Lamma Island is to the southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is 13.55 square kilometres and an estimated population of 6,000. Lamma is, in contrast to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, peaceful and tranquil, with relatively natural scenery.
I'm not sure what these plants are called...by to my enjoyment, they're everywhere. When I was living in Shangahi, I had one of these potted next to my window in my bedroom. It grew so big that sometimes when I awoke, it would be hovering over my head. Jungle fauna in my room. Lovely.
There you have it. That's where I am! So far, so good. The island is beautiful. I'm surrounded by beauty in fact. Waking up every morning is an experience in itself. I'm usually woken up by the first rays of sunlight stretching over the mountain. Then again by the birds. Then the dogs barking. People speaking loudly. They rush nosily to catch the ferry to Hong Kong island to work for the day. The fresh flowery perfumed air convinces me out of bed. Breakfast first, then a 5 minute walk to the beach.
Panorama of the roof of my apt:
Click the images for the full sizes. You can see a bunch more pics of the place here.
Just as dawn breaks over the Manhattan skyline I'll be sitting in a jet plane. 23 hours later I will be in Hong Kong. I have been dwelling on this moment (or a similar moment) since my deportation flight from Shanghai on May 17th. The last half year has been one of new experience, loneliness, determination, and sad endings - ending friendships, ending opportunity, ending life. So I rode my bicycle 2600km from South Dakota to New York. I kept busy in NY...working on odd jobs like cutting down trees and chopping them into firewood, built decks, dug big holes in the earth - you know, manly things that make you sweat and reward you with tired aches at the end of the day. Now that i've chopped my trees, it's time to head out and wander the earth.
What are my plans? oh, what loose plans I have. Most of my plans can be summarized by names of countries. Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua new guinea, hopefully India, Nepal and China, and then ending with Japan in May 2009...or beginning again with Japan depending on how you look at it.
To me, this is the next logical step to the life experience.
I have completed my journey from South Dakota to New York on my bike! I am now at my parent's home just outside of Washingtonville, NY. It's about halfway between Albany and downtown Manhattan. Right now, I'm uploading the rest of my photos from my trip to my flickr account.
Here's a photo of the final hill that I had to bike up.
The total trip distance was just about 1500 miles (2400km). I left Sioux Falls on August 20th at 9:00 and arrived in New York at 13:30 on September 29th.
My average speed was 13 miles an hour (21 kph). I spent a total of 23 days biking. Wow...I just realized I took a lot of days off! I was in no rush though. I'll enter all my statistics in a spreadsheet soon. I'll also go back and enter journal entries with photos from that specific day. This is the first time I've been able to sit down and update my blog since Toronto! Since then I've biked all the way across New York state! Most of that trip was with my father:
It has been an amazing journey. I can't say that i've loved every second of it, but I would not trade any experience i've had along the way. I the last 40 days have been incredibly rich...looking back, I realize I have experienced such a huge range of emotions and situations. I have been cold, depressed, exhausted, exhilarated, alert, afraid, content, starving, full, joyful, grateful, bitter, angry, competitive, thoughtful, and reckless...just to name a few. I'm excited for whatever will come next. Stay tuned!
Well, I have just spent 3 days in the wonderful Canadian city of Toronto! This city is incredible. If it weren't for the vicious winters, it would be tempting to stay for a while!
I will be meeting my dad in St. Cathrine in 6 hours! We will then bike the remaining 500 miles to his home in Rock Tavern, NY...close to NYC. I expect it to take about 10 or 11 days.
Well, I have made the decision to head south and will be starting in Grand Rapids tomorrow, will pass through Port Huron into Canada. I'll have a brief stop in Toronto before heading to Niagara to meet up with my dad to bike the Erie canal. :)
I fear every entry will begin with me proclaiming "I'm tired, my body hurts!" So, from now on, unless noted, just assume that to be true. Actually, I think my body is adjusting to the constant work a little bit. When i was clenching my teeth in order to clear a hill today, I thought of the many workers on bicycles-carts pulling full loads in China. This was common sight for me in Shanghai. That's their job - sunrise to sunset probably. I bet they even bike to work and back. If they can do that with their skinny rice fed bodies, then there is no excuse for a complaint from me about a certain ache. I am extremely sore and stiff in the mornings though. ;)
I am continually amazed with the progressing beauty of the landscapes - vast green fields with bordering evergreens dipping into the heavens, sunsets of every color - so brilliant one could mistake if for the epitome of beauty, shady hardwood above lazy cows refugeing from the sun - the list goes on.
Sunset is still my favorite time of my journey. Every object around me takes on an ethereal attribute. Is all this and my ability to awe merely a manifestation of chance? If no, why is this monkey oohing and awing? And where's his banana?
Today was a very full day of biking. I'm proud of myself. Got up early and biked past sundown. I was stopped by a passing motorist who warned me of seeing a bear about 20 yards from me. So far, the dogs have been much more evil than the bears. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a place to stay for free tonight, as it began raining hard and word on the nighttime lows was a staunch 44 degrees. I almost tried the airport again, but while sitting down enjoying a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter outside a certain unmentionable "super center", I struck up a conversation with someone who was staying with YWAM.
So, somehow I'm staying at some one's house who happens to be good friends with someone I met at L'Abri last week I'm all fed and showered now, and the laundry is chugging away. This is sweet! It's cold and rainy outside. Adventure with the best of both worlds. Solitude on the road, but always meeting people. I think I draw a lot of attention with my bike rig, as I'm obviously "not from around these parts".
Thursday, September 4th - 77 miles, 13mph avg, time on bike: 5:52, time in transit: 10am to 11:30pm.
As utterly tired as I am, I just have to write before bed. I am in Cumberland, Wi laying in my sleeping bag on a large door mat in the girl's bathroom in a small airport administrative building. Long story short - I met a pilot in Amery while I was fixing yet another flat who told me that there are pilot lounges that are always unlocked in each of the small private airports in most small towns. Well buddy, this one is locked! So, here I lay in the warm and cozy bathroom. After biking through the remote wilderness in the dark in 50 degrees, i was really hoping I would at least have a couch!
I left Amery at 7pm...usually about the time that I need to stop to set up camp, but I was thinking I'd have a warm couch to stay on. Dusk is always my favorite time to bike.
Don't get me wrong - I am grateful I didn't have to set up camp at midnight in the cold and dark. I gave myself a warm sponge bath nd am now clean and cozy! Today my moral was low - it started last night when I lay in my hammock alone in the wild recalling emails from friends and family in warm SE Asia. If I had left sooner in the summer, I woudln't be faced with this cold weather, and I'd be back in SE Asia by now. I'm feeling much better now though, after meeting the pilot and became more focused on my here and now.
Well...I certainly didn't plan on this! I'm over a week behind schedule, and I haven't biked since Rochester. I ended up staying much longer at L'Abri than I first planned. Anyone who has stayed there can certainly understand, as it wasn't to uncommon to hear about people who prolong their stay by months. It can be difficult to pry away from such a nice environment.
I came to Minneapolis to go to Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic. I've never been to any sort of political rally before and I wasn't disappointed. It will be nice to be able to vote for someone this November who represents me!
The weather is starting to change. This worries me, as I'm not prepared for the cold. I'll be heading out along Adventure Cycling's North Lakes route to Escanaba, Wi. 400 miles for this leg of the trip!
Today was a very short day. I did plan it this way though. I spent most of the day at Rice Lake with Nic, Jenna, and Morgan saying our long goodbyes. I finally shoved off by myself at 16:00. Not 5 miles down the road I noticed I had a puncture! Great..
As it turns out, the inner tube was defective at the valve...as two attempts to patch it were unsucessfull. I had to dig out an old tube and repatch that. Very anticlimaic.
I biked hard, trying to reach L'Abri before dark. I watched as the sky changed from blues, to oranges, and purples as shadows grew long over the hilly farmland. It's really looking beautiful now. Trees now line most all of the fields. This is why I am here.
Success!!!! My bike isn't hurting me anymore. I am also about 15 pounds lighter, as I mailed off some unneeded belongings to my parent's in NY. For the first hour out of Mankato, we sustained a constant 20mph average! Incredible! If the rest of the trip goes like this, I'll be set!
I met up at Rice Lake with Morgan's brother, (and my highschool friend and Shanghai roommate), Nic. We camped here and said our parting goodbyes, as form here on out, I will be on my own! Morgan is heading back to university in South Dakota.
We reached Mankato at noon today. The senery is slowly starting to change. Thank goodness too. I'm glad to be out of the prarie.
First things first: I found a bike shop and had my bike adjusted. This should fix the problems i've been having with pain.
We stayed in Mankato for 1 day to rest up and relax with a friend from South Dakota. We met a guy from Sierria Leone who was really into biking, he wants to go the first 40 miles with us tomorrow.
Wednesday - August 20th - 66 mile, 12.5mph average
Wow. What a day! Within the first hour of the trip i was already asking myself the same question everyone else has been asking: "Are you crazy??!"
My legs are so tired - rightfully so! - I think I'm pulling around 60 extra pounds. Morgan and I left Sioux Falls at 8:30 and finished our day at 19:00 at Lismore, MN. 66 miles is less than we hoped to do, but is not bad for our first day! We stopped for about 3 hours at Blue Mound State Park. We had lunch there, napped, and swam. The park was pristine prairie - it was the old buffalo hunting grounds for the Lakota Sioux.
Right now, I'm in my hammock...hoping y new untested sleeping bag will keep me warm.
Thursday, August 21st - 80 miles to St. James, MN
Argh! Damn you wind!! I spent this morning struggling through a windy day in one for the most windy parts of the country at an average of 11.5mph. Slow and strenuous!! I'm feeling a lot of pain in my elbows and shoulders, thankfully my legs seem to be holding up just fine! 1mg of tylonol should help out those shoulders.
So far, these small towns have been nice...other than thelack of credit card acceptance. I don't think anyone will be accepting my 50mb green mao anytime soon either...hopefully that will change by the end of the year!
I must say again: the wind is incredible. With the wind at our backs, 18mph is easy and sustainable.
Today's ending was not the most encouraging: cold damp rain, a nasty puncture from a screw, and being thrown from my bike when my tyre got caught in the space between the road and a driveway. I wasn't harmed seriously, but I did have to spend the next 10 minuets digging small stones out of my hands with my utility knife.
We found a campground and lights out were at midnight. What a tiringstressful day. I really hope tomorrow will be better.
For whatever reason, my huge post about my trip so far has been deleted by blogspot. I'll have to reenter everything later. I only have a few min to update that I'm alive and well, staying at L'Abri in Rochester, MN. I have been here for several days relaxing, reading, working, and visiting with other travelers.
I'm not certain how much longer I'll stay at L'Abri, but I may try to make it to the Campaign for Liberty in Minneapolis on September 2nd if I'm still in the area. If not, I'll be leaving soon for the North Lakes bike route to Canada! I'm very excited...this will be my first leg of the trip alone!
A major benchmark in my "prejourny" has been reached. Yesterday was Bob's wedding. Bob is a longtime friend of mine and one of the friends who I think I'll keep in touch with throughout my life. We might even get to meet up in Vietnam together. (his wife was born in Vietnam and grew up in Sioux Falls)
I was one of the groomsmen along with several other good friends. Wall had to get new suits. Mine didn't fit me quite as well as I'd like - I think I've been spoiled by Shanghai's fabric market.
I didn't realize my hair had grown so long!
Bob and Hanh before the wedding during a photo shoot at the Japanese gardens in Sioux Falls.
There's Bob waiting for his bride. Dan, a professional musician from The Spill Canvas, played the music for the ceremony. He did a really good job. He composed a song for them, and did his own version of The Get Up Kid's "I'll Catch You". I still have it stuck in my head. :)
I don't remember what these were called...but they're some sort of Vietnamese qipao. They looked rather chinese to me.
Sean and Trent on ice.
The Daytona gets marred for marriage!
Today I got my bike tuned up. She's running clean and smooth, ready for the journey ahead!
Right now, I'm staying with my friend Sean in Sioux Falls. I'm doing the final planning for my tour. (and waiting for my trailer) Nic , my friend from South Dakota who lived in Shanghai with me for 7 months, fand his brother Morgan might be riding with me for the first several days. That will be a welcome comfort! If all goes well, I should be leaving Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning!
Everything is so far going pretty well. On Monday I got a bus from Sioux Falls to Rapid City, SD. I met some interesting people on the bus. A traveling author, a "rodeo girl" model, a prostitute, a Cuban moving to rapid city with his "soul mate", and an Italian who quit his job and was traveling through the US. Meeting such varied people is very invigorating. I found it amusing that the rodeo girl from Texas thought i wasn't an American because of my "accent".
I'm now spending my last day at my brother's house at the base of the Black Hills. We went on a 2 day hiking/camping trip in the Black Elk Wilderness. The weather was perfect, and we saw very few other signs of human activity. Not quite the Yukon, but certainly good enough for me! I wonder when I'll be able to do something like this again. We found a perfect camping spot by this area:
I feel like i've never been in a more still and quiet area. The sky was completely clear and not even a gust of wind to rustle fallen leaves. Tomorrow is Bob's bachelor party. Very soon I'll be on my own on my bike!
My good American friend in Shanghai wrote this. This guy fought the system hard to stay in China! Hope this gives perspective to how difficult it is to be in China right now for us laowai.
Well, the day finally came! 8/8/08. Known to many as the official opening day for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
I think it is pure irony that my last day is on 8/8/08, as the whole reason I'm leaving is directly related to the Olympics. What I mean by this is: China's policy regarding foreigners changed because of the Olympics, under a normal situation i wouldn't have had to leave china...and since i am already back in US, I was not asked to come back to China with Daktronics...so my only choice is to quit and do something different, as i don't want to live in South Dakota. The date 8/8/08 is just by chance, as this is when everything happened to come together for me to leave.
Today was busy with all things "quitting" related - exit interviews and such. It really seemed to end on a good note though. With future endeavors and hopeful prostrations in mind, it's full steam ahead!
I wont have access to a computer to update for a while. I'll be heading to Rapid City to visit my brother and do some outdoorsy activities. Then, my good friend Bob's wedding in Sioux Falls on the 17th.
I need a ride to Sioux Falls this weekend, as I have a bus to catch to Rapid City on Monday at noon. If I'm unable to find a ride by Sunday morning, I will ride my the 55 miles to Sioux Falls. I've been buying so much stuff for this trip...but I'm still missing two important items: panniers and a sleeping bag. I should be able to take care of these things in Sioux Falls and/or Rapid City though. Unfortunately, I wont have much time to test out my equipment. Two nights ago I replaced my chain, cleaned all the chain rings and gears and replaced my tiers with Kevlar puncture proof tires. This actually took all night to get everything put back together. I somehow even managed to puncture one of my tubes when I was putting everything back together! *doh* Well, after all said and done, my bike now rides much smoother!
Well, blog, here we are. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so please bare with me.
The purpose of this blog is to keep my friends and family in the know on my whereabouts and whatabouts, as it can be difficult to keep in touch in the analog world.
Just to make sure we're all on the same page, lets make sure we're all up to speed on what has been going on:
After finishing animation school in 2004, I moved back to South Dakota and got a job working for Daktronics as an animator/motion graphics designer in the Keyframe department. After two years, I decided I was ready to leave South Dakota, so off to Europe I went for some backpacking with my sister. Upon return to my parent's in NY, I received a call from Daktronics to do some work on site in Macau. Awesome! Just what I was looking for! One thing led to the next and before I knew it I was living in Shanghai after a generous offer from the Daktronics Shanghai GM. My purpose was to set up a motion graphics/animation studio to support the Chinese market. Overall, I had an excellent experience. It's so hard to summarize my two years, but it's fair to say that I experienced so many new things and grew a ton in many different ways. Any foreigner in China has ups and downs, but in short: I loved living in Shanghai! The people were vivacious, the food was incredible, the culture was intriguing. The pace of life was faster than I could have ever anticipated or imagined. For those who want a visual idea of what Shanghai may look like, here is a short video of me riding my bike through downtown Shanghai this May:
Having a taste of some excitement, and the idea of adventure, I bought a 750cc Chiang Jiang WW2 era sidecar motorcycle. The ultimate goal was to take an epic journey across China with this. This became my undoing...the beginning of the end, if you will. I had only had the sidecar for two weeks when I was pulled over and jailed for 7 nights for not having a popper shanghai motorcycle license. Upon release my visa was canceled and I was sent back to South Dakota. Again, here's some visuals of my last ride on the sidecar as I was taken to jail:
I'm not sure if I'll be able to go back to China, but one thing is for certain, there is no way that I'll be able to go back before the Olympics are over.
I am now a man without a home and thirst for adventure. I'll be resigning my position at Keyframe as of 8/8/08 - iroinially the day the Olympics start in Beijing. My plan is simple: to bike from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to New York City. And when I say bike, this is what I mean. The journey will take my 1700 miles, though the farmland of the Midwest, across southern Canada through Toronto, and down to Niagara Falls in New York. Once there, I will hopefully be meeting my father to finish the trip with along the Erie Canal.
Hopefully this trip goes well! Once I arrive in New York, I am now going to be keeping productive doing freelance design and animation. So feel free to contact me for all animation needs! I do plan on going back to Asia, if not China sooner rather than later. I'd love to spend some time in China studying the language more seriously as well. This winter, I hope to find myself somewhere trekking the ancient ruins and jungles of Cambodia or relaxing in southern Thailand.
That's all for now...please leave a comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice! :)
Abram Hodgens is an American designer/animator who specializes in motion graphic broadcast design and computer animation. After working in Shanghai, China for 2 years as creative director for Keyframe, he is now taking time to travel and focus on new experiences and opportunities.
New to the blog? Check out how this whole journey started here.
