Team Kiwi rides the world.
We are blessed
We are grateful and humbled
Grateful for each other
Grateful to be able to ride around the world
Grateful for everyone we met on our journey
Being able to meet the challenges of an adventure like this requires
Being able to Trust each other
Being able to show trust in any one we meet
Sensory stimulus is continuous
When every sense is activated every day
Bringing the thrill of new sensations.
Splendid natural scenery
Food that thrills my organoleptic senses
Architecture that astounds
When do we ever have time to ponder
When are we convinced we are truly loved
When do we know we can trust and be trusted?
To rediscover what it feels like to be the ‘other’
In a strange land
Where a smile and a wave opens hearts,
What part does kindness play
Respect begets respect
Friendships of the moment are profound gifts
The intimacy of spending almost every minute of every day together
Creates special demands for each of us. To make it work
Kindness, respect, forgiveness are fundamental.
Meditations on back of the bike happened randomly each day. Including
Musing on Trust, kindness, respect, faith, hope, joy, freedom, friendship, truth, lies
Family, food, shelter, fear, history, migration, light, water, bread, earth and limits.
What is it like being on the back of the bike for hours each day?
Being very present in the moment
Seeing the world in new ways
Sometimes through the lens of my camera
Sometimes through the lens of my heart
Sometimes through the lens of just being, feeling the air, seeing birds flying
Yes, I pray
Yes, I know others are praying
Yes, I ask for squadrons of angels to come each day, and they do.
Sometimes I stretch my legs
Sometimes I stand up
Sometimes I do a variety of Pilates and Feldenkrais moves
For the first time in my life I have listened to audio books, about 60 of them
Often a whole book in a day. They are wonderful.
I really enjoyed The Salt Path, To the River and Educated
Music lifted my spirits as we rode along
Music is integral to every culture.
Music in a myriad of styles and settings was enthralling
I learned many things
I was reminded that there is a solution for every problem
I am reminded that every journey comprises many small stages.
I know that I am truly blessed by every experience and every person we met on the journey
I know that Dick has done an amazing thing riding us both around the world
I know that I am humbled by the spontaneous generosity and love of strangers.
New Zealand
Setting off on our ride in Japan
We loved riding in Japan. We loved the people and we loved the delicious food.
Riding in Siberia, Russia was eye opening. We loved having the company of Lenus Du Preez (top right).
Children in Mongolia.
Shuree in Mongolia with a message for us all.
A beautiful church near Baikal at a nunnery. Such a peaceful place.
Members of this family saved our trip. We damaged both tyres and wheel rims in a pothole.
Almaty, Kazachstan with Robyn and Mark Tootill - fellow Kiwi riders on an adventure.
Words are not always necessary. Azeri women who befriended me.
Honey man in Turkey.
Andorra
Gibraltar
Portugal. The Cabo da Roca. The most westerly point in Europe.
France: in the Pyrenees at Luchon with Zom, Ozznie and Em.
Canada, Montebello.
In Tblisi, Georgia, celebrating our east-west circumnavigation. We rode from London to Georgia en route CapeTown in 2016.
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