Writer. Creative Leader.
(Art by Oak&Bindi, commissioned by Lululemon’s first store in Asia.) It’s 22 hours from Philadelphia to Singapore, with a stop in Hong Kong. I spend it working, watching mindless television and processing the death of three family members. One line of one eulogy in particular still weighs in my mind. “It’s not, ‘How did he …
This interactive map shows where we’ve pedaled on our bike tour and will be continually updated as we travel. Each dot links to its corresponding story. Enjoy following along! [nwm_map id=”1″]
We climb the metal stairs to the ferry’s top deck and take a seat on an unoccupied bench at the edge of the boat. The sun is out on this October morning, but an autumnal breeze steals its warmth away, and so we sit close, maximizing our body heat. I pull my knees up to my …
The road to Athens is a three-lane, shoulderless highway. Cars drive seemingly unaware of painted lanes, careen to close gaps in traffic and avoid collisions by mere milliseconds. Scooters weave through what little extra space exists between vehicles. There isn’t enough room to ride alongside on our bicycles, but we do it anyway because it’s …
Several minutes pass and no one seems to notice our presence at the Albania-Greece border. We root through our bags looking for food to kill time, but it doesn’t take long to realize we’re out of provisions. More time ticks by, eating into the late-afternoon daylight that’s essential to finding a spot to pitch our …
A tranquil first sight after crossing the border from Macedonia. Justin in the slipstream. Two of the roughly 700,000 bunkers built in Albania during its communist rule from 1945-1990. Patiently waiting for a bite. A roadside stand takes on an autumn theme with colorful squash offerings. Nearly all houses use their surrounding land for cultivation. Here, onions have been recently harvested …
Currency: Macedonian denar (1 US dollar equaled roughly 50 denars.) Language: Macedonian Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy and Muslim We came across a lot of dogs—of the pet, sheep and wild variety. We also came across a lot of trash. At times, signs were hard to decipher. We frequented many bakeries, as their treats were inexpensive and …
We laugh all night long with these two in our gas station dormitory, and when we realize the filthy comforters, which reek of cigarettes, offer no sheets beneath them, Justin and I reach for our sleeping bag liners–and Venetia (in pink) offers us lip gloss. “When in doubt, apply lip gloss!” she tells us.
A peek at where we spent our short stay in Macedonia. *** A dry room in Gostivar after a long, wet day of pedaling. *** A shared room above a gas station in Debar with fellow bike touring friends. ***
“WELCOME TO MACEDONIA!” booms a young man with outstretched arms. He’s flanked by his friends and they snicker when they hear his loud, playful introduction and see our comical-looking touring bikes roll across the border from Kosovo. We wave and pedal further into the slightly-larger-than-Vermont country, stopping a bit down the road for pizza and …