In May 2004, after the expiration of my Chinese contract, I decided to hit the road to fulfill my dream of a lifetime: to travel extensively in Asia and Oceania without the pressure of time and the necessity of airplane travel. My idea was to travel mostly overland and give myself enough time to get to know faraway countries and different cultures by living as close as possible to the local realities.
Having met Fred during my last months in China and finding his "RTW by bicycle" a very stimulating way of travelling, I planned my journey in such a way as to be able to join him in the Philippines and spend 6 months on the road with him. The experience was a success and when Fred took the road to Europe from India, I decided to continue travelling by bicycle on my own in South-East Asia and finally Australia
This website was done during the trip in order to share the experience with friends and family.
In November 2005, after 18 months of travel and 16,600 km by bicycle, I went back to Europe and at present I am living and working in Paris.
Linda RTW (May 2004 - Nov 2005)
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New Zealand
May-Jun 2004 |
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F Polynesia
Jun-Jul 2004 |
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West Samoa
Jul 2004 |
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Fiji
Jul-Aug 2004 |
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Philippines
Aug - Sep 2004 |
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Malaysia & S’pore
Oct - Nov 2004 |
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India
Nov 2004 - Feb 05 |
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Myanmar
Feb-Mar 2005 |
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Thailand
Mar-Apr 2005 |
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Laos
Apr-May 2005 |
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Vietnam
May-Jun 2005 |
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Cambodia
Jun-Jul 2005 |
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Indonesia
Aug 2005 |
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Australia
Sep - Nov 2004 |
The 4 Phases of the Journey
May-Aug 2004: Left Europe with a one-way ticket to New Zealand and backpacked 3 months in the Pacific area: New Zealand * French Polynesia * West. Samoa * Fiji
Aug 2004 - Jan 2005: Caught up with Fred in Manila, bought a bicycle and started pedaling towards India. The 6 months and 8,000 km on the road with Fred are best summarized in
Philippines * Malaysia & Brunei & Singapore * India
Feb-Aug 2005: Fred and I took different routes (he headed towards France and I back East). 6 more months in South-East Asia, alternating periods on the saddle with stretches by train/bus, taking my bicycle with me all the time
Northern India * Myanmar * Thailand * Laos * Vietnam * Cambodia * Indonesia
Sept-Nov 2005: Last 3 months in Australia, backpacking and cycling. The journey ended in Tasmania, where I sold the bike and closed the virtual 'Loop' in Asia & Oceania, which had started 18 months previously in NZ.
Australia
Chronology
