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Overwhelmed with Wonder in Armenia and Iran
October 17, 2008
Iran has at times been a challenge with regards to cycling alone. I have dealt with this mostly by recording myself talking on a voice recorder, singing, shouting, listening to the Mighty Boosh and occasionally weeping. However, along with feelings of lonliness which quickly evaporate I am presented with the content and playful feeling that the freedom of decisions and the imagination manifests. There is a wonderful sense of balance with the surroundings when alone on the road amongst the exotic and mysterious landscape of the stony, dry and dusty plains of the desert reaching up to bare, steep, rocky mountains, floating gently on beds of sand dunes and haze.
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Path, direction and large floating triangles of rock
October 16, 2008
Just a quick one this. I’ve pedalled down into the south of Iran. The weather has been pretty hot during the middle of the day so I’m on the road by 6 to make the most of the cool clear mornings. I’ve visited the cities of Esfahan, Yazd and Kerman. Esfahan has a river (mostly dried up now) with some fantastic ancient bridges, the huge Imam square, mosques and Persian palace of Hasht Beseht.
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Going From A Stationary to a Nomadic Lifestyle
September 29, 2008
Hi, I’m back in that bumpy, unforgiving place of discovery they call the road. This time I’ve only got myself and the wildlife for company. I’m in exotic ancient Persia, or Iran on modern maps. I traversed the mountainous land of Armenia in a thigh burning, vodka toting, but rewarding 6 days. The luxury of experience has offered me nuggets of wisdom when travelling by 2 wheeled steeds. Eat a huge amount, drink vast quantities, and use the flow.
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Writing from Tehran, Iran
September 24, 2008
Written whilst in Tehran looking ahead to cycling through Iran in 2008. Facing Fears I’m travelling in my head. When I stop my mindset changes. I feel lethargic today. I think maybe I could do with being alone some more. It’s pleasant for some time, even satisfying. If I can get a grip of my fear I can enjoy it. The city is a place where I cannot be still but it is the opposite in the wider less populated places.
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Will I Get My Bicycle Back From War-Torn Georgia?
August 22, 2008
Right now, I am sitting in the garden of my girlfriend’s house in France. I’ve just realised that one mosquito has bitten me on my neck, elbow and leg. I travelled back to England from Georgia by public transport, to visit my family and get a visa in London. It took 5 days and was a great experience. I’ve just received a new Extrawheel trailer which I look forward to using when hit the road again.
Tags: War2008Cycle touringGeorgiaAdventurepublic-transportvisaEnglandExtrawheel
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Finding Real News These Days Is Not Easy But Its Important
August 19, 2008
This morning, I have been digging through the news about the conflict between Russia and Georgia. I am trying to find some articles, which are closer to what I consider to be the truth. Typing ‘real news’ into Google, I came across a news website which is member supported and does not accept advertising, government or corporate funding (http://therealnews.com). It seemed to me like a good start. I found the following pieces interesting:
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Media Coverage of War is As Confusing as War Itself
August 14, 2008
I’ve been following the news media frenzy on the conflict in Georgia. There are many news media channels available on google.co.uk/news and I’ve been watching the news breaking on this story, which has snowballed over the last ten days. In one article in the Times, I saw the following story: “A Georgian interior ministry spokesman said that, Russian forces were destroying Gori, which is about 50 miles north west of Tbilisi.
Tags: VagabondWarMediaTravelNewsGeorgiaTbilisiRussiaConflictnewsreporting
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When War Comes Too Close for Comfort
August 9, 2008
Today Georgia declared a state of war with Russia. Luckily, I’d left on the 26th of July to come home to England and surprise my family. I travelled by bus and train. I’m planning to start to travel back towards Georgia on Monday. I hope that by the time I intend to get back to Tbilisi (around the beginning of September) - the situation will have quietened down. I have secured my visas for onward travel into Azerbaijan, Iran and Pakistan, but if I can’t get to my bike which is in the basement of my friend’s (the architect) house, then I will be stuck and delayed.
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Earn Money and Stay Longer in One Place to Deepen Your Travel Experience
June 30, 2008
I’m working on a website for a real estate company here in Georgia because I have run out of money for the round the world bicycle trip. I’m living with a Dutch architect and an English real estate company director called Richard. It’s a nice novelty to live with an English (as my French girlfriend Fanny would call us), but we’re just so bloody English… The architect has a dream to cycle round the world, so it’s nice to have something in common.
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Travel Twists Space and Time And You Need To Experience It
March 31, 2008
I’m in Tbilisi and hopefully this blog will fill in what has been happening with me. As you may know I arrived in Yerevan for the first time, by bicycle, on the 24th January. I met up with Tom in the city, after we had cycled alone from near the Georgian border. Fanny came out to visit me in Yerevan and we stayed with friends, Max and Irene. We had wonderful times which passed too quickly.
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The Marshrutka Experience Will Stay With Me For Life
March 19, 2008
The driver’s wearing a leather jacket, thick material. I think, “that’s too hot inside this cramped vehicle, it must be for the look”. The driver’s visual appearance is like a gangster out of a Guy Ritchie film. Somehow I convinced myself to put my trust in this gold-teeth-laden man with ring and bracelet to match. He’s wearing his savings. Across his weathered-looking face is pair of dirty, gold-tinted sunglasses, so I can’t quite see the colour of his eyes in the rear view mirror.
Tags: Creative writingVanMarshrutkaMinibusPublic transportArmeniaTravelGeorgia
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Discovering Armenia - A Gem in the Caucasus
March 15, 2008
I arrived in Yerevan last Wednesday. I have been staying with some wonderful new friends who work at the French Embassy. From the first village after crossing the border into Armenia from Georgia, Tom and I decided to cycle alone to Yerevan. Cycling alone gives one more freedom. I decide when to move, stop, eat, or continue. The decisions are my own without excuses. There is no one else to blame but myself if things don’t go according to plan.