En Bicicleta por el mundo - Cycling the World

Better late than never - I wish a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2012 to all of you !

The new year starts with busy and as always last-minute preparations for a new trip, this time I want to give something back and support a good cause while travelling. 

Thus, I will be cycling trying to raise funds for the charity "Cycling out of Poverty" - with a variety of projects they support small entrepreneurs, students and health workers in Africa by giving access to bicycles through micro credit. Please visit their website www.coop-africa.org for more detailed info on their current proyects and activities.

Calendar 2012

For all of you who have enjoyed the pictures I took on my way around Europe and who would love to go on dreaming during the whole year, I edited a DIN A4 seized foto calendar printed on high quality paper with my favourite fotos of the past trip. For a sneek preview, please click on the foto above.

If you are interested in purchasing a calendar and support the good cause please send me an e-mail with your postal adress.
Please note that material costs, postage and packaging are about 15 € per calendar, but I would ask you to set your own price in case you think this little work of art is worth more.
Rest assured that every single cent you pay extra will go to the charity Cycling out of Poverty.  

Thank you beforehand !

Sascha

Every one who is seriously considering going on a long bicycle journey does or will wonder about his/her ride at one point.
Can I set off on a "normal" bike ? or Will I need to purchase a special touring bike ? Is a used Mountainbike good enough?  Should the frame be made of aluminum or steel? Is a 425 millimeter chainstay long enough and a 90 millimeter stem short enough?

Will I need lights or even a dynamo-hub ? What gears/shifters should I choose to pedal around the world ? Shimano LX, XT or Rohloff gear-hub ? Are V-brakes good enough or should I choose hydraulic brakes? What kind of saddle for my delicate behind? How strong should the racks be to carry my gear ? Should be pedals be broad or narrow to fit my shoes ? Shall I get shoes that click onto the pedal itself ?

Is the handlebar comfortable enough to hold onto it for some 8-9 hours every day ?
Which rims resist best on rough roads and nevertheless be reasonable light weight? Which tire should I choose to best avoid punctures? Will I need fenders to keep me and the luggage dry ? Would a kick-stand come in handy ? Should the inner tubes be with car- or Schrader valves ? Will I need four panniers or could I fit my stuff in two maybe ?

And after you have made up your mind about all the points above for a fortnight you still have not found an answer to the question - where to buy such a bike ? and which bike-shop can give me the best deal for my (little) money and nevertheless offers a good after-sales service?

Luckily I had some spare time to think about all that - but somehow I still haven´t found the answer to the hardest question of all ...

                                    WHICH COLOR SHOULD THE BIKE BE ?

I spent December and January in Odessa, Ukraine to improve my knowledge of the Russian language to a level which (one day hopefully) will make it possible for me to do some more traveling and exploring in countries of the former Soviet Union or Russia herself.

During two month I lived first in a backpackers hostel (The Babushka Grand - literally a Grand place) and later I shared a tiny 2-room apartment near the centre of Odessa with a crazy guy from south-America who was very fond of Russian boys. His orgies never ended  and by the end of the first month I felt deprived of sleep and fed up with the banging of doors all night long only to find used condoms all over the bathroom the next day, the kitchen table full of bottles of vodka and the bathtub (!!)  full of vomit.

I was more than ready to leave this madhouse and go travel. Winter was still all around and I had nothing to cycle on. So, the only option was to use (mini-)buses and trains to move through eastern Europe.
This meant endless queuing at ticket counters dealing with grumpy employees, trying to avoid pushy taxi drivers, endure seemingly never-ending overnight train rides in old,smelly wagons (always wishing you don t have to use the loo because the stink and swamped floors of the facilities makes you want to vomit) and of course the cope with the body odour and extravaganzas of your fellow travelers. ( Actually I know some guy from the US who in the middle of the night riding the train from Bucharest to Belgrade - manages to shine his shoes !)

Like a couple of month back, I visited Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia ( I stayed almost two weeks in the Romanian capital - Bucharest. Not much to see really, but people are great, food,drink and live in general is cheap and I had an amazing time with my friends).

In Skopje I met up with my friend Dejan, a 33 year old above-knee amputee, who was about to leave for an epic 5.000 km journey across China. During 3 years he wants to travel a total of 20.000km on different continents - for him a  journey of learning, sharing and inspiring himself and others amputees.
It is impossible to find a good-quality touring bicycle and gear in Macedonia, so I offered my bike and bags for Dejans travels.  I hope my small support helps my friend on his way. Read all about Dejans journey here:  Cycling China

Now I am back in Berlin, waiting for the spring - once again crashing on my cousins couch, planing my route towards Middle East and hunting for a new touring bike.
 

. . .

Here is to freedom and friendship, to family. Here is to adventure and passion, to luck, to joy and hospitality.  To the rain in our face and to the wind in our hair.  To the mountains and valleys, to the sea and to the sky. To Love. To life.

Here is to everybody who shared some of the above with me this last year - be it brother, mother, father, friend, stranger, fellow traveler, host or guest.

Without your passion, helping hand and warm support, this trip would NOT happen. 

Thank You !
Merry Christmas !

Last night around 1:56 h in the morning, the earth shook in southern Serbia.

The epicentre was about 110 km north west of my location, near the town of Kraljevo and its magnitude reportedly reached 5.6 on the Richter scale, killing two people and injuring about 50 others .
Only being considered a MODERATE earthquake (which can "cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings) it nevertheless killed two people and injured about 50 others .

At the moment of the quake I was playing a computer game with my friend Nikola, at first I thought a truck shook the floor ... but there was no sound of a heavy vehicle nearby and the floor did not stop shaking. As we ran out of the building my heart was racing - we have been right in the center of town, surrounded by high buildings.

Local media report that no aftershocks are being expected.

After two weeks stay at Nikolas (my couchsurfing host in Nis, southern Serbia) , I managed to make a "getaway" from a bunch of new friends, a cozy bed and full fridge and ride on towards Macedonia.

The last couple of days I spent playing around with my fotos, trying to creat some HDR (High Dynamic Range) shots. Here are the latest examples. Do you like them ?