Monthly Archives: May 2016

Australia Pt. 2 – Through Nothing to Nowhere

As you get to read this I’m out cycling. Peddling down dusty dirt tracks somewhere in the vast nothingness of the Northern Territory, slowly making my way south towards Australia’s red centre. Far from civilisation. Light years from a functioning wifi connection.

Writing though I’m still back up in Halls Creek, comfortably snuggled up in the couch of my host Shannon and with a router on arm length’s distance. So I figured I might as well make the most of it and set you guys up with a few nuggets from the road up until here.

What it’s like out here? Main keyword would be G o r g e o u s.

Powering through from north to south is best done along the great Stewart Highway reaching the 3 000 km from Darwin to Adelaide. If you want to get there, that is. I really, really don’t. Because however cliché that ‘it’s the journey, not the destination’-thing might be, it is still true.

I’m cycling around the world. If reaching the finish line was my goal, I could have just stayed there to begin with.

First chance I got, I took off for the smaller Victoria Highway. And from there onto the ever smaller – and virtually empty – Buntine Highway. Then I peddled.

Until the sealed road turned to dust.

And I was home.

Australia is big. Just like with China, that is old news. Intellectually knowing that a place is big though, is something completely different from actually setting off to take on the place on a pushbike.

You go, and go. Put in the hours, day in and day out.

You look at the map.


…& then you take one of those classic ‘I’m not moving anyways’-breaks

You see the signs? In between you find what we usually refer to as nothing. With the exception of one single aboriginal community Kalkarindji. A place the size of a thumbnail, with a 400 people population that is – let’s say – not very used to visits from blonde girls on bicycles.


Downtown Kalkarindji

The rest though? All of that nothingness? As always, this is where the magic lies hidden. Leaving Kalkarindji – stocked up on food, human contact and another 20 liter batch of water – I was off. Ready to officially let the games begin.


Oh yeah, don’t let me fool you. Sometimes I do wonder what the heck I’m really doing.

I could have another go at trying to tell you how much I enjoy the golden shimmer of these rides. How the feeling of being so small, but still having the world completely at my feet still makes me shiver from goosebumps. I won’t though. I’ve tried and failed too many times.

However, there is one thing I really want to say before wrapping this one up.

The termites here are God damn wizards.

Cheers!

Fredrika

By |May 31st, 2016|Oceania, Travel Logs|
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Australia Pt. 1 – Love At First Sight

And then suddenly – finally – I was there. On the 7th of May at 5 o’clock in the morning, I found my feet off the airplane and onto the Australian soil. I’ve taken seemingly great leaps forward on this journey before, but this one was undoubtedly the biggest one yet. The first one (apart from those few ferries, of course) not powered by my own force.

In a matter of hours, I’d been soaring though 3 time zones and a distance that usually would take me a couple of months to cover. Effective and convenient. Something my mind ignored completely, and as it constantly kept looping the thought of what – and who – I would and could have found underneath those fluffy clouds, back down on sea level.

A combination of excitement and lack of sleep turned the scene into a bit of a blur. Before I knew it, I’d been stamped into the country, reunited with my boxed up bicycle, and had some quarantine lady half-heartedly examine tyres and mudguards in search of hostile aliens, threatening to take down the entire continent.

‘Welcome to Australia’ she said, giving me a brief look before turning back to her coffee.

With a big dorky smile I gave my thanks in Swedish, and clumsily started pushing my baggage trolley towards the exit signs.

Australia. Continent No 3.

It’s a pleasure to meet you.

–

I couldn’t have wished for a better introduction to this new world I was finding myself in. Greeted by Swedish Zandra and her Aussie husband Tim, I was spoiled ruthless from first moment. There was food. Wonderful company. The comfiest bed I’d been in for as long as I can remember. And perhaps most importantly, there was people willing and able to answer all my stupid questions about everything from twist-off beer bottles to crocodiles.

With both of them being avid cyclists we spent a couple of days cruising around Darwin on two wheels, while I was slowly getting gear and mind ready to take on the outback down south. Through great, and valuable days these troopers got me all settled in while dampening the culture shock to a minimum.

Thank you a million times!

Just before getting all too comfortable, it was time to hit the road. Though I was up for a smooth start along the big Stewart Highway, I was already filled with that good old feeling I’d been craving for so long. The tingly nervousness of someone stepping out of her comfort zone.

Joined by Zandra and Tim I peddled out of town, just as the first sheds of light made their way into the damp Australian morning.

Minutes turned into hours, and to days.

I had still barely gotten started. But perhaps that was the very reason behind the tumult of butterflies in my stomach those first days. That golden anticipation spiced up with a healthy pinch of hesitancy. After months and months of undefined frustrations in Southeast Asia I was getting back out there. Finally reuniting with my one big love. On the verge of once again, immersing myself in full on adventure.

Australia. Continent No 3.

It doesn’t take much to realise that this will ride will be nothing short of amazing.

Guys. Will you join me for this one?

Fredrika

By |May 25th, 2016|Oceania, Travel Logs|
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Singapore. Oh Singapore.

There is rain, and then there is the sky falling down on top of you.

It didn’t matter how hard I squinted my eyes. I still couldn’t see a thing. But I didn’t care. The wet combination of sweat and sunscreen left my eyes burning like an open flame. I didn’t care about that either. With tears and rain streaming down my face, salty and sweet drops seemed to be taking turns in reaching my lips.

It doesn’t happen that often, but sometimes life steps up to give you Oscar-worthy chronology. This was one of those moments.

Less than an hour earlier I had left Malaysia. A country suffering from a historical hot season and drought. Forced to close schools as well as the water supply for whole cities. Then, literally one step across the border – the sky burst. And so did I.

I did have a place to go. But as I’ve told you twice already – I didn’t care. With the rain pounding down on my head and shoulders, I did what I always do. I mounted my bike and started peddling. Along whatever road I was on – I cycled. Fast. Without the intention of getting anywhere – I pushed my pedals. One after another. Harder and harder.

Heart racing. Tears flowing.

I love how my well my body serves me. Doing whatever it can to let me go though with all the madness my mind comes up with. This though, had nothing to do with providing oxygen to muscles or protecting eyes from salt. This was something completely different.

This was emotion.

‘I actually did it. I cycled to fucking Singapore.’

Crying like a baby. Laughing like a mad person. Shouting from the top of my lungs. Peddling. And going nowhere.

Living.

Rain, rain, rain. Big, heavy drops turning roads into rivers. But this wasn’t any rain. This was my entire journey falling down from the sky. The high mountains. The deserts. The people. The fear. Joy. The hardships that only I know of. And the secret gems that I’ll never tell anyone.

Pride, and relief. Utter happiness, and undefined sorrow. Everything, all at once.

Too much for to deal with then and there. So I didn’t.

Instead peddled. Hard and without stopping. I faced the sky to let the rain drops break towards my skin. Still blind. Still halfway to a heart attack. On one hand this was all too much. But it was also just one small thing.

This was a girl – and the simple joy of riding a bicycle.

Life? I love you so, so much.

Fredrika

PS.

Australia. You’re next!

By |May 13th, 2016|Asia, Travel Logs|
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