Couple's life on the road pedals to Dubai

They are living the dream. Unhindered by economics of it, French-English couple Richard and Stani has adopted a life on the road only because they were unwilling to settle for a traditional life.

Instead, they dared to step out of their comfort zones, abandon the conventional pursuits for a home, job and family, and live their dream of travelling the world.

Armed with their cycles, survival kits (that weighs over 65 kilos) and their savings, the couple began their cycling adventure in 2004.

Now, 57 countries and 10 years later, they have landed in Dubai for the first time. The couple flew in after extensively cycling through Nepal, India and China, and are chalking out plans to ride through Oman and Iran as journey back home to England.

They had initially planned to take a boat to Iran, and cycle on, but unforeseen visa problems hit the Richard-Stani team, with the couple forced to split up for the first time since their journey began.

Now, British-born Stani will pedal through Oman, while French-born Richard heads to Iran as planned. “We will decide on a meeting point, from where we’ll travel together to our next destination,” she explains.

Barring that setback, the couple has had some incredible experiences on the road, and hope for a time when the world isn’t divided by boundaries.

Although Richard is unwilling to admit their decision to take the road less travelled was governed by a social message, apart from their passion and desire to see the world, he confesses that over time they converted them from being mere “green wash” individuals to those who are “passionately green”.

And the change in perspective has encouraged them to reach out to other people and motivate them to do “little things” and make a difference to the environment.

They take baby steps themselves, and try to do their bit. “We carry our bag to the shopping market and never use plastic. And, we bury all our waste in land, and it becomes compost,” Richard explains. They even use solar energy to recharge their batteries.

Even, their mode of transport emphasizes cost efficiency and its limited impact on the environment.

“We like the idea of the bicycle. It’s freedom because you don’t have to wait for transport. It’s economical. It’s ecological,” he says, adding how the travel works his five senses remarkably.

Stani feels that a lot of people don’t venture out and explore an alternate life (on the road) because they are unsure if they can afford it.

“While most people are closed to the idea of exploring new ways of life, we want to encourage people that nothing is impossible. So, we go to schools and share our stories to help people stretch their minds,” she adds.

“People ask us all the time about how we managed to travel all these years. And, the thing is, we just take it one day at a time.

“We don’t plan to step out and cycle 62,000kms. We just keep our minds open, and the opportunities appear.”

While their journey begs to be documented, Richard feels he’d rather talk to people about their experiences than key it into his laptop. That said, the duo have recorded some key moments on their blog and Facebook page.

“Ours isn’t about documenting our every move. We want to enjoy the ride and not work on deadline,” Stani adds.

It’s the varied culture that keeps their pursuits exciting, Stani says. “India was the most distracting because there’s so much going on the road that you can’t concentrate on the ride.”

While setting out on a cycle could throw up security concerns, Richard admits he’s had a couple of accidents but the chances of that happening even back home aren’t remote. “I’ve had two accidents in a year while in London, so basically it can happen anywhere.”

The duo, who’ve camped in the wild, claim the secret to being protected is to “try not to be seen”. And at times, they don’t feel safe to camp outdoors, they knock on the doors of locals and request boarding in their homes.

Being vegetarians, the couple found it challenging to adapt to the varied global cuisine. “When we are invited into the homes of people we eat what we are served, otherwise it’s disrespectful,” Richard says, narrating how they once unknowingly ate rat meat served by a humble family.

Although they had suffered a few roadblocks because of health (Richard contracted dengue fever in Mexico and typhoid in Indonesia), Stani claims they don’t “really get sick” because of their healthy lifestyle. “We are exercising the whole day and drinking a whole lot of water.”

That said, carrying over 65kg of baggage on their cycles has had an impact on Richard’s back and knees. “He’s wearing out,” Stani laughs.

During their tour, Richard and Stani keep abreast with world affairs through the internet and local English newspapers, and even grab a movie from their local friends. “We even watched a Bollywood movie in Mumbai without subtitles, but we enjoyed it,” Stani adds.

The couple has also endearingly devised a unique way to keep their marriage going by allotting different days of the week to each other. “She has Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She can take any decision on those days and I’d abide by it. And I get three days of my own. And, the one day in the middle is fight day,” he chuckles.

Richard was working in England, when he met the passionate touring cyclist Stani. They embarked on a cycling expedition from Alaska to Argentina, which Richard insists was a unique way of “figuring out if we could get along”.

After 42 months, they made it to Argentina, but it was mid-way during this travel that they met other cyclists who had toured the globe. “So, that idea was planted in our minds, but we didn’t have enough money to do it then,” Richard recalls.

“We went back to the UK, worked for four years, and saved money. We sold everything and decided to travel,” he recalls.

Their decision, however, took a while for their families to accept, with Stani being the only child. “Eventually, after they’ve seen how happy we are, they have begun to accept it.”

They are currently camping with a member of “warm shower”, that offers boarding to travelling cyclists. With their tents pitched in the backyard of the Springs villa, Richard and Stani are happy with the hospitality provided by their Dubai hosts.

Although they are on their way home, they are already planning their next trip. “We won’t be home for long,” Stani says, with Richard concluding, “Once you’ve lived on the road, you can’t go back to living any other way.”

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