Yesterday we sat down and reflected on the last year. The podcast versions are available on our website at: http://bicyclegeography.googlepages.com/home
How has your world view changed in the last year?
LK: Although I have become more patriotic about my country, I believe that the US must come to know the world more. US citizens should travel abroad and learn about other places and people. Knowledge is power. Integration is better than assimilation.
CK: The biggest thing I realized was that people everywhere are just doing the best they can. Poor, rich, 3rd world, 1st world. I found that people and cultures adapted and adopted their surrounding with ease and that life doesn’t have to be a struggle or a chore. People everywhere are good and they just need a reason or a chance to show it.
Looking back on the year, what was the biggest thing on your mental map that was completely blown out of the water when we actually started touring?
LK: Bicycle touring is not glamorous. I think I had this picture in my mind that every day would be wonderful. If it was glamorous, everyone would do it. However, I do believe it is the best way to travel if you’re up to the level of effort it requires.
CK: I think we both thought that it would be a lot more glamorous than is actually is. Eating, sleeping, working on the ground. Going to the bathroom off the side of the road. Chased by dogs. Grocery shopping. They are all things that can be done at home, and the only thing that makes them glamorous is that you are in a foreign place.
What was something that held true that you didn’t think would?
LK: I still love to ride a bicycle. In fact, I think I’m more passionate about bicycles and all they represent.
CK: My lust for travel and adventure, whether on a bike, or foot, or train, or car hasn’t diminished. In fact I think it has become even stronger and more focused. I love getting up every day and getting on my bike and seeing what is around the next corner and what is over that next hill and what the locals are like and what the local beer tastes like. I really feel like this trip is just feeding the beast.
If you could sum up your life now in a couple of sentences, what would you say?
LK: This journey has helped me figure out who I thought I was, who I really am, and who I might become.
CK: Simplicity. It is a lot less than a couple of sentences. Through this journey I have found that I need very few items to keep my life happy, and fulfilled. I need very few feelings to describe how I feel and I know that the woman I married is L-O-V-E...love.
What’s one experience, good or bad, that will stay with you for the rest of your life?
LK: The Laos route from Luang Prabang to Vientiene with Joanne, Hamish, Donal, Hans, and Ben. It seemed like it all came together in Laos. The positive energy was flowing. I felt like we were just doing the trip rather than just trying to do the trip. I think it was a period of time where I was most in the moment everyday.
CK: I don’t think that there are any bad experiences from this trip. The spirit of the road from meeting the bike crew in Laos is probably the biggest experience that will stay with me. Meeting randomly, bonding over food and drink and staying together for the better part of two weeks. We had just a moment in time together and parting we knew that we would probably never see one another again, and that was ok. What we did together, saw together and experienced together affected me a lot more than I realized at the time.
How has your world view changed in the last year?
LK: Although I have become more patriotic about my country, I believe that the US must come to know the world more. US citizens should travel abroad and learn about other places and people. Knowledge is power. Integration is better than assimilation.
CK: The biggest thing I realized was that people everywhere are just doing the best they can. Poor, rich, 3rd world, 1st world. I found that people and cultures adapted and adopted their surrounding with ease and that life doesn’t have to be a struggle or a chore. People everywhere are good and they just need a reason or a chance to show it.
Looking back on the year, what was the biggest thing on your mental map that was completely blown out of the water when we actually started touring?
LK: Bicycle touring is not glamorous. I think I had this picture in my mind that every day would be wonderful. If it was glamorous, everyone would do it. However, I do believe it is the best way to travel if you’re up to the level of effort it requires.
CK: I think we both thought that it would be a lot more glamorous than is actually is. Eating, sleeping, working on the ground. Going to the bathroom off the side of the road. Chased by dogs. Grocery shopping. They are all things that can be done at home, and the only thing that makes them glamorous is that you are in a foreign place.
What was something that held true that you didn’t think would?
LK: I still love to ride a bicycle. In fact, I think I’m more passionate about bicycles and all they represent.
CK: My lust for travel and adventure, whether on a bike, or foot, or train, or car hasn’t diminished. In fact I think it has become even stronger and more focused. I love getting up every day and getting on my bike and seeing what is around the next corner and what is over that next hill and what the locals are like and what the local beer tastes like. I really feel like this trip is just feeding the beast.
If you could sum up your life now in a couple of sentences, what would you say?
LK: This journey has helped me figure out who I thought I was, who I really am, and who I might become.
CK: Simplicity. It is a lot less than a couple of sentences. Through this journey I have found that I need very few items to keep my life happy, and fulfilled. I need very few feelings to describe how I feel and I know that the woman I married is L-O-V-E...love.
What’s one experience, good or bad, that will stay with you for the rest of your life?
LK: The Laos route from Luang Prabang to Vientiene with Joanne, Hamish, Donal, Hans, and Ben. It seemed like it all came together in Laos. The positive energy was flowing. I felt like we were just doing the trip rather than just trying to do the trip. I think it was a period of time where I was most in the moment everyday.
CK: I don’t think that there are any bad experiences from this trip. The spirit of the road from meeting the bike crew in Laos is probably the biggest experience that will stay with me. Meeting randomly, bonding over food and drink and staying together for the better part of two weeks. We had just a moment in time together and parting we knew that we would probably never see one another again, and that was ok. What we did together, saw together and experienced together affected me a lot more than I realized at the time.
Here's to a year on the road,
LK and CK
1 comment:
CONGRATULATIONS!!! It's easier said than done to put into words how happy we are for you on accomplishing this goal, finding your route in life, and still managing to inspire the rest of us just by doing what you love to do. High fives and chest bumps from across the miles.
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