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Thailand

Travelogue: Magic Moments

Travelogue: Magic Moments

by Johnny Isaak ·

Casting my eyes out to pastel skies hanging low over the Andaman Sea. Standing on the crest of a hill overlooking the shore of the Promthep Cape at the northwestern reaches of the Malacca Strait while waiting patiently with camera in hand. Sunsets are magical things.

The setting sun burns a hole in the muted sky, the last moments of a molten ball of fire smoldering in the mist never quite touching the horizon line. It’s an instant when one’s senses are alive and fully present moment. The first whispers of a cool offshore breeze tickle the hair on the nap of my neck. Yes, it’s the perfect place to be.

Steadily, the shutter fires away. The camera buffers and writes the images to the memory card. Moments are captured. Making decent photos has a lot to do with figuring out the “perfect place to be,” and getting there and set in time for the decisive moment. For me, it’s a little deeper than that. Photography is not so much about capturing the beauty, but experiencing it first, and then recording the moment before it’s gone. And over time, it’s a collection of these little slices that make up a life well-lived.

One last glance to the horizon as the sky fades to dull gray. It’s an excellent moment to consider the gravity of things. Yes, dreams do come true to those willing to give fair chase. I bag my camera and begin ambling down the hill into the dusk. Thus ends a day spent well. Making out the shadow of my driver’s tuk-tuk, it’s time to lean forward to a new day. Life is good. Get some.

Filed Under: Travelogue, Uncategorized Tagged With: Phuket, Promthep Cape, Thailand, travel, travel photography

A Brief Canticle to Travel in 2018

A Brief Canticle to Travel in 2018

by Johnny Isaak ·

Before I knew it, we’ve done another lap around the sun. It’s the last day of December, and a new year is just hours away. Sipping a Turkish coffee and peering out of the window of our high rise over the snow-covered roofs of Shanghai, I’m quietly watching the final moments of 2018 draw to a close.

Pudong from the Bund, Shanghai, China.

Before this year becomes a memory, it’s time to take one last glance over my shoulder and savor the journeys, the challenges, and the adventure of such an awesome year before jumping headlong into 2019.

The past twelve months have been four action-packed seasons of continual travel, questing, and adventure, both on and off the bike. It’s been a series of nonstop journeys all about getting out there. It was a year of spending time in incredible places, meeting new people, and by chance, a day catching up with one good friend.

Sunrise over Cook’s Cove, the East Cape, North Island, New Zealand.

Land of the Long White Cloud

Journey to the Southern Hemisphere. Cycling across New Zealand from Bluff in the south to Cape Rienga at the northern tip, a most incredible Kiwi adventure. The family riding for the first part, and solo on the second. Meeting the Maori of the Eastern Cape. Many nights spent camping under the Southern Cross and the Milky Way. Riding to beat the tide along Ninety-Mile Beach.

The Eastern Steppe, Inner Mongolia.

Wandering on the Eastern Steppe

Inner Mongolia, a land of endless grasslands under everlasing azure skies. Days spent chasing the light along meandering rivers. Tramping through the former lands of the mighty Mongols and Genghis Khan. Pausing on windblown hilltops to capture glimpses of herds of galloping ponies. Capturing faint shadows of the Golden Horde in the corner of my eye. Exploring the sidestreets of Russian border towns. Standing on the edge of the river peering into Siberia. Thinking about adventures for another day.

Uyghur Mosque, Kashir (Kashgar), Xinjiang, China.

The Old Silk Road

Xinjiang, a new frontier, and a land of many things. A Silk Road odyssey pedaling into the heart of Asia, a place I’m forever drawn to. Endless days in the saddle making passage in this mysterious land. The Pamir Mountains lie to the west, with the Kunlun forming a border to the south. The Tian Shan runs roughly through the center east to west, and the Altai Mountains are in the north. The Gobi guards the east and the Taklamakan lies in the south between the Kunlun and the Tian Shan — such a rugged land.

Kanas River, Altai Mountains, Xinjiang, China.

Cycling through the ancient oasis cities of Turfan, Kucha, Niya, Khotan, and finally to old Kashgar located on the eastern front ranges of the snow-capped Pamirs provided me with a fleeting glimpse into ancient trade route. Mud-walled homes and dusty palm trees among grape fields and nut tree orchards harkened back to a wilder time, one that still maintains its mystic aura today.

Turning north across the eastern reaches of the Tian Shan. Heading north into the Altai Mountains. Reaching the fringes of the boundless Kazak Steppes whetted my appetite for deeper forays to the stans of Central Western Asia. It’s a land of dense forests and grass-covered hills bisected by turquoise rivers. Lazy woodsmoke emanating from clusters of white yurts wanders up cold valley floors.

Little Dragon Lake on the Duku Highway in the Tian Shan Mountains, Xinjiang, China.

Duku Highway

Traversing the heart of the Tian Shan brought me in contact with welcoming Kazaks and Mongols still living in clutches of yurts scattered across the land. Many offering spicy lamb kababs and fresh naan to us as we passed by. Uyghur people inhabited the land to the south of the towering mountain range. Our time on the road was filled with seemingly unending days climbing and descending among massive snow-capped granite giants.

Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang, China.

Sands of the Taklamakan

The Taklamakan, whose name means “Those who go in don’t come out.” Also referred to as “The Desert of Death,” the barren land is a sea of endless dunes circumscribed by the northern and southern routes of the Silk Road. Some of the dunes reach a height of a thousand feet. Few have dared to enter. Fewer still returned once they did. The wise and less foolhardy chose to go around, and still do today. Traveling in the shadows of Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin set me to wondering what they would think of Chinese Turkistan today with the endless stream of lorries transporting Chinese goods to the west, and the vast oil and gas fields tapping the rich underground resources.

Chaing Mai, Thailand.

Time in the Tropics

A couple of short trips to Chang Mai and Phuket in Thailand provided a much-needed respite from the cold winter weather. Thailand is filled with plenty of old temples to explore, cheap beer, savory fare, and friendly Thai people.

Friends remembered.

Friends Remembered

Time with a loyal friend, a trusty comrade of distant adventures, is among the most savored of moments. Time catching up on old times. Journeys remembered. However, time moves on, but old friends are not forgotten. Bonds remain across the span of time.

Into the Tian Shan.

The Dream is Alive

A new year is upon us. 2019 is here — the open road beckons. Many dreams still remain unrealized. Time is short, and I’m running behind. I long to feel the free wind blowing in my hair, to spend more time in incredible places. There are still place left to see through the lens of my camera. Lonely highways still yearn to be pedaled. See you out there. Cheers.

Filed Under: Adventure, Adventure Cycling, Inspiration Tagged With: adventure cycling, bicycle travel, bike travel, Eastern Steppe, Inner Mongolia, Kashgar, New Zealand, Shanghai, Silk Road, Taklamakan, Thailand, Tian Shan, travel photography, Xinjiang

Travelogue: Recollections from the Precipice

Travelogue: Recollections from the Precipice

by Johnny Isaak ·

Standing on the precipice of time at the end of one year and the beginning of another, I can see the final glimmerings 2017’s twilight falling into the darkness behind me while 2018 lays just ahead in the pre-dawn light. In a moment’s pause, I look over my shoulder to cast a few final furtive backward glances into the looking glass before moving on. Who are you? What have you done with the time given you? Where will you go and what will you do with the time remaining?

[Read more…] about Travelogue: Recollections from the Precipice

Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle travel, cycle touring, Johnny Isaak, Thailand, travel, travel photography

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