Tangon takaa is a podcast series done in collaboration with Radio Helsinki and Pelago Bicycles. Fedja Kamari and I had a chat in Finland in April 2018 about cycling in South America. Listen to the podcast here (in Finnish). Now me and Madalina are already in Nicaragua, ready to reach Honduras in a few days.
Featured picture: ©Pelago Bicycles/Radio Helsinki
This beautiful drawing was sent to me one night at 5AM by Argentinian Enrique Demarchi (who I’ve never met) as a recognition for my solo female cycling. “Not everyone would get on a bicycle and pedal through South America, especially as a woman”, he said and added that it’s something remarkable. As I know I’m not the only one, I want to dedicate this drawing on to all solo female cyclists, especially those eight who have inspired and keep on inspiring me along my way. Here’s who they are! (more…)
Sometimes it seems extremely difficult for men to realize that even though you travel alone, you do not sell sex. To some men, a solo female cyclist seems to be the perfect example of someone in desperate need of money and physical pleasures. So much so, that these men take the initiative to stop by the road and offer their charitable employer services to female cyclists. But how can you know a woman does not sell sex? Read these easy guidelines to find out. (more…)
In Quito, Ecuador, I gave an interview for Teleamazonas, just before leaving for the coast. The questions have been answered quite many times previously, but never before have I had my answers translated into Spanish sign language! Also, never before has my name been Sisi Koronen (who needs those extra consonants anyway?! Unfortunately, these don’t show on the video). (more…)
Since I’ve had this blog and the online magazine Seikkailijattaret.fi, I’ve been spending quite a lot of time on the internet. It’s nice, because sharing this experience gives a whole new meaning to the whole journey. However, now I feel it’s time to go offline for a while. (more…)
People often ask me which bicycle I ride and if I like it or not. The simple answers are: Pelago Stavanger and “Hell yes!”, but after cycling for 16 months, I thought it’s high time to write a thorough review of the bicycle I have come to feel is my second skin by now. I’m still not a bicycle specialist, but this is what I see when I see my Pelago. (more…)
There’s something about roads that I’ve always loved. From the very first family road trips in Europe to the time me and my three sisters sat inside a hot van, thighs squashed into each other, on our way to Graceland. There has just always been magic in the air for me in being on the move. (Mind you, by the time we got back home to Georgia from Graceland, we knew every single Elvis song by heart, including all the background vocals.) (more…)
If there’s something I absolutely love it’s creating things with my hands and giving new purposes to old things. I’m the youngest of seven children, so you can take a wild guess on how much new stuff I used to receive as a child. The answer is slim to none and I’m grateful for it, because it has taught me to appreciate everything second-hand and recycled. When cycling long-distance, it’s quite heavy to carry handicraft supplies with you, so you often need to search for things to do with whatever is around. Here’s the DIY ideas I’ve come up with in Paraguay. Enjoy! (more…)