How it began:
In July 2001 we, Suzan and Okke, took off on our recumbent bikes to travel from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) via the Balkan and Iran to the Gujarat region in India.
At the end of January 2001 the Indian region of Gujarat was devastated by an earthquake causing approximately 50.000 casualties and more than a million homeless people. It will take years and years before the inhabitants of this region will be able to resume their lives as before.
This disaster has caused us to dedicate our journey to the earthquake victims and to try and raise as much money as possible to donate to the joint relief organizations grouped in the SHO.
On this site we will inform sponsors, friends, family and other interested parties on our progress.
Please visit our page with sponsors. They have been so kind to help us out or to donate to SHO and deserve praise.

Change of plans:
Due to the horrible events that took place on and after september 11th 2001, we changed our plans. We've spent a great deal thinking and discussing about entering Iran and Pakistan. We feel this part of the world is just not 'the place to be' in this timeframe, so our overland trip to India has stranded in eastern Turkey. At november 9 we arrived in Bangkok, Thailand. We're planning to spend some months cycling in Asia. We hope you will keep following us. We'll keep posting our travelstories.

 
   

Latest news (may 29th 2002):
We're home! At may 13th, we landed at Schiphol, Amsterdam airport. The last six weeks of our journey we spent in India. We both loved and hated this crazy country and we might come back there. In Rishikesh we did yoga at Rudra Dev's Yoga study center. When the heat became unbearable we went up to McLeod Ganj, where we took a ten day introductory course in Buddism at Tushita's meditation centre.
After two weeks in chilly Holland, our lives are still far from normal. It will take us some time to get adjusted to the Dutch lifestyle. Our first mission here is to fully update and complete this site with travelstories and pictures of Laos and India.
Recent encounters:
In Bangkok we met Trevor J. Allen, co-owner of the Shenanigans pub and The Ministry of Sound. We spent a great night at this club. Trevor told us about The Blazing Saddles, the fund-raising arm of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland. Their fundraising trips in which cyclists take blind and visually-impaired persons on long haul trips are the premier of such events. You can read all about them at http://www.blazingsaddles.ie/
Location: Holland - Heading to: Normal life - Kilometers cycled: 8523 - Latest diary: Thailand - Latest pictures: Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore