An Adventure of a Life Time

Cycling Throughout SouthEast Asia!

As I write my brother, Houston, and his fiancée, Johnny, are flying high in the skies!  They’re embarking on a trip of a lifetime.  Leaving their home in Vancouver, BC they will land in Singapore, open up the boxes containing their bicycles, assemble their bicycles, and start peddling.  So long as their money last, they will not be returning home for another eleven months!  Houston and Johnny will spend the next eleven months cycling throughout SouthEast Asia.  “On [their] loaded touring bikes [they’ll] be cycling throughout Asia past cities, beaches, jungles, deserts, and the highest mountain in the world..”  (www.hojobiking.com)  Their journey will begin in Singapore and finish in India.  If they hold true to their plans the two of them will each put over 15, 000 kilometers on their bikes travelling through nine countries.  I don’t know about you; but to me that is a concept I cannot comprehend.

It’s important for you to know, that when I say eleven months and that they will finish in India, that’s simply the current plan.  On Houston’s first cycling tour he had only intended on being gone half a year.  This was when he was cycling from the Southern-most tip in South America to the Northern-most point in South America.  Once reaching his initial “final destination” he had come to the conclusion that this ending would just be anti-climatic.  Instead he flew to the “0km” marker in Eastern Canada in St. John’s, Newfoundland to ride his way past home to the “0km” marker in Western Canada in Victoria, BC.  His finial “final destination” was now going to be Victoria, BC adding on another few months to the initial half a year.  So, you can see that with Houston plans do change. 

This trip will be a hard trip for me to sit through.  My brother is four years younger than I am, but over the past couple of decades we’ve come quite close.  Even though we don’t always agree or see eye-to-eye, we both respect each other and the lives we lead.  After I graduated from highschool, I was the one that would pick Houston up every day (or as often as I could) so he wouldn’t have to walk the long route home.  For a period of time, again when Houston was still in highschool, he and I would go out to dinner just the two of us once a week.  Houston is the one that first got me on a snowboard and taught me how to board.  Now with Johnny all the active things we used to do are done with the three of us.  We go snowshoeing, snowboarding, geocaching and every once and a while we just hang out.  Not to mention I’m still a chauffeur.  Since they don’t own a car, I’m the one that drives them out to our mom’s for family dinners.

Johnny, Houston, and I on New Years day this year.  Snowshoeing around Lost Lake in Whistler, BC.

I’m jealous and envious of them and their abilities to quit their jobs and simply travel.  Jealous of the fact that they both have jobs that they can quit and return to with very little difficulty.  Being a teacher, that’s not the case for me.  I’m envious of the destinations that they will be able to experience.  Many of the countries they will tour through are ones that I would like to make my way to in the upcoming years.  I’ve only been to a couple of them, Thailand and Vietnam, and that was over 12 years ago!  I’m envious of they way they live their lives in such a care free way.  Don’t get me wrong I don’t live a strict regimented live myself.  And I LOVE everything in my life!  But, I’m at a different point in my life with my career going in the direction I want it to.  And my family couldn’t be any better; I love my life with Jeremy (my boyfriend, partner, other-half, common-law husband, husband, what ever you want to call it) and our two boyz (cats), Sam and Gimli.  There’s not one thing I’d change about our life.  We get to travel every year 3-4 weeks at a time.

It’s just that it’s human nature to want what you don’t have.

I was so excited for their trip that I decided that Houston and Johnny needed a special gift.  I had customized t-shirts and hats made for both of them.  Hoping that they wear them throughout their trip, of course not when they’re peddling away, since it’s not technical gear.  I also thought that it migh be a way for them to spread the word about their blog.

Johnny and Houston sporting their new threads.

Johnny showing off his new HoJoBiking hat with Houston looking on.

The excitement grows, as I know Houston and Johnny only have another 60 minutes in the air before they land at 5:30 am in Singapore.  Over the next eleven months I will be following their adventures and watching their love for one and other grow as I read their blog, HoJo Biking: Bicycle Touring SouthEast Asia, and follow their tweets @HoustonMarsh and @hojobiking. 

If you, yourselves, have any interest in living vicariously through two adventurous people I suggest you follow along too.  And if you’re interested in the cycling tours, check out Houston’s blog from his trip across South America and Canada at Vagabonding around South America & Canada.  Houston will also be posting their current trip there.

Houston & Johnny, I wish you both all the best!  And can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures.  Johnny you better make sure that you both email us on a regular basis back home.   Love you both!!