Pedallingpete
Peter Hastwell Joined: August 23rd 2006
Logged in: September 3rd 2009
Logged in: September 3rd 2009
54 yrs....WHAT HAPPENED....I USED TO BE SO YOUNG!
Adelaide, Australia. Graffiti Program Coordinator for a local Council
Also check out:
CYCLING DOWN THE DANUBE ON HIGH CHI....................http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/213622 MY NEW BOOK !!!
Cycling in Turkey Blog................www.pedallingpete.blogspot.com
My arty-farty photos..................www.flickr.com/photos/pedallingpete
PEDALLINGPETE'S TRAVEL BIO
2007........5wks-5th Cycling Trip-Down the Danube ( Starting Sept 22nd)
Well old age is arriving and Pedallingpete is looking for flat ground and minimal traffic. Follow Pedallingpete as he starts off in Southern Germany, through Austria and onto the hot baths in Budapest, Hungary. Hoping to loose a few pounds there is a greater chance he will return with a few more, unless he can avoid all those Bakeries on the way.
2006 6wks-4th CYCLING TRIP-INDIA
Follow the highs and lows of Pete as he cycles the desert and coast of Gujarat and Southern Rajasthan. Find out if he is fit enough to ride his bike more than just around the places he is staying or climb the 3572 steps to the Shatrunjaya Temples. Will he get picked off the street in Bollywood to be an extra in a local movie? Will he get awestruck at the world's largest monolithic structure at Ellora or finally learn to do the most basic thing in life- eating with only his right hand off banana leaves, surviving only on vegetables and with no alcohol until he reaches Diu Island's beaches. But what you really want to know is can he afford to stay at the famous Udaipur Lake Palace?
2005 ..6wks-3rd CYCLING TRIP-730kms IN TURKEY (Go to: www.pedallingpete.blogspot.com)
Whirling Dervishes, Mosques and Bazaars. Massages in 16thC Hamams, conjuring up the Roman might in Ephesus, breakfast overlooking the 4thC Temple of Apollo at Didyma, joining the cheap holiday tourists at Bodrum, paragliding at Oludeniz, ballooning over the fairy chimneys of Cappodocia, live orchestra in the Aspendos Roman theatre, cruising the Bosphorus.
2001 ..6wks-2nd CYCLING TRIP-2,200kms IN SOUTHERN INDIA (See blogs on this trip by scrolling down below)
How does the brain cope with the need to assimilate the sense of one's self in a sea of difference, in chaos? -Learning how to ride one handed with an umbrella, cycling the Malabar Coast, floating through Kerala, riding 50km uphill all day, Kathakali Dancers in Cochin, promenading the palaces, the world’s tallest monolithic statue at Saravanaabelagola, joining the pilgrims in Dharmastala, throwing Bunny leaves at Parvati during Dussehra in Hampi, bitten by a dog in Goa, para-ballooning overlooking Hyderabad.
2000..........4wks in Thailand
Lazy days, temples of Gold, fantastic restaurants at the shore line on the beach, dogs in packs taking over Ko Tao. Smiling People as they rip you off. Collusions and confusions. Pity that tourists have been coming here forever and that the environment has been stripped in order to survive.
1999 .6wks SOUTH AMERICA-ARGENTINA, PERU (See blogs on this trip by scrolling down below)
Tango in the street, painted houses of La Boca, Flying into Cusco across the Andes, exploring the 1532 demise of the Inca Empire, a parasailing attempt, 5-6 day high altitude Ausangate circuit with its 5100m pass, the most famous footpath in Sth America to Machu Picchu, helicopter ride, the atmospheric 16C Monastery of Santa Catalina, down into the 3,400m deep Colca Canyon, condors cruising, viewing the Nazca Lines from the air, snowed up on a 5 day hike at Huayhuash at 4,350m, surviving a solo 11hr walk with no map and wet boots.
1997 .5wks IN BALI & JAVA
Madura Island, Yogya (underground corridors of the Water Palace, 1200 yr old Borobudur Temple), climbing active Mt Merapi volcano for a volcanic ash sunrise from the top, 9thC temples at Dieng, sunrise at Mt Bromo
1996 ..8 Wks VIETNAM with 12yr youngest son
War Crimes Museum- (deformed babies in bottles from Agent Orange and American GIs posing with decapitated heads), 4th C temples, riding in a circular basket boat, underground V.C. tunnels, cruising Halong Bay, Ho Chi Minh’s body, hill tribals in Sapa.
1993 ..8 Wks MALAYSIA, SUMATARA revisted with 12yr oldest son
Orangutans in the wild, conducting English lessons in Brastagi, coral reefs, buffalo fight, raging rivers
1992 ..2MTHS-1st CYCLING TRIP-1300kms ACROSS INDONESIA (See blogs on this trip by scrolling down below)
Timor, Flores (staying in isolated traditional villages, Ikat weaving, most exhausting days in my life, volcanic lakes of Keli Mutu), snorkelling off Rinca, Komodo dragons, Lombok (4 day hike up Mt Rinjani, Chilling out on Gili Trawangan), Bali
1991 .10WKS IN S-E ASIA. SINGAPORE, PENINSULAR MALAYSIA, SABAH (turtles laying eggs, Oragutan Rehab Centre, largest flower in the world, up Mt Kinabalu to 3811 mtrs), SARAWAK (Niah caves occupied since 37,000BC, thousands of bats, swallows in flight, birdnest collecting from dizzy heights), SUMATARA(volcanoes, Lake Toba, isolated walks through jungle, beaching it on Palau Weh -in the village before the tourists and the tsunami, longhouses)
1985 ..ACROSS THE NULLABOR AND UP TO BALI
with a curly headed happy 2 yr old son Rice paddies, great food & people, temples and sunsets
1979 ..5MTHS EUROPE, 2MTHS INDIA/NEPAL
One mth of UK seen from a car window, 3mths on Eurail (up the Jungfrau, down a salt mine, over to Bergen & under Chillon’s Walls), freaked out in Morroco, 2 wks naked on a Greek beach, Pyramid energy in Cairo, 2mths in India & Nepal going vego and alcohol & tourist free, sunrise over Himalayas, soaking up the vibes and learning about tolerance, persistence and patience, acclimatizing in Singapore and back to the same job in Adelaide. Not a good idea!
Visited Countries Map
Travel Blog Posts
Austrian Window
Here are a collection of windows that are from my Danube cycle trip from Regensburg to Brataslava and then onto Ljubiljana by train. ... read more
Mozart, The Man About Town
23rd - 24th October…….Salzburg For ease of train connections and to spend time in a pleasant city, rather than Frankfurt prior to flying back to Australia, I headed by train to Salzburg. Mediterranean is one side of the Alps and Salzburg is on the other and so it wasn’t long before the scene changed from deciduous autumn to snowy winter…in fact it happened entering a tunnel and coming out the other end. Narnia Land through the cupboard. I had been to Salzburg about 30 years ago and recalled little, other than the castle on the hill overlooking the city and a giant chess set on a plaza. Well the castle and the chess set are still there and the city is still alive with the Sound of Music with the squeaky clean von Trapp kiddies and ... read more
Dragon Bridge
20th -22nd October............... Ljubljana with a population of 269,000 was the city that inspired me the most as to what Adelaide could be like that would draw tourists to experience an alternative relaxed lifestyle. What is needed however is inspired leadership on a Adelaide Local Government and State level. Ljubljana is in a lovely setting with a backdrop of alpine mountains, a castle that overlooks the old city that curves around each side of the river. But it is its artistic vibrancy and creative community that makes it more than just another pretty city. I headed to the Celicia Hostel which ‘Lonely Planet’ lists as the world’s hippest hostel. The hostel in its past was a prison and has now been remodeled with each cell being designed by a different architect. They were given the brief ... read more
Castle Hill, Budapest
18th October........................Budapest lays on a geological fault line that result in some 30,000 cubic metres of thermal water being released daily from about 120 springs. As a result it is a major centre for thermal baths. Having just cycled over 1,000 kms from Germany, I felt justified in lolling about and in fact I went to two different ones. The 1570 Turkish bath with its sky lit central dome took me back to those I went to in Turkey. The Art Nouveau Gellert Baths, on the other hand, has been likened to taking a bath in a cathedral with its very impressive entrance hall, stain glass, statues and mosaic work. It is an experience that I felt I couldn’t miss out on. I spent the morning of my last day in Budapest on ‘Castle Hill’ which ... read more
Statue & Parliament House, Budapest
16th October…………Budapest,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I stayed 4 nights (3 days) in Hungary’s capital of 2 million people. I got a single room in the 11th Hour Hostel, probably once an old apartment building. The first couple of nights were spent as the sole occupant of a 6 bed dorm but it was noisy being next to the common area which turned party mode till late with young people from across the planet (many of them Australians, including the daughter of a close friend of my brother’s) playing the usual loud card games. My hot water wasn’t working as well and I had to use another bathroom and so I asked to be moved. I wish I had asked sooner as I was put in a huge updated apartment- separate kitchen, washing machine etc. It had absolutely high, high ... read more
From the Cycle Path to Gyora
12th October - 13th October............. Gyora, Hungary ................... Bratislava is right on the border of Austria and Hungary and so it wasn't long before I found myself in my 4th country this trip, and all on a bicycle. Hungary does not have the obvious wealth of Austria but it is a return to houses that are more cared for. Rural towns appear as somewhat 'peasant' communities. One gets the impression that not a lot happens here. Gyora on the other hand is quite a large town with a delightful old centre which is popular with tourists, also attracted by the Thermal Spring Bath. I arrived mid afternoon and decided to stay another night so I could spend more time wandering and discovering. There was a wonderful laid back and talented band that got the crowd dancing ... read more
Brataslava Bridge
10th October - 12th October.......... Bratislava........ I arrived back in the Land of Oz yesterday but let's you and I pretend I'm still over there having a good time! Don't forget you can click on a photo to enlarge it. It was an easy ride out of Vienna and before I knew it, I was cycling towards the derelict Austrian-Slovakian border crossing. It was so unused looking I didn't even notice the officer in a booth and had to go back when he called out to me. I'm glad they don't shoot and ask questions later any more. The guide book warns to appreciate the last town in Austria because things were about to change. Being on a bike and changing from one country to another highlights the saying "Oh, but for the Grace of God, ... read more
Koala Ted gets interested in Graff
9th October.....................Vienna Continued:.................... One could spend their whole time in Museums and I limit myself to ones that may be more interesting or different. The Haus der Musik uses computer interactive technology to explain the physics of sound. There are also separate rooms devoted to the great composers of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss and Mahler. It was interesting to see the actual tired looking glasses that Brahms and Schubert actually wore and the baton of Richard Strauss. The architecture in Vienna is varied, spectacular, highly ornamental, generally in good condition and too many to talk about here in any detail. Suffice to say, one continues to walk around looking up with your mouth open and saying "What is THAT" only to find out it is only a bank or something and not even mentioned in ... read more
Koala Ted Gets Excited
5th October...................Pischelsdorf (Where the hell is that?).......................... It was a long day riding today - cloudy with some sunshine. There was nowhere I particularly wanted to stay on the way and when I attempted to stop around 5pm the places were either full or more than what I wanted to pay. At dusk I checked into a guest house that was fine for an overnight stay, although my meal was a bit to be desired- fatty schnitzel with crinkle cut chips and soggy lettuce in a smoke filled room with the (large) family dog attempting to get his evening meal from me. 6/10- 8/10 Vienna Cycling into Vienna was along the river, well at least I thought it was- it turned out to be a secondary canal worthy of being called a river. It not being ... read more
