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Right, so would you cycle through any of these countries given their current political instability, bombings and risk of kidnapping?

1. Libya
2. Syria
3. Iraq
4. Somalia
5. Ethiopia
6. Afghanistan
7. Pakistan, in particular the Swat Valley?
8. Kashmir
9. Mexico City ( I know not a country, but given the size of it, it could well be).

I think the way to look at it, is to think wide, known war zones are great in so much you can understand the problems, and understand where the dodgy areas are thus you can plan a safest route to miss the bombs and bullets. It the countries which have an insurgence problem, that comes over a border, as in the recent case of the couple in Kenya. The border areas of Thailand and Burma can be likewise; also the Southern Borders of Thailand with Malaysia are also a risk area. Likewise the Thai border with Laos across the Mekong often have mega firefight going on as the Laos’s try to reclaim their ancient land. Also many of the African and South amercian countries present the same problem


I honestly think that a cyclist, presents to others a “person of no financial or political interest”, and most people outside the western countries cannot understand how us western guys enjoy cycling, as it a poor symbol of wealth and status.

Bob G.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Right, so would you cycle through any of these countries given their current political instability, bombings and risk of kidnapping?

1. Libya
2. Syria
3. Iraq
4. Somalia
5. Ethiopia
6. Afghanistan
7. Pakistan, in particular the Swat Valley?
8. Kashmir
9. Mexico City ( I know not a country, but given the size of it, it could well be).

Admittedly, it was 6 or 7 years ago when I was there, and I wasn't on a bike, but Mexico City seemed ok. A huge city. I don't know that I'd enjoy cycling in it, any more than I would in London to be honest, just because of the sheer scale/traffic etc...

Did anyone cycle tour in Northern Ireland in the 70's?
 
OP
OP
Crankarm

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Peter Gostelow was robbed twice in Africa. The first he tried to resist and was attacked with machetes and sustained quite serious injuries, the second time was an inside job at the place he was staying and he was cleared out losing, money, cameras, laptop, external HDD with hundreds of pics, tent poles, etc.

http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/

Alastair Humphries wrote about the continual stoning by kids in Africa and so have other cycle tourists. Also in Pakistan.

At the moment China seems a pretty agreeable and attractive place to ride a bike.
 

hubbike

Senior Member
I think risk always seems worse when you ponder it from the comfort of home. In almost any country in Africa there is a high risk from the perspective of violent robbery, political instability or corruption.

I have family connections to South Africa and Zimbabwe and so lots of relations have done a bit of travelling around the area. My sister was car jacked and banged on the head with the butt of a gun in South Africa in around 2005. My cousin was robbed at machete-point in 2003 in Mosambique. They were both street wise and well travelled. Even seemingly stable countries can descend into violence on the turn of a sixpence, Kenya in 2007 for example. I have mountaineering friends who were appalled by the corruption involved in hiring porters, guides etc for Mt Kenya or Killimanjaro.

I don't think Africa has been a "safe" place to cycle tour since the bicycle was invented, but I bet if you asked Gostelow or Humperdink whether their travels there were worthwhile they'd give you a firm yes.

Another thing to bear in mind with this discussion is that the misfortunes of the odd westerner-on-a-bike pale into insignificance when compared with the everyday horror of poverty.
 
I think you are just a likly to get robbed and atacked in this Country(England) if you happen to stray into the wrong area, as to having his room cleaned out, one only has to look at the figures for home robberies here in the UK, so see the risks are the same..
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Bob G.
 

amaferanga

Veteran
Location
Bolton
Right, so would you cycle through any of these countries given their current political instability, bombings and risk of kidnapping?

1. Libya
2. Syria
3. Iraq
4. Somalia
5. Ethiopia
6. Afghanistan
7. Pakistan, in particular the Swat Valley?
8. Kashmir
9. Mexico City ( I know not a country, but given the size of it, it could well be).

Sorry, but what's the problem with Ethiopia? I've spent months cycling round it on two separate trips (2004 and 2008) and but for the kids chucking stones had a brilliant time and would go back there without a second thought.
 

amaferanga

Veteran
Location
Bolton
Peter Gostelow was robbed twice in Africa. The first he tried to resist and was attacked with machetes and sustained quite serious injuries, the second time was an inside job at the place he was staying and he was cleared out losing, money, cameras, laptop, external HDD with hundreds of pics, tent poles, etc.

http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/

Alastair Humphries wrote about the continual stoning by kids in Africa and so have other cycle tourists. Also in Pakistan.

At the moment China seems a pretty agreeable and attractive place to ride a bike.

No he didn't. He wrote about kids chucking stones in certain areas of a certain countries. Did the kids chuck stones at him in Sudan? Zambia? Botswana? Stop making daft generalisations. I've cycled in several countries in Africa and only had stones chucked at me in Ethiopia. IME kids in most southern African countries at least are EXTREMELY respectful of tourists.
 
Peter Gostelow was robbed twice in Africa. The first he tried to resist and was attacked with machetes and sustained quite serious injuries, the second time was an inside job at the place he was staying and he was cleared out losing, money, cameras, laptop, external HDD with hundreds of pics, tent poles, etc.

http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/

Great examples Mr Crankarm :

1. Peter got mugged in a tourist area of Dakar (shame he held onto his bag for too long so it got messy), an area that package tourists and backpackers also get robbed. Therefore the incident has little to do with cycling and more to do with being a tourist in the wrong place.

2. Peter's second robbery was in a country considered "safe" and which is full of tourists, and as you said was in inside job which could happen to any one anywhere, also nothing to do with being a cyclist.

Peter has travelled through many countries lists as no go by the FCO without problems, his 2 incidents where in countries that are "ok"....

I only hope that I have Peters tenacity to continue should I find myself in a similar mess......
 
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