Welcome!

We are two girls on a bicycle trip from Holland to Nepal. We are making this trip to raise money for Stichting Didi. Stichting Didi wants to finance a womenshouse in Bharatpur, Nepal, for women who became a victim of human trading and who have no where to go anymore. For more information about the goals and the people behind Stichting Didi look at www.stichtingdidi.nl. With this cyclingtrip we hope to raise some money to build the house.

Who are we?

Lianne van den Brand (25) finished her study to become a social worker last year. She is an active member of Stichting Didi. She loves cycling and traveling and she wanted to combine these two factors and do something for Stichting Didi.
My name is Sanne Oorebeek (27) an I am an artist for two years now. I also like cycling a lot and traveling so I decided to join Lianne on her trip. After talking to her about that ofcourse :) It's good that I can help Sticihting Didi and the women in Nepal in this way.

After months of preparation, working and saying goodbye's we left our hometown Groningen on the 2nd of April. After 3 months we arrived in Turkye. We passed Germany, Austria, Hungaria, Slowakia, Roemania and Bulgary. Right now we are in Geyikbayri and after a break of 3 weeks we continue cycling on the 9th of august. After long debating we decided not to go to Iran anymore. We are now going back to Istanbul where we take the plane to New Delhi, India. From there we cycle to Nepal passing cities like Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi. And at the beginning of november we hope to arrive in Bharatpur, Nepal.

You find the photographs of our trip under 'foto's'. If you want to contact us about something you can send an email to sanneenlianne(AT)bandenvolmetwind.nl.

Europe, Turky and now the rest!!

It is cloudy in Istanbul, still warm, but the threat of rain is hanging in the air. We really don't mind at all! Everybody who is reading this knows that we are on a bicycle trip and that we come from The Netherlands, but what we have done so far is unknown, in dutch or very shortly explained above. So this story is about what we have seen and done so far.

Our journey started on the 2nd of April. In the afternoon we  were waved goodbye by our friends and family and even the mayor of our town, Groningen, came to say goodbye! It was quite emotional and strange to cycle out our hometown not to come back that same day! Strange feeling. In Holland we cycled for four days, where we stayed at our family to say the last goodbye's before going into Germany. Holland was easy to cycle, it is so flat and organised! In Germany we behin to follow a long distance cycling route and it goes along the northern boarder of the old Roman Empire. It follows mainly the Rein, the Main ande then the Doneau and it ends in the Black Sea in Romania. We and luckily on the land! It begins all the way back in Holland but we picked it up in Germany.
For about three months we followed this route, crossing through Germany, Austria, Slowakia, Hungary and Romaia. In between we take our stops at some interesting places. For example we stopped at the abbey in Melk in Austria. For everybody who has read 'The name of the rose' from Umberto Eco, this is the abbey which is discribed in the novel. It has quite an astonishing library. 10 levels in total, with the oldest books in the world! To bad we could only see the first two levels. It was still impressive!
Besides a lot of nature, rain and cyclingroads, we also enjoyed cities like Vienna and Budapest. In Vienna we stayed almost a week, we went to the Hundertwasserhouse and we saw paintings by Gustav Klimt. We also enjoyed just to be there in a young city with a lot of students which was very nice. Budapest was also nice, we didn't do much there, the big festival Sziget only starts in august and we were there in May... a bit to early...
After Hungaria we  cycled into Romania. We didn't really know what to expect there. It still is a poor country which has recently joined the EU. And you can see that. In a lot of small towns you can see that they are rebuilding it using the money they get from the EU. We really had a good time in Romania. We visited some old monastries up in the north which has a lot of old fresco's on the outside. Some of them are restored, but not all. We also slept in one of the monastries, in Agapia, and we even got dinner and breakfast from the nuns. They were so very nice there! And finally after 2,5/3 months of cycling we arrived Constanta, the end of part one of our journey. We were very proud!

Now we had to go to Turky through Bulgaria. We wanted to follow the coastline of the Black Sea, but it got a bit boring. In Bulgaria we visited Varna, which was nice. There was also a stone forest nearby which was very special. Nobody knows how it has come to this form. But they were old...
From Bulgaria we wanted to go to Istanbul by boat, but there didn't seem to be a boat service anymore. Shit.. we don't want to cycle over an 8 line highway with crazy Turkisch drivers!! So we took the bus from Burgas to Istanbul. Very late in the evening we arrived for the first time in Istanbul. The next day we came to SUltanahmet and stayed at Mavi Guesthouse for the next two weeks. During these two weeks we met a lot of nice, interesting people at the guesthouse and we saw all the touristic places in Istanbul. We arranged our visa's for India and applied for Iran. It was still unclear if we would go into Iran or not so we'd better arrange a visa just in case. After Istanbul we had a short holiday near to Antalya. A friend of ours came over from Holland to stay with us for three weeks. It was very nice to do nothing at all, no cycling which was good cause it was so warm there!! We did some nice rock climbing there, we camped at the biggest climbing area of Turkey and it was really beautiful!!

We also had to make a desicion about Iran, if we should cycle through or not. In the end we decided not to go to Iran. The situation in the east of Turky with the PKK was to uncertain, some germans were abducted near mount Arrarat and that's where we wanted to go. Also for two woman to cycle in Iran could be a problem, couse women are not allowed to sport and it is very difficut to get a hotelroom without a man on your side. Now normally we say 'swa! We're still going!' But now, well we don't want extra troubles and we want to feel safe and if we are cycling with the feeling of danger at our backs that's no fun. And that's exactly what we want to have! Fun!  
So no Iran for us this time. Instead we are going around Turkye on the bike. Also a challange! We start from Antalya and go to Pamukkale. This took us four days and these were also the first cycling days in Turkey. It was very warm and very steep! We climbed hills till 1560mtr in 45 degrees, but we managed! And to be honest it is better to be on the bke than do nothing in thes heat! Pamukkale was a bit disappointing. Pamukkale is a big mountain with a lot of natural chalkbaths which, in the past, used to be very white. Now they are getting more yellowish and the water is also running out cause all the locals are using the water for their swimmingopls. So there's not enough water to fill the baths up the mountain. From Pamukkale we went down to Bafa Golu.There we were going to boulder (climbing on rocks) on rocks which are scattered around the area. It is a beautifull scenery and we did some nice climbing. From there we went up to Selcuk and that was a pleasant surprise. It was a small town near to a big ancient city Ephesus. We stayed in a nice guesthouse and saw the ancient city. It was all very relaxed, and I (Sanne) even got my hair dyed! :)
Up untill Selcuk we didn't have any problems whatsoever. No problems with the bike and no problems with people. But after we left a small town called Birgi, we got quite a lot of trouble with men on scooters. After Birgi came a long climb of 10km and during that climb there were several men on scooters who were passing us more than once. One of them even had the nerve to touch us! It was really getting annoying and the most stressfull thing was that they could wait with a bunch of friends around every corner! They were calling there friends with there mobiles! So we decided to erase our 'trails' by taking the bus for 200km and then cycle for another two/three days to Yalova to take the boat to Istanbul. And so it was done! And now we are in Istanbul again to get the plane on the 22nd of september to New Delhi, India.
It will be the last part of our trip and probably the most interesting/challanging part. It is so different from Europe! We are both really looking forward to it!
So see you in India!! :)

The last part of our cycletrip

Oh dear.. Istanbul was the last story in English we have put on our website. And now we have already finished our bicycle trip! That means we have visited India eand Nepal and arrived in Bharatpur. We are already preparing for our flights on the 20th of november. Lianne goes back to The Netherlands and I go to Sydney in Australia.
Since our arrival in New Delhi, India, we've seen so many things and had so many different experiences, that I can't put them all in words.

It's interesting how everybody experiences a country on their own way. We both had no idea what to expect of India. In Istanbul we met a few people who had been there and said that India was wonderful! We would love it! The country was beautiful and also the people who lived there were wonderful. Well, now after my encounter with India, I wouldn't say that... To be honest, I had my first culture-shock and also Lianne, who had been in Asia before (it was my first time) had trouble adjjusting. The thing that struck me the most was the amount of people everywhere! And all the waste in the streets in Delhi and the smell. Everything is different even Indian sweat smells different... And it has been the first country where people tell lies to you to make money out of it. They are professional liars! Once we tried to get to the tourist office at the trainstation in Delhi and at least five men tried to lead us some where else. They ill do anything to block your way! We were really surprised by that. Why would you deliberitly tell lies to innocent people? I think we are too kind to understand that... Miraciously we didn't get involved in big scams during our stay in India. Only small ones, pay too much for water or whatever.

We found it difficult to really like India. How can you really like a country where there is so much poverty and where there is so much difference between the status of people. THis difference is set by the Hindu religion. Hinduism devides people into caste's, you can't do anything about it. You are born within a caste and stuck in it. Only a very few people make it to an upper class.
But even though the people of lower classes have a really tough time to make a living, you don't hear them complaining. You settle your mind on the idea that in this lifetime you have a shit life, but if you live a good life you may get it better in your next life. Hindu's believe in rebirth and it all has to do with karma. Good actions are good for your karma and the chance of a better life get's bigger. Bad actions are bad for your karma and the chance of coming back as a dog are bigger. Dogs are believed to be the reincarnations of thieves. They are treated so badly in India. But if you have made a bad action, you can enhance your karma bu making offerings to different god's and godesses. So all those liars are offering and praying so much! It is also hard to see how people treat other people. The truth is that we have spent most of the time in the poorest and most densed part of India. We have spent about 3 weeks in Uttar Pradesh and it is said ot be the most populated province in the whole world! I am sure that it is a different India in the south, so next time I go to India I will visit the middle and the south of the country.

We have seen some intersting things in India. After Delhi we went to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal. A magnificent building made out of love for a woman. We made a good decision visiting at dawn, when it was still cool and more quiet. It was really worth getting up so early.
We also made a daytrip to Fatehpur Sikri, a dersted town with a beautiful preserved fortress. It is one of the best prserved Mughal building in Inda. With beautifully carved woodworks.
After Agra we went to Jaipur, Radjastan. There we were planning to leave the bikes at a hostel and go for one night to PUshkar. PUshkar is one of the holiest places in India. THere are around 52 ghats, holy bathing places, aroud a holy lake. It is also a place where we could get away from all the madness of India. But after one night in Pushkar we had to go back to Jaipur. And the next day to Varanassi. In Varanassi we wanted to visit a project for silk scarfs. We heard from friends that there was a women's project who makes kilk scarfes. The Didi foundation wanted to sell the scarfes in Holland to raise money for the project Women's Empowerment Nepal. But after some research it turned out to be a family business where mostly men were working in dark little rooms. THe two projects didn't have anything in common so we didn't think is was a good idea to make a deal with them. Instead we wanted to look for projects in Nepal.
From Varanassi we made a daytrip to Sarnath where Lord Buddha had his first speech under a Bodhi tree. We also tried to make a boattrip over the Ganga river, but the boatsman stood us up.

Maybe you are thinking, how did those girls get to all those places on a bike within three weeks? Well we travelled by bus and train with our bikes. We tried to cycle in India but we didn't feel safe. Maybe you remember our last story in Turkey where men followed us on motorbikes, well the same thing happened again when we tried to cycle in India. And it was even worse! So we decided not to cycle in India, it is no fun when you are cycling under stress. And on the other hand, now we have more time to spent in Nepal what we really like. :)

So after a hell of a bus ride from Varanassi to Sunauli we finally came in Nepal! Wow! The land of our final destination. It is only a matter of time now... After a good night sleep we wanted to cycle the next day to Lumbini. It's only 45km from Sunauli and we wanted to try how it is to cycle here. Well the cycling went alright, but my (Sanne's) body decided to be very sick. So I had a hard ride. Finally in Lumbini Lianne joined me with being sick. We did visit the birthplace of Lord Buddha eventually. Close to the tree where Buddha was born they created a park where a lot of countries built there own temple. Very nice place. And there is also a World Peace Pagoda built by Japanese Buddhist Monks as a symbol for World Peace.

After Lumbini we travelled further to Tansen. Tansen is a small medieval town in the mountains. It was really nice there, fresh air and more quiet. Too bad we couldn't see the Himalaya's. And from Tansen we really started our cycling again! We drove over the Siddharta Highway which was one of the most beautiful routes we have driven in our entire trip. Through beautiful gorges with views on the Himalaya's. It was really great to cycle again. The people were so much nicer and the scenery was great. What else do you wnat as a cyclist! After two days we came to Pokhara.
In Pokhara we stayed for about ten days. Days we filled with being sick again, cisiting a project, cycling and just enjoying. The project is called Womens Skill Development Project Pokhara and they make products of cotton. Things like bags, pencases, wallets etc. The women who come there learn how to colour the cotton, how to weave and stich. Right now there are 375 women working for the project. It started in 1975 with 3 women who wanted to help other women to build up a independent living again. For more information you can visit www.wsdp.org.np.

From Pokhara it was only two more days to cycle to Bharatpur. We stopped for one extra day in Bandipur, another small medieval town with beautiful views of the Himalaya's! So finally the last cycling day was there. THe last 80km to Bharatpur. Strange feeling to be at your destination. Now you don't have a goal anymore to get up your bicycle everyday. But on the other hand it is also a wonderful feeling, a feeling of proudness that we did it!
When we finally arrived at the office of the Ideal Women's Development Centre, the Nepali organisation with which the Didi Foundation works together, we were welcomed with a lot of flowers and happiness. According to them we set an example for all the women in Nepal that if you want something you can do it! The nine days we stayed in Bharatpur were the most busiest of the entire trip. We had to be at a lot of meetings and one day the IWDC organised a respectday for us and we did a lot of interviews. It was very nice to see all the projects of the IWDC and to meet all the people who are envolved with our project Women's Empowerment Nepal. It was a fruitfull week! And to our own big surprise, Lianne and I got married! A real Nepali wedding :) All the neighbourhood kids were there and the whole family! Lianne was dressed op in a sari and I got a Nepali cap. Now we are known as Vishnu & Lakshmi :)

Now we are in Kathmandu to settle the last things. Prepare ourselves for flying and updating our weblsite. In less than a week banden vol met wind ceises to exist, than we are devided by half of the world! But we had a great time together. This is an experience we will never forget! During this trip we met so much nice people, interesting religions and beautiful landscapes. A journey never to forget!