After 10 months of cycling and 23,000km later we have reached South America! Sitting in an apartment in Santiago, Chile, overlooking the Andes, I reflect on the past few months since our last sweeps update from Southeast Asia…much has happened!
Josh and I continued our journey southwards and entered the bustle and beauty of Indonesia. More incredibly friendly people along the way and chaotic traffic to deal with again! Our route took us through Java and past the biggest natural flue I’ve ever seen! Mount Bromo, an active volcano, quietly erupting in front of us was a sight I’ll never forget. Then on to Bali for a well-earned rest and time off surrounded by incredible rice fields, surf beaches, great food…and a surprise visit by my wife, Jane!
Next stop Perth, Western Australia – the world’s most isolated city. As we pedalled eastwards into vast, red landscapes under bright blue skies and intense heat, it quickly became apparent why Australia is known as the sunburnt country. On the ground, it seemed everything wanted to bite, sting, or eat us! Luckily, we only encountered a few spiders (wolf and redback), a couple of snakes and many small but hungry ants.
We then faced the infamous Nullarbor Plain, our most daunting prospect so far. 1,200km of remote treeless desert with the occasional roadhouse for rest and replenishment and the odd well used log burner to remind me of home! With temperatures soaring into the 40s, coupled with relentless headwinds, we had to keep pushing hard to eventually reach civilisation again in Ceduna. Plenty of company from kangaroos and dingoes on the way though!
Continuing East, we spent Christmas in our tent and later celebrated with festive fish and chips in a motel on Christmas night. From there into Adelaide for New Year, kindly hosted by a very generous Australian family who welcomed us into their home. Our route then took us to the Blue Mountains, where our host, Rob, had installed a lovely Esse log burning oven. It worked perfectly, especially in cooking steaks over the fire! Then, the final stretch into Sydney and the iconic Opera House with local cyclists escorting us in and sharing some bubbly on arrival.
A flight to Queenstown, New Zealand next, where we were greeted by a spectacular display of the Southern Lights! We discovered just how hilly the country is as we pedalled along the West coast. We also discovered how hungry and persistent the sandflies were in that area; the most we’ve been eaten in the entire trip! The scenery didn’t disappoint though with a mix of stunning mountains, waterfalls, temperate rainforests but alas, no hobbits! In Wellington, we passed through our first antipodal point, a requirement for our Guinness World Records Title bid – the other being in Spain. We enjoyed more great hospitality as we continued up the North Island, including catching up with old friends and ending with an amazing stay with a local cyclist in Auckland before flying to South America.
The bikes are now rebuilt after our flight and we are busy preparing for the next big challenge of the trip, the Andes Mountains. A 4,000-metre climb awaits us before we then head through Argentina, bound for Brazil. In the meantime, we are pleased to report that we have now raised over £26,000 for UNICEF, getting much closer to our target of £30,000. A pound for every kilometre pedalled. We also remain very grateful to the Guild for their ongoing support. We look forward to sharing more on our return in May!
For the latest updates on our journey, feel free to follow on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @joshpkohler and @georgemkohler. Or just “Google” father and son cycling around the world!
