People we meet and talk to along the road, ask us a lot of questions, and in general these questions start with WHY?

We have made a list of the top ten widely asked questions and have published them here.

1. why are you doing this trip?

We have been travelling a lot and really wanted to make that very long trip on bicycle before we got too old and the muscles too weak. We lived in the Netherlands for the last 8 years and it was time for a change anyway; so as soon as we had the opportunity to safe a substantial amount of money, we set a date and worked towards that goal. That was July 2006.

2. why are you cycling in the first place?

Well, we are not really cycling, we are travelling by means of a bicycle. That's different. We like to call ourselves cycling travellers, not travelling cyclists. We think that by using our own, slow vehicle, we'll get to see, smell and taste more of what a country has to offer than by any other mode of transport. And that is what we like about it.

3. why is it you have a .tk domain; where is it from anyway?

.tk domain names are from Tokelau, three small islands in the Pacific, close to Samoa. The islands are part of New Zealand, but have their on TLD (top level domain). When we were looking for a domain name, we found this one still available and registered it for free! We have now bought the domain for the next ten years, so we have total control over it.

4. why do you plan to travel six years?

we want to see the world and visit all the continents you can cycle on. That takes a while... There are also certain parts of the world, certain countries, certain cities we would definitely like to visit, and that might mean some extra kilometres. And since we are not going that fast, we need that time.

5. why do you follow this route?

mainly because we can avoid the cold and the intense heat by following this route. And we get to see the places we want to visit. No way can you make it over the Himalayas in winter, so we go there in summer. Better not go through the desert in summer, so we hope to get there in spring. That's how this route is taking shape (and is changing all the time).

6. why are you cycling on those old bikes?

we really like our bikes. They are old, but were still in good shape when we set off. They are comfortable for us and why but a new one? Our motto: If it ain't broke, don't fix it! The bicycles are fitted with simple tools, gearing and breaks for example, so we can repair and replace most of the equipment ourselves, wherever we are, should it fail. For more on the equipment we use: see our equipment pages and our questions and answer page , which has more details on our choice of tools.

7. why are you carrying a computer?

we have this site to maintain... we want to build other peoples sites ( www.sonali.tk )... with wifi available we can mail more often, Google more often and stay tuned with what's going on around us more often, that's why. Curious about our electronics?

8. why didn't you go here / there? (it is sooooo beautiful)

because we are on our bikes, we have to make more comprimises than most people think. Because of visa rules, our time in each country is, at the max, restricted to three months. And sometimes we just don't want to stay in a particular country too long. If we don't like it, we move on, even though we might miss some nice spots...

9. why did you go to... (fill in a country of your choice); isn't that dangerous?

Well, that is a difficult one. Our top-3 favourite countries so far are Colombia, Pakistan and Iran. That doesn't sound too good does it, from a media point of view. We have found that, wherever you go in the world, people are very friendly and hospitable. Don't forget that! And our top-3 countries are no exception. Crime is, unfortunately, everywhere in the world. So something could happen to you in Amsterdam or Kuala Lumpur, just as easily as in Panama City. So be aware of that too. Avoid war zones and you'll be allright anywhere in this wonderful world !

10. why have you decided to put ads on your site?

we would like to keep pedalling a little bit longer. We have already decided we want to go back to places we visited before on this trip (Turkey, Iran, Pakistan to name a few), so we need some extra cash. That's why. More on this subject on our donate to tour.tk page.