Reflections and lessons

A little reflection on things that have changed the last 4 months.

Gear and lightweight travel

Preparing a trip like this involves a lot of time reader other blogs, searching and reading forums and asking for a lot of advise. Life on the road is wonderfully simple. Do I have enough food/water with me? Where am I going to sleep tonight ?and will my legs last another x days without a rest day? simple.

It seems so many people (armchair travellers?) spend too much time (myself included before the trip) joining in these pointless discussions about gear and counting the grams. Shaving off 20g here, 50g there all nice in theory but now I always have 500g pasta, rice, flour, sugar, milk powder and 5kg of other food, plus up to 20kg water, and so long as the road isn’t too steep I really don’t notice the difference between 10L of water or 20L and if it is steeper it just takes me longer, so what!!.

There I was before the trip customising my multi-tool to save 50g. Though obviously I did make all the right decisions with my gear (try and find someone that doesn’t think they made the right decision after paying so much money).

People, cycle more, talk less.

Wild camping:

A long long time ago (seems that way anyway) I shared my doubts and fears of stealth camping/camping wild. Well, as promised with more practice it has become a lot easier, especially in these remoter areas, now I sleep like a baby when camping wild. I now often begrudge paying money at a campsite when in fact I’m often just paying for a comfy shit and a shower, barking dogs, cars coming and going and many other people noises.  I now find that I sleep better away from all those people noses, enjoy the night sky from inside my mesh inner tent and find it very convenient to just crash 10m from the road just before it gets dark. With a background noise of crickets and birds singing me a bedtime lullaby. It’s interesting how ones views chance so drastically with a little experience, though I won’t always have the convenience of these desolate deserts.

 The journey:

Around New Year I mentioned I was starting the personal journey and was ready to be alone and finished with small talk. Wow that seems like such a long time ago and is only 7 weeks. Now 7 weeks on I’ve had 2 evenings of good conversation in the free state, and a weekend in Van Zylsrus apart from that I haven’t exchanged more than a dozen words with anyone, usually paying for something or organising a room or campsite.

I’m a little shocked at how easy it’s been to be so “alone” and I still enjoy it most of the time and it gets easier all the time. But now I’m ready for a real conversation again, and still not ready for pointless small talk. It’s strange that in this modern “social” world that it’s so easy and so nice to be alone in the wilderness.

I must confess though that I have regular contact with friends, readers and stalkers though social media on my mobile phone. Maybe that makes it all a lot easier, happily alone but still in contact with people that are really interested (when it suits me!). It’s a changing world with all these smart phones, 3G and internet. I won’t start a conversation about the pro’s and con’s of staying connected but for me it does give a better balance, allowing me to share my story online rather than only in a diary and also to have interaction with readers.

I think had I done this 10 years ago I would of been a lot more lonely. Wait I did do this 10 years ago in SE Asia (without a bike) and was a lot more lonely. Case closed.

I wonder if any of that makes sense outside of my head….?

Lessons learned in my 3 years of cycle touring:

• When you need it most you discover your water filter won’t filter sand. There isn’t much water to filter in the desert…….
• You spend more time going up than down.
• Prevailing winds are a myth, a tailwind is as likely to turn up as a bus full of nurses.
• Water filters are not as convenient as you might hope, filtering dirty river water means cleaning the filter after every litre.
• Scorpions like sleeping under nice warm tent ground sheets at night.
• If you know nothing about shakes, you will be scared every time you see a snake, no matter how big or small.
• Breathable waterproof clothing is also a myth, either that or every product I try has asthma. But in the end they do keep you warm and wet rather than cold and wet.
• A puncture is never convenient, so just deal with it and move on.
• The “ultimate touring tire” is also a myth, some people get more punctures than others for a 1000 reasons, rolling resistance and a smooth ride are irrelevant when riding a 60kg bike on bad dirt roads.
• Just about every spare part or tool you carry will be the one you never need.
• Maps lie, so do locals, always check and double check with different sources.
• If a local says “that road, route, country is impossible to cycle” it is usually non-sense.
• Most people you speak to will assume you’re going to get mugged, killed or run over in the next town, county, state  or country.
• If a car driver tells you it’s another 5km, it could be anything between 5 and 25km.
• The top of the hill you see 300m in front of you is not the top of the pass, just another blind summit.
• Hitting gravel at 50km/h does not hurt. The cracked rib and gravel rash for the month after do.
• Flies, ticks and mosquitoes will love it if you don’t cover your gravel rash up with something.
• Planning travel time and distance is pointless, just ride and see how you feel on the day.
• When buying €3 flip flops you get what you pay for €4 ones are not a lot better.
• You spend more money in internet cafe’s updating your website than you will ever  make through Google adds. Or maybe I don’t have enough of those ugly banners like this one on my site.
  
  
• The bicycle has an huge invisible magnet which pulls busses, trucks and cars towards it, be careful!
• People are kinder, more open and welcoming than most of us expect, you just have to see it and be open for it.
• Your body and mind will become tougher the longer you travel.
• It’s ok to dance, sing or talk to your bike when alone…..Well I hope it is, I do it a lot.
• Cycle touring will change your life, probably for the better.
•  Cycle touring will change your life, probably for the better.

The end!