Don’t you get lonely?
Yes, of course I do…sometimes. However, this trip has conveniently coincided with a period of my life during which I have turned toward inward contemplation. My recent forays into meditation, as well as the material that I have been reading, have convinced me that the best thing I can do at the moment is learn more about who I am, and the more time I spend alone the more I learn about myself. Therefore, periods of loneliness are a necessity.
How do you fund your trip?
I simply saved up sufficient funds to travel for an extended period. Of course, in order to make my money last I have to travel fairly cheaply, e.g. while riding from Melbourne to Adelaide I only spent about $16 per day – $700 over 42 days - most of which was on food.
What do you eat?
At the same time that I departed, I adopted a vegetarian diet and am now essentially vegan. I also recently learned about the benefits of eating predominately unprocessed foods, so my diet is fairly natural and simple and is typically as follows:
Breakfast: Muesli with banana (or prunes) and powdered soy milk.
Lunches: Sandwiches (wholemeal bread) - salad / peanut butter. About 1/2 loaf bread per day.
Dinner: Refer to “Food” page for typical meals (most are one-pot meals).
Snacks: Nuts (almonds, sometimes mixed nuts) and dried fruit (apricots, figs), fresh fruit (lots of bananas, mandarins, apples, etc), dark chocolate (sometimes), red licorice/jelly beans (when I need energy quickly). A tin of baked beans every couple of days too.
Why are you doing it?
I reached a point in my life where I needed to probe deeper into what it’s all about. I knew that I would not be content with a career and a mortgage in Sydney (not at the moment anyway), and that I needed to follow a different path, one that is a little more unorthodox. I had already studied, endured periods of “real” jobs, and travelled and worked overseas; but never for more than a year or two at a time. I wanted to do something that would give my life meaning, and although I am not sure if this trip is the answer, I am happy with where it has led me so far. The following quote by Rumi sums things up quite nicely: “I will search for the Friend with all my passion and all my energy, until I learn that I don’t need to search.”
I travel to find simplicity. With simplicity, one can live in the present. When one lives in the present, contentment is attainable.
Or maybe I am simply adhering to the following:
Lots and lots of stuff! For an answer to this question you’ll have to read my journal entries.
They are OK with it. I have trained them well over the years; they are used to my peregrinations. In the year that I spent at home before embarking on this trip, Mum and I had a lot of deep, philosophical conversations about life. I convinced her that, in order to be happy, I need to do what I am doing now. Naturally, as she is my Mum, she just wants me to be happy. Well, at least I think that’s the case.
No, not at all. I rode 7,000km without getting even a single one. However, shortly after leaving Alice Springs, I got 2 puntures within a few days of each other. Still, I reckon I am doing OK.
