Sunday, January 27, 2013

Reflections

More than three months have passed since we rode the last few kilometres into Quebec City, officially ending our five-month bike trip. Surprisingly, readjusting to our regular lives has been easier than we’d pictured. We returned home to a familiar country, apartment, jobs and our group of friends. Within a week of being back, we were already essentially back into the swing of things. It feels great to be mentally active (at work) and to be part of a society again.

Looking back at our trip fills us with great memories, and we occasionally wonder out loud where we'd be if we'd just kept biking.

What we miss most is being outside most of the time, the sense of adventure of always being somewhere new and the continual curiosity of what tomorrow will bring. Like ‘regular’ life, bike touring also has a semblance of a daily routine, but with the absolute freedom of being able to turn it on its head everyday. You choose when you want to get up, when and where you stop to admire the landscapes around you and how fast you feel like biking or whether you want to bike that day at all. Without a set plan, spontaneity is a way of life.

Life on the bike is the epitome of simplicity. Despite carrying a seemingly endless list of things, what you’re carrying is essentially all you use on the road. What you wear, how you cook and what you use, is limited to what you’re carrying and what you can acquire along the way.

Although we’ve enjoyed other ways of travelling and backpacking, we found that bike touring allowed us to experience more of where we were. You end up in places that you would never see otherwise. Places where few other tourists go, allowing for unique experiences with the local culture and people. Being on a bike also makes you more approachable to locals, leading to incredible exchanges and a deeper feeling of the place.

There are definitely frustrating moments when it’s late and you haven’t been able to find food or a place to sleep. But those moments are overshadowed by the elation felt by whizzing past gorgeous landscapes, reaching the top of a mountain pass or engaging in meaningful exchanges with people along the way. It’s those moments of elation, moments of freedom and the anticipation of tomorrow that still make us long for road.

For anyone inspired to consider a bike trip of their own, we've created a second blog with more details about our exact route, equipment list and favourite campsites. It's part a larger community of blogs that can really inspire you or help with recommendations from other bike tourists. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/mariekeandanthony2012