Hi!
Nice that you’ve taken the time to check out my website! It’s still quite empty, though. I’ve decided to write this short story to fill up the emptiness. My bicycle journey from Sydney (East of Canada) to Ushuaia (South of Argentina) is about to begin. I will depart from Amsterdam at the 15th of February. I’ve made a brilliant sketch on paint to give you an idea of how my planned route looks like. It’s just a raw sketch, the actual plan will probably be different, except from the starting and finish point. The idea to make a trip like this has been in my mind for a couple of years, I just didn’t know when and how. I found myself too young when I finished secondary school (just 17), so I decided to wait until I finished my study.
The plan of cycling started around 2/3 years ago, when I followed a guy (Henk van Dillen), who cycled from Rotterdam to Singapore in 2015. He kept everyone up to date via his website, so that’s where I followed him. His stories, about everything that he saw, things he went through, people he met, were really inspiring. I wanted to do something like that as well! The reason that I’m going to cycle from Canada to Argentina is partly due to the fact that I’ve learned Spanish for half a year, the language that is being spoken in South America except for Brazil. It’s not that I’m afraid to enter a country where I don’t speak the language, it’s more because of the abilities that it generated when you’re able to communicate with the locals. Unfortunately, my skills in Spanish partly vanished in the last years, simply because I never apply it in my daily life. I’m certain that I will pick it up easily. I’ve been to a friend in Valencia the 14th of January, and I already noticed the speed at which my speaking/listening abilities improve, so no worries!
I’ve shared my story about cycling plans to a lot of people, also when it was just a thought. Luckily, this thought is eventually transforming into an actual plan. Ticket have been booked (15th of February), so I finally have something to work towards. Furthermore, I have also bought a second-hand bicycle here on an online market place. Obviously, my bicycle and ticket alone are not sufficient, but the first steps have been taken! For that reason, I’m currently busy working and preparing everything before I will leave.
I’ve received a lot of positive reactions and messages of people that are interested in following me. For that reason, I have decided to create a website/blog to keep everybody up to date. I’m certain that my family will appreciate taht as well. If you would like to follow my during my trip, you can register yourself here. The registration ensures that you get an email when I post a new story. Thanks again for visiting my website, you must be really interesting as you’ve read all the 513 words. Good job!
Jelle
