Extravagant
Temples in the Kathmandu Valley are overloaded with golden statues and ornate woodwork.
In the West, these elegant sculptures and carvings would be locked away in a museum, but not here!
Morocco – bicycle touring
Exotic
Some cyclists think you have to fly to the other side of the globe to experience a completely different culture.
But that’s not true. You can go to Morocco.
And why not? The country has some of the most stunning landscapes in the world.
Combined with gorgeous architecture and hospitable people, it’s a winning combination.
Back to Morocco
Morocco Marrakesh
Drama
Evenings in the Djemaa El Fna, are pure street theatre wherein everyone has a role.
Musicians play, snake-charmers entertain while restaurants fire up their grills and beckon strolling tourists to come taste their fare.
More Marrakesh impressions:
Back to Morocco
Morocco evening
Expectant
As night falls, the lights go on in Taddert’s main street.
There’s an air of expectancy as everyone waits for the busses to arrive.
The town is the favourite meal stop of people traveling over the Tizi n’Tichka pass.
More Tizi n’Tichka impressions:
Back to Morocco
Morocco cycling
Favorite
From the summit of Tizi n’Tichka we took the backroad down to Aït Benhaddou.
The route is stunning, especially the contrast between the verdent green valley floor and the surrounding mountains.
More Tizi n’Tichka impressions:
Back to Morocco
Royal barges
Royal
Thais were gathered on the river banks, waiting for something. But we couldn’t find out what.
Then the Royal barge procession began.
More Bangkok impressions:
Back to Thailand
East-Africa – rain-tent
Hospitality
After pedaling through a thunderstorm, we were exhausted and sought shelter in a school room.
We quickly ate and crawled in our tent for the night.
But the locals had other ideas. “This is not comfortable! You must come and sleep by the village headman” they declared.
We tried to reassure them, but an hour later the chief arrived. It took nearly an hour to convince him that we were fine.
More on tour impressions:
Back to East Africa
East-Africa – mosquito-net
Tight-fit
The only guesthouse in town had just a single room over.
We tossed a coin as to who got the bed. I won.
My sleeping mat is comfortable and above all, clean!
More on the road impressions:
Back to East Africa
Nepal – hotel
Tranquil?
Blue is a ‘calming’ color yet our hotel room was anything but.
Paul opened the door for some ventilation. In wafted the scent of the toilet down the hall.
Then he opened the window. “Honk, honk! Bam, bam, bam!” echoed through the room.
We gave up and went into ‘meditation mode’, repeating the mantra; “Tomorrow we leave at daybreak!”
More on the road impressions:
Back to Nepal
World – bicycle touring
Some of our favorite bicycle touring pictures from around the globe.
For more cycling images visit Paul’s bicycle photography site at www.pauljeurissen.nl
World – bicycle culture
Some of our favorite bike culture pictures from around the globe.
For more bike culture images visit Paul’s bicycle photography site at www.pauljeurissen.nl
Bangladesh – bicycle culture
Transport
Rickshaws vastly outnumber two-wheelers in towns, whereas bicycles are more common in the countryside.
They’re used to travel to outlying places from where you can’t flag down a three-wheeler to get back home.
Back to Bangladesh
Bangladesh rickshaws
Rickshaws
If there’s one thing that’s a symbol of Bangladesh, it has to be its colorful trishaws.
These moving works of art are everywhere.
Back to Bangladesh
Bangladesh – Paharpur
Magical
Paharpur dates back to the 8th century and was once the largest Buddhist monastery south of the Himalaya.
We stayed at the Paharpur guesthouse which was located inside the grounds. Early the next morning we walked alone amongst the ruins, soaking up the atmosphere.
Then the gates opened and Bangladeshi day-trippers flooded in.
As soon as they spotted us it was, “Madame, madame! Can we take our picture with you?” The attention didn’t let up until closing time.
Back to Bangladesh
Bangladesh – old Dhaka
Congested
The backstreets of old Dhaka are permanently clogged.
Since our touring bikes are quite narrow, we managed to manoeuver through the traffic jams.
And when we couldn’t spot an opening, friendly rickshaw chauffeurs would point to places they thought we could squeeze through.
More Dhaka impressions:
Back to Bangladesh
