Thailand, 21 years later

Sailing with my dad and my sister on the West coast of Thailand.

I have such fond memories of Thailand, what an incredible country!  Over the course of two years my sister and I spent a lot of time there.  We moved to Thailand in grade 5 with my father while my mom went back to school to complete her Masters degree.  We were homeschooled by my dad and we stayed at a beautiful resort called Royal Blue Lagoon on Lamai beach, Koh Samui.  It was a magical time, it truly was unforgettable, everything was so new and I'm sure we were wide eyed the whole time.  We spent the first 3 hours of every morning studying all the required subjects.  My father had the accredited curriculum and all the textbooks.  He did such a great job that when I returned to Canada, I was ahead of my class.  We would spend the morning “at school” and then we would have the afternoon off and my dad would work at the resort.  Dom and I would play in the pool, or chase crabs on the beach; the freedom to roam was priceless at that age.  We would make friends with other kids that stayed at the hotel, I remember meeting families from Germany, France, Russia and countless others.  An education in culture, real world learning at its finest.

Reflections on India

This gentleman was very interested in my bike, so he sat with me while I ate lunch. This was just another experience I had where we didn't speak the same language but we communicated via the bike.  When you cycle through India you're not a tourist, you're a cyclist which is infinitely more rewarding.

I wanted to share some experiences that I had in India that stuck with me.  Even now the memories are still so fresh, I think India is fascinating on so many levels, so here are a few stories I wanted to share: 

Lessons Learned on Top of Arunachala

While I was staying with Olae on Quiet beach, I was trying to find some direction for the rest of my trip.  I was still undecided on where to go next and he recommended Thiruvannamalai because of the temple there.  Am I ever glad that I listened to him, because it was in Thiru that I had one of my most memorable moments to date.  The reason I start this post talking about Olae is because it is a perfect example of how I like to travel.  Synchronicity, serendipity, fate; there are many words to describe following your instincts but there were three "coincidences" that led to my experience in Thiru.  Olae randomly stopping to chat after seeing me on my bike on the side of the road, an unplanned cremation occurring at my beach hut thus forcing me to move on, and his recommendation to visit Thiru.  I plan very little ahead of time because if your mind is still and you are open to suggestions from the Universe, then things like this happen.  At this time, I have to thank Olae for his direction because I enjoyed 4 beautiful days there, merci beaucoup mon ami!

YouTube Videos

I'm not sure why I waited this long to start editing videos.  I guess because it takes a lot more screen time and I'm trying to cut down on my computer use.  I have been posting these to Facebook, but I realized not everyone that has asked for my blog is on Facebook, so I've decided to share those videos here as well!

1. Shahbaz was my Couchsurfing host in Chennai, India.  He invited me along to pick up his motorbike from the shop. We took a Tuktuk into town, hit the beach, went for breakfast, and then rode the motorbike home. One hell of a ride through the busy streets this morning.

Today in Chennai

2. Mahabs was one of my favourite spots in India. This small fishing village has a growing surf scene with Temple Surfboards and Mumu Mukesh surf lessons! If you get the chance pay them a visit!

Intersecting Friendlies

3. Mahaballipuram, to Pondicherry, and finally Auroville on the beach.  Lots to see!

Temples, statues, and bamboo huts

4. Mauritius par Velo: A little tour of the island, from the Southern tip to the Northern tip!

Mauritius par Velo

5. A lot of the Couchsurfing hosts I stayed with in India had adopted dogs off the streets. There are lots of puppies around, and Olae had just picked up this little guy, all of one month old. It's funny he looks big for the first half of the video, must be the HD, then you see him next to my hand...not so big anymore! It was my job to watch him while Olae was at work, son nom est Milou!

Milou

6. Descent from Villars-sur-Ollon to Aigle. 1000 meters elevation change in 10 minutes, AKA flying down a hill on a bike dropping 100 meters every minute. The uphills are brutal in the Alps, but the downhills are glorious!

Villar descent

If you're interested in following my future videos, they can be found here: Alex's YouTube Channel

The Smiling Faces of India

Quick stop for some supplies, turned into another party!

Cycling in India is wonderful.  I might be biking by myself, but I am never alone.  Locals will pull up beside me and 80% of the day there is a motorbike or bicycle riding with me.  This can be a little dangerous as there is always traffic coming, but they insist on riding side by side.  At times I've had up to 5 bikes with me. 

They are so curious here, always asking questions, wanting to know where I'm going, where I'm from.  They will bike with me for many KMs, waving to their friends, making small talk.  It's a lot of fun!

Top 5 reasons you SHOULD see India by bike!

Top 5 reasons you SHOULD see India by bike

When I told people that I'd be cycling through India, everyone told me it's too dangerous.  The road conditions don't allow it, and that I shouldn't go.  Coming to India with my bike was the best decision I ever made!

1.  Riding through small towns at 6am will give you a glimpse into Indian culture that you won’t get anywhere else. Preparing meals, creating flower arrangements, milking cows/goats, and daily prayers are all included in the early morning routines here.

2.  You’ll start the party everywhere you go!  Stopping on the side of the road is an experience in itself, every single time.  You’ll find yourself posing for selfies with the locals, explaining your bike gear, and giving the locals a shot at balancing a fully loaded bike!

3.  Guaranteed weight loss!  I cycled 86km the other day, and it felt like 200km in this incredibly humid heat.  I drank 6L of water that day, and it still wasn’t enough, I am however trimming up quite nicely.

4.  When you bike through India you are touched by the smiles of the people you see.  When you take the train or bus, so many special moments pass you by.  If you want to stop and pray at a temple on your bike, you just pull over.  If you want to cool down, you find the next coco stand.  

5.  India’s busy streets and lack of traffic controls will bestow upon you the powers of a Jedi Master.  You will learn quickly how to avoid cows, goats, rickshaws, chickens, buses, yaks, dogs, dead snakes, and horrible road conditions. If you survive India on a bike, you can safely say you are prepared to cycle anywhere in the world!

Meeting in Mauritius: Finding family on the other side of the world!

Leaving Geneva and seeing the snow on the mountain tops was pretty surreal after my weekend of hot sun in the Alps.  Arriving in Mauritius and being dropped off at the beach in the photo above, felt like I was transported into a dream world. 

Probably the clearest water I've ever seen.

I am visiting Michel, my dad's friend from when he used to live here in 1971.  My dad spent just over a year here and attended the Lycée school in Floreal.

Cowbells, Gruyere, et les Alps

I'm getting Artsy Fartsy in my old age.

Day 1

L’Etivaz a Gstaad

Distance: 16KM

Elevation: 1150m

More info here. 

After an amazing few days in Villars-sur-Ollon, I was ready to hit the mountains. I want to thank a few people for making this possible.  Christina et Eva etait tellement gentille, elles m'a donner permission pour laissez mon vela dans le chalet pour le fin de semaine.  Sans leur aide je pense pas que mon weekend serait possible.  Merci beaucoup!

I'd also like to mention one of my hosts, I stayed with Sarah Prior in Yverdons-les-Bains earlier that week, and we talked about doing some hiking.  This is the beauty of Couchsurifng, you meet people along the way who are interested in the same activities, and with the contacts you make, hikes like these are made possible.  I was touring the school and preparing for the presentation on Friday and I didn’t have any time to research some hikes.  She sent me an email with a complete itinerary for both days, merci encore Sarah!

 SO MUCH CHEESE!!

Looking down at L'Etivaz

École Beau Soleil - Following in my father's footsteps

This is the school my father attended 50 years ago. 

This is the view from Villars-sur-Ollon looking down to the valley below.

So I biked quite a ways to visit my dad's old school, over 2200kms.  It was the final destination on my trip through Europe, and for good reason.  Not only was it where he spent time as a ten year old, it's also one of the seven locations around the world where he wanted his ashes spread over water.  Maintenant je comprend pourquoi.  This spot is without a doubt one of the most beautiful areas in Switzerland, maybe the entire World.  Called the PreAlps this school is nestled in between glacier mountains, and beautiful soaring peaks.

Updated videos!

I just added some new videos to the "Come ride with me" page.  I have so much video footage, I don't know what to do except share it with you!  There's some beauties in there so click here take a ride!

Take this video for example.  This protest erupted in the middle of Basel while I was rolling down the street one day.  You don't see this everyday folks.

More info here: tens-thousands-kurds-protest-over-isis-inaction-europe-video