Great to see this guy enjoying himself. Perhaps as humans we are naturally a nomadic bunch. Its only recently in human history after all that we have settled in one spot and have grown our own food.
Maybe through cycle touring we awaken some deep almost genetic satisfaction from that movement and simplicity of life. New sights, sounds and places, and the human need for human interaction satisfied. Yes, it costs money to tour but less and less with experience and the shedding of modern 'cravings'.
As for doing without a house, a home, maybe not. Having a 'Summer pasture' and a 'Wintering ground' is perhaps a better compromise (whatever that may be). I think that humans need a ‘base’ to return to that they identify with as ‘home’. The nomadic peoples who still exist in some parts of the world can teach us a lot.
The vast possessions and complications of a modern western life are swamping our basic human needs, and modern society’s current dissatisfaction may indicate that such basic needs may not be being totally fulfilled.
Getting back to those basic needs and basic possessions are part of the joy of cycle touring. I found it took time to return to modern society after a long tour - what is all this stuff in my house for!
On my first three month tour a few times I had moments of deep despair and loneliness but listened. On the second three month tour I could sometimes feel those same feelings but they were more comfortable and as they rose I could deal with the feelings and continue to enjoy the tour. Perhaps on a much more extended tour as this gentleman has done, he has reached the point of dealing mentally with the conflict of simplicity vs. modern life. He seems very Zen!
I stumbled across one guy’s blog recently and read it from start to finish. Very enjoyable! Great touring tales and an insight to his time learning yoga and meditation in India. His insights into Buddism are interesting and could help on the road to living with fewer cravings! Many long distance tourers cite ‘Mindfulness’ as a very useful skill to practice while on the road for long periods of time.
Anyway a good read here …
http://cyclehacker.com
