The other day I was cycling towards Trabzon.  We cycled in a number of dark, ominous looking tunnels. I’m cycling along, and then there it is, another black hole. My blood pressure rises, the hard shoulder thins and squeezes me off onto the road to share it with the multi-tonne trucks flying past, spraying me with muddy water. I check over my shoulder, hopefully I will make it through, before being chased by the next vehicle.

Although people are helpful and friendly, we often get looked at like we have three heads. I find it funny, and it’s completely harmless and utterly understandable. Two bearded English men turn up. One is wearing a fluorescent sock on his head and looks like a traffic cone; the other is wearing a ridiculous helmet with go-faster-stripes, and Klingon-esque air vents. Why would someone on a bicycle want to wear a helmet anyway? They don’t go fast enough, there’s no engine. Both weirdos have multiple yellow luggage bags attached to their bikes, and one bike has three wheels.

I am in Kadikoy on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. We have reached Asia by bike! Today commences our third week in Istanbul. It is a multi-layered and vibrant place; enough to make one consider staying longer.

However, the open road and adventure beckons once again. Crossing a whole continent is a significant milestone in the journey. Reflecting back, the feat seems equally absurd as it does real. I feel like I have lived a lifetime in the last 4 months. It has been a great learning process. Random occurrences have been commonplace and becoming accustomed to living with uncertainty is a fundamental theme.

We arrived in Romania a couple of days ago. We crossed the border and had a long night after realising we had crossed at the wrong place and had to return to the official crossing and cross there. It was dark and wet; lightning was striking around my feet and the officials were stroking their moustaches with intent.

We have the addition of a new member of Ride Earth called Maria who we met in Budapest. She is cycling along on an old touring bike we picked up for twenty quid from the local scrapyard.

Staying with a family on the way to Istanbul.

We arrived in Istanbul after cycling along a dangerous highway, through 75km of suburban sprawl, which was a traumatic experience. We rewarded ourselves with a gourmet kebab that we couldn’t afford from a small place full of old men drinking, smoking and chatting.

It had grown dark in the city after watching the sunset on the cycle in. We needed to get to our accommodation with a Couchsurfer, which was about 25km away, in Besiktas the other side of the Golden Horn. Tom and I were both tired, so we decided to split up to find it.

The first few days in Romania were mentally tough. We donned full wet weather gear and ventured onwards. It was overcast, drizzly, cold and miserable. The road away from the border was full of lorries, one after the other, spraying bucket-sized quantities of water over us. In the morning, we cooked a huge meal at a bus stop and washed pots in a puddle next to bemused-looking people waiting for a bus.

It’s been six weeks now and I’m settling into the lifestyle. Each day is a mind-expanding experience. Creature comforts such as a shower and comfortable bed that I was once used to are now an occasional luxury. Each day is limited only by our own decisions in each moment, leading us off down pathways of chance meetings and opportunities.

When I last blogged, we were still in Belgium. We have since travelled through France to Switzerland and stayed with our WWF contact in Geneva where we took the opportunity to rest for a couple of days.

Another day on the road. I drink a large coffee, pack the trailer, panniers and start pedalling. Each new experience is challenging my preconceptions and leaving me exciting, anticipating the next adventure.

The most difficult thing so far is the challenge of working in a team, sharing and taking into account three sets of ideas. However, it is ultimately a very rewarding experience.

What is completely unexpected is the amount of hospitality we have received. Through asking people where to camp or to fill water bottles, we have been invited in for coffee, even food and a place to sleep or camp. For me this is the most interesting aspect of the trip so far and offers a glimpse into the philosophy and lifestyle of different people.

Sitting on a park in Vienna after a huge thunderstorm, I find a moment of tranquillity and reflection.

Earlier on I had walked down into the city to have a wander. As I strolled along in a trance, the thick air made me feel drunk and my skin clammy.

Hot and humid throughout the day, dark clouds gathered far on the horizon. The blue sky lifted away, invaded by a heavy blanket of thick white, promising an unpredictable change in the weather but not giving any clues away.