exploring, etc: July 2009

equipment

I love, amongst other things, cycling, mountains, travel and music.

I'm going to pedal my bike from Tierra del Fuego to the Caribbean. It's a cycling adventure to discover the sounds of Latin America, the continent where Tango, Bosa Nova, Samba, Salsa, Calypso, Cha Cha Cha, Merengue, Bachata, Reggae and Rumba were born.

I will cover thousands of miles and face the challenges of mountains, deserts and rainforests.

Along the way I will make audio recordings of musicians, singers, birdsong, crashing waves, poets, bands, insects, conversations, waterfalls, DJs, buskers, bustling market places, soundscapes, passing freight trains, storytellers and anything else that catches my ear.

I will carry everything I need on my bike. It will be a low budget trip. I will sleep in a tent and cook on my camp stove or on open fires.

I will be seeking out fiestas, festivals, concerts and carnivals, as well as looking for hidden talents and local heroes, listening to the best traditional folk music and seeking contemporary urban sounds. I hope to have the opportunity to talk about my trip in local schools, sports clubs and music groups, both on my trip and back home, to encourage people to cycle and to celebrate the music they love. On my return I will write a book about my travels and produce an accompanying CD with a mixture of the sounds and music I have captured.

Why?!
For a challenge, an adventure and for excitement.
To learn to speak Spanish.

To come back with a few tales to tell.
To experience Latin American culture, music and dance, food and wine, history and politics.
To meet interesting new people and to find out something about the world and about myself.
To travel through deserts, mountains, coastlines and rain forests.

Above all I want to find out what will happen if I just get on my bike and head off.

There are two things which I hope to encourage and celebrate through my trip.

MUSIC

We live in a time where practicing a musical instrument has to compete with computer games and telly. Maybe electronic music and DJing will keep musical creativity alive and fresh. The internet age has brought the music industry to the cusp of revolution. I believe the need for music is still as strong as the need for food. On this journey I will give my nose a rest and follow my ears.

BIKES
It is easy to take for granted how efficient we humans are. Given a glass of water and a sandwich most of us could walk for hundreds of miles. A man on wheels is perhaps the most efficient form of land transport there is. Bicycles have a minimal effect on the environment and they are cheap to maintain. Cycling puts you in touch with your surroundings and closer to the people around you.

RHYTHM CYCLE

Roberts Roughstuff

Rhythm Cycle Expedition

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Route

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