The Pill Presents: Eleanor Moseman (A very intimate interview.)

With the Adventure Awards happening in Italy this weekend, I’ve been asked to do a couple interviews as an (absentee) special guest.

This is the first interview that I’ve begun to discuss dealing with depression, trying to find a meaningful route in life with my photography work, and even begin sharing the story of a wedding engagement in the middle of my tour and later a 7 year relationship would dissolve  somewhere in the Taklamakan Desert…and much more!

ThePill

 

This particular interview is in Italian and can be read here: http://www.thepillmagazine.com/2015/07/30/the-pill-presents-eleanor-moseman-interview/

As I have promised, I’ve written the original English interview below. I’m not sure how this will be received with the public, but I’ll see…

1) Hello Eleanor. We could not start talking about you without mentioning the Asian journey on two wheels.

During the first week of May 2010, I rode my bicycle out of Shanghai with the determination to head West. Plans were pretty open; there were areas I wanted to see and cultures to experience, but I generally planned my route as I traveled. Since I can speak a bit of Mandarin, I would discuss with locals about areas, routes, and road conditions to get an idea of where to go. The funny thing about this method is that I learned that when locals say, “Don’t go there, there’s nothing there,” it seemed that’s when I found the richest and untouched culture, beautiful landscapes, empty roads, and myself. There were areas I traveled that weren’t on maps, or very vague information, so I would have to ask someone at each town if I was on the correct path, usually using a city as a general destination. If I had listened to every “you can’t go that way,” my trip would have been a lot less interesting. Similar to people telling me, “you can’t ride your bike alone around Asia,” that would of led to a much boring life.

My trip lasted approximately 2 years and I traveled primarily solo, besides the few cyclists I met along the way. I’m really fortunate to have a valid residence permit for China so I was able to travel very slowly without worries of visa issue renewals. From some research among myself and friends, it seems I’m second with the most mileage traveled in China alone. My trip totaled about 26,000km by bicycle, with about 24,000km being in China.

I never consider myself a cyclist, although I use the moniker “Wander Cyclist.” I’m a photographer who wanted to see Asia without the constraints of bus and train schedules and pre-determined stops. The bicycle gives you full freedom and people of Asia have a very special relationship with the bicycle, so it’s not such a strange way to travel. My main goal was to document and experience communities and the people of the western borderlands of China. With globalization and government issues, things are rapidly changing everywhere in China, specifically out on the western frontier.

The borderlands is what really struck my interest. China has 56 (reported) minorities and I was able to experience Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur, Russian, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz culture first hand without ever leaving the country.

The trip took me through China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Because of my American passport, Iran is very difficult so I turned around in Uzbekistan and headed for my home in China.

The trip really allowed me to grow as an individual and find a path in life that I deem authentic, while finding stories in Asia that I have continued to work on. I just returned from Xinjiang this week, after nearly 3 years, and this opportunity was because of contacts and publicity from my original bicycle tour.

It’s, at times, very difficult for me to imagine the young lady I was before embarking on this trip. It changed my life, soul, heart, and enlightened me to continue on a compassionate and empathetic lifestyle to help those with my photography and inspire others to take the risk to find themselves. I really never thought I would be here, 5 years later, asked to be a part of BAM! or even being interviewed by you. It’s always a very humbling experience for a woman who started from a very modest and simple upbringing in a rural small town of the United States. The bicycle ride was just for me, I really had no intentions or hopes of it becoming publicized or my blog even being read outside of family and friends. I guess that’s the benefit of doing something without expectations or rigid rules…I was just being myself, with no one to perform for or represent.

I, probably like most of the readers, have really no idea what I’m doing with my life. This route, the way I’m traversing through these days and years, it just feels right. I love what I do, the people I meet, and even then there are stresses of finances, obligations, lengths of time without family and friends. I’m just very curious about the world, with an insatiable desire to learn more about myself and my capabilities. I can’t just stop because of the absolute innocent, child-like, bliss it brings me.

People always tell me I’m brave. I don’t think what I’ve physically accomplished as “brave,” but rather how I speak about my experiences. In my opinion, true bravery is speaking from your heart and allowing yourself to love, yourself and everyone you meet. Opening your heart and mind can be very scary and overwhelming, and can bring a lot of hurt. More pain than bicycle accidents or frostbite. Bravery is something that can’t be seen or visualized, it’s something within us that can be expressed by love and compassion, opening ourselves up to the universe.

So I went a little further than the initial question but I really want to express these deep seated convictions.

 

2) Out of the 7 countries you visited (Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Kyrgyzstan) which had the biggest impact on you?

The western regions of China surely had the biggest impact on me. I was in the Tibetan regions for a few months and then into Xinjiang for a few months as well.

Within a matter of days, the landscape can change from barren desert that makes you think you are on the planet Mars to mountains of the Himalayas where if you stand on your tip toes you almost think you can pluck clouds from the skies while viewing snow capped mountains. In southern Xinjiang, you can be in the southern part of the Taklamakan desert and see a mountain range that separates the region from Tibet. You can find everything between these two regions.

Obviously the open high plateaus, mountain ranges, and deserts of both regions are beyond breathtaking but the people are exceptional. Both Tibetans and Uyghurs are persecuted minorities of China. They still practice traditional religious rites and life hasn’t changed too drastically, yet now with the government interference, this is changing.

These regions, you can spend weeks and weeks alone cycling. This is where I think a lot of my ideas, thoughts, mantras, and viewpoints about life began to form. There is this one moment when I was in Tibet looking out into the plateau when it all just seemed to start make sense. My existence, life, the universe. I remember realizing how insignificant I am in this world. Some people could take this and say, “what’s the point, I’m nobody.” Rather it made me realize we are all here together, as equals, united on a path through life to discover and find basically the same things of life.

I did spend 3 weeks in the Tibet Autonomous Region and I did begin to go a little mad. Also my health really began to deteriorate. The road conditions are really awful and I spent a lot of time dragging my feet and pushing my bicycle.

The Southern Silk Road in Xinjiang was another time I had weeks alone and went a little crazy as well. Both of these times were surely the most fun, liberating, and exciting. They are times of the trip that really stand out.

Between those two regions, I think is where I learned the most about myself, people, culture, religion, love, and life. I could spend the rest of my life in those two provinces, very happily.

 

3) What inspired you to leave normality to live this adventure on a bicycle?

“Normality.” I don’t know if I’ve ever had a “normal” life. It’s only been recent that I have begun to open up to the complete truths of why I went on a bicycle ride. I was going to save it for the book I plan on writing but, like I said previously about bravery, I’ve begun to speak from the heart.

I had moved to China with a boyfriend in 2008 and fell into the worst depression I had ever experienced in my life. This has been a battle since an early teen. It’s not a “woe is me” or pity me depression. It was a sense that days were passing and had been granted this life to live and wasn’t making an impact in the world. A feeling of being lost and alone in a world where you just don’t feel like you fit in. I needed to find a fulfilling path and answers about the world and me. My curious and inquisitive nature wasn’t being fed. I’d always felt estranged from friends and my peers in the United States, and now even more so in a new country where I couldn’t even express myself with language.

Without going too much into details about this, I decided to travel and leave this “normality.” I needed to get away and a project to focus on. It seemed like simple alternative to wasting my life away with mental and emotional issues or even worse.

It was the best decision I ever made in my life. Of course the moods creep in every now and again and I ride it out with daily reminders I’m stronger than to be a victim of my own mind. Of course, I can’t recommend this for everyone, but it was perfect for me.

Obviously, I wanted to also see and explore Asia and make photographs. But there was an underlying instigator in the trip. My career was at a lull and I felt a bit trapped in Shanghai. I needed more in my life.

People have always told me I am too sensitive. At this point in my life it’s not really going to change and feel this is the attribute that makes my work compelling and intimate with my subjects. Being sensitive doesn’t mean I cry easily, which sometimes I do, but also I can feel extreme happiness. A sensitive person, in my opinion, has a wider range of emotions and can feel at depths that maybe not the typical or average person can. This intense sensitivity to people and my surroundings has probably what has also kept me out of dangerous situations, listening to my well-tuned guts and intuition.

I’ve kept a lot of this close to my heart because I’m not sure how it would be accepted. I’m sure there are many who can relate to these issues and cycling and travel really helps.

Also, I mentioned this boyfriend I moved to Asia with. There is little about this in the blog and written anywhere publicly but we got engaged after cycling Taiwan together around the middle of my trip. After cycling through the Tibetan regions and having an intense soul discovery, I ended the engagement in Xinjiang and the 7 year relationship ended officially, dissolved somewhere in Kyrgyzstan. This trip taught me so many lessons, especially of love, following through on your goals and living for your destiny. There was no arguments or begging to stay together. He loved me enough to let me go and do what made me happy, as he really doesn’t have a say in how I was going to live my life. Ironically, he’s the one who really pushed me into cycling and planted the seed of long distance touring.

When I saw him for the first time after 3 years, when I returned home from tour, I visited the doctor with him and his final prognosis on Multiple Sclerosis was given. The disease has effected him that he has difficulty cycling now. As someone who remains healthy, I continue to do what I do because these abilities and physical freedoms can deteriorate at any moment. Sometimes I see my exploring and roaming as a way to appreciate what I have and to honor those who don’t have these opportunities.

Yeah, so you may be seeing there were a lot of things happening during this “adventure,” inside and out. I hope someday I might experience “normality,” or perhaps this is what normal is for me.

 

4) We all hear “it’s about the journey and not the destination,” but you truly embodies this mantra of exploration.

At this point in the interview you’ve probably caught on to my passions, convictions, and philosophies about life, love, and the world.

I’m honored to hear you think I truly embody this mantra. I try to live by this in everything I do, at every moment in daily life. Sometimes I spurt out in public and around friends, “I have no idea what I’m doing with my life!” Even during my adventures, I really don’t know what I’m doing but have enough faith in myself, and want to test my capabilities, that I will figure it out and something will come out of it. There’s no failure, just an unexpected result which is usually phenomenal.

I never planned on going to Central Asia when I began my trip, not even Tibet, but I ended up there and I am so glad I did. I let my soul lead the way, or where the wind blows me. Even last October I went to Kham, Tibet with intentions of riding a motorbike. That didn’t work out after I began to evaluate the risk factors and gave back the bike after 3 days. I had a backup plan and ended up walking, with some hitching, for the remaining 5 weeks.

One reason I travel solo is because I sometimes find myself sitting on the ground staring into infinite horizons, to just think, or even to NOT think. There are times I’m invited into homes and decide I’ll stay for a few days to photograph and learn from them. I try not to work on a schedule or route so I’m allowed to find these little surprises and experiences and truly enjoy them.

Even with my photography, it’s about the experience sometimes and not the end result of imagery. There was a week I spent picking cotton in the fields of Xinjiang with a Uyghur family. I put the camera down and just lived and experienced life with them. Without the camera separating us, I really united with this family and began to understand so much more than if I had just been there with the determination to get images. If an experience leads to photographs, great, but there are other times I just go with the moment and don’t interfere with visual documentation.

The interesting part about this is that some of the most vivid memories have no photo documentation. It’s almost as if I’m recording mentally and emotionally rather then relying on a camera to do the job.

If I find myself in an amazing situation or environment, I’ll stay for awhile. There are no deadlines and I’m always willing and able to change plans. Every morning is a fresh start to make my life more fulfilling, rewarding, and exciting.

 

5) It is immersing yourself in the culture of a people that comes out of your humanitarian side?

I think immersion is very important for any traveller, specifically someone who really wants to understand the world, people, and culture. We are so bombarded with visual stimulation on a daily basis but we rarely dig deeper. For instance, look at the simple fact that many may have thought I was just an American riding her bike around Asia to sightsee. Digging a little deeper you learn about a battle with depression, love and loss of, and spiritual growth. We live in a world of hashtags and daily updates, a world where some of us just don’t belong. Curiosity, an overwhelming desire for knowledge and deeper understanding, is what keeps us moving towards something greater in life.

Travel didn’t begin for me until I was about 27 years old, even though since a child I had always wanted to see the world. Most photographers talk about flipping through National Geographic and wanting to create those photographs. I would stare at the images and wish I could live with them. I wanted to share their experience; know their thoughts and feelings that were not portrayed through a still photograph.

My upbringing is fairly simple and somewhat common for Americans, but not for those who can afford to travel or even live overseas. As a child, we grew up in trailer parks and it was furnished by my parents salvaging tables, chairs, and couches from garbage. I come from a very blue-collar family and watched my family struggle with finances since I can remember. Having popcorn for dinner, my brother and I thought it was a party but it was because my parents were struggling to feed the family.

As an early teen I began to work for my father during summers, installing carpet and flooring and put myself through college university usually working 20-30 hours a week. After university I had a pretty good paying job in manufacturing designing windows in CAD and saved every dollar to move to New York City to pursue my dream of being an artist.

Perhaps this background has what set me on a path of sharing the stories of those struggling. But I’m not here to shove photographs of starving babies with flies around their faces. I want to show you the simple beauty from every person’s strength and perseverance through daily life. There’s a lot of love in this world that isn’t often showed through mainstream media. Again, bombarded with war, death, sickness but there’s so much more underneath it all.

So, yeah, back to immersion. When I began traveling in 2007, and then by bicycle in 2010, my eyes widened and soul ached. I have immense gratitude and respect for those who remain faceless and nameless, who work day in and day out to feed their families. In Bangladesh, I asked a boss of a brick factory if I could work in the factory for a few weeks. He laughed, “no foreigner would want to do that!” He was wrong. This foreigner wants too!

I want to know the feelings, thoughts, and emotions that these people feel. Not only because I’m a storyteller and this gives me insight, but also it helps me question and answer things about my own life, culture, and country. My meager and simple upbringings are nothing in comparison to majority of the world. Where people don’t have access to clean water or more than one pair of shoes. Where a day of labor could end their life or cause diseases or physical disabilities.

There’s not a day that passes that I don’t feel grateful for the luck of being born where and access to simple amenities that many will never have. Being in a woman where I have access to decent education, and it’s encouraged. Someone who is able to travel around the world and share the stories with those who may not.

When I talk with people about my personal story and travels, I always encourage them to learn another language. As Europeans, most of you can speak at least two, but many Americans only speak English and lack a drive to learn more. It’s very unfortunate. It’s the language ability that’s really allowed me to get as far as I have. When I travel, I’m always open to talking with anyone and everyone. Speaking with locals gives me insight into their life and often opens situations for photography and storytelling.

A part from people, even immersion into an environment: wild camping on silent plateaus overlooking the Himalayas, wind swept grasslands, or barren deserts with no other life forms around. You completely let go of time and place; you have the access to deep within yourself.

Immersion. I feel it’s an act to truly explore and discover the world and yourself.

 

6) You have a degree in Fine Arts photography and since 2009 you established mainly in Shanghai as a freelancer. What is the role (and importance) of photography in your life?

Yes, like I said, I put myself through university and had formal training in fine arts, specifically photography and film. Unfortunately, after graduation we are sent out into the world to make an income from creating art. That doesn’t happen. So this is where I began photo assisting in the commercial photography world and then onto China to begin making an income from my skills. Photography isn’t the greatest paying job and I also do web design, other digital and media gigs, and even painted a few houses a couple summers ago.

Photography is my life’s blood. It’s what keeps my heart beating and soul on fire. I can feel an absence in my life if I’m not photographing, editing images, or reading about photography. Sometimes when work is slow and money is bad, I question giving it up. I think it’s a common thought among all creatives. Unfortunately, I can’t because this is what I do and there’s nothing else in the world that would keep me so alive. I live, sleep, eat, and drink photography. It’s only been recent that I’ve begun to consider myself a storyteller. Again, this comes from the fact I try to immerse myself as much as possible into my projects.

Because of travels and being an expat here in Shanghai, my personal possessions are minimal. It’s my photographs that are life’s souvenirs. There are some evenings I can sit in front of my computer and just flip through them, reliving moments and feelings.

In China, I primarily photograph interiors and architecture for designers. I enjoy this work, as I don’t have to work with a variety of personalities and opinions. I love architectural savvy spaces and smart design, coming from my art background and training, so this is really enjoyable paid work. With media and photography paying lesser and lesser, more photographers are finding extra income in this field and the competition is becoming a little fiercer. This is one reason I have begun to lead workshops and classes, specifically dealing with travel and foreign cultures.

In October, I’ve teamed up with a yoga instructor and we are leading a workshop in Thailand titled “Exploration of Self and Our World: Mindful Practices in Yoga and Photography Retreat.” We have created a unique program that combines the practice of yoga and photography with the cohesion of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and compassion.

Apart from this, I’m want to start leading tours in Western China for those who are up for a little off the beaten path photography.

As for making art, I’ve actually found time and inspiration again after stopping over 10 years ago. It’s the travel and unique experiences that have reignited the creativity.

 

7) Now we have just to come to Livigno to meet you in person. Have you ever been in Italy first? What do you expect?

Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to attend in person this year. I have a horse awaiting my arrival in Kham, Tibet, where I will begin a solo trek on the plateau during that weekend. The trip should last at least two months as I hope to document nomadic life and culture on the plateau.

It’s been in recent news how the government has been herding these people into sedentary lifestyles and it’s creating dissent, poverty, and their culture to disappear. I had planned on this trek for almost a year and think it’s even more important now with the recent public media.

I really hope I’ll be invited back next year and have already planned on keeping my schedule free. I’m planning on a bicycle adventure sometime around mid-summer of 2016 and look forward to attending in person next year after the trip.

Even with my absence, I expect it to be great times to be shared among like minded folks who have an understanding for each other’s lifestyle and personal goals. I wish good times for all!

Again, I thank all of those involved with BAM! for the invite and opportunity. They’ve put in a lot of hard work and have selected some outstanding people to be attending the event. I’ll be submitting a little video introduction of myself and adventures that will be shown. Of course, without overseeing you, many thanks to The Pill Magazine for this opportunity to reveal a little more about myself, life, and travels.

Ride On!

A Q & A with Paul of “Going Solo”

You can read the post here: CLICK ME TO OPEN INTERVIEW

Who are you?

I’m Eleanor Moseman and an American that grew up in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. For the past 4 years I’ve been living, working as a photographer, and using a bicycle to explore Asia, most specifically, China.

What or who inspired you to leave “normality” in society as many know to live life on a bicycle?

Eleanor – Honestly, it’s hard to recollect those moments. I know my boyfriend at the time put the first thought into my head and then the few times I traveled in China on a train or bus I would just get so frustrated that I couldn’t just stop and talk and experience the life. My childhood was always about exploring and seeing what kind of trouble I could get myself into. There is one long distance cyclist that I may consider my inspiration, but we’ve become more of equals, peers, and good internet buddies over the past 4 years. I’m not really a travel blog reader, I’m sorry all of you, but it’s true…I like to read books that have little to do with bicycles. I actually kind of hate talking about bicycles. Over the past few years, I declare I’m not a cyclist but just a gal that has chosen a bicycle as a way to get around.

Make and model of your bicycle used?

Eleanor – Didn’t you get my last response?! 😉 No, I love and adore my bicycle and I don’t know if I’ve ever felt such a love as I do with her. She goes by the name “Nellie Bly” and she is a predominantly purple Soma Saga. The folks at Soma were so gracious to give me a chance and let me take one of the greatest touring bikes ever made for a spin around Asia. All her components were chosen by myself, so she’s suited and tailored to me. I recently got her out of the shop, after 5 months, and big props to the Village Cyclery in Yellow Springs, Ohio…for really setting her up. Two and a half years and 15,000 miles, she’s finally perrrrrrrRRRRRrrrfect!

Why Asia?

Eleanor – I moved to Shanghai with my partner at the time. The first eight months were really tough for me emotionally and mentally, adapting to the expat life. Found myself very depressed and alone and needed something to focus on, and get me out, and really explore. I also studied Mandarin to add an extra reason to focus on China. My first visit to China in 2007 I was introduced to the minority of the Uyghurs, and ever since I’d been dreaming of going to the magical land of East Turkestan, otherwise known as Xinjiang.

How many miles/Km did you cycle?

Eleanor – Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit…am I allowed to have a sailor’s mouth here? I go so slow…over approximately two year span of a tour, I only did about 15,000 miles and 6 countries. Most cyclists head from Europe and go East…I decided to go against the grain, the wind, and the setting sun and head West. Those other folks have it easy as the wind generally is coming from the NW and that damn setting sun. I was so stoked to finally hit the most Western point in Uzbekistan where I would finally turn back and head back East.

Out of the 7 countries you visited (Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Kyrgyzstan) which had the biggest impact on you?

Eleanor – I think the people of Tibet and East Turkestan had the greatest impact. When I left Tibet, not on my own accord, something had changed in me, in my soul. As a person. I can’t explain it but those that have experienced the life on the plateau know exactly what I mean. And for Xinjiang, I left that place having a better understanding of Muslims and finally felt like I’d accomplished something pretty spectacular as a photographer. It’s where my work really began to take on a life of it’s own…it’s also where I finally found my passion. It’s not on a bike, it’s behind a camera.

How did you cope with the isolation and loneliness? Was there ever a point in which you felt in danger?

Eleanor – This is such a common question, and it’s asked all the time. I think all of us who have chosen to travel alone, have lived a life where the feeling of “isolation” and “loneliness” is part of our structure, our being, our psyche. We wouldn’t have taken on these endeavors if there wasn’t something in us that wants these feelings. Are we masochists? I believe so. A lot of cyclists have friends meet up for a couple of weeks, or girlfriends meet them for brief vacations, or double/triple/quad up. I had one partner I met for two months, and after that split I usually turned down riding offers, although I would cycle with two Belgians in a blizzard, and a Swiss guy for three days before the Civil War broke out in Tajikistan.

I’m not sure if I ever really felt “lonely”. Sometimes I feel lonely in hostels…to be quite honest with you, the only time I feel loneliness is when I’m around other people. You, and I, and many of the other solo travelers are outcasts among a group of outcasts. We can’t really be defined or lumped into one group. A group of misfits, perhaps? And “bored” is not even in my vocabulary.
If I felt a tinge of loneliness creeping up, my most common solution was to find locals too. Either going into a shop and chatting or sitting on the side of the road where locals were and eventually someone would talk to me. That’s the great thing about being alone, it’s about the interaction with the world around you and no so much about the riding and traveling relationship with another person.

Also, living in China, with friends in Shanghai. Sometimes I would just text them or my mom in the US. Just to be grounded for a couple of minutes…to remind me there is another world that I belong to.

There are three points I’ve felt in danger. Two were sexual assaults, one being a police officer and the final was when I nearly drowned in a river in Tajikistan. This final story is being written up and should be published on Sidetracked in the next few months. I learned an amazing “War Cry” that I can’t really give on demand…towards the end I could squeeze it out of me but I really have to put in some power and bring some particular feelings and emotions to the surface…then I just let it wail! It usually sends them running, or quit launching rocks off cliffs at me.

Most memorable moment during your 2 year expedition?

Eleanor – When I knew it was finished. When the chatter in my head had ceased. When my heart became lighter, when I finally had learned to love myself. When the reflection in the mirror was finally becoming the woman I’d always dreamt of being.

Scariest moment of the trip?

Eleanor – My life flashing before my eyes as water is up to my armpits in a muddy river in Tajikistan, the bike finally loses it’s grip and it’s on top of me. Knowing that my parents will never see me again…and perhaps my body would never be seen either.

Is there a place you would recommend people to visit that they may have not heard of, and why?

Eleanor – I have secrets. But I highly recommend Xinjiang. So many people jump a train around that area because their 90 day Visas will expire. So they skip over the desert. I love the desert. I love plateaus. People have this fantasy of Tibet, but it’s not too far off from a desert either. I really think I was born to be a Bedouin on a bike.

If you could pitch your tent anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

Eleanor – Oh, that’s a good one. Right next to Amnyematchen, a Holy Mountain in Qinghai. Then I could wake up to the Tibetans doing their chants and prayers at sunrise…and peeking into my tent. Offering me Red Bulls and military snack bars (3500 calories a pack!).

Song of the trip?

Eleanor – HAHAHA…it’s a tie between M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps”. There is a video of me on YouTube of doing a dance up at about 3800m…I’m really a better dancer than that but, sheesh, I was worn and broken down.

Photography was a huge part of your trip, but if you had to pick between your bicycle or camera which would you choose?

Eleanor – Camera…because I’m known to hitch rides and throw a bike on a train if I need to get somewhere for photography purposes. I didn’t “break the rule” until after about a year and a half. I had some assholes scoff at me in Tajikistan, they had been on the road for just a few months…I wanted them to tour solo for the length I had and then we can sit down and chat about my “cheating”.

On your next cycling adventure if you could have someone cycle along side your for the day who would it be and why? Family, friend or celebrity.

Eleanor – To be honest…I don’t like to cycle with people. I know, that sounds really anti-social. But, I guess I’d either have my mom, because she had such a big part of this trip. She was my backbone, she sent me packages all over the world, she was the strong woman in my life that I could always count on. The second choice would probably be the riding partner I had around Kham, Tibet. It was a terrible parting of ways, and I would love to be able to make amends and say our “goodbyes” properly.

What and where is next for you?

Eleanor – I have a top secret adventure in the plans. I’m not sure if it will pan out. But before that I plan on buying a motorbike when I get back to China and spend some time with my Uyghur “family” and continuing on my photo work. I’m also thinking about another trip to Tajikistan and do the Pamirs, since the last time we got kicked out because of the fighting. Maybe a donkey or a motorbike, or push bike…or maybe walk?

Post adventure blues is a hard thing to get over once an amazing expedition comes to an end. How are you handling this? How do you find life in what most people consider the “real” world? I’ve personally never been the same after being alone with just myself and the open road, I find the real world very cluttered and very confusing. I miss the simplicity of everything I own in one backpack.

Eleanor – It’s been great coming back and selling almost everything I own. It’s liberating and also because it’s no longer me. I’ve changed, but those that really love me and appreciate me, love seeing the changes, the growth, the evolution. The flashbacks are beginning to subside, but I have my sleeping back with me on my bed and I usually look at a few photos a day from the trip. I can set up a photo and just stare at it for hours. Living in that moment. But I don’t like to live in the past, and that’s where the stress comes from. Trying to continue forward but longing for something of the past. I always relate to Alice returning from her fall down the Rabbit hole.

I don’t think I can consider this the “real” world. That wasn’t the “real” world either. The “real” world is whats inside of me, my soul, that shall remain undefinable I want no more labels, I want no more definitions. I want to continue on, in this REAL universe as me…something that is in all of us, that should leave oneself speechless when confronted with a question of “who are you?” It’s a feeling, a being, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about…then you haven’t begun to find your “real” world.

Top 5 bits of kit from the trip?

1- Nikon D700 with a wide angle lens

2- MP3 player, I like to sing a lot…and I really need something to drown out the sound of a donkey dying (which is my own singing voice).

3- First generation iPhone…yep…it’s just a phone. No apps…it’s been dropped about a bazillion times. Why upgrade to something fancy when this works just dandy.

4- bandana. I’ve used it for so many different things

5- my maps. You should see my maps. I use very detailed Chinese maps, written in Chinese, and I’ve highlighted my route. I love the pages where there are no roads and had to improvise my highlighted route. I would date and “X” the place where I set up camp. I would imagine that some of those pages might be worth something one day. They are priceless to me.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to follow in your foot steps?

Eleanor – Don’t follow me or anyone. Follow your heart and imagination…always keep searching for what you need and want from this life and tour.

I would love to hear from you!