As of today, our journey looks something like this:
July 4, 2008 – Depart Ottawa and ride towards Newfoundland. We are hoping to follow the North shore of Quebec until we run out of road, and then catch ferries to Newfoundland. We’ll spend the month of August cycling around Newfoundland, and then take a ferry to Nova Scotia. If the timing is right, we’ll meet up with the folks from Atlantic Canada Cycling for their Labour Day Cabot Trail Tour. From there, we’ll have a couple of weeks or so to visit Scott’s sister and family in Fredericton and get back to Montreal (unfortunately, the freighters taking passengers leaving from Halifax don’t go to the Mediterranean).
September 21st,2008 (or there abouts) – Take a freighter from Charleston, North Carolina to Antwerp Belgium.
October 2008 – January 2009 – Ride (and take ferries) from Italy to Jordan via Croatia, Greece, Turkey, and Syria. We’ll need to find our way back to Italy in time to catch our boat.
February 1st, 2009 (or there abouts) – We have tentatively booked a freighter from Naples Italy to Port Kelang (right near Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia. The freighter will stop in Le Spezia Italy and Barcelona, Spain prior to transiting the Suez Canal and going to Port Kelang (about 21 days). We are excited for the opportunity to see Barcelona, as we would not otherwise have been able to visit it. The two stops before the long transit will give us an opportunity to scope out the food on-board ship and stock up on what we want prior to the long passage. We will also be able to stock up on some good red wine in both Le Spezia and Barcelona!
March – April 2009 – Explore South-East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) by bicycle.
May 2009 – Bike up to Shanghai, China.
June 2009 – Take a freighter from Shanghai, China to Vancouver, Canada.
June / July 2009 – Ride up Vancouver Island, take a ferry to Prince Rupert, BC. Ride across Northern BC to Prince George, then head south to Kamloops, then east to Calgary.
August and September 2009 – Make our way east until we reach Ottawa.
All that being said, our boats have not yet been booked, so our itinerary is still rather fluid.