On the 5th October I flew to Dubai, UAE to work on exhibition stands at the Gitex technology trade-shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I returned to Dubai on 27th.

This was a great opportunity to finance my Goldsmiths university course, get a change of scenery and be paid to travel somewhere. At first I would have thought Dubai wouldn’t appeal to me but there were many reasons to be intrigued. Travelling there, I at first considered to be a means to an end but it turned out to be a really memorable experience.

Got the train down to bournemouth and cycled along the coast path. Full story to come…

I’m in Christchurch. Me and Siobhan got the train down to Poole and there was torrential rain. I was sick of at looking at the wealth on display in Poole so it was good when we got over to Studland via the ferry. The ferry clunked and clanked. In the distance was Brownsea island.

I’d never been to Ireland before and so Siobhan and I decided to cycle there. I’d convinced S to buy a bike for commuting in London and now I had the chance to introduce her to cycle touring.

I planned a route and I got my dad to drive us to Tamworth to miss out the first bit in the midlands. Then we made our way via smaller roads through Staffordshire towns and villages into Wales, to Llangollen and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and onward to Anglesey.

Tom and I met up for a spot of Geocaching in London. Geocaching is when someone hides something and puts the GPS location online then you go and find it.

Searching round the back of this statue for the package.

Reading the rolled up paper with notes from previous finders.

A closer look.

Adding our message to the list.

Then we replaced it back where we had found it. Its good wholesome fun and gets you out of the house.

My first flat in London was in Peckham, about half way along the Rye. I explored the area by bike, walking and running. I was doing a project about psychogeography and was often trying to pay attention to my emotions whilst walking about. I was also looking for whatever caught my interest in the environment and capturing it in photo stories.

Tesco sign takes on an ominous feel next to the sinister looking spike-topped fencing.

Returning back from the Mongolia trip on public transport, I arrived back into the UK via Calais. I decided to cycle back home from there.

Cycling long distances for utility purposes in in the UK was not something I had considered before. However, with my cycle touring experiences, it now was normal for me to cover hundreds of miles by bicycle. I just needed to have the time.

After that trip I needed to go down to London a few times and I decided, instead of taking the train, to cycle. It became a kind of commute for me, 100 miles each way.

Yesterday I cycled 140km from Dover to Central London where I now reside. I’ve had a lot of time to digest the brilliant travel experience I’ve had in the last 2 months.

TODO: Photo from Andy Welch’s cycle adventures

The Mongolian countryside was epic

The relative shortness of the Mongolia trip compared to previous trips has not made it feel less worthwhile. On the contrary the trip has rejuvenated my interest in cycling and bike touring.

Tom and I headed from Moron, where we had taken some days off to rest, to Hatgal which is a town on the Southern tip of lake Hovsgol. We had grown sick of pedalling across the steppe and were in search of a change of scenary. We met two Finnish and an Australian cyclist and we joined them in the evening for a meal of fresh Yak over the stove in the ger.

Over the last week of riding Tom and I have ventured off the beaten track. After the town of Bulgan the asphalt ended. Soon we were back on the dirt tracks which have made cycling more fun overall.

TODO: Mongolia - cycling Bulgan - moron - may 2010 (2)

We cycled on open steppe and climbed a number of stunning passes. One night we camped on the edge of a wide area of pine forest on the hillside. When the sun set it cast a rich glow through the trees and over our campsite giving some great photo opportunities.

The last week has been a lot of fun cycling off-road through stunning scenery with a generous helping of bizarre weather conditions.

TODO: tom- another plain another day

We started out from Ulaan Baatar on a hot sunny afternoon. We cycled through gridlocked traffic but were soon outside of the city. We stopped briefly for a plate of traditional noodles with mutton and vegetables.

The countryside has been predominantly wide open hilly grassland. There are herds of horses, cattle and sheep roaming around. There are plenty of traditional nomadic Mongolian tents called gers dotted around. They are usually positioned in sheltered spots which is good for learning to pitch our own tentes.