1BICYCLINGAROUND THE WORLD

by Paul Jeurissen

2BICYCLINGAROUND THE WORLD

Photographs by Paul JeurissenText by Grace Johnson

Front cover: Looking out over the desert in Tajikistan. Left: Rickshaws in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

PublicationsBicycle Traveler

www.bicycletraveler.nl

5Right: Pushing up one of many steep inclines in the American Southwest.

This book is dedicated to the many cyclists we have met around the world.

Copyright 2015 Paul JeurissenAll rights reserved.

You are free to share this photo eBook in its original format. You may not alter, sell, copy material from it, or use it for commercial purposes.

For information on all Bicycle Traveler publications visit our website at www.bicycletraveler.nl.

Designed & edited by Grace Johnson

Special thanks to: Amaya Williams www.worldbiking.infoFriedel Grant www.travellingtwo.comKoga Bicycles www.koga.com

BICYCLINGAROUND THE WORLD

CONTENTS

Southern China

Introduction

South East Asia

Indian Himalayas

India & Nepal

Pamir Highway

Bangladesh

East Africa

The Americas

Oman & Morocco

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Left: Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh, India.

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The Netherlands

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About

Photo Project

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INTRODUCTIONBicycling Around The World celebrates bike travel and culture around the globe.

Come pedal with us through the icy Himalayas, the barrenPamir highway, tropical East Africa and the chaos of Dhakain search of unique cycling images.

We also show you glimpses of bicycle culture via painted rickshaws, overloaded cargo bikes and even two wheelers piled high with cotton candy.

We are photographer Paul Jeurissen and his partner Grace Johnson.

In 2010, we set off on a multi-year cycling tour covering four continents. Wherever we go, we search out bike culture, dramatic landscapes and remote places.

By the end of this book, we hope youll agree that the world is best viewed from a bike saddle.

Right: A seat full of character in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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PHOTO PROJECTIn 2005 I said goodbye to expensive analogue film and hello digital camera! With the possibility of unlimited shots I could finally start taking pictures of a subject that fascinated me: bicycle culture.

In Amsterdam I grew up surrounded by two wheelers. They were just everyday objects that you used to go to the shops or school. Later, when I started cycling through other countries, I saw that they meant many different things to different people and could be an interesting photography theme.

I called my new photo project, Bicycling around the world in search of inspiring cycle images. After trips through South India, Morocco and the United States, Grace and I set off in 2010 on a multi-year bike journey to explore the world and international bicycle culture.

Left: Preparing a spicy curry on a kitchen bike in North India.Following pages: Art you can pedal on in Amsterdam.

The NeTherlaNds

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DAILY TRANSPORTWhat is the fastest and easiest way to get around Amsterdam?

By bike! Who wants to get stuck behind Amsterdammers venting their frustrations via their car horns, plus spend hours searching

for a non-existent parking spot...

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Above: New bikes for sale in Amsterdam.Left: Bicycle parking in Leiden.

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Finally off to Asia with only our touring bicycles and pan-niers -- stuffed with way too much electronic gear. We were both anxious - wondering what the coming years

would bring and, at the same time, were looking forward to the new adventure.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

souTherN ChiNa

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Previous Pages: Crossing the Li river. Above: Simmering pots help entice new customers.Right: Snacks for sale in Jinghong.

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Above: A local shoe repair man mending Pauls sandal.Left: Stopping to admire the view. Following pages: Bicycle lane in Chengdu.

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Chinese market women love them since they are relatively light and easy to maneuver. The ladies use them not only to transport goods but also as a product and restaurant stall

which they can set up on any street corner.

CARGO BIKES

It only took one day of rain to turn the road into a cyclists nightmare. The heavy, wet clay stuck to the wheels and brake pads

bringing us to a halt. The mud was so thick it even managed to snap Pauls derailleur!

TOUGH GOING

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Above: Posing for a self portrait.Right: An original Chinese Flying Pigeon bicycle.

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The elderly fruit saleswoman was furious! A young girl had taken over her market spot and refused to leave. The old lady began whacking the girls legs with the

front wheel of her cargo bike and when that didnt do the trick, she proceeded to ride the wheel back and forth over her foot. Success finally came as the girl angrily got

up and moved away from the old womans place.

WEAPON

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In the karst region of Southern China we encountered great food, fantastic weather, and amazing scenery.

It was almost too perfect.

CYCLING BLISS

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Above: Waking up from a midday nap.Right: Balloon saleswoman in Jinghong.

souTh easT asia

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Previous pages: Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. Above: Decorated rickshaw wheel in Penang, Malaysia.Right: Chinese tourists take the grand tour of Penang.

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This Thai chauffeur from Chiang Mai was very proud of his trishaw, which he had decorated

with personal memorabilia.

LIVING ROOM

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Above: Family transport in Siem Riep, Cambodia.Above: Bicycling in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

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Above: A colonial bike in Yangon, Myanmar.Right: Waiting for customers in Yangon.

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A must do in Malacca, Malaysia is to tour the town in a decorated rickshaw. Of course the little girls

loved the Barbie doll decorations and earnestly tried to convince their parents that this bike was the one

they should ride in.

BARBIE DOLLS

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Above & left: At dusk Malaccas rickshaws turn their lights on.

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Whats special about cycling in Thailand is spotting enormous Buddhas in the distance. They

often appear to float above the tree line.

BUDDHA

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The cotton candy bike was a favorite amongst kids playing at the riverside park in Vientiane,

Laos. They would all peer inside and plead with their mothers to buy them one of the

pink and white concoctions.

COTTON CANDY

iNdiaN himalayas

Previous pages: Prayer flags flutter above the Indus River in Ladakh.Above: The Maitre Buddha statue in Thiksey Monastery.

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Previous pages: Leaving Stakna Monastery behind us, we looked for a place to camp.Above: Looking out over the Leh valley from the roof of Thiksey Monastery.

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Wheeze, gasp, wheeze... We sounded like two asthmatic senior citizens as we pedaled and

pushed our bikes up yet another high altitude pass. Sure the scenery was gorgeous, but we

also longed to be able to breathe.

OXYGEN PLEASE!

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Above: Kyi Monastary in Spiti.Previous pages: Nearing the summit of the Baralacha La.Above: Cruising down the Nakee La Pass.

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After so many crossings we became overconfident and hurriedly ploughed through yet another fast-

moving stream. Then Paul stepped on a smooth rock, lost his footing and grip on his bike. His trusty steed quickly sunk under the ice cold water but luckily he was able to grab it before it crashed over the cliff.

RIVER CROSSING

Above: Stopping to rest near Leh.

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After dinner we asked a Tibetan where we could best set up our tent. He pointed to an opening between

two hills and said, Camp in the valley behind, you will be sheltered from the wind there. Upon reaching the

spot Paul looked around, smiled and declared that tomorrow would be a rest day.

TENT WITH A VIEW

Above: Heading down the Baralacha La pass.

iNdia & Nepal

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Previous pages: Taking a break in Fatehpur Sikri, India.Above: A bicycle still life in the Shekawati region.

Above: Bicycle repair tree in Alwar, India.Following pages: And Grace thought she carried too much on her bike...

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RECYCLINGIn India, nothing of value goes to waste. This

Delhi cyclist transports used plastic bottles back to recycling centers.

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Above: A Bollywood film star adorns the fender mud flap.Right: Indian bicycles are never too decorated.

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Indian roads are full of every form of transport imaginable. Sometimes it felt like we were inside a giant game of bumper cars, except

that here we tried to avoid crashing into other rickshaws, carts and people.

BUMPER CARS

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Above: The view from our favourite Agra restaurant. Above: Cotton candy for sale in North India.Following pages: A day at the beach isnt complete without some ice cream.

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Where are you from, where are you going? The schoolgirls wanted to know everything

about us and why we were traveling on bicycles.

SCHOOLGIRLS

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Above: Passing the time in an Indian hotel room.Left: Transporting cloth to the market.

Above: A bicycle shop in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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CLAUSTROPHOBIAWe stopped for some chai and biscuits but our

rest break was short lived. A crowd quickly gathered and we became completely hemmed

in by the curious onlookers.

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Above: The best parking spaces in Agra are reserved for bicycles.Right: Chicken transport in Kathmandu, Nepal.Following pages: Cycling through a Southern Indian town.

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An Indian wedding procession is made up of the groom riding a white horse (he usually looks a bit shell-shocked) followed by dancing family members, a brass band and at the very end -

the neon wedding bike.

WEDDING BIKE

pamir highway

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Previous pages: Cycling through the vast Pamir landscape. Above: Camping near Sarey Tash, Kyrgyzstan.Right: Curious Kyrgyz kids come to visit our tent.

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Above: Posing for a self portrait in Tajikistan.Left: Heading off towards the mountains.

Above: Looking out over lake Bulunkul.Following pages: A lone outhouse near the Pamir highway.

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Above: Market salesman in Murgab, Tajikistan.

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Previous pages: A river crossing near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.Above: Pedaling through the high arid desert.Right: We felt insignificant in the immense landscape.

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Above: Tajik boys pose with their iron horse.Left: Sisters look after each other in Tajikistan.

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The highway is popular amongst long distance cyclists and it was fun to stop and exchange

stories with them. Thanks (clockwise from above left) Julian and Ellie, the smiling Japanese guy

and Marcel plus Alena.

TOURING CYCLISTS

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Above: Camping after a storm in Tajikistan.Right: Heading down yet another high pass. Following pages: Pausing for breath and to admire the view.

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BaNgladesh

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Previous pages: Rickshaw graveyard in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Above: Paul smiles for the camera.Left: An early morning traffic jam.Following pages: Rickshaw parking in Dhaka.

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Birds, flowers, Mecca, automobiles and even airplanes are popular themes painted on to rickshaw bodies. Our

favorite theme was Bollywood glamour and guns.

GLAMOUR & GUNS

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Previous pages: Local traffic in the countryside.Above: Dhaka rickshaws are piled full of passengers.Left: A curious chauffeur.

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After placing a coin in the elephants trunk the elephant blessed Grace by gently patting the top

of her head with his trunk.

ELEPHANT

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In the cold, damp winter months the chauffeurs wrap themselves in every blanket, scarf and tea

towel they can find.

WINTER CHILL

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Above: How did they load it up in the first place?Right: Too heavy to cycle.Following pages: Main street in Mymensingh.

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He started by shaking his stick of bells then he poured various liquids into the cup. A bit more jingling and

mixing and the potion was ready. Magic!

MAGIC POTION

Above: Technicolor rickshaws in Dhaka.

omaN & moroCCo

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Previous pages: Cycling in Oman.Above: We woke up covered in sand.Left: Wild camping underneath a thorn tree in Oman.

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Omani coffee shops were the highlight of a days pedaling through the hot, barren desert. They

served Indian curries, chicken burgers and most important - ice cold soft drinks!

COFFEE SHOPS

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Above: A lone grocery store in Oman.Left: We had excellent internet reception that evening.

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We always wondered what it would be like to ride through the Sahara. Once there, all we could think

of was, Its so hot, its so hot... Why didnt we carry more water?

ASPHALT FURNACE

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Above: A kasbah in Southern Morocco.Right: Pedaling past yet another verdant oasis.

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Forget dried out mass-manufactured tea bags. Fresh mint tea was a taste revelation. When we combined that with sitting on a cafe terrace watching local life,

we were sold on Morocco.

MOROCCAN TEA

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Above: Djemma el Fna square in Marrakech. Right: Bicycling through the Southern Moroccan desert.

easT afriCa

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Previous pages: Clowning for the camera in Malawi.Above: Banana transport in Uganda.Right: Surprisingly enough the man could still push his overloaded bike.

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East African cooking is done on charcoal stoves and the charcoal boys were busy day and night

transporting it to the local villages. Their bikes were always overloaded yet they still managed to pedal up some of the hills. They even helped Grace push

her bicycle up a few of the steeper inclines.

CHARCOAL BOYS

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Above: God and Rambo are popular themes for bicycle plates.Right: Painting a taxis back plate in Malawi.

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The road lay over the sub-tropical landscape like a brown ribbon, never changing. The only reason to

stop was for a chat and cold cokes in a local village.

RIBBON OF ROAD

Above: Taking care not to get the dress dirty in Malawi.Following pages: The traveling department store in Uganda.

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Cycling during the rainy season with a leaky tent meant that as soon as dusk approached, we were on the lookout for a dry place to sleep. We often camped in schools where we were always warmly welcomed

by the headmaster who gave us a classroom door key and a tour of the school buildings.

TOUR DE SCHOOL

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African taxi chauffeurs hang out together, smiling at female passersby and listening to the radios

that are attached to their handlebars. They dont always relax. They can pedal quickly when they need

to, even when when they are transporting a big African mama on their back seat.

TAXI CHAUFFEURS

Above: Fixing a flat tire in Zambia.Following pages: The bicycle taxi speeds to his destination.

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They were for sale but werent always freshly caught from Lake Malawi. A cyclist untied one

from his handlebars and started hitting a tree with it. The fish was so stiff that it didnt bend an inch.

FRESH FISH

The ameriCas

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Previous pages: Heading across Uyunis salt lake.Above: Freezing cold + washboard + sand = cycling the Bolivian Altiplano. Left: Stopping to visit a local church.

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We regularly came across cemeteries on the Altiplano and it got us to wondering why anyone

would want to live there in the first place.

DESOLATE

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Above & left: Locals enjoy a day out in Sucre, Bolivia.

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Previous pages: A cold night camping on Uyunis salt lake.Above: Old beaters live on in Bolivia.

Above: We expected the stagecoach to arrive at any moment.

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Above: Street art in Salta, Argentina.Left: The road twisted and turned like a carnival ride.

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Argentines offer childrens bikes at one of the many Gauchito Gil roadside shrines to thank him for the miracles he has performed and to ask for more.

ROADSIDE SHRINE

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The dirt road snaked through red rock canyons and led us past huge rock formations reminding us just

how much we love cycling.

CANYON COUNTRY

Above: Camping by Lone Rock in Utah, U.S.A.

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Above: Huge rocks had rolled down from the cliff face.Right: Pedaling through the lunar landscape of the American Southwest.

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Above: Ranger in Zion National Park.Right: The road skirted around innumerable canyon walls.

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Like Argentinas Ruta 40, our bicycle photography project is never ending. After 10 years it is still an exciting theme and we decided to celebrate this milestone by bringing out

a photo book. We hope you have enjoyed looking at it. - Paul Jeurissen & Grace Johnson

THE END?

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Left: Paul & Grace cycling in the Indian Himalayas.Back cover: Winnie the Pooh greets oncoming cyclists in Amsterdam.

ABOUTPAUL JEURISSEN was born in Amsterdam, the Nether-lands and grew up surrounded by bicycles. In 1981 he pedaled across the U.S.A. During this trip he not only met his future wife Grace Johnson, but also fell in love with photographing the American landscapes, people and the journey itself. Back in Amsterdam he began studying pho-tography. Since then he has specialized in bicycle imag-ery and his pictures have been used around the globe in cycling and travel publications.

THE PHOTOGRAPHS in this book and even more bike culture and touring images are available from his website. www.pauljeurissen.nlinfo@pauljeurissen.nl

FOR INFORMATION about Bicycle Traveler publications visit our website at www.bicycletraveler.nl.

SHARE THE LOVE OF BIKES. This photo eBook was freely given and we encourage you to continue the gift of giving. Why not send it on to a cycling friend?

BICYCLINGAROUND THE WORLD

by Paul Jeurissen