It’s a whole new world. Just a few hours in a plane have zipped us away from remote Central Asia to lively Bangkok, where we’re feasting on spicy Thai curries, power that stays on, water that’s always running and truly high speed internet for the first time in months. At first we felt strange boarding the plane but, now that we’re here, we’ve no doubt that it was a good choice. After so long fighting red tape we were feeling a little worn down and Southeast Asia seems the perfect antidote.

Our good mood has been helped to no end by a flight that went smoother than we dared hope. Full marks to Air Astana, who only charged a modest fee for our 35kg of extra luggage. On the other side, we were astonished to see all our bags and both bikes in perfect condition as we emerged from immigration. When we lived in London it seemed every trip ended with an interminable delay before our bags appeared. We’d forgotten airports could be so efficient.

A quick ride into the city centre by taxi (no point trying to brave public transport when you’re as loaded down as we are) and we arrived at the home of Michael, a welcoming American we’d met in Tashkent just a few weeks earlier. We’re going to stay in his flat for a week or so, trading cat-sitting duties for a pad in Bangkok while we get our bikes fixed up and buy a few things for the next leg of the journey.

We’ve done very little research on this part of the world but our inclinations are to head north from here, along the Burmese border, through at least two of Thailand’s national parks and past some stunning waterfalls. It should be a good introduction to our first cycle trip in the tropics.

While you’re waiting for us to start pedalling again, why not listen to our latest podcast. We put it together just a few days before leaving Bishkek and it features an interview with David Berghof, the owner of the Stantours travel agency. We’ve used them a few times and always had great service. David has a wealth of information about Central Asia so his thoughts are a good starting point if you’re considering a trip to the region.

 

 Central Asia [28:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A few days ago Friedel had the chance to talk to Chris, the host of the Amateur Traveler podcast, about our time in Iran. It was a fun hour chatting about a wonderful country and perhaps some of you would like to listen in so check on the site to download the show. Chris also has an amazing archive of over 130 shows on all parts of the world, worth adding to your “listen-to” list.

Going even further back, around Christmas we met a couple Americans, Andrea and Michael, travelling around and they did an interview with us. We haven’t seen this video yet because connection speeds are just too slow but the rest of you can enjoy it.

They tell us Samarqand is a beautiful city but it’s pouring rain outside and how can you see all the ancient buildings when the heavens are open and water is falling from the skies with full force? There was nothing for it but to do a bit of spring cleaning instead and for us this meant digging out all those things we’ve wanted to share with you but haven’t. Why haven’t we? Well, you know, it’s complicated. So much to do on a world bicycle tour, so little time! Anyway, finally we found the time and here you are, a spring present from us.

First there’s an interview with six German fellows (correction: five Germans and one Lebanese, listen to the show and you may understand) who we met carrying guitars at the Iranian-Turkmenistan border. They’re hitching to Mongolia and singing along the way and they were kind enough to sing a song for us.

Then you’ll find a second mini-show where we introduce you to Carl, a French Canadian who we met way back when we were just green cycling tourists, hardly through our first month on the road. This interview has really been hanging around a long time and it’s high time we shared it with you so put on your headphones, sit back and enjoy.

As a third bonus, take a look at the site of Michel, a French guy who’s staying in our hotel in Samarqand. He’s going around the world on a recumbent tricycle and his motto is one we can really identify with: don’t dream about your life, live your dream.

 

 Show 15: German singers: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Show 16: Meet Carl: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We took advantage of the afternoon sunshine yesterday to sit down and record our latest radio show. It’s all about our thoughts on cycling in Iran (fantastic people but crazy drivers) and getting visas for Central Asia (immensely frustrating and time consuming). We’ll also introduce you to two cyclists we met on the road: Tyson, an American we ran into in Syria, and Christian, an Austrian who’s heading for China. Finally, we talk a bit about a new section of our website we’ve been developing over the past few weeks featuring resources for cyclists. Take a look and let us know what you think.

 

 Standard Podcast [39:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly Christmas and we have been on the road for well over a year. Time is just flying by and since we last reported from Istanbul we’ve had so many wonderful experiences. So, here’s our latest radio show from a Damascus teahouse. We hope you enjoy this one, with thoughts about touring in Turkey and Syria and two interviews: one with a Swedish couple, Lea and Johnny resedagboken.com, who are tackling Europe, Thailand and New Zealand by bike and another with Paddy, a lively lad from Manchester who spent 5 years cycling Europe and working on farms. We met Paddy in Turkey where he was heading for Prague to spend the winter, with hopes of a world trip in the future. While you’re listening, check out the Tourbike.net website Paddy has set up.

 

 Standard Podcast [31:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download