Long bicycle tours can sometimes lead to what looks like a dead end, like ending up in a Mekong River border crossing between Vietnam and Cambodia; the road forward was a path. In this case it was more practical, and more fun, to travel in a multi-modal manner. The four-hour river boat ride into Cambodia cost us $10 and was filled with images of life on the Mekong we would have missed from the shore.
We’ve traveled, with our tandem, by taxi in Azerbaijan , bus in China, train in China and Vietnam, ferry everywhere, airplane between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan (for political reasons), rental car back to the airport in Iceland, and the slow local water taxi on the Mekong. Hefting a loaded tandem on to a bus, train or water taxi, can be taxing, but ultimately worthwhile.
We play the mult-modal card whenever it is appropriate to our schedule and goals. It’s more difficult with a tandem, but the special connection the tanem give us with the people of the countries where we travel, makes the sometimes very difficult size issues, worthwhile.
Claire Rogers writes on cross-cultural adventure drawn from her travels across the Silk Road from Beijing to Istanbul, around Australia and of course, through Iceland–all by bike.
She’s currently traveling by tandem with her husband Bob, through southwest China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Check out NewBohemians.net for more information on their travels.
