What Next?

What's bigger and better than riding a bicycle around the world?"Almost everyone I meet asks me some variation of the question: "What are you going to do now? What's bigger and better than riding a bicycle around the world?"

Below are the scant writings I did as I struggled with this question for years. If you want the full story, including the inspirational answer to what really comes after a monumental experience of a lifetime — you'll have to buy the book :)

For the lastest update, please visit my new blog.

The Adventure Continues...
January 2009

Hey! Just because I finished cycling around the world, lived my dream and had the adventure of a lifetime, doesn't mean life is over. In fact, why not get a new dream and have another adventure of a lifetime?

Easier said than done. But that's the good news. If it was so easy, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn't be an adventure anymore.

The simple answer to what comes next is — I'm proud to finally say — a cross country book tour.

Falling Uphill has finally arrived
November 2008

It has been a long uphill challenge, and I look forward to gracefully falling down the other side now. The good news about the book taking so long, is that it truly took me years to absorb the lessons I learned while I traveled around the world on a bicycle, and one of the toughest lessons I learned was the lesson of coming home, not only to my country, but to myself. I feel I owe everyone I've met along the way a debt of gratitude for helping making my trip and my book possible.

May the winds be with you. ~ Scott

Cubicle Fears and Get-rich schemes
September 2008

Maybe I should have attempted pogo sticking around the world as some have suggested. Instead, since I've gotten back, my fear of being stuck in a cubicle has led me from being a freelance graphic designer to a photographer, then to a self-employed graphic designer, to an author back to a graphic designer and professional photographer, briefly, very briefly, considered a job offer to be a stay-at-home husband and father, then ran off to attempt revolutionizing the world's housing and energy crisis, which didn't get much farther than correcting some typos in non-related patents and emails, then a web designer, after failing to get my motivation off the ground importing Balinesian art, I tried being an artist, jewlery, painting, photography, I hopped between whichever seemed to have the highest probablity of paying money, alas it was back to a graphic designer again, with occasional forays into the realm of professional gambling, and salvaging high-price items at rummage sales and selling them on eBay, and the whole time, I've been writing and producing my upcoming book about my journey around the world, which is really what I'm passionated about, and how do i know I'm passionate? Because I've done quite a good of job avoiding it due to fear of failure.

Scott applies to be on Survivor
August 2008

If I can ride a bicycle around the world, I can do anything.... Well, that's what I like to tell myself. Continue....

Bali, Indonesia
May 2007

After traveling the world for years, I can't seem to stay put in one place for very long. I've got a giant case of Island Fever, in fact at the rate I'm going, I'll have Planet Fever in no time. See some highlights of my journey to Indonesia in quest of being an art importer. Continue...

Apartment hopscotch
October 2006

Off to Arizona to revolutionize the housing industry, cure cancer and solve the world's energy crisis.

As the wheel turns.
September 2005

Back to where it all started, being a graphic designer in San Francisco.

What in the world now?
July 2005

I'm in a little place called Waukesha, Wisconsin writing my book, getting fat and sassy and experiencing major culture shock and bicycle blues. This is a real phenomenon, like post-partum depression. I plan to return to San Francisco in a few weeks. I hope to cure my itchy feet by taking a mini road trip back to the West Coast with a Canadian friend. Over a one-month period, we will drive to the hot spots like Yellowstone, Glacier N.P., the Badlands, etc., and get the bikes out for a ride. I figure this is the way to do a bike tour -- skip all those ugly and boring spots.

I also plan to restart my career as a graphic designer, that is, until my book hits the bestseller list and I can be paid do it all over again. Also, I will be helping my friend start a non-profit organization to send volunteers to Thailand to help teach blind children, build temples, aid the tsunami victims, work on a pineapple farm, etc. I loved Thailand, so this will be a great experience for people who haven't seen much of the world. Ironically, the Thai people are so wonderful; they should really be coming to America to volunteer their smiles.

After I woke up at noon, had my coffee and realized my shirt was inside out and that it didn't really matter, I decided to update the website. I have a new appreciation for how much effort Carrie made keeping the site updated for three years. I posted some photos of New Zealand. That only took me 1.5 hours, so I am proud of myself. I am getting the hang of this computer thing. I had one job interview so far and one of the first questions asked was, "When was the last time you used a computer?"

" Um... Does email count?"

Well, I'd better get on with organizing my new life. I think I will start by turning my shirt right-side out.

A New Life
April 2005

"A new life". That's what some Christians call discovering a newfound faith in Jesus. After cycling around the world, I'm going to have to get a new life one way or another with or without His help.

Antigua, Guatemala is a quaint town with cobble stone streets and a Catholic cathedral within spitting distance in every direction. Three volcanoes surround the valley. I spent a good portion of day and night on the roof of my hotel watching Fuego erupt every 15 minutes. (See photos.) It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful towns in Central America; nonetheless, I had more than my share of misadventures.

For two months, 3 or 4 days a week, the Guatemalans were parading around the city, generally getting in the way of me and my huevos rancheros. 80 men bore a giant float on their shoulders, and atop the float a sculpture of Christ bore his cross. I was reminded of my recent visit to Jerusalem and having retraced Jesus' steps along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering). The Guatamalens made beautiful pictures in the street out of colored sawdust, flowers and fruit, which get trampled in the parade.

The parades built in intensity until Easter weekend when the population of my tranquil town swelled from 25,000 to 500,000 (creating a shortage of huevos rancheros and Gallo Cerveza). It is supposedly the biggest Easter celebration in the world. The most interesting day was Good Friday when, after two months of bearing his cross, Christ finally died. The churches had dozens of floats, each depicting in gruesome detail Christ's last supper, suffering, crucifixion, death and burial. (In Jerusalem I also visited Christ's tomb.) The men changed from their vibrant purple robes to black sheets and hoods like the Klu Klux Klan. There was so much incense and smoke it was hard to see or breathe. I asked several men if they thought it was morbid and frightening and wouldn't they rather focus on the positive aspects of Christ's love and friendship. They said I had to wait until Sunday when Jesus is resurrected.

The Catholic woman also tote images of Mary as if she were God. Do you ever wonder what kind of mother Mary was? I think it went something like this: "Jesus if I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't come in the house with dirty feet. Now go outside and wash yourself off. And don't let me catch you making the neighbor kids wash your feet again, or I'll have your father take you out to the woodshop and give you a good beating. So help me God, you won't walk for a week. Don't look at me like that. I don't need your pity. Now you get out there-- Jesus don't run in the house and don't--" SLAM! "-- slam the door. Thirty-six hours of labor and this is all the thanks I get. I swear, someday I'll nail that kid to the floor myself."

Well, Sunday was a lot more inspiring seeing Jesus in flowing white robes and surrounded by legions of angels, but the parades were disappointing because most revelers went home on Saturday and weren't resurrected from their hangovers in time to celebrate their "new life". After 32 hours on the bus wishing for my bicycle, I transferred myself to Mexico City. Considering it is supposed to be one of the largest and the most polluted city in the world, like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, it is not a bad place, certainly a lot better than Delhi or Cairo. It helps that my Spanish has improved to the point where I don't accidentally refer to woman as "a little fat" or tell men "I love you" when I mean "I want it".

I am currently writing a manuscript of my death-defying misadventures. If you or any of your friends would like news of when I get published, please send me the email addresses. Meanwhile, I have got myself stuck in Mexico, so after I finish my rough draft I will be taking a burro (donkey) to Florida for my lil' sister's wedding. And then... I suppose... I will have to get a "new life" too.