Episode 159: Tomas Mac An T-Saoir (Part 2)

How Do You Finish a 9-Year Bike Journey?

This is Part Two of my conversation wtih Irish Adventurer Tomas Mac An T-Saoir. Part One had ended with him cycling through Syria, and in Part 2 we pickup from where we left off, right in the middle of a country still healing from years of conflict and civil war.

What followed was a conversation that moved from the reality of being in a post-conflict environment to then reflecting back on some of Tomas’ previous journeys, and finally into the strange emotional territory that comes with finishing an adventure that has defined your identity for almost a decade.

Syria: The Reality Behind the Headlines

I asked Tomas something I was not entirely sure how to word. Do you ever get used to traveling in a place like Syria? His answer was honest and complex.

“You just get used to seeing destruction, as bad as that sounds.”

He described riding into towns where every corner held a story. Collapsed buildings, murals of martyrs, posters of missing people and families who invited him inside for tea even as they told him about what they had endured. One evening he stayed with a man who showed him the home that had been bombed by the Syrian Air Force because it was in rebel territory. That same man had fought as a rebel soldier. His uniform, body armor and AK-47 were still sitting in the corner of the room where Tomas slept.

It is one thing to see a headline. It is something else entirely to share tea with someone who lost family members during the war.

Tomas and I talked about how overwhelming that can be, the helplessness, and the feeling of not wanting to be a voyeur in someone else’s tragedy. At the same time, there is value in being a listener. Sometimes the presence of a neutral outsider gives people a chance to speak freely for the first time in years.

Afghanistan: A Rare Encounter with a Woman

We then spoke about Tomas’ experiences in another country consumed by conflict, Afghanistan. Tomas shared how during his time in Herat, he spent half a day with an Afghan woman who spoke English. She walked with him through the city, answered his questions and even asked local Taliban soldiers if she could act as his guide. They agreed, and she spent the afternoon showing him historical sites and talking about ordinary life under restrictive rules.

That kind of encounter is almost impossible for most foreign visitors, especially solo male travelers. It happened because she initiated it, because she pushed for it. Tomas reflected afterwards how he wondered how many of those encounters could have been possible if he’d not felt so fearful of endangering others. It’s a conflicting thought to wrestle with and as a woman, I myself can’t imagine being in that situation at all. We also spoke about Tomas’ interactions with local Afghanis, who are seeking out education for their daughters in schools being run ‘underground’. That is true bravery.

Lebanon: When Travel Stops Being Fun

By the time he reached Lebanon, Tomas had absorbed stories of loss and survival that most of us will only ever encounter through our tv screens. In Lebanon he found himself being stopped repeatedly by Hezbollah, questioned, and escorted away from roads considered sensitive. At one point a local woman whispered that people had died there and that he should not stay after dark. Later that same evening another man approached him, pulled open his shirt and revealed a tattoo of a militant leader. That moment would prove to be Tomas’ breaking point.

“I just wanted to get out. This was not fun anymore.”

We often talk about adventure and risk through a romantic filter. The truth is that sometimes the psychological load becomes too much. The only wise choice is to leave. For Tomas that meant getting to Beirut and getting a ticket to Turkey.

A Hard Pivot to New Zealand

After Lebanon I shifted the conversation back in time to the place where this part of Tomas’s journey actually began. In January 2020, he had flown to New Zealand to start this chapter of his ride, only to get stuck there during Covid. What was meant to be a short period of travel turned into two and a half years of living, working, skiing and exploring the South Island.

There were mountains, national parks, ski fields, lockdowns and one of the best plot twists of the entire interview: the Irish Mammies.

Yes, the Irish Mammies of New Zealand have a Facebook group, and yes, they took Tomas under their wing and rearranged his route through the country. This is the kind of detail that does not make it onto glossy travel blogs, but it is exactly what makes cycle travel so fun to hear about.

Australia, Vietnam and Timor

From New Zealand, Tomas had planned to continue riding west. Covid border closures forced detours, so he took a job in a remote town in the Australian Outback. After that came a top-to-bottom ride through Vietnam, back to Australia again, and eventually a ferry to Dili in Timor-Leste.

On the Indonesian side of the island, Tomas rode what he thought might be a smoother coastal road. Instead it turned into one of the hardest days he has ever had on a bike. The heat was intense, water was scarce, and the climbs were punishing. Local kids helped push his bike uphill when his body started to give out. That night he camped by an abandoned building near the coast.

Then the ground started shaking. A magnitude 7.9 earthquake had struck offshore. Tomas remembers hearing cheering from nearby fishing boats and then falling asleep again from sheer exhaustion. It was only the next day that messages from Australia revealed how serious the quake had been.

Later that evening he fainted in a bathroom, hit his head, cracked his neck and started bleeding. All this happened when he was in the midst of a stomach illness of course. He did not have his phone with him, and once again he just had to deal with it. Travel in this manner certainly isn’t about drinking cold drinks in cute cafes and golden-hour photography. Sometimes the reality is dealing with heatstroke, earthquakes and questioning life choices while sat on a toilet!

What Happens When the Bike Adventure Stops?

The final part of our conversation was about how Tomas has dealt with his adventure finishing. After nine years on the road, how do you go home? What happens to your sense of identity when you are no longer the person cycling across continents? What replaces the uncertainty that used to guide your days?

Tomas told me that adjusting to life after such a long journey is complex. There are days that feel easy and days that feel heavy. There are photos, journals and memories that act as anchors for him. And there is pride. Real pride. Because very few people commit to something for nine years and see it all the way through. And while he does enjoy sharing his story with those who will ask about it, he isn’t one to go on and on in a boastful way. I must say though, it did make me think there could be no better way to hear Tomas share his experiences than being sat with him in the family pub in Dingle, with a pot of Irish Stew bubbling away on the fire.

Importantly, Tomas does not think the journey is truly over. For him it is only paused. I like that. It feels right and I can’t picture someone like Tomas not getting out there on an adventure.

If You Missed Part One

Part Two stands on its own, but the full picture is richer if you have heard Part One. You can listen to it here.

Final Thoughts

Tomas ended our conversation pointing out that to him the most important part of all his cycling adventures have been the interactions with people. Conversations had with strangers, inner breakthroughs, emotional limits, and the ability to sit with reality rather than avoid it. Talking to Tomas reminded me why I started Seek Travel Ride. I want to hear about the reality of bike adventures, the messy stuff, the honest experiences and most importantly the human side of travel that never fits into a social media caption.

You can follow Tomas’ future adventures via his instagram page – @anbotharfada

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