Over the last forty-five years, Heinz Stucke has been cycling the world. He has covered around 550,000 kilometres (340,000 miles) across almost 200 countries, circling the globe at least ten times. This has consumed 20 passports. For nearly the entire time, he has ridden on the same trusty old three-speed bicycle. His story is simple which makes it more remarkable.
Stucke supports himself by selling some of the 100,000 photos he has taken along with a booklet with his story. His various scrapes include being arrested, shot at, accidents, illnesses and having his bike stolen (and recovered). An interview given in 2000 reveals a little of his unassuming nature and his passion for the world. It is an adventure story like no other.
More photos of his ventures are available.
Photo source: Wikipedia
Other Websites with a Difference
Where the Hell is Matt?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Travel Website with a Difference - Heinz Stucke
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Photo of the Week - Toucan (South America)
Our small group had walked for an hour in extreme humidity and climbed a rickety, wooden tower to be at the height of the tree-tops. We'd been standing around for a further hour with little activity when a toucan fluttered into a far branch. The photo is taken at maximum zoom, scanned in and then zoomed some more with Photoshop, which makes it a little bit hazy. But the excitement of seeing this most iconic South American bird with its oversized beak and colourful plumage was something I will always remember. A few minutes later it flew away but those few minutes are to be treasured.
We were told it was a red bill toucan but given that the bill is black, yellow and blue and that the only red is a small dash on its breast and tail, I've never been very convinced. Maybe someone who knows their toucans can confirm which species of toucan it actually is.
Other Wildlife Posts
Photo of the Week - Mountain Gorilla (Africa)
From Dead Duck to Bird Heaven (India)
The Pink Pageant (Flamingoes, Africa)
Flight of the Condor (South America)
Top Ten Wildlife Experiences
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Fall Kaleidoscope (New England, USA)
Through autumn or fall, the forests of America's New England and parts of Canada are cloaked in a blazing palette of reds, oranges, yellows, golds and mauves. Through Vermont, this kaleidoscope of colour is highlighted in the Green Mountain National Forest which runs like a rugged backbone through the centre of the state, while in New Hampshire, the White Mountains and the Kancamagus Highway are the highlights.
Called leaf-peeping locally, the annual fall foliage is almost an obsession with some people. The newspapers publish a daily map to help pinpoint the optimal locations for the vibrant colours. Travellers in cafes, maps sprawled across small tables, speak surreptitiously of strategies to weave down sneaky backroads to get a better view. Whatever your method, ensure you get out and walk or ride among the narrow lanes and streets of the small townships and rural areas of New England. The forest areas are threaded with a variety of relaxing walking paths and trails. 
The vivid white paintwork and timeless beauty of the high-steepled churches, elegant government buildings and old homely inns in the small towns of Vermont and New Hampshire make a wonderful backdrop for the riotous rich colours of the maples, spruces, oaks and beech trees.
And if all this colour builds an appetite, Ben & Jerry's rich premium ice cream in northern Vermont is among the finest I have ever eaten. What could be finer than gazing over the majesty of the autumn colouring feasting on a waffle cone filled with pecan butter cup and karamel sutra ice cream.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Reindeer Paté, Cloudberry Pie and Sweat (Kuopio, Finland)
In the centre of the country, Kuopio could be an advertisement for the travel wonders of Finland. Set among spruce forests and surrounded by sparkling lakes, Kuopio comes complete with ski-jumps, an orthodox church and the world’s largest smoke sauna. Combine that with fascinating local cuisine options and Kuopio offers a wondrous, single day sample of Finland at its finest.
The best view of Kuopio is from Puijo Tower perched neatly on a hill of the same name. It offers a panoramic vista showing the sprawling town with its numerous lakes and thick forests. On this same hill are the ski-jumps. How people stand on top of these, ski down and launch themselves in the air for over 100 metres defies comprehension and one's mental state. I clung on tightly for fear of getting even close to the jumping zone.
With its harsh climate, the Finns are very practical with food. Both elk and reindeer feature along with a heavy emphasis on fish. If you can remove the thought of munching on Rudolf’s relatives, reindeer is offered in various forms from steaks through to sausages. Not feeling too guilty about the well-being of Rudolf’s relatives, I had reindeer paté on a heavy rye bread and it was decidedly tasty. The reindeer marketing department are effective as three different Finns in conversation told me that reindeer was extremely good for you as its meat is remarkably lean, carrying only two percent fat.
I also managed to taste a slice of kalakukko which is simply fish baked in a loaf of rye-bread. Despite my description, it tastes quite divine and is very filling.
However, the highlight was dessert. In the short summer months with their long meandering days of sunlight, berries and mushrooms grow everywhere. And of the number of different varieties that grow, cloudberries are the Rolls Royce of Finnish berries. Their creamy, slightly sharp, semi-sweet taste is so popular that it is celebrated on the Finnish two Euro coin. Anyway, it certainly tasted damn good as cloudberry pie.
Jätkänkämppä, which fortunately you don’t have to pronounce to enter, is the world’s largest smoke sauna. It is an experience not to miss. Only open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, it takes all day to heat and prepare. The smoke collects inside and is released before being opened to the public. With your entrance fee, you get some quick instructions and two towels – one to wear around your waist and one to dry off with at the end.
Simply undress (completely), shower and wander into the wall of heat, which smacks you in the face as soon as you enter. Normally, Finnish saunas are separate and nude, but Jätkänkämppä is mixed with the towel used for modesty. Through the steam and dim light, there is a very eclectic group of people. Several travellers, all looking warily around trying not to commit any social faux pas sit along side local families, couples and men and women of all shapes and sizes. One man the size of a beached whale (which is an unusual sight in Finland) tosses a ladle of water on the coals. There is a shot of steam along with a sharp hissing and the gentle aroma of wood (but no smoke!).
When you feel well-cooked, quickly slip on your swimmers and dash for a quick plunge along a short wooden jetty and into the nearby lake. Don’t get me wrong – the lake is ridiculously cold even in the midst of summer – but the contrast of the water’s temperature gives you a sensational burst of tingling freshness right through your body. In winter, a hole is cut into the ice on the lake. The locals tend to sit outside on a bench for a few minutes relaxing and chatting. This was where I learned about the value of reindeer meat among other broad and varying topics. This exercise is repeated another couple of times until you simply feel great. It is time to settle on the benches outside for one last time and enjoy a therapeutic, cooling, but expensive beer. 
Fortunately, English is widespread with quite a number of visitors in summer. Finnish is probably the most incomprehensible language I have heard anywhere in Europe. Sadly after a number of days, my Finnish only extended to sauna (pronounced SOW-na) and kiitos (thank you). As much as I like to learn a few words of the local language wherever I travel, when a local told me (and wrote down) that “hello” was said as hyvää päivää, I simply resigned myself to relying on the English skills of the locals.
Finland tends not to feature on many European itineraries as it is a little further away and a little more mysterious. It is an extraordinary place of friendly, spirited, proud people keen to share the natural beauty and rich culture of their country. Any nation with more saunas than cars must be worth a visit. And Kuopio is a small town that captures Finland so well and should be on a future travel plan.
Note
Source: Cloudberry Photo
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Photo of the Week - Notre-Dame du Haut (Ronchamp, France)
Perched on a hill and built in the mid-1950s in Eastern France, this asymmetric chapel is one of the world's modern architectural travel wonders. Designed by a guy named Le Corbusier, it features a wall with many irregular, different sized windows which provides an extraordinary lighting effect especially with the stained glass in the interior. The roof appears inspired by a crab shell and seems to float above the building itself. Apparently when it rains, the water pours off this roof creating an impressive natural fountain.
"Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread" - Le Corbusier
