Swedish cyclist discovers the Americas on bicycle

This article is one in a series of interviews with long-term international bike tourists. This time I talked with Hanna MI Jakobson – a cyclist who is cycling south from from Vancouver, Canada toward the Andes of South America. She is currently in Guatemala.

World Bike Touring Examiner (WBTE): Would you please explain a tad bit about where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Hanna: I started in Vancouver and enjoyed the Pacific coastal route through the United States from the northern to the southern border. I continued down the peninsula of Baja California and crossed into the mainland of Mexico by sailboat. North America turned into Central America as I followed the Caribbean coast into Belize and headed west to Guatemala where I am at the moment. I would like to explore the rest of the Central American countries before crossing into South America and keep on pedaling south until the continent comes to an end.

View a slide show of Hanna's journey here

WBTE: What prompted such an extended journey? Had you done a lot of touring before?

Hanna: I rode home to Sweden from Paris once and I have longed for an extended bike journey ever since.

WBTE: Why the bike? Why not take the "easy" way and travel on bus, train, plane, etc.?

Hanna: Using the bicycle as a mode of transport and travel is primarily an environmental choice. In the saddle, however, I feel freedom and a sense of simplicity. I get to travel with all the elements of nature and experience countries and cultures without having the windows of a bus, train, or plane separating me from them.

WBTE: I know there are plenty of wonderful days when the sun is shining and you’ve got the wind at your back. But there are also days when it’s raining or you face a headwind or you’re climbing a hill that just won’t end. How do you get through those days? What keeps you going?

Hanna: Knowing that the wind has to turn at some point, that the hill eventually will head downhill and that the rain cannot last forever. If the conditions are bad, I will usually find some shelter and some snacks. Food is also very useful as fuel or as a reward at the end of a hard day.

WBTE: As hard as it is to pick out one or two highlights – would you, could you? Tell us about a couple of those incredibly wow-ing, drop-your-jaw experiences you’ve had.

Hanna: Many desert moments in Baja California. When waking up to silence and serene beauty, cycling in a landscape made of sand and cacti, turning off the road to find another pretty camp spot and falling asleep beneath a sky of stars. Also any swimming moment in Guatemala. When cooling off in a river along the road, floating in a pond after a long day, diving into naturally turquoise pools, having a swimming lunch break in a lake or warming up at dawn beneath a hot waterfall.

WBTE: What about those days you wish you could forget (but you know you never will)? Those days when everything goes wrong and then even more goes wrong? Tell us about a couple of those.

Hanna: There has not been a day when everything has gone wrong. However, a bad map, bad directions and bad judgment have lured me out on some rough roads in the Guatemalan highlands. I spent one day pushing my bike uphill for twelve hours through the dirt and dust. I still remember the fatigue, but also the amazing views while catching my breath, the local ladies who refilled my water bottles in the heat and the family who let me camp next their hilltop house where I finally laid down to rest.

WBTE: You’ve toured through many countries and I know they each are unique and have their advantages and disadvantages. But, if you were to talk with someone relatively new to cycle touring, where would you recommend they go? Why?

Hanna: It is quite convenient to start at your doorstep, getting used to the touring life in your own language, in a familiar area, and on roads that you can read. Head in any direction or toward any destination that you are interested in. This ongoing adventure of mine has given me the possibility to get used to the touring life in North America, practice Spanish while cycling in Central America and hopefully to ride through South America that intrigues me.

WBTE: Any special tips or advice to wannabe tourers?

Hanna: Try it out. If you are not experienced, you only need to be open. If you are not fit, you only need to be patient. If you are not rich, you only have to be creative. If you do not do it, you are missing the ride of a lifetime.

WBTE: Thanks Hanna! I know you will enjoy your journey as you move southward! You’ve got some special moments ahead of you.

Follow Hanna on her adventure at www.hannamijakobson.com

Nancy Sathre-Vogel is currently cycling from Alaska to Argentina with her husband and twin sons. She is documenting their journey for Guinness World Records at www.familyonbikes.org and has a regular column on the Communities to the Washington TImes.  She is also the Boise International Travel Examiner.