A stray cat on a bicycle

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Germany, 18 km. on the road to Brenau,
03-07-2001.

Cycling out of Berlin centre on an eastern route under a twenty-five degree sun I realise I couldn't possibly have chosen a better day to start this new cycle trip, four weeks of pedalling my iron lady through northern Poland carrying no Lonely Planet travel guide, just a map showing massive forests and an abundance of lakes no doubt containing zillions of mozzies keen on Dutch blood.

It is getting late and I look around semi-desperately for a free camping place cycling through mostly agricultural land, passing farmers on tractors hard at work bringing in the harvest but finding the time to wave me on and yell at me "Das es Ihnen gut geht"! "Danke und gleichfalls" I yell back feeling gratefull at these self-paid night classes of German during my teens.

After two and a half months working as a bicycle messenger in Amsterdam, hanging out with the alley cats - the street name for bicycle messengers in Amstyerdam - in-crowd at public squares in Amsterdam centre, preformning the weirdest piroettes on our bikes while stoned out of our heads on the notorious Amsterdam skunk, for the tourists from all around the place, camaras snapping a-plenty.

Heavy bar hopping after a whole day of rushing through the city, my portophone constantly cackling reminding me of my haste, flirting with short-skirted receptionsts while they sign the deposit, sweaty clothes a serious proof of my hard work but my empty wallet seriously telling me how low exactly my salary really is, the reason I'm not on my way to a thrid world country by expensive plane ticket but instead had to make do with a six hundert Dutch guilder return ticket to Berlin, bike included, by German railroad.

No four weeks backpacking around an impoverished dictator ruled state like Haiti, or maybe another beach vacation in Thailand or the Phillipines but instead I find myself on an old and rusty bike looking for an old shed to spend the night in, a small clearing surrounded by old oaks to pitch my tent or maybe just a dry ditch where I can roll out my sleeping bag.

I should cross into Poland some time tomorrow. A new country in my life, I am quite pleased!!!

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Photos

inside a church
in Poland

an owl..
visiting my camp site

Comments

[demika]

hello from demika
Hi Han, I keep reading your south east asian trip until it done.. don't understand all of it as english !!!! interesitng , advanture... looking forward to read your next trip .. Demika