The Dream
Ioan is a man who had a dream of cycling to India and Liz is an intrepid woman with strong thighs. This blog is an account of making that dream a reality as we went in search of our world – a place we know to be full of love, wildness and magic. With this journey we hoped to step fully into ourselves and honour a world beyond fear. To show that the splintering world is an illusion that can be reframed and rewoven.
The Protagonists
Ioan Leontie, is a 36 year old Romanian bike mechanic who has been creating pretty rides for the people of Bucharest for over 10 years. He is a talented photographer and lamp builder, with a love of nature and a thirst to see the world. Our trip to India was Ioan’s first long distance cycle tour.
Liz Horn, is a 41 year old English escapee who has been nomading around Europe on bikes, trains and ferries for a while now. Having previously cycled across Spain and Italy, in July 2014 Liz set off on her first solo cycle-train odyssey from France to Portugal. That summer she clocked up over 1,000 miles and became truly hooked on the freedom of the open road and the kindness of strangers.
A Love Story
In September 2015 Liz arrived in Bucharest ready for another cycling adventure. She needed a bike and a mutual friend (Cosmin the cosmic link) introduced her to Ioan, who promptly met her requirements. On their first cycle camping weekend together, in Romania’s magical Apuseni Mountains, Ioan failed to bring any sleeping equipment, fell in a river and then built a roaring fire upon which to melt his shoes and socks; Liz was smitten.
In April 2016, after a winter of hibernation we emerged rested – a little soft, a little apprehensive – but ready. We set off from Bucharest in the direction of India – we cycled over 9,000 kilometres through 6 countries for 9 months.
Since returning to Romania in the spring of 2017 we have been on various adventures by bike and other means. This blog is a collection of our writing and photography from those trips.
Hello Human, we hope you enjoy the ride!
Hello Human 
You are living a dream we wish we had been courageous enough to take Liz So we will travel with you and experience it through your eyes. We say Good Luck to you Liz and Ioan as we raise a glass to you X M&D
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Epic! What an amazing adventure to be on. keep writing / snapping. Phil, nina, Reuben, Eva. Xx
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Hey guys! (Salut, Ioan, ne-am cunoscut cândva prin prieteni comuni). I started cycling in 2014 with the same direction, having also the idea of reaching India with a boat from Dubai/Oman. Just wanted to tell you that there is no way to do it anymore. I inquired in more harbors and did some research and the only possibility would be to reach India illegally if you bribe somebody to take you on a cargo ship, but I’m not sure you want to end up in prison. It was already winter so the Silk Route was not an option for me, so I had to fly from Oman. If you are fast enough and can cycle in summer through Central Asia, I’d really recommend that – there’s no better option to see those countries than cycling!
Happy trails!
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Great to hear from you Maria and thanks for the advice. We love your useful and inspiring website 🙂 We are very much adopting the philosophy of “what will be, will be” and our path is haphazard and not very well planned. This attitude is maybe a little foolhardy when dealing with such large distances, visas and not so steady geo-political situations but we shall see what happens. Hope life is treating you kind wherever you are x
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IONUT!!!!!!!! i am so glad to see that you are on your way – i just found out today about the trip AND it makes my day!!!!!!! Best news! It warms my heart. Hello Liz!! I’ll see you guys on the road! Happy trails le gardien du feu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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So happy to have met you both! Your trip is inspiring and I look forward to seeing more on your travels! Godspeed you two!
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Hi Chris
So good to meet you too. How are things going in Bulgaria? We are loving Turkey, everyone is so friendly. Happy walking and safe travels.x
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Hello Liz and Ieon…. I have read your blog fully its amazing and you people are awesome… You wrote about your journey and about yourself. I read your Love story i loved it too. Its surprise for me that you people met just last september and travell to world tour…. keep it up. Go ahead. And be safe. Good luck. All the best.👍👍👍 Namaste.💓💓
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