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Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike - Erika Bird and Robin Searle

We are Erika and Robin from Scotland and in April 2005 we quit our jobs and set off to cycle from Scotland to İstanbul.

We reached İstanbul in October 2005 having discovered that cycling truly is the best way to travel and so decided to keep going beyond the Bosphorous......

We had never cycled any long distance before but had been wanting to travel for a long time and had finally saved enough and realised ıf we didn't set off now we never would. We decided cycling would be the best form of transport as we wanted to learn more about the countries and people we passed through at a slow pace.
Also we are useless at making decisions so settıng off from our home on bikes at least solved the problem of where to go first!

The plan was to cycle across Europe to İstanbul. We also wanted to travel overland through Asia and then somehow get to South America too, but having never cycled more than a few miles a day before we did not want to commit to cycling all the way. By the time we reached İstanbul we had already decided to keep on riding, and even being run off the road on the way into the city - requiring hospital treatment - did not put us off this idea.

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Joined on: March 18th 2005
Last Login: June 29th 2010

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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike, order by Date newest first.

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
August 17th 2009

Merdeka Magic Asia » Indonesia » Java » Yogyakarta

Erika at Borobudur

Some photos to show you I'm still alive and very happy. I went with a great group of friends to Yogjakarta to celebrate Indonesia's Independence day. "Merdeka!" Met some great people there through couchsurfing and altogether lost my voice from talking and laughing so much. [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
November 16th 2008

Sumatera Sendiri Asia » Indonesia » Sumatra » Bengkulu

The Road to Kerinci

The smell of the third world hits me as soon as we exit the immigrasi at Batam; that unmistakable smell of burning rubbish mixed with low-grade exhaust fumes and other exotic smells that just didn't exist back across the Straits. Singapore is probably the most immaculate city and country in the world, Indonesia is, well very different. We change money and enter the scrum of shouting Ojek drivers (an Ojek is motorbike taxi, how they think they can help us when we already have 2 wheels of our own is something I don't bother to stop and discuss) and food vendors, [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
August 31st 2008

Postcard from Paradise Asia » Malaysia » Terengganu » Perhentian Kecil

Coral Bay

Yes we are still alive and well. We have been lazy cyclists and even lazier bloggers for most of our time in South East Asia, especially since leaving Vietnam - our last blog post. That was 3 and a half months ago and since then we have visited 4 new countries and pedalled our way very slowly from Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur here in Malaysia. Thanks to the many people who have contacted us recently with messages of support and encouragement, both friends from home and those we have never met who simply wondered why the blogs had [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
June 15th 2008

Scorpions, Snakes & Jumping Elephants: Bangkok & Kaeng Krachan Asia » Thailand » Western Thailand » Kaeng Krachan NP

Kaeng Krachan Nat Park

We arrived in Thailand caked in dust and mud, with Robin half blind. The Thai border post was the smartest building we had seen in ages, covered in portraits of the Thai King and the Red, White and Blue flag. We would soon learn these are omnipresent. Everything was just so much cleaner and tidier than Cambodia, something we felt highly conscious of as we stood stinking and covered mud in a queue of smart, clean, and perfumed backpackers to clear immigration. Our bikes looked little better than us and about 2km into the country Erika's chain broke in protest. We [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
May 25th 2008

Cam-bodge Asia » Cambodia

Forest Frame

We must be getting good as this travel lark - we entered Cambodia without having to bribe the immigration officials to stamp our passports as many travellers do, and even manged to haggle the money changers down to a decent rate. Riding away from the border post we entered a surreal world of high rise hotel casinos, neon signs, bars and expensive cars. Could this Las Vegas-like border town really be Cambodia? A kilometre or 2 later and we had our answer - no. Leaving town we reflected how yet again a simple line on a map has resulted in such [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
April 25th 2008

On the Trail of Uncle Ho - Vietnam Asia » Vietnam

Duck Seller

Borders are rarely this significant. Usually the fact that some imaginary line on a map has been crossed does not actually show itself on the ground. The Laos-Vietnam border is different; we went from a steep, almost vertical, climb up through thick jungle to a sudden line of no trees, flat, bare ground and huge excavators eating away more of the hillsides. Suddenly there was a 6 lane road and houses everywhere. These houses were not the bamboo and hardwood huts we were used to, they were tiny concrete boxes, housing large families plus their motos. Now “motos’’ (scooters and motorbikes) [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
March 23rd 2008

Down the Mekong - Southern Laos Asia » Laos » South » Attapeu

The Mirror Tree

The long flat road stretched out endlessly south from Vientienne. The first day was ok; we made good progress despite a relentless headwind and towards the end of the day the forested hills of a National Park loomed up to the left of the road. We checked into a nice little guesthouse and set out to find the market in the tiny town. We managed to stock up with bananas and peanuts, which are about the only snack food we have found in this country. It was only then that we noticed the other more exotic foods for sale: kingfishers, herons [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
February 26th 2008

Lethargic Laos Asia » Laos » West » Vientiane

Golden Wat, Luang Prabang

Ask me what I did in Laos I will say not much. Even though we have cycled from the Chinese border south to Vientienne we have also spent a lot of time still and resting. Drinking lots of wonderful 'Beer Lao' and eating many baguettes and doughnuts, we are definitely appreciating a rest and relaxation. Maybe it is where we are in our journey but I think that more likely it is Laos; it really is an infectiously lazy place. So we are off to drink lovely rich chocolatey Lao coffee, maybe iced with condensed milk added. A wander round the [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
January 25th 2008

Tibet to the Tropics: Yunnan Asia » China » Yunnan

Tiger Leaping Gorge

We had done it, we were officially out of the permit zone that is the Tibet Autonomous Region, but in Zhongdian we were still very much in Tibet. The faces, clothing and houses all still looked Tibetan. Above the 'old town' stands a prominent Tibetan Gompa with an even more prominent prayer wheel next to it. In fact this is allegedly the biggest prayer wheel in the world, and as it takes at least 3 people to start turning the thing it’s not hard to believe it. The town is surrounded by pine forested hills and wide grasslands alongside the lake, [View Full Entry]

By Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike
December 23rd 2007

The (Iced) Tea Road: Lhasa to Yunnan Asia » China » Yunnan » Shangri-La

Namche Barwa

I am wearing most of my clothes; leggings, trousers and waterproof over trousers, 5 tops, a down jacket and my over jacket, plus two hats, 3 pairs of gloves and 2 pairs of socks. My fingers and toes are still completely frozen, but none of this is bothering me as the amazing night sky full of stars is reflected in the big river which is gently flowing past me on my right. The moon rose at about 4 am as we were packing up our camp, struggling with the ice encrusted tent and stiff bags. Now this silver light casts long [View Full Entry]

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Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike - Erika Bird and Robin Searle

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