better understanding of the people and culture of the region we are in, that we don’t have access to in the touristy circuit (which is more difficult to escape than even backpackers realise).
1 Comment
After 20 000km on a bike, I thought a couple of long distance trip reports might interest you, so here are some thoughts on both of them. If you have more questions, let me know!
– **Trip 1**: the Silk Road, Belgium to Vietnam. +12 000 kms, 2018-2019
– **Trip 2**: South America by the Andes, +8000 kms so far, 2023-ongoing
**Bike and notable gear**
– vsf-fahradmanufactur tx-400 (shwalbe marathon plus 26×1.75), Ortlieb panniers, classical setup (between 20 to 30 kg of gear)
– Thermarest neoair xlite matress, top peak repair gear, more whisperlight stove
**Budget strategy** I didnt want to have to count and stress about it, but I was not overspending either. One fancy activity per country on Trip 2(like a tour, diving class or so), less than that on Trip 1.
###Trip 1
*Budget*: 700euros/month
*Route*: followed the Danube -> Turkey -> Iran -> UAE -> Oman -> India (mostly the south) -> Myanmar-> Thailand -> Laos -> Vietnam
Trip 1 was the Silk Road, but not through the ‘stans but through Oman and India. I really wanted to go to India, so I made the choice to divert from the main road. On this trip there were really 3 distinctive regions: easy and fast Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. I didn’t look up too many routes beforehand, and I didn’t pass through really remote areas, so I’d say it was easier and more cultural than the second one. The countries traversed were also very different from the Western world, so that was definitely an important aspect of it (great people s hospitality and warmth, so many funny and strange moments).
This is a difficult section but… **Highlights**
– To cycle >2 weeks: Oman
– The hardest but amazing and more adventurous : India and Myanmar
– Best food, good riding: Vietnam
– Easiest: eurovelo 6 route up to Vienna, and Thailand is very easy as well
**Lessons learned**
– seasons are also important when planning a long distance trip, I would leave more “in season”
– I had a couple of hard deadlines on the trip, i decided to avoid that in the future. You don’t know how much you’ll enjoy any given area, and having to suddenly rush through one to meet a deadline was an annoyance
**1 tip**
It was not a hard trip per say, but you’d have to be prepared and opened to other cultures and their ways
###Trip 2 …Almost finished
*Budget*: 1000e/month
*Route*: Colombia -> Ecuador -> Peru -> Bolivia -> Argentina, mostly through the Andes
This trip was more different to the 1st one than I expected. Way more remote, more physically challenging, harder on the bike. And the conquistadores did a good job and the culture was in a lot of places not too far from I knew. There is no way to have good weather all the way, so I must admit I rushed through Ecuador (1 month), but the rest was still amazing. Peru and Bolivia were more difficult in all aspects, and ending with Argentina was a good decision as it is way easier, more comfy to travel after the hard previous months.
This is a difficult section but… **Highlights**:
– Hardest country: Bolivia (again, still amazing), particularly the lagunas route.
– Easiest so far: Colombia or Argentina, eventho if you can skip the Colombian coast
– Best food: Argentina, best fruits: Colombia
– Best nature/landscape: Peru central mountains for sure
**Lessons learned**
I should have had slightly bigger tyres, maybe 2″. 26″ and v-brakes can be a problem, but I didn’t want to buy a new bike. Next time I’d get a 29″, hydrolic disk brakes bike.
Resilience. With 80000m positive elevation mostly on gravel, this one was definitely harder!
**1 tip**
Be prepared for the cold in altitude (talking -10 to -15°C nights). This will give you more flexibility and enjoyment👍Also, speaking Spanish was really important to get the people to open up more!
‐——————————–
As you might imagine, I travel this way mostly for adventures rather than the sport. And I’ll keep doing it! There is a ton of reasons why, but to mention one: it gives us access to unique experiences and a better understanding of the people and culture of the region we are in, that we don’t have access to in the touristy circuit (which is more difficult to escape than even backpackers realise).
If you want more details, I post occasionally on insta at https://www.instagram.com/javionabike
Ps: another tip, there are whatsapp groups per region, were good info is shared. Find it and get in when you start your tour 🙂