When I was cycling Poland, the first thing that I was asked by absolutely everybody was: ‘Alone? Aren’t you afraid?’ I was asked this question by those good people who hosted me and my tent in their garden, by strangers, by shop assistants, hundred times a day, always the same way. I was asked this so much, that after a month, when I saw another girl cycling solo with panniers on her bike, the first thing that appeared in my head was: ‘Oh! She’s alone. Isn’t she afraid?’

However, I’d like to say it clearly, that although I’m cycling solo, I’m not alone. I’m on kind people route.

Poland

Ms X – lets me camp in her garden, invites me for breakfast and gives me some cherries

Marysia – hosts me at home for two days, feeds me and shows me some sights (shower)

Bożenka i Mirek – host me at home, feed me as if I was going to the Sahara desert, great talking till late at night (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp by the civic centre

Mrs Jola – lets me camp in the orchard, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Czech REpublic

Mr and Ms X – escort me to and through Ostrava on bikes

Mr and Ms X and her mother – let me camp in their garden, offer me some grilled bacon and some delicious homemade cake (shower)

Karen and Robert – give me map of Czech Republic

innkeeper – changes me some euros to Czech crowns

Jitka and Jaroslav – host me at home, invite me for breakfast and give me packed lunch (shower)

rail attendant – lets me stay in a locked room inside a closed train station for the night (shower)

austria

Martina and Robert with sons – give me map of Austria, host me at home, do the washing, invite me for breakfast and give me some apricots from their garden (shower)

Nina and Joseph, their parents and daughter – let me stay in the garden, invite me for breakfast, give me packed lunch and some change for shopping (shower)

Edith and Helmut with son + Martina the neighbor – host me at home, invite me for breakfast and give me some food for the day (shower)

Ms X – lets me camp in the garden

Mr X – lets me camp in the garden, invites me for breakfast

Slovenia

Malja and Janko with daughter Andrea – let me camp in the garden, invite me for supper (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – host me at home and offer breakfast (shower)

Janez and Jasna with daughter Anamarie – host me at home, offer breakfast and some delicious pancakes as lunch, let me use wi-fi, great talking ’till late at night (shower)

Simona with parents – let me camp in the garden

Croatia

Rina and Eric with sons – let me camp in the garden, offer wine in the evening and coffee in the morning, let me use wi-fi

Tiziano with daughter Nina – let me camp in the garden, offer wine

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in the garden

Bozydar – let me camp in the garden, gives me some nuts and lets me use wi-fi

Ivan and Vida – let me camp in the garden, offer dinner and breakfast, give me map of Croatia, (shower and laundry)

Jelica and Ivan – host me at home with a million dollar view, offer dinner and breakfast and some food for the next day plus local herbs for tea, (shower)

Joszko – let me camp in the garden, brings dinner and leaves delicious breakfast by the hammock

Olga and Ilja – let me camp in the garden, offer dinner and go to the shop to buy burek for breakfast

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in the garden, offer fresh milk and homemade cheese

Milica – host me at home, offers dinner and breakfast, shows me around and teaches me bake break, gives me some food for the day

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in the garden, offer homemade cookies

Biljana i Vladimir – let me camp on the balcony, offer dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Mara with husband – let me camp in the garden, offer dinner and fresh goat milk, give me some food for the day

Tomislav with mum – let me camp in the garden, offer dinner, breakfast and cherry liqueur, (shower)

Miro – let me camp in the garden, brings doughnut for breakfast (shower)

Bosnia and hercegovina

Mr and Mrs X – let me sleep under a roof, offer burek (shower)

Janja – invites me to stay at home, offers dinner, shows me the church and vicarage, gives some figs for breakfast

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in the garden

Zarko – lets me camp in the garden, brings me fresh tomatoes from his garden, gives some food for the day (shower, wi-fi)

Nadia, Miša, Peša, Sofija – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, give some food for the day (shower, wi-fi)

MOntenegro

Radmila with parents – host me at home, offer breakfast and fresh milk

Dragosa and his wife – offer dinner, let me sleep under a roof

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in the garden

Albania

Fran and his wife – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, call family to drop by and facilitate communication, (shower); Gabriela, 12-year-old Fran’s granddaughter, organizes money exchange and shopping, teaches me Albanian and traditional dances

Vlash and his wife – host me at home, offer dinner, give me some fresh fruit, show me their loom and vintage chest for clothes, (shower)

Lazer and Liza – host me at home, offer dinner, breakfast and fresh milk, call a young family member to drop by and facilitate communication, show me a video tape of an Albanian wedding ceremony, (shower)

Shpetim, Qamile, Ervin, Eridona and Duhie – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, give me some fruit, show me a video tape of an Albanian wedding ceremony, (shower)

Sadete with family – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Greece

Artemida – lets me camp in the garden, offers dinner and Greek sweets, teaches me some Greek

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near the house, offer morning coffee

Yannis – lets me camp in the garden, offers some hot tea

Vasiliki and Georgos with family – host me at home, offer dinner and morning coffee, show me some family photos

Maria – lets me camp on her property, brings me breakfast

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their bar, offer some homemade wine

Dimitris and Maria with family – let me camp by the house, offer dinner and breakfast, show wedding photos, (shower)

Kristos and Trendafile – let me camp in the garden, offer dinner and morning coffee

Jimmy – hosts me at home, offers dinner, (shower)

Katerina – lets me camp by her bar

Atena – lets me camp in the garden for two nights, offers dinner, fruit and coffee

the policewoman – lets me camp by the house

Katerina and Yannis – let me camp near their house, offer breakfast and fruit

Georgios with family – lets me camp in his olive grove, offers dinner

the Italian woman – lets me camp in the garden, brings dinner

Alenka with family – hosts me at home for two nights, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Pavlos – hosts me at home for three nights, does the laundry, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in the garden, bring me breakfast

Bobis – hosts me at home, offers morning coffee, gives me some souvenirs, (shower)

Valentina with family – lets me camp near the house, offers morning coffee, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X and a bunch of their friends – let me camp near their place, offer dinner and breakfast, give me a bottle of tsipouro

Yannis – hosts me at home, does the laundry, offers dinner and breakfast, changes the brakes and cleans the chain of my bike, (shower)

Georgian – lets me camp and have a shower on a closed campsite

Vasilis and Dina – let me camp in the garden, offer breakfast, give some food for the day

brothers Miltiadis and Ilios – let me camp by their bar, offer breakfast and coffee

Neringa and Yannis – let me camp by their bar, offer dinner and coffee

Mesout – lets me sleep in an empty shop, offers dinner and breakfast

Panaiotis – organizes a place for the night for me, offers dinner

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their house, offer dinner

Turkey

Tevfik and his wife – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Dilara and Bugra – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, take me for a walk around, (shower)

Cansu – hosts me at home for 7 nights, introduces me to her friends, does the laundry, helps me to buy bicycle parts, invites me for dinners, (shower)

Sukru and Feride with daughter – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Mr X – lets me camp near his bar, offers dinner and breakfast

Yusuf and Aise – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, give me some food for the day

Mr X – organizes my stay at the doctor’s office, offers tea and breakfast

Mehmet and Meryem with children – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, we roast chestnuts together

Mr and Mrs X – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Ertugrul and Nesrin – host and feed me for two weeks, take me in many interesting places in Cappadocia, (shower)

Iran

Darius – gives me an Iranian SIM card

Husain and Azam with Shabnam, Amirreza and Fateme – host me at home for two nights when I cure a cold, take me for a family visit, do the washing, share their meals with me and give me some food when I leave, (shower)

Mohsen and Meisam with parents – host me at home for three nights, share their meals with me, do the washing, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – host me at home, offer dinner, breakfast and fruit, (shower)

Mr Karlabashi – opens a museum where I sleep for me, brings me dinner, fruit, tea and breakfast

Mr Gholami – hosts me in a guesthouse (without payment)

Ahmat and Fateme with children – host me at home, take me for a family visit, offer dinner, fruit and breakfast, call two guys who show me around their town

Mohammad and Mahboobeh with Anita – host me at home for five nights, share their meals with me, do the washing, (shower)

Hamid with family – hosts me at home for two nights, offers dinner and breakfast, goes with me to Persepolis, (shower)

Fateme with her husband and children – host me at home, take me for a family visit, offer fruit, dinner and breakfast

Mohammad and his wife – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Hamid and Fateme with children – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, give me some food for the day

Mahboobeh – invites me to her home, takes me to a picnic, shows me around her town

Mr and Mrs X with Zahra – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

sisters and their family – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Vahid and his parents – adopt me for a month, take me to excursions, let me spend New Year with them and offer the best time ever, (shower)

Morteza Hoseyni (bike shop – Mashhad) – does a great job on cleaning and fixing my bike

Abdullah and Esmal – host me at home, offer dinner, (shower)

Yasin – lets me stay at the Red Crescent point, offers dinner

Etmammad with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Red Crescent point – offer dinner, (shower)

Amir with family – hosts me at home, offers breakfast and gives some food for the day

Saide with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Farshad and his family – hosts me at home for a longer time, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Gasem with family – hosts me at home for three nights, takes me to the seaside and a picnic, (shower)

Vahid with family– hosts me at home for a longer time, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Fateme – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Reza and Atije – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Mojtaba and Meadeh – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Turkmenistan

Gulczihra with her family – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Uzbekistan

Masha and her family – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

taxi driver and his family – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Luneczka with her children -hosts me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, gives me some food for the day

Mehroza and her parents – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast

Fahradyn and Molda with children – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, give me some food for the day

Alek with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

Tajikistan

Vero – hosts me at home for three nights, offers food, advises about the route, (shower)

Masha with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast, gives me some food for the day

Said and Dowlan – host me at a military base, offer food, give me some cans for the day

Jamila with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner (fresh fish!) and breakfast

Aleks with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

Nasigul with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

Mr and Mrs X – they open their house for me even though they both work and don’t sleep at home

Zohid with family – hosts me at home for two nights, offers food

Mrs X – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

Konieusz (?) – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

Zumurat with son – hosts me at home

Kyrgyzstan

Zusunov with wife – hosts me at home, offers breakfast

Kanshay – lets me stay for the night at her restaurant

Alibal and his family – hosts me at home for two nights, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – host me at home

restaurant owners – let me stay for the night at their restaurant

Mr X – lets me camp in his garden

Mr X – lets me stay for the night at his restaurant, (shower)

Sayna – lets me stay for two nights at her restaurant

Rina with family – lets me stay for the night at their restaurant

Gulsina – lets me stay for the night at her restaurant, offers melon

Jangus – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

Gulai with family – lets me stay for the night at their restaurant

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in their yurt camp, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me sleep in the yurt, offers dinner, (shower)

Gulina with family – lets me camp in the garden

Nurzija – lets me camp in the garden, offers tea

Kazakhstan

Nurgul – lets me camp near her restaurant

Jelubaj with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast

malaysia

Mr and Mrs X – let me sleep in their second house, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me sleep in their second house, (shower)

Aring with her granddaughter – hosts me at home, offers breakfast, (shower)

Din and Rus with daughters and Samsiah – host me at home, offer dinner and breakfast, take me to the jungle, (shower)

Din and Mus – host me at home, offer dinner, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their restaurant, (shower)

Ash with family – hosts me at home, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Maslam – lets me camp in his beach bar, teaches me surfing and takes me for a river cruise, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp in their resort, (shower)

Zalis and Fatem – host me at home, (shower)

a policeman – lets me camp at the police station, (shower)

Sijam – lets me camp near her restaurant, offers dinner, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp near his teahouse, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their restaurant, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp near his restaurant, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their restaurant, (shower)

Thailand

Mr and Mrs X – organise my stay at school, (shower)

Ariya with family– hosts me at home, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their coffee shop, (shower)

Bemvu – let me camp near his pub, (shower)

a guard– lets me camp at school, brings me cake and a beer, (shower)

monks – let me sleep in the monastery, (shower)

a guard and neighbours – the guard lets me camp near a nursery school and neighbours bring me some food and an English homework, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their restaurant, (shower)

On with family – let me camp near their restaurant, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp near their restaurant, (shower)

a guard – lets me camp near a nursery school, (shower)

Lampun and Senon – let me camp near their shop, offer cold drinks, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me camp near her restaurant, offers fruit and tea, (shower)

a doctor – lets me camp near the hospital, (shower)

a policeman – lets me camp near a police checkpoint, offers dinner, (shower)

a headmaster – lets me sleep in a classroom, (shower)

a guard – lets me camp near a highway depot, (shower)

a guard – lets me camp near an arboretum, (shower)

a policeman – lets me camp at the police station, offers coffee, (shower)

foresters – let me camp near forest administration, offer fruit, (shower)

a policeman – lets me camp near a police checkpoint, offers bananas and coffee, (shower)

a policeman – lets me camp near a police checkpoint, (shower)

foresters – let me camp near a national park office, (shower)

a guard – lets me camp near a church, (shower)

firemen – let me camp near a fire station, (shower)

foresters – give me a guest room in an arboretum, (shower)

monks – let me camp near a monastery, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me camp near local administration office, (shower)

Laos

Bun Tang and Noy – let me camp at the gas station, offer dinner, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me camp at the gas station, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp by a temple

Ki and Pai – let me camp at the gas station, offer dinner, (shower)

Funia – lets me camp near his shop, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me camp at the gas station, (shower)

Da – lets me camp in her restaurant

Mrs X – lets me camp at the gas station, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me camp at the gas station, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp at the gas station, (shower)

Cambodia

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp at the gas station, (shower)

Mrs X – hosts me at the health centre, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp by the restaurant, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp by a health centre, (shower)

Piesas with family – let me camp by their shop

Vietnam

priest Van Thuong Vu – lets me camp by the church, offers breakfast, (shower)

priest X – lets me sleep at the rectory, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp in the garden, offers coffee, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp by the restaurant, (shower)

Mr X – lets me camp at the gas station

Minh with his wife – let me camp by the restaurant, (shower)

Daniel – hosts me for 2 nights, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

Mrs X – lets me camp by her bar

priest X – lets me camp by the church, (shower)

Shan with family – lets me camp near his house, offers dinner and breakfast, (shower)

priest X – lets me sleep at the rectory, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp by their house, (shower)

Mr and Mrs X – let me camp by their house, (shower)

Mr and MrsX – let me camp by their house, offer dinner, (shower)

 

And all of those nameless people who filled my water bottle, offered coffee or snacks and gave me directions or a smile along the way.