My first guest post is from Cez Krol, a vagabond, constant dreamer and an adventure hunter who quit his 8-5 job to make his way around the world. A co-owner of a travel blog called etramping.com. It is my great honor to have him in my blog!
"Are you out of your mind? You could have got lost, got killed or kidnapped. You could have got crashed by a car or break your legs falling of the bike. What were you thinking?!" That's how I was greeted when at the age of 10 I cycled to my Grandma 's house, which is ~30km away from my childhood home. Yeah, I didn't ask for permission from my parents...
I always loved cycling, although never paid too much attention to this. It was just recreational thing I did from time to time when I felt I need some fresh air. Never even thought of it as a passion, until we have arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (me and Agness), after cycling nearly 2500 km through Vietnam. It was this moment, and many others on the way, that showed me that I've been made for cycling. That I needed cycling. That cycling is something I always look forward to.
Of course, not all cycling styles are for everyone, and I'm certainly not a competitive type in that sense. I don't care if someone is faster or slower than me. I don't see magic in jumping and other tricks. For me it's the views from the road and the time I have to talk to myself, undisturbed by others - something that long-distance cycling offers well.
My dream is to take my passion to the next level. I want to cycle from China to Poland. There are so many beautiful countries on the way, views that are unimaginable, and rarely seen by other travellers. There's simply not enough time to take them all in from a car's or train's seat. I want to experience it all, but it needs a lot of preparation.
For this reason, last year I decided to do a solo cycling trip around Japan. My intention was to sleep in a tent, cook for myself, and cycle everywhere I want to. I have prepared all the equipment, made all the necessary arrangements, had it all worked out where it could be done. I wanted to prove that it's possible to spend a month in Japan (one of the most expensive countries in the world) for less than $25 a day.
Unfortunately, it all went down the drain when I broke my knee just 3 weeks before departure. My accident proved that plans only make God laugh - it's not for us to plan. In this way, my test drive ended before it started.
Now, I still intend to do what I planned, but because of my knee injury, which is still healing, I have to postpone it. I'm happy to say, that I can once again cycle, and I do several kilometres every week. If everything works out well, in 2015 I will start a trip of my lifetime... If you'd like to join me, please get in touch here.
Have you ever tried long-distance cycling? Share your experiences in comments.
Thank you very much for this article, Cez! :)
