Gone
worldseeing

From London, we cycled along the beautiful coast of Kent, to reach the ferry port in Dover. Next stop: Dunkerque. Back on the continent we cycled through heavy rain to Oostende as fast as possible and took the next train to Eupen. We got super wet and a little cold, but we made it home safely on the same evening!

After an extended full english breakfast we put the bicycles together and cycled to London!

After exploring Japan for almost 3 months, it was time to go back to Europe. We had the chance to experience the culture, the food and many unforgettable landscapes. The time passed by quickly! ありがとう ございます!

From Yokohama we went to our final cycling destination: Kawasaki. We left the bikes at our hotel, just across the river from Haneda airport, and went to Tokyo by train, without any luggage. The next 4 days we walked around various districts of Tokyo, most of the time hunting for Super Famicom games.

We stayed two nights in Yokohama, walking around the harbor area at night. There were two outstanding ramen shops nearby. Especially The green chili ramen at Menya Katsuji were amazing and very unique. We would have loved to try more from their menu.

We climbed even more mountain passes in the second part, Mount Fuji always in sight. On our way we passed Suwa, Kofu and Sugamihara, heading for Yokohama.

We were really looking forward to cycle into the Japanese Alps! And it was even better than expected. We had quite a few climbs with stunning views!

After Kanazawa, we cycled along the Sea of Japan to reach Jeotsu-Myoko and start our journey into the mountains.

We spent two nights in Kanazawa, walking around, visiting the local sights and several ramen shops.

Finally some countryside cycling again! We really enjoyed the sunny days at Lake Biwa and the beautiful coastal roads.

The next big city, Kyoto! The city has a very calm atmosphere, considering how many tourists come here every day. We had a great time, waiting for the rain to pass!

After a brief visit to Kobe, we cycled to Osaka. Honshu has so many big cities that we ended up with less cycling and more walking around in cities. Besides, more rain and thunderstorms were on their way. Not the worst time to chill out a bit in Osaka.

Next stop: Kobe. Kobe is the third largest harbor city in Japan. In 1868 the port was opened to foreign trade and foreign settlements began. Some of the buildings and districts still exist or were rebuilt.

In the late afternoon we arrived in Himeji and stayed there for two nights.

After saying goodbye to Elena, we took the ferry to Shodoshima island. Shodoshima is famous for cultivating mediterranean plants, especially olive trees.

In Takamatsu we met up with Elena again. We had a great time celebrating her birthday!

From Imabari we cycled along the coast to Takamatsu. On the first day, we followed a national cycle route again. It was a bit stressful with a lot of traffic through small industrial cities. On the next day, followed our own routing, with smaller roads and nice views!

In Imabari we ended our little cycling trip with Elena. We explored the city together, including Imabari castle. It has a sea water moat with a canal, so the water level changes with the tide. Due to the salt water from sea and freshwater wells from the bottom, a unique environment is created where creatures from the sea and the river coexist. While Elena headed back to Onomichi, we stayed for one more day in the city.

From Mihara we cycled to Onomichi to meet up with Elena again. Together we cycled the Shimanami Kaido, a prestigious national cycle route. We crossed the Seto Inland Sea from Onomichi to Imabari with six islands in between.

After a long stay in Hiroshima we finally got back on the road! Thanks to Michas recommendations, we had a nice trip exploring small islands between Hiroshima and Mihara.

We stayed in Hiroshima for more than a week. While waiting for Elena to join us, we enjoyed relaxing in the Onsen, strolling around the city and eating different ramen and sushi! It was a nice coincidence, that the Tōkasan Yukata Festival was held in Hiroshima while we were there. We had a great time seeing food stalls, traditional dancing and many beautiful Yukatas. In between we visited the Peace Memorial Park including the museum as well as many other memorial places of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Back on Honshu, we made our way along the coast and through the mountains, to reach Hiroshima.

From Beppu we cycled the final part of Kyushu along the coast. We took the same tunnel back to Honshu, from which we entered Kyushu almost one month ago!

From Oita we cycled just a few kilometers north to visit Beppu, the famous onsen town. Before arriving in the city center we took the chance to see the Japanese Macaques in the Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden. The mountain is inhabited by over 1200 monkeys who roam around the area freely. In Beppu we visited one of the eight hells of Beppu: The Chinoike Jigoku aka Blood Pond Hell.

We stayed three nights in Oita. It is a nice small city with a good vibe. We celebrated Philipps birthday with good food, cozy local craft beer bars and relaxing in the onsen.

Along the east coast of Kyushu we enjoyed great coastal roads and beautiful villages all the time. We also stayed at some really nice campsites.

On our way to the east coast of Kyushu, we cycled through mountainous jungle roads and along beautiful coasts.

In the evening, we arrived in Kagoshima. We had some great ramen and briefly walked through the city. The next day, we started cycling east. First, we cycled around Sakurajima volcano, the most active volcano in Japan. Afterwards we found some nice cycle routes along an old railway line and some canals.

On our way to Kagoshima we followed old and narrow mountain roads which are not often used anymore. We had a super nice day. The rainy days before gave the forest a mystical atmosphere. We saw a lot of wild animals including one snake, nine deer, one tanuki and one japanese badger!

After Nagasaki, we went south. We cycled around Mount Unzen and along the coastline of the beautiful Amakusa islands.

We stayed in Nagasaki for two nights. We visited the Atomic Bomb Museum, Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park and the Nagasaki Peace Park.

After Fukuoka we cycled in direction Nagasaki. In between, we camped in the parking lot of Arita Onsen. We had a great evening there! We were greeted lovely and the staff and locals have been kind and patient with our not so great japanese skills. After a relaxing long bath with nice conversations, the owners invited us to draft beer, highball and snacks! Arigato gozaimasu!

We stayed in Fukuoka during golden week, which was a nice opportunity to see some of the festivities.

The first few days in Japan, we spent in Kokura. We walked around, tried some food and got used to the language a little. An eerie fact about the city is that it was the primary target for the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. The target was changed due to weather conditions on that day.

Having completed the Grand Slam, it was time to prepare our journey to Japan! We headed to Busan again, checked the ferry terminal and completed the immigration paperwork. One day later we were on the ferry to Shimonoseki!

Yeah, we made it! We finished the Grand Slam of South Korea! Fun facts: 33 days 18 cycling days 1841 km in total 11177 m altitude 6 bus rides 2 ferry rides

From Sokcho we cycled to the most northern point we could ride the bike to get the first stamp of the east coast bicycle path. Unfortunately we could not enter the DMZ by bicycle, to see the museum. We were really interested to see the exhibition about the Korean conflict. From the starting point we cycled all the way to Yeongdeok. It was a nice trip through small fishing villages and tourist beach towns. Like almost every coastal road, it was quite hilly.

We took the metro out of Seoul city center to start the Bukhangang bicycle path. The cycle path ends in Chuncheon, where we took an intercity bus to the east coast.

After finishing the Ocheon bicycle path, we took a bus to Seoul. We spent a few days in the city, walking around different areas.

After cycling a few kilometers back from the end of the Geumgang bicycle path, we started with the Ocheon bicycle path!

From Gwangyang, we took a bus to Gunsan, to cycle the Geumgang bicycle path.

We had to cycle about 40km to get from the Yeongsangang cycle path to the Seomjingang cycle path. The northern Seomjingang river part was really beautiful. Wild river bed, with a lot of herons waiting to catch some fish.

After arriving in Mokpo, we cycled the Yeongsangang bicycle path. Almost at the end, we spent a few days in Gwangju. In Gwangju, we visited the Uprising Memorial Park and the Freedom Park including the museum. There, we learned about the Gwangju Democratic Uprising, which started on May 18th, 1980. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the military dictatorship, and caused many victims. It was a long, hard struggle for democracy in South Korea, until the first president was democratically elected in 1987.

From Busan, we took a bus to Yeosu and then a ferry to Jeju island, to complete the Jeju Fantasy Bicycle Path.

After finishing the cross country cycle road, we stayed a few days in Busan!

The last part of the cross country cycle road is the Nakdonggang bicycle path.

Enjoyed our journey on the Saejae bicycle path!

New country, new adventures are waiting. After putting the bicycles together and getting a SIM card, we are ready to go. First we cycled to Incheon to get the most important thing for this journey: The bicycle passport! The task is simple: Collect all stamps of all long distance cycle paths! We are starting with the Cross Country Cycle Route which contains 4 of the 12 larger bicycle paths in South Korea. It leads from Incheon to Busan.

Our final stop in Taiwan: New Taipei City. From here, we visited a few different areas of Taipei by subway, and finally made our depart by plane to Incheon, South Korea.

We arrived in Taipei, almost at the end of our trip around Taiwan. We spent a few days in the Zhongzheng district, exploring the surroundings.

In the north we saw beautiful shores and fishing villages. We also visited the run down port city of Keelung.

We went further north along the east coast, crossing the gigantic Taroko national park.

Hualien is the biggest city on the east coast and has the highest indigenous population in Taiwan. We stayed two nights exploring the city and surroundings. Hualien has one of the coolest nightmarkets and a nice long promenade with a huge park.

From Taitung we cycled north along the east coast. The east is much less populated than the west coast, with more nature and beautiful views of the sea all the time.

Quick stopover in Taitung, one of the bigger cities on the east coast.

From Kaohsiung we went south to Donggang to eat at the local fish market. Afterwards we cycled around the south tip of the island, enjoying the scenic views of the jungle and the ocean.

We stayed two days in the middle of Kaohsiung. We explored the surroundings, including a short ferry trip to Cijin island. Kaohsiung is quite nice with a big art scene located at Pier2.

With Bastians family we went camping into the mountains. We had a great time exploring the surroundings, sitting at the river and enjoying a huge bbq! Thanks to Bastians father in law for the superb food!

From Sun Moon Lake, we went back to the west coast. We spent one night in Chiayi, then we visited Basti and his family in Kaohsiungs Daliao district and spent a few days with them.

From Taichung we took a detour to the Sun Moon Lake and into the mountains. Steep climbs, nice views and some aboriginal villages later, we arrived. We used our time to explore the native tribe city Ita Thao, hike up the highest peak in the area and relax at the beautiful lake.

We spent the weekend in Taichung, the second largest city of Taiwan. On the first day, we visited the famous Feng Chia Night market, where we had some great street food. We spend most of our second day on the street and in the parks. Taichung has quite a lot of small parks and green boulevards.