So, where to start with bicycle adventures? I am no longer a rookie in long distance cycling. It seems a long time ago since I started with cycling. And in fact it is a long time since I started. When I was a kid I cycled already a lot.

Back to the days of secondary school, I cycled easy about 200-250 km a week. From home to school and back. In the evenings I had my judo trainings, added another amount of kilometers to the distances. Even in those days I had my own bicycle journeys!

And I loved it. Good weather, bad weather, it didn't matter when I review it now. Of course it did matter. I remember the hard days with cold and rain, the wind. No fun. I was 16 or so when I bought my first Peugeot race bike, probably my first step in my search for bicycle adventures. It was a cheapie. It wasn't a big success. I can't even say it brought me love for cycling. As I grew older I merely forgot cycling until one day a friend told me about bicycle journeys in Hungary.

My bicycle somewhere down the road

That seemed a good idea, so I bought a new Rih bicycle. I got the bike in the bus and went out for a few weeks bicycling around Hungary. And from that journey the bicycle never left me. The years came that I cycled over Europe, traveling with a sleeping bag and a little tent or stayed in Youth Hostels. And yes, I made photos in those days though I wonder where I lost them in time!

Then I shifted my attention to Asia and forgot the bike for a few years. During my third journey in China I met a Chinese who had cycled about 10.000 km's. This was an amazing achievement considering this man, Mr. Lu has only one arm and one leg, talk about bicycle adventures! (The full story can be read here.)

On the way you pass exotic beaches and islands, here Pangkor Malaysia

But I merely forgot bicycles since my illegal journey into Tibet took most of my attention. By the time I was in India, I started to think again about bicycles but I doubted India was a good place to start.

It was in Pakistan where all the memories of previous bicycling adventures in Europe came back. I was backpacking for a year and had great times. However, I felt I was missing something and I didn't know what. It was in Gilgit, and later again in Karimabad, North Pakistan where I met a weird Englishman.

Chengyang Qiao, near Sanjiang

This guy worked for an oil company, half year working, half year cycling. He told me about his bicycle adventures. By now I realised how much I had forgotten in the years I had traveled by bussess and trains. Things about being in off limit places, meeting people who have seldom seen foreigners, unexpected beautiful areas and much more. Now that was what I remembered from Europe. The bicycle could bring you this sort of experiences.

But I was on my way to China. I had another few months to cover before I would be back in Holland but a new plan was going to be formed. This plan came to reality some months later when I bought a Koga Myata Worldtraveler. I was told this was the best bicycle possible for what I wanted.

Foodstall in Satun, south Thailand

I didn't know much about bicycles, technically spoken. So I had to count on the experts. I went back on the road, started in Holland, and cycled my way back to North Pakistan.

For my second journey I went back to Bangkok and cycled to China where I spend almost a year cycling. But after almost 40.000 km I was ready for something else. For a year I lived in England where I couldn't cycle much. Winter isn't the best time to cycle and anyway, I was living in Manchester. It was hard to leave even the city unless you take other transport first. And I hate cold weather.

Back in Asia, I live now in Malaysia, I picked up cycling again, searching for more bicycle adventures. I'm not sure for how long this will be but I usually say: "I'll stay as long as I like it". It's good cycling here although not many people know or even believe that. It's only 5 minutes to be out of the town and be in the wide open lands or the plantations. It gave me more bicycle adventures like my meeting with the cobra of the hills near Bruas in Malaysia

Malaysia doesn't have a cycling culture. People claim it's too hot for cycling but the truth is, in the mornings and evenings it's nice to ride a bicycle. And I keep on riding.

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