Travelog Tjoan

I am writing this piece on my laptop sitting behind my desk one week after I did return home to Rhenen in the Netherlands. Yes, home again after an incredible recumbent bicycle adventure through the USA.

The late afternoon KLM return flight from Atlanta, Georgia, on the 6th landed in the early morning of the 7th of September at Schiphol airport. A very smooth touch down marked the moment I returned on Dutch soil after a five months journey that has provided me with life long memories and many new friends.

After docking to the gate, disembarking and passing immigration I proceeded to the luggage claim area to collect my bags and bicycle. After some time had passed both my bags finally did emerge on the luggage carousel and I could load them onto the trolley. However waiting at the special oversize baggage belt did not yield any result. Many parcels, boxes, strollers, wheelchairs, surfboards and indeed some other bicycles from who knows where did emerge and were dully claimed by their respective owners. But the box that contained my recumbent
bicycle did not appear. After all other items had been collected and the flashing light signaling fresh arrivals had remained off for quite some time, I decided to ask someone at the service desk if they could explain the absence of my bicycle.
They were indeed very helpful and called everyone connected to offloading flight 0622 from Atlanta. Alas, no person had seen the bicycle box and it resulted in a missing/lost report. That was a bit of a bummer I tell you. So there I was pushing only one trolley loaded with two suitcases and a carry-on bag and a neatly folded missing luggage report in the breast pocket of my shirt instead of having to struggle with yet another trolley bearing an unwieldy box containing my bike.
I must admit; It was easier this way but it felt a lot less good!

Both my sister and brother who had patiently waited all that time for me entering in the arrivals area, and who had nearly given up on that, did not immediately recognize me and not only because I had a for them unknown short haircut but I was obviously not having a bicycle with me! The reunion with my siblings was good and we sat together for a while in an airport cafe to exchange some newsy bits over a tea and juice . Afterwards the three of us walked to the parking garage. There I said goodbye to my sister, who went back to her house in Amsterdam, and loaded the bags in my brothers car. He brought me home to Rhenen, about an hour drive from Schiphol airport.
Late that afternoon, in a phone call from Schiphol airport I was told the bicycle had been found and would be delivered to my home the very next day. That was a relief.
At the end of the morning on Monday I indeed did receive the bicycle box and after unpacking my bike I found it to be in good order. Great!

As said a week has passed since I came home and four fifth of me is now back in this time zone, a slight jet lag effect still persists.
I did try to stick to a normal day and night rhythm, did participate in spinning exercise classes on two evenings this passed week and I did meet with my running group on Thursday.
I ran a total of 8 miles that evening of which 3 indoors as a warm up on a treadmill and then 5 mostly through the woods and that went fine. Then next day though the first signs of muscle ache in my legs did manifest themselves. Saturday both legs felt very soar indeed!
Running is definitely different from cycling, my physical condition had no problem with it, however my leg muscles did, all the more so! Whoa... it was painful!

I also scheduled an appointment last Friday with my recumbent bicycle shop ACE to give my Fujin a complete overhaul while putting it back together from its disassembled state.
I put the bike back in the shipping box re-taped it and hauled it on a small trolley to the train station in Rhenen. Two train changes and some three hours later I did arrive at the shop.
Here Mathijs and Mark did do a fine job on the overhaul. Thank you guys!
In the early evening I got home, now riding my recumbent from the station and it once again is in great shape, ready for a ride when I feel like it!

Now it is Monday, the muscle ache is gone and I have started to work again too.
At the end of last week I did receive the two boxes I had send to myself. One from Los Angeles the other from Atlanta both contained all kinds of printed matter. Maps, brochures, leaflets all those things one collects while traveling. It all will serve as support reference material when I am writing more stories to complete the journeys chronicles.
These will continue to appear on this web site in my travel log pages. I will put them in the right order by ante dating them.
Also I will sort through all the photo material and place those photo's that enhance the stories on the photo blog pages.

So I will continue to update the content of this website and you may want to visit from time to time and see what's new.
I would like to thank all of you who have left comments on my stories. Wonderful, keep them coming!
Also I invite anyone I have met and who has taken pictures of me or pictures of themselves to post those to this site or to my regular E mail address. That would be much appreciated!

Looking forward to hearing from you in the time to come, and .... don't forget to visit this site.

Greetings from Tjoan Liang.