I've lived in Portland long enough to know that like clockwork right around January 1st the weather changes from solid drizzle to being more broken up with some sunshine every day. It's an interesting phenomenon. So, you will certainly be able to do some good riding between films and having coffee with me.

Yup!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colocasia_esculenta

Maun and I have financed several of our trips by renting our home. Since HOA rules require us to lease it for a minimum of six months, we have been away for that long on pretty close to half a dozen occasions. But you have me thinking back and we were underway with our bike saddle as our only address on just one of these jaunts. But we were never alone for whole time; that trip, from Montpellier to Dubrovnik, included two commercial trips back to back and even a serendipitous Danube river cruise as we had way too much time in Budapest where we hooked up with the group tours. We are still in touch with people from those groups. I think not being alone the whole time made a big difference. Now I start thinking about going home after a month.

Ride like the wind! If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn by the video evidence that you were on swift e-bikes.

Glad you had the tailwind to offset the slow-going through urban congestion.

Love the video of the market, too.

You absolutely deserve to go back "home" for a break. (I put "home" in quotations because we all know you're actually homeless vagabonds.)

I've said before how much I admire the exotic locations in which you tour and the wonderful photography, but I also have to agree with what Bruce wrote. Your dedication to keeping up such an interesting and informative (and often exciting) journal on a daily basis is quite amazing. It seems most people on very long bike tours tend to fall behind, then struggle to catch up on their journals, the length of their posts gradually shrink, and sometimes they just quit writing altogether. As much as I enjoy touring and writing about it, I'm not sure if I could keep it up every day for five continuous months. Good job.

Finally, I wanted to comment on the picture of Rocky and the hostess found on the next page. Not only do they seem to be in color-coordinated uniform, but I swear they look like sisters.

You’re making me feel very guilty, Bruce. I’ve still got an iPad and a bike though. I’m looking forward to giving Rodriguez a spin or two when we get home, and I suspect I’ll find a thing or two to say about it. For your part, why don’t you and Andrea work on conjuring up a nice dry spell to welcome us home with.

Relief might be a bit too strong of a term for us, but we’re definitely looking forward to a change of scene. As much as anything, I think Rachael’s ready to spend more time looking at a different face!

Hey, thanks for the awesome Xmas poem! A woman of many talents, I see.

Hi, Em. I think Rachael and I were both surprised to suddenly realize it was time. This year’s been a pretty big leap for us though. Before this spring’s eight week trip to Greece we’d never been on the road for more than six weeks at a stretch. Neither one of us was sure that this would really work, or even how we’d do seeing so much of each other’s company for so long. Happily, it’s been a big success for us. It’s just time for a change for a spell.

And, like you, I’m behind on my blog-reading. I have a lot of catching up to do over on Cycle365 especially. I’m looking forward to some leisurely, relaxed mornings loafing around a coffee shop. Happy New Year!

This is cauliflower. They truss it up so that the sun doesn't hit the floweretes so that they are whiter.

I've always wondered what my limit would be before needing a break from continual touring. And how that limit would change if riding in places unfamiliar and with language barriers. It's good that you've acknowledged that you need a break - it's always nice to get a dose of friends, family and be able to leave your toothbrush in the same spot for more than a few days in a row. This may give me a chance to catch up on your European adventures, too! Enjoy home :-)

Oh, what a shame I didn’t think of that! Thanks for the reminder though - there are still a few days left to flash it around in Asia.

Is he getting little bait crabs? Nigel uses a little pump to pull them from the sand (called 'pippis' or something like that here) here and then uses them for fishing.

Abalone?

Sea slugs perhaps?

Mike

If only you had a small steel implement, like a bottle opener, trussing the cabbages would be a breeze.