okay,

So my plans (which are constantly changing) were to cycle through Asia ~ but now I have fallen in love and my partner and I are wanting to travel together

she has never really done any serious riding, but I have since gotten her a bicycle to cycle to work/uni and is absolutely loving it

anyway, she recently said her dads friend was talking about how amazing their cycling adventure was through Vietnam... and all of a sudden the idea of cycle touring together is becoming a possibility!!!

WOW

so what is the next step ?? obviously to go on a few mini-tours together and see how she feels... obviously getting fitness up is the most important..

but right now flights are as cheap as ever and I'm really keen to just book a ticket to Singapore and explore Asia on bicycle..

we want to do volunteer work, she is a teacher and I work in the conservation and earth restoration fields, also interested in permaculture

we both want to see community living in action, people that are living simply but full of abundance and with care towards the Earth and each other

can you advise any destinations that fit these interests ?

anyone have experience with introducing touring to their partner? how did you go about it?

thanks ~

Definitely go on some short local tours to start.

Where are you located? The weather in SE Asia can be brutally hot and humid, which can add up to a lot of discomfort for some people. Are the two of you used to such a climate?

location: far-north QLD, Australia

I am personally in my element when it is hot/humid... minus -8 degrees back down south is what I call Brutal!


indeed the logical first step would be to do a few shorter tours ~

Ah, a love story. Just makes me feel all wiggley inside...

If there's one thing I would say it's be careful. I don't know how you plan to tour, whether it's credit card touring or roughing it, but nothing can test a relationship like having to endure discomfort together. No matter how compatible you are, there's bound to be a few hard times. Saddle discomfort, fatigue, bad weather, difficult dealings with people, etc, etc. Tempers can flare and contempt can surface.

I'd suggest having a long talk with your partner and make certain she knows the possible hardships of bicycle travel. Tolerance and an upbeat attitude will make all the difference. I've seen long term relationships crumble on bike trips, I'd hate to see your new found love affair end up being strained because of too much, too soon.

It might not be an issue in your case/s, but I think that anyone who's toured with their partner will agree that it's at least worthy of comment.

There is some great touring around Central Tilba in NSW. The terrain is extremely diverse, which makes it quite interesting.

Yes, totally - the intense togetherness and constant shared decision making under conditions of physical strain are a serious relationship accelerator. I wouldn't see this as a negative, though. I doubt it will make anything happen in the relationship that wouldn't eventually happen anyway.

The tour will either make or break your relationship. If you both want to go to Asia, then go for it!! It's a great place to cycle! Personally, I prefer India, but SE Asia is great too.

Brings back memories.... I've been in your shoes, and also recognized the treasure life was offering me. You already have the key attitude: Realizing that you're embarking on a shared adventure.

Thulsadoom and valygrl got it right. More advice for personal relationships is.... well, personal, so the "success" of the adventure depends on the individuals: philosophy, sense of humor, psychological needs, self-confidence,... Spending time together now, and on mini-tours, will help you both find out each other's strengths and weaknesses. Then you'll know how to complement each other. From my own experience, it was crucial for me to know where my SO had doubts and fears, to compensate for them, and to prove that she could rely on "us". And an Asian bike tour will really test that.

I don't know if you've been around Asia (you're close enough... but you don't say). My wife and I have traveled quite a bit around SE Asia (not bike touring, however). So although I'm not an expert for your touring question, I can offer this: Seeing village life as "simple abundance" is entirely in the eye of the beholder.

The Asian mainland, in general, is commercially networked now, in a big way. The "simple abundance" is more likely "teaming cities" or "struggling poverty". But there is always reward and discovery; my outlook is always positive and I appreciate the human experience. If you don't see "simple abundance", use all your senses and you won't be disappointed.

In general, "living simply" is done far off the highways and paved roads. What this means is that you'll probably have to push into the hill country of Laos, or the highlands of Sulawesi. I'd love to do this.... people have toured there, but it's an order of magnitude more "adventurous" than, say, Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand-Vietnam on main roads. Just have realistic expectations -- and read lots of journals. People are wonderful everywhere, but landing in a village with hopes of leading field restoration might end in disappointment. It'd be better to either work with NGOs, or make contacts and soak up as much learning as you can for a later organized effort.

In your situation, my first choice would be to cycle the islands of Indonesia: Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores. Fantastic sights, friendly people (away from the beaches of Bali, anyway), villages isolated by ferry rides and remote enough to be simple. Each island has a distinct culture and history. And it's close enough to home to bale out, or return for more.

Wherever you tour in Asia, you'll have the trip of a lifetime. The cultures are so different, you'll depend on each other for weeks, far more than life at home.

-- Mark

My wife and I did a cross-country tour for our honeymoon in 1977, and not only is the "intense togetherness and constant shared decision making" ever present, since you're always on the move, there are no really no reliable alternatives. Of course you also share the joys and numerous little adventures of the trip as well.

thanks everyone for the feedback, more then I could have hoped for.

On the relationship level, I expect very much to be challenged ~ my attitude in life is 'no rain- no rainbows' ~ am prepared for the good, the bad and the ugly.. all ultimately leading to personal growth and having parts of ourselves surface to be confronted.... BRING IT ON ! i say

I totally agree! am open to whatever is meant to be .... but am secretly hoping that it will MAKE IT!

my gf really wants to visit India/Nepal~ and I have secretly dreamed of cycling through Indonesia up through S.E Asia up China/Tibet/Nepal/India~>.. but not sure if I'm ready to take her on that intense of a journey ~ anyone have an idea of the fincancial costs of such a journey for the two of us ?

thankks Mark, that's a great idea ~ Indonesia is VERY attractive to me, but for some reason my gf isn't so into it ~ I might have to do that section by myself.... (she is open to me doing my solo tours, which is good because I need time to do my solo thing now and then)

a few more questions ... is cheap to fly within Asia if you haven't booked ? (as booking ahead seems to limit spontenous develoments from occuring) ...

where in India would anyone reccomend cycling?

Asian roads are meant to be the most intense on the planet, how often would one have to confront the more crazier sections if choosing to go off the beaten bath?

How much would it cost too cycle Indonesia for 6-9 months ? and how does one deal with the 90 day visa issue ??

cheears

I don't think fitness is that important. Get out and so some short tours together, test out your equipment, attitude compatibility, that kind of thing, and get an idea how far you and your partner can go in a day, comfortably, fully loaded, while still having fun. Plan your vacation accordingly; don't plan on being in better physical condition than you are now. I'm sure you will improve your fitness, and that's great; but it's not the most important.

As for Indonesia:
Travel in Indonesia isn't easy. But it is cheap.

As anywhere, the costs are relative to how close you live to the local customs. These break down into 5 areas:
1) Food
2) Lodging
3) Local transportation
4) International travel, across borders
5) Splurges -- sightseeing/resort stays

My wife and I crossed the Nusa Tenggara islands (Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores) ten years ago -- not on bicycles, however. I wouldn't expect much change in cost for food and lodging. Even for local transportation. Losmen (guesthouse) under $5 per night, meals $2-4. Two people easily survive on US$25 per day, and half of that is for transportation, which for you would be minimal with bicycles. The biggest expense would be inter-island ferries (can't remember, but probably on the order of $10 apiece, I'm sure they'd charge for bikes, too). But the ferry rides are worth it all by themselves, it's easily the best way to share a Indonesian day with locals.

(Bali is a special case. Anywhere near the resorts and beaches, travel can be prohibitively expensive -- and frustrating for travelers who are used to doing things on their own. This is the one island in Indonesia where my rip-off radar went red. Away from the resort beaches, it's paradise, but still expensive by Indonesian standards.)

Then there's air travel.... Flights are expensive, even inter-island flights which are with the minor Indonesian airlines; small planes, and I wouldn't expect bicycles to be accepted as luggage (of course, $$$$ could convince them...) However, distances aren't large, so you could fly two or three times for the same cost as one trip to Nepal, for instance.

Lots of travelers to Indonesia grab a ferry to Singapore or Malaysia for a cheap visa renewal. This, of course, is easiest from Sumatra or Bintan (the islands near S'pore and M'sia). You could do the same by flying -- to S'pore, M'sia, Phillipines, or Darwin -- and take a week "vacation" from the tour, but flying costs a lot more. With good planning, you could leave your bikes and gear in a trusted hotel, and return from the visa hop.

These are all just ideas... And would work no matter what region you travel to. Local flights -- domestic flights between cities in any given country -- are hard to book, expensive, possibly on small planes (limited baggage space), and depending on the local culture can be a nightmare to negotiate (Indonesia, for instance, still hasn't entered the information age, bookings and confirmation are best done face-to-face). That's all part of the charm. Travel in many parts of Asia is a lesson in patience. Trying to keep to a schedule can be very very expensive. Learning to adapt to this is one of the great rewards of travel.

International flights should be a lot easier to shop for, and a lot easier to book. Every Asian country seems to have a city or district with cheap travel agents -- usually where the embassies and consuls are. Getting visas and air tickets is usually pretty quick and cheap, as long as you're flexible -- a week, maybe, instead of a day. Just remember that bikes and baggage might limit your choices, and depending on the airline might add a lot to the cost.

I think I can understand your gf's aversion to Indonesia. Most people identify with Java and Bali, but those are extremes. But still should be experienced. Lombok and Flores are both corners of paradise. You can lose yourself on each one for months. The chain of ferries to cross these islands makes it a unique trip. Lombok is half Hindu-mystic and half laid-back-secular-Muslim. Flores, Christian and a former Portugese colony, feels like a transplanted Mexico. Sumbawa is a stark interlude: a desert scrub island and very staunch Muslim. Where else can you find all this, just by stepping off another ferry?

But I'm not trying to convince you... I just don't know enough about India, Nepal, and Tibet. Other posters can help you there. As far as cost, I'd guess that Laos and Cambodia are on the same order as Indonesia (Cambodia can be very expensive if you don't stick to local customs); Thailand 50% higher; Malaysia another 2x higher, and Singapore pretty close to Australia. Not surprisingly, the ease of travel in each country follows the same scale. This includes "confronting the crazy sections" of road -- the poorer the country, the poorer the infrastructure, the more concentrated the chaos on the roads...

-- Mark