Eurasindica
The idea of this journey was to discover untouched places on Mother Earth with Grete. We intended to cycle though Europe, Asia, India and AfrIca, that’s why we named this travel Eurasindica.
As I suffered from a disease in summer 2020 and Grete and I separated, this journey won’t be continued.
What We Were Expecting in the Beginning
WHEN DO YOU START?
We leave Switzerland in June 2019 and we leave Estonia in July 2019.
WHAT’S THE DESTINATION?
Grete: Cape Town
Marc: Africa
HOW MANY COUNTRIES?
Grete: 40 countries
Marc: I don’t know.
FOR HOW LONG?
Probably 2-3 years.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO THERE?
Grete: We just love to be on the road, experience different cultures and their love, learn about life and practice our love towards other humans.
Marc: I want to collect as many different experiences as possible. Cycling gives us the perfect opportunity to see a beautiful mix of culture and nature.
IS IT SAFE?
Grete: Hope is our only friend.
Marc: Most places are safe to travel. We obviously avoid dangerous areas.
WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?
Most of the nights we spend in our beloved tent which we pitch somewhere in the nature.
WHAT DO YOU EAT?
Grete: We are vegans, so we don’t consume animal products. But we eat everything like grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds… Local seasonal food is usually the best and cheapest.
Marc: Spaghetti and sugar.
HOW CAN YOU GO FOR SO LONG?
Grete: We travel cheap, as we eat vegan, neither smoke nor drink nor go to tourist places. We usually don´t buy anything else than food and visas.
Marc: On a regular day, we just spend money for food. For updating the website we need electricity and internet, but ho(s)tels are relatively pricey compared to our regular expenses. So if you want to see updates more frequently, you might consider to make a donation ;-)
HOW DID YOU SAVE UP MONEY?
Grete: I worked hard before and I saved up most of the money what I could earn when I worked in a ski-resort hotel in Zermatt.
Marc: I already started saving money when I was a teenager. When I was working as a teacher in 2017/2018, I tried to save up as much money as possible. Luckily the swiss franc is a very powerful currency, which gives me the possibility to travel by bicycle for a long time.
DO YOU USE OTHER TRANSPORT THAN BIKES?
Train through Russia in July 2019. Probably some public transport in China as well. Later we will likely cycle most of the distance. We might take trains or hitchhike every now and then, depending on the situation. We intend to travel overland and not taking any planes. Ferries and sailing boats might be used as well.
HOW HEAVY ARE YOUR BIKES?
We carry winter equipment with us in the beginning which will make the bikes relatively heavy. Luckily we won’t need warm clothing anymore in Africa, thus the bikes will get lighter there. On the other hand, we need to carry more water in hot countries, which results again in a heavier bike. Marc’s bike will usually be between 50 – 70 kg, Grete’s bike a bit lighter.
HOW DO YOU GET YOUR VISAS?
For some countries we don’t need a visa. For other countries, we can apply for a visa on arrival at the border. Some countries offer the possibility to apply for an e-visa online.
But for some countries, we need to apply for a visa in advance at the corresponding embassy or consulate. For some countries we already applied for a visa in Europe, for other countries that we visit after 2019, we need to organize the visa in another country.
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK ABOUT IT?
Grete: Pretty sure they would like to become normal grandparents but now they have to wait and accept our passion for travelling. Meanwhile they can read few books and knit few pairs of socks.
Marc: Let’s make a long story short: they support me.
WILL YOUR PARENTS OR FRIENDS COME TO VISIT?
Grete: Maybe.
Marc: Inshallah.
HOW DO YOU GET BACK HOME?
Grete: HAHA – We will continue after Cape Town if possible, otherwise we will take a cruise back home.
Marc: Our home is a tent and that’s always with us. Or should I say “home is a feeling, not a place”?
Planned Route
Summary - What Actually Happened
In the beginning of June 2019, Grete hitchhiked to Poland, bought some equipment and took a bus home to her mother in Tartu, Estonia. In the end of June, Marc hitchhiked with his bike and all his equipment from Switzerland to Estonia. In Estonia, we got our Chinese Visa. From Tartu, we cycled to Pskov, Russia, from where we took a train to Moscow. In Moscow, we took another train all the way to Novosibirsk. From Novosibirsk we cycled to Barnaul. There, we met Juri, a man which Marc already met on his winter journey six months earlier, and spend two days with him. After that, our journey took us to Mongolia, where we spent most of the time on dirt tracks.
From Mongolia, we crossed into China and explored the beauty of the Tibetan plateau. In January 2020, we cycled through the Tibetan areas in the provinces Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan. Because of the Corona-Virus, we weren’t able to leave China overland to Laos. Fortunately, our Chinese visa was extended automatically for another 60 days, which gave us the opportunity to wait a few weeks in a hotel in the south of China to see, how the situation would evolve.
While we were waiting in China, we could extend our visa only month by months and we were trying to find some way to return to Europe. But suddenly, Marc got a brain inflammation and had to be repatriated to Switzerland in an ambulance jet. Fortunately, he recovered surprisingly quickly.