by Fraser | Apr 9, 2014 | Cycling around the world, Evolving, Learning
Arriving into Shiraz, one thousand miles from Tabriz in twelve days, felt like a mini victory. Although keen to cycle on towards the port city of Bandar E Abbas, it was the turn of the Iranian New Year celebrations (Norooz) to halt my progress. The whole country...
by Fraser | Apr 4, 2014 | Cycling around the world, Learning
By the time I found a hotel in Tehran it was early afternoon and I had almost lost the will to live. Once the intensity of dodging high speed projectiles coming from every direction had been elevated and viewed through the perspective of a hotel window, the torment of...
by Fraser | Mar 30, 2014 | Cycling around the world, Doing
Entering Iran by bicycle was deemed a futile venture. My original Visa application had been rejected, not by the Iranian Embassy, but by the agency that prepares visa applications for submission to the embassy, on the grounds that I was intending to enter Iran by...
by Fraser | Mar 4, 2014 | Cycling around the world, Evolving
Erzurum sat on a steep incline and was surrounded by snow covered mountains. Life in Erzurum, like most of the villages, towns and cities in this part of Turkey, resembled the wintery conditions; cold and harsh. The people, in contrast, were warm and friendly. Twelve...
by Fraser | Feb 26, 2014 | Cycling around the world, Doing
Reaching Osmaniye was symbolic; situated at the eastern end of the Mediterranean coast, it served as a base camp to the mountainous route north-east to Erzurum. Everyone I had spoken to about cycling to Erzurum winced at the thought of making the...
by Fraser | Feb 18, 2014 | Cycling around the world, Doing, Evolving, following your passions
Leaving Kargicak after such a long stationary pause felt like leaving for the first time all over again. The preceding week was spent tying up loose ends, making preparations for the route and cold weather ahead, and speaking with friends and family over skype. I ate...
by Fraser | Feb 5, 2014 | Cycling around the world
There is nothing like a deadline to get stuff done. I have learnt this week that a deadline motivated by public accountability is probably the most effective way of delivering on something you have promised. It does also make delivering on that promise rather...
by Fraser | Jan 29, 2014 | Evolving, following your passions, Learning
It’s been a strange two and a half months here in Kargicak. The journey into the world of writing, has been more challenging, than the 4000 mile bicycle journey that led me to this strange place. The familar feelings of elation and self doubt synonymous with...
by Fraser | Jan 22, 2014 | Cycling around the world
It never ceases to amaze me; the ‘reach’ of people with drive and enthusiasm so potent it is infectious, who believe in their message so strongly that they simply won’t settle until they have told EVERYONE, and those it touches, are compelled to get...
by Fraser | Jan 15, 2014 | Doing, Evolving, Learning
Last week we looked at how to set goals you will actually achieve by taking a detailed look at what you want to do, be, and have, in each area of life. The objective was to create very specific goals, stated positively in the present tense, with a date in the future...