How it started

It all began with a presentation of Frank van Rijn, a Dutch world cyclist. In two hours he lead his audience through a year long journey to South Africa. All those different people, cultures, religions, landscapes: my mind was dazzling. I was dying of curiosity to go through similar experiences. I had just finished six year university education in Physical Geography, but what had I learned about the world? At once it was clear to me that I could not learn about our world from books but that I should experience her myself with all my senses. I bought a bicycle, saddle bags and repair items. A month later I cycled away from my home into unknown territories.

If I would have asked myself what could have gone wrong, I had probably never got involved in all of this. I did not know whether I was strong enough to cover long distances, whether I was able to climb up high mountain passes with 25 kilogram luggage or whether my bicycle was strong enough. I had no experience in repairing bicycles and I had never been travelling on my own. For the first time in my life I had to solve problems on my own and I had to learn to cope with freedom.

I started off unsure. The first confrontation with the elements came soon: stormy headwinds, severe rain and hail showers. A few days later in the Vosges, the European continent was overrun by extreme summer heat. There were moments that I pushed myself a bit too far or that I had rushed along. There were moments of fear and loneliness. I have lost nearly half of the photos I had made (that is the reason that my first cycling journey from Holland to Spain is not covered on this site). I had been so ill that I had gone to the train station of Montpellier where I nearly bought a ticket back home. But there were also moments of euphoria when I reached high passes in the Alps or the Pyrenees and above all there were moments of beauty: picturesque villages, a sheer endless variety of landscapes, the meetings with many interesting people.

How it went further

It is seven years ago now that I undertook my first cycling journey. At this stage I am quite an experienced traveller. I have passed through deserts, rain forests and snow landscapes. I have crossed many large mountain ranges in the world and I have climbed a few high mountain peaks. I have been invited to Tibetan prayer sessions and I was part of the pilgrim stream to Santiago de Compostela. I have been given many practical life advices by the many aged fellow countrymen that inhabit the campings of France in May and June. But I had to flee for political riots and I was chased away by people with stones too. I have learned the many spiritual sides and mental pitfalls of the all embracing "Om" and the equally multifaced "Inshallah". I have observed the cheerful but also the hard daily struggle for survival.

Differences between rich and poor, beautiful and ugly, good and evil seem much sharper far away from home. Still these differences are not as culturally and religiously determined as we are used to think but much more the result of personal decisions by individual people. If we fail in understanding each other on a personal level, we will never achieve substantial solutions for the problems we have to face in our daily lives. I have experienced that most of the people are friendly and helpful, wherever you are. If we really want to open ourselves for a true and friendly meeting, we do not have to stand against each other in conflict situations. I am Erik Nomden and I am living in Holland, not far from Utrecht.

Once in my life I want to cycle to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Another 'Once In My Life' wish is to cycle to the Mount Kailash, the sacred mountain in Western Tibet. And I want to cycle through China. So why not combine the three wishes? The only thing I need is time. So I will see if I can organize the time to fulfill those dreams.

I have enjoyed my cycling trip through Peru, Bolivia and Chile in 2003 so much, that I promised myself to return. When and where I do not know yet.

There are plans to go to the milennia old Ethiopian country with Marco Duiker and Willem Hoffmans. Ethiopia is most famous for the famine in the 1980s but Ethiopia is also the country of a wide variety of old spiritual traditions and hypnotizingly beautiful music. Whether the plans will actually be realized still remains to be seen.

There is also the idea to cycle in Japan with Mark Appelboom and Willem Hoffmans. Mark Appelboom speaks Japanese language what gives the opportunity to obtain a deeper understanding of the culture. When, where, how and if we will go, is still unsure.