All language subtitles for 自行车边境之旅Biking.Borders.2021.1080p

Our eyelashes, eyebrows froze,

headphones broke, cell phone died.

We can't feel our hands anymore.

It's just sick. In moments like these,

you start to question
some of your life choices.

This cold man here is me: Nono.

And this is what I look like
without my mask on.

And this hairy creature is me.

Max.

We met in college,

are best friends
and have one thing in common:

I hate it. I hate cycling.

I'll never like cycling.

First of all, our trip
really didn't change anything about that.

And yet, these 15,000 kilometers

on two wheels
were the best thing we've ever done.

Because Biking Borders
is more than just a bicycle trip.

During our semester abroad,
we got to teach at schools,

in Guatemala, among other places.

One in five children there
can't attend school.

There is a lack of infrastructure
and financial resources.

Since then, we've had a big dream.

We want to build a school there.

That's why we're launching a fundraiser

together with an NGO
for sustainable education.

We'll try to generate attention
through social media.

Nowadays, the best way to do that is
by doing crazy things.

Our challenge:

a bike trip around the world.

From Berlin to Beijing.

Guatemala wasn't an option
because of all the water.

And so Biking Borders is born,

probably
the longest bicycle fundraiser "run" ever

to build a school
on the other side of the world.

Yes, and we'll bike from here to Beijing.

Six months of planning are now over.

To be honest, I don't even know

what we've gotten ourselves into.

Man, I've never cycled
more than 50 kilometers.

I've been imagining this day
for six months,

and now it's actually here.

There's just all of this excitement,
anticipation, nervousness.

Alright, bro, let's go!

DAY 1 - 25 KM
CLOSE TO BERLIN

Headwind and uphill. Nice.

My butt is hurting already,

I have to say.

But I still don't quite realize

that we're actually on our way
to China already.

In the first two days,
we make it to Saxony-Anhalt.

Beijing seems within reach.

We're here in Wittenberg,
where we've reached 100 kilometers.

Wittenberg!

From the beginning, you can also follow
our journey on Instagram.

Can I do it in Adidas slippers?

-Can you push me?
-It's getting even steeper!

Filming for the fundraiser
doesn't necessarily make us any faster.

Come on, Nono. The last meters.
It's so hot!

So incredibly hot!

DAY 3 - 218 KM
SOMEWHERE IN SAXONY

What should I film here?

Well, bro, I'm not a filmmaker either,

but I think

that we must somehow convey
that it's not about cycling. You know?

I think we just have to show

that we're doing this shit here,

camping in the middle of nowhere,
to build this school.

I think we need to show that, you know?

Sure, adventure is one part of it,
but we're doing it for another reason.

Beijing, here we come!

There's something outside the tent.
Definitely a big animal.

And Max was just telling me
that there are wolves here.

I didn't know that before.

And now you can guess
which one of us has the ax.

Yes, not me.

Dude, that's a wolf, isn't it?

I hope not…

What are you looking at?

Dude, if that's a wolf outside
and if it's about to howl, then…

I'll shit my pants.

What do we do, then? Tell me already!

Go outside with the ax.

-You got the pepper spray?
-Yes.

There are the eyes in the back.

Nono, three, two, one…

It's running away.

Okay, we're not joking.

There was a wolf just two meters from us.

My heart is still racing.

Tomorrow we'll sleep at a campsite.

Yeah, man!

That was definitely an exciting night.

Oh dear. Let's see what's in store for us.

After five days,
we cross the Czech border.

We bike 60 to 70 kilometers a day
and slowly get used to being outside,

rain or shine.

And yes, we even get used
to cycling a bit.

Sometimes you'll even hear this:

Cycling is nice.

Especially when you have
these little feelings of success.

Okay, Max… 30 meters…

20 meters… 10 meters… 500!

-Awesome!
-Cool!

Cool! Nine days on the road,
500 kilometers,

8,500 euros for the school.

-Max, what do you say?
-Awesome!

Simply awesome.

Our parallel journey on social media
is also advancing.

We make donation appeals…

…get supporters on board…

Biking Borders
is an account I'd like to support

to draw attention to what they're doing.

…and try to bring people along somehow.

Our strategy seems to be working.
The community is growing every day.

We already have over 200 donors
and almost 20% of the school's cost.

Of course, this triumph
must be celebrated properly.

Today we're having free apples.

-A big one or a small one?
-A big one.

Thank you.

Since our student wallet isn't big enough,

aside from professional fruit theft,
we're developing a nutritional strategy.

Max and Nono's kitchen.

What are we having, Max?

Rice with sardines.

And sugar.

And perhaps a little peanut butter.

Flabby bread.

For champions.

For lunch, bread with tomato paste.

It's delicious.

Honey

with sardines

and garlic salt.

So, how does it taste?

It's like honey made by fish.

-Just bread and mustard?
-Yes.

My grandma showed me this back then.
A family recipe.

Will this provide enough energy?

Yes. This has it all.
Proteins, omega-3 fatty acids,

love.

DAY 11 - 725 KM
OBORSKY RYBNIK, CZECH REPUBLIC

I'd say the bed's made.

Sleeping outside tonight. Are you happy?

Well, yes.

Do we have bug spray?

Oh, that's low.

No! That's disgusting.

-I still have to wash my face.
-Go somewhere else.

How many more nights outside
do you think we'll have

before we get to Beijing?

That's a silly question. I don't know.

I agree.

Alright, bro. Good night.

Good morning, Max.

Morning.

So, how did you sleep outside?

It's so cozy. Just look at that view.

Yeah, man.

After three weeks, we can finally feel it.

The first whiff of the exotic.

Austria!

It feels as if we could conquer the world.

And then this wildlife.

And those mountains...

Those damned mountains.

We're going uphill again.

We have to push
our bikes constantly in Austria.

Nono is looking for his slippers.

At least after 900 kilometers,
the bet is finally over.

DAY 20 - 1,000 KM
STYRIA, AUSTRIA

The first 1,000 are behind us.

I can't believe it.

Another 14 times that much

and then we'll be in Beijing.

REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Finally, not so many mountains.

Finally going into the ocean.

I don't believe it!

Ocean!

This is the reward
for every fucking mountain

in Austria and Slovenia.
This is the reward for every mountain.

DAY 37 - 1,820 KM
ISTRIA, CROATIA

We've found a place to sleep,
and I'm starting to realize

that today is October 9th.

It's my birthday tomorrow.

That's kind of weird.

Your family, girlfriend and friends
can't share this day with you.

In moments like this, you do think,
"Wouldn't it be nice to see them all,

to toast in some way, to hug and…?"

Well, but… I do have Nono here.

Shall we eat now?

Yep!

Morning!

Thanks, brother.

You bearded creature.

And my gift is the view.

Come!

Good morning!

In Croatia, the journey feels
a little bit like a vacation at the beach.

We only cycle 50 km a day and hardly
ever take off our swimming trunks.

We have found
the coolest camping spot ever.

Unbelievably beautiful!

It's just insane.

So far, we've mostly been lucky
with the weather.

But on the exposed coastal roads,
we contend with gusts of 100 km/h.

We can't move forward at all.

We can't cycle properly either
because we're being pulled right and left.

So now we push our bikes a bit.

We don't get much further that day.

And we already have a feeling that
the fine weather will soon be over.

After 46 days, we leave the EU.

Welcome to the Balkans.

We have now arrived in Bosnia
and have done almost 2,000 kilometers.

So only 13,000 kilometers
to go to Beijing.

The further east we go,
the more lively experiences we get.

Not only the animals. The people also
become more curious and interested.

Hi, I'm Max.

How are you?

Hi.

15,000 to China. 15,000 kilometers.

Would you maybe like some juice?

Or beer?

We're having cevapcici today!

People invite us.

Share their food

and their lives with us.

Great photo.

Miro teaches us Bosnian dances.

Toma shows us how to milk cows in Albania.

And Ibrahim prepares us for Turkey.

And often we understand each other
completely without words.

We're leaving Albania soon.
We're still in the Balkans.

And we're driving through
a really insane landscape.

Mega desolate, but the people are
still super nice.

The people really don't have much here,

yet they share what they have with us

and take us into their homes…
That is really an indescribable feeling.

And the landscape doesn't remain
quite so desolate after all.

DAY 62 - 2,865 KM
LAKE ORID, NORTH MACEDONIA

We've already been through ten countries,

but this is the first time we really pause

and leave the bikes for a few days.

So crazy. There's just nothing here.

Nothing. Absolutely no-man's-land.

But we can ride wherever we want.
That's always nice.

DAY 71 - 3,119 KM
SOMEWHERE IN GREECE

I don't want to get up.

It's so cold.

I don't want to.

Within a few days, the temperature drops

to freezing at night.

It gets colder and colder. Day by day.

And we just can't be bothered
to sleep in the tent today.

In line with the weather,

Greece also makes
a bit of a dreary impression.

At least we don't always have
to sleep in our tent.

Cycling gets more unpleasant every day.

And our vacation at the beach
takes a new direction.

So?

It tastes bad,
but it makes you warm on the inside.

Do you think it will get much colder?

I think this is just a taste
of what it's really like

when we drive through Turkey in winter.

-I don't want to go outside.
-Neither do I.

It's raining, it's windy, it's cold,
and it's so cozy inside.

And it's supposed to rain today
and tomorrow and thunder the day after.

So great cycling conditions.

Let's hope for a tailwind.

-For what?
-A tailwind.

Yes, because we've had tailwinds so often.

-I don't think there is such a thing.
-I think a tailwind is a lie.

Yes, I agree. Just like climate change.
Doesn't exist either.

It's raining, it's windy.

It's about to get dark, and we still
don't have a place to sleep.

This sucks. It's no fun.

This is one of those moments

when you question it all.
Completely soaked.

And just when you think
it can't get any worse…

Man…

Three thousand kilometers
and I have my first flat tire.

I've never changed a tire in my life.

Max has to show me that first.

What Nono apparently doesn't remember:
right before we left,

we went to the bike shop
and had everything explained to us.

For four hours.

I must have been… a bit inattentive.

I don't believe it.
Who builds such a long fucking valve?

After only one hour, Nono finally did it!

And then the tire lasted… a whole day.

I'm so fed up with this.

Well, Nono, what are good friends for?

Well, for a fair division of labor?

Thank you, Max, for being

my personal bike mechanic from now on.

To mark the three-month anniversary,
we've prettied ourselves up.

I think we look great!

There! Welcome to Turkey, my friend.

The last European border.

-I'm so proud of us.
-Yeah.

We reach Istanbul just before Christmas.

DAY 100 - 3,586 KM
ISTANBUL, TURKEY

It feels like we're
unbelievably far away from home.

For the first time, we realize
how far we've traveled.

Three and a half thousand kilometers,
that's how long a Tour de France is.

We take our time to immerse ourselves
in the new culture,

to repair the tent
and to get the bikes in shape.

Our fundraising goes into full swing

during the Christmas season.

Support skyrockets
during the festive season.

We launch an initiative where
our sponsors double every donation.

Shortly before Christmas,
we've got half of the donations!

And our present?
We don't spend Christmas alone.

It took us three and a half months
to get here.

It takes our girlfriends
three and a half hours by plane.

-And then it's time for Max…
-To say goodbye.

Goodbye to faithful companions.

For four years, you've been with me
through thick and thin.

But now it's time
for me to say goodbye to you.

What a stupid idea.

Christmas Eve almost feels like home.

After our two-week break,
it's even harder to say goodbye again.

DAY 126 - 4,330 KM
CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY

Just the two of us again.

But soon, we get an unexpected companion.

Just in time for the new year:

the real winter.

The landscape of Cappadocia
seems to us like a fantasy world.

And a few weeks ago, we complained
about a bit of wind and rain.

Cappadocia in the tent.

It's so cold.
Everything is frozen, really everything…

-I hope it hasn't snowed much.
-It's so cold.

Oh, minus 8…

I've never slept outdoors
when it was this cold. I slept with

the thick gloves on, the hat, the hood.

And still, I woke up at night
because I was cold.

No matter how well you plan,

on a bike tour from Germany to China,
you'll end up in winter at some point.

Many ski tourists come
to eastern Turkey in January,

and this year also two cyclists.

It's been snowing here all day.
We have 30 centimeters of fresh snow.

The cycling… we slide all the time.
It's so difficult.

Hello!

But it's exactly because of situations
like these that it's fun.

-Are you alright?
-Yeah.

I don't think we have winter tires.

Now I have a lot of snow in my shoe.

I think when people told us
Turkey was impossible in winter,

this is what they meant.

If it keeps snowing like this,
we'll have to stop.

We must go somewhere.

Yes, that's true.

What worries us a bit:
We are on the road to Eastern Anatolia,

the coldest and highest region of Turkey.

In a few days, we'll be going up
another 1,000 meters.

No idea how we're going to get there
if we can't even make it here.

But at the same time, these are exactly
the situations we can use for our project.

Maybe the snow will get us
a bit more attention again.

Cycling is no longer possible today,
though.

Cooking, showering and, above all,
sleeping are so unpleasant in this snow

that we don't want to spend
the night outside.

We try to improvise.

Sorry, question, do you speak English?

-Bicicletta, Alemania…
-China.

China?

Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan.

Thank you!

Really, we had only wanted
to ask about a mosque.

But Kadir invited us without hesitation
to spend the night in his tearoom.

Now we're lying here in the middle
of a bar, on the floor.

Welcome to hospitality in Turkey.

Goodbye!

Kadir forgives
our non-existent knowledge of Turkish

and tells us
that he has lived in Austria before…

Austria, Lindenhof 154.

…and that his son
passed away a few months ago.

We sense how happy he is about our visit.

We stay in touch with him
even after the trip.

The mountains of Eastern Anatolia
keep what the locals promised us:

They're beautiful.

And fucking cold.

I'm wearing two pairs of ski socks
and the thick winter boots.

My feet are just blocks of ice.

For six weeks, we drive through the snow.

Sometimes we only manage
30 km a day, encounter ice storms

and at times, we forget
why we're even here.

It's really the first time on this trip
that I don't feel like it anymore.

I just want nice weather, summer…

Really, it just pisses me off.

But we took a break
and looked at our cell phones.

We got many messages from
people who've seen where we're going.

And that still gives you the motivation
to keep going.

And: We finally make it
into the Turkish newspaper.

…and lots of other media
all over the world.

The winter has driven the fundraiser
so much that the freezing was worth it.

After four and a half months,
we reach the border to Iran.

DAY 141 - 5,290 KM
DOGUBEYAZIT, TURKEY

Many friends and relatives were wary
about us crossing through there.

We're excited about the country,
the people, especially the differences,

between what you imagine
and what it's like. We're so over winter.

Iran, here we come!

The first days in Iranian traffic
take some getting used to.

It's just no fun.

So little fun that we even switch
sides sometimes.

It's a shame
when there's no room in the front.

Ouch, that really hurt!

But this is where Iran shows itself
from its most beautiful side.

First he takes us 50 km in his truck,
and then Nemat invites us to his house

for a traditional Persian dinner.

His name is Ali.

These are Max and Nono.

-The Iranian team wears white jerseys.
-Iran, white.

-Who are you supporting? Iran or Japan?
-Iran.

We've experienced a lot of hospitality
on our trip.

But Iran just takes it
to a whole new level.

Goodbye!

Hello!

Hello!

No matter where we go,
people greet us, stop us,

share their food with us.

Thank you.

What seems impossible to us in Germany
is quite normal here:

Complete strangers invite us
to their homes.

We hardly sleep in our tents.
We're given a place to sleep most nights.

As Europeans, we are still
a rarity for the people here.

The interest in us and our view
of the world is huge.

The Iranians are
grateful for the opportunity

to pass on some of their thinking,

their culture and their language to us.

On 21 March 2019,
we celebrate the Iranian New Year 1398.

Sale no mobaarak.

Sale no mobaarak.

And all the people we meet here
are united by one thing:

They want us to remember them well

and to see Iran
from a different point of view

than what our media shows.

There's no other way to say it:

We have fallen in love with Iran.

We love the culture.

We love the people.

Hello!

We love the food.

Well… most of it anyway.

Spicy?

Oh, yes…

Max, do you want a Magnam?

It's strange that, of all places,
we feel safest here in Iran,

the country

we had the most reservations about.

I don't think we've ever had
so much food on us.

We have to turn left.

Shortly after Yazd, about 650 kilometers
before Tehran, we enter no-man's-land.

DAY 173 - 5,836 KM
NODOUSHAN, IRAN

We're completely on our own.
We have to make do with what we've got.

But it's awesome.
I think it's so awesome. I feel so free.

Alone, in Iran, 50 km/h!

And just when it couldn't get any better…

We're in the middle of Iran,
exactly five months on the road.

I'm looking at my cell phone

and someone really just made
a huge donation and we built the school.

We just really did it!
We built the school, after five months!

I can't believe it.

I'm only now realizing
that what we've been cycling for

these past five months,

is really happening -
that this school can be built.

And I could just… I don't know… explode.
So much happiness!

Out of nowhere,
someone donated 12,000 euros.

And suddenly, there it is.

This number.

50,000 euros.

We've reached our goal.

And then you stop and think,
"Wait a minute.

What is our goal?"

The donations?

The school?

Or our own journey after all?

We were not prepared for this scenario.

That we would get so many donations
in such a short time…

After all, we had said we'd go to Beijing.

Should we go on now
to prove something to ourselves?

We are kind of aimless.

And in the midst of this uncertainty,
Nono and his girlfriend break up.

It's just too much of a distance

and not seeing each other enough.

And that's not going to stop.

Come here, bro.

I can't be bothered.
We still have three months to go.

I wish it was over.

Such a low point on this journey.
I don't feel like it anymore.

This moment,

when personal relationships suffer
because of what we're doing here,

it takes so much momentum away.

We're still in Tehran, and…

Yesterday I looked up how much it costs
to fly back to Hamburg.

And then you see these comments
and news and donations.

And there are people behind them.
There are thousands of real people

behind us who believe in
what we are doing.

We realize that we're part
of something bigger than just a bike trip.

Something that you can't measure
in numbers of followers

or kilometers or donations.

We haven't arrived yet.

We're not going home. We're going
to the embassy of our next destination:

a closed-off, authoritarian state,

with the strictest entry regulations
in Central Asia.

We're writing to the government,

explaining why we want to come here.

Right. It has to say who we are,

what we're doing,
why we want to enter the country

and which country
we want to enter afterwards.

We also have to predict exactly

when we want to enter,

and then we're only allowed to enter
on that day.

That's a bit… Oh well.

Hello, dear King…

The next few days in Tehran

are a visa marathon.

We also have to extend our Iranian visa

and go to the Chinese embassy four times

due to missing documents

to apply for our visa there.

After four days,
we have everything together.

But Biking Borders is not only supposed
to be a biking tour.

While the construction work
for the school in Guatemala is starting,

we continue the fundraising campaign.

We want to raise more awareness
for the issue of education.

And who says we won't get enough donations

for a second school?

After our crisis of purpose

and three weeks of standstill in Tehran,

it feels good to be heading back
towards Beijing.

On the way to Turkmenistan,
we once again realize how much Iran

with its stunning landscapes
and friendly people has grown on us.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Ahead lies a country

with only 7,000 tourists a year.

We are two of them,

and for the first time,
we're pressed for time.

This is our last day in Iran,
and tomorrow we have

what I think is the biggest challenge
of our whole trip:

a five-day transit visa
through Turkmenistan.

And in those five days, we have to cycle
almost 600 kilometers.

I stepped away from Max for a little bit
because I didn't want him

to hear my doubts

about whether or not we can do it

because throughout this trip,
we've only cycled 100 kilometers once,

and now we're doing
over 100 kilometers every day.

Yes, even after half a year on the bike,

100 kilometers is a lot for us.

If we overstay our stay in Turkmenistan,

we could be fined
up to 1,000 dollars per day

and, in the worst case, prison.

Our tent is 2 meters
from the border crossing

so we can cycle straight across
once it opens at 6 a.m.

I must say, I am a bit tense.
Well, I know we can do this

if everything goes smoothly, but…

I'm a little bit nervous. I don't think
I'll be able to sleep well tonight.

Nothing can go wrong.

We don't know
if it's a good sign or a bad sign.

But somehow, we're the only ones
who want to cross the border.

-It's completely deserted.
-Completely.

We wait for an hour.
Then we're frisked twice.

We quickly turn the camera off again.

Our video equipment seems suspicious
to the border guards.

But in the end, we seem harmless enough,

so after three hours,
we are allowed to leave Iran

and enter into Turkmenistan.

DAY 205 - 7,512 KM
TURKMEN BORDER

We're not allowed to move around freely.
Our route is predetermined by the state.

Every 50 kilometers, we have to present
our passports at military checkpoints.

We better not film there.

There is no free internet access
in the country. But camels everywhere.

Of course we're too slow.

We've only gone 50 kilometers.
We've got headwind. It'll be dark soon.

We will definitely not make
our daily target. It's already 4 p.m.

I've got a terrible headache.

We'll try to make up as many kilometers
as we can here

and ride until dark.

The end of the first day.

Eighty kilometers completed after all,
and I have a feeling I'm getting sick.

It can't be. I feel terrible.
Everything hurts.

Everything.

When I imagine lying at home in front of
the radiator in a bed,

taking medication, drinking tea
and not going 100 kilometers tomorrow…

I've come down with something.

Severe stomach pain.
It just doesn't fit into this schedule.

We had a very restless night last night.

Nono kept waking up, all the time.
He had a fever, probably an upset stomach,

and he already told me last night that
he'd have to go to the hospital today.

That's so unlike him,
so he must be feeling really shitty.

But the nearest hospital is in Mary,

100 kilometers away
and off the approved route.

But I just can't go any further.

For those 100 kilometers, we change cars
four times and it takes us nine hours

until we finally reach the hospital.

The nurse speaks as much English
as we do Turkmen.

In the next few minutes,
we lose control over the situation.

Suddenly, three ladies enter
the room and want to help us communicate.

And the man in the blue bathrobe?
No clue what he's doing.

They give me some pills. What are they?
I don't know. Maybe they'll help.

15 minutes later, two gentlemen join us.
Our passports. Government employees.

Two Europeans in a Turkmen hospital -
off the route - logical…

Nono should go to another hospital. Alone.
And a chaperone drives me to the hotel.

I've been told I can't stay there.
I'm in this flophouse now, and yeah…

I don't know what Nono is doing right now.

I'm in hospital number two now.

I don't know why, but here, too,
I'm having a nice chat with the staff.

The result of the long day:

An injection in the butt.
And because it was so nice, another one.

One, two!

I let them do anything to me.

They must know what they're doing.

Just a fever, stomachache, vomiting.

Oh, man. I don't want to be
in this country anymore.

The nicest people, so helpful, but now
all I associate with it is this infection.

Somehow, we imagined it to be
a little different in Turkmenistan.

In any case, no way we can cycle anymore.

Not with two days to spare,
and certainly not with Nono.

Truck driver Oraz takes us
almost 300 kilometers.

Even if he doesn't manage to sell us
his really foul-smelling energy drink,

we are grateful to him
for giving us a ride

and for getting to know Turkmen people
outside of a hospital.

Almost ten hours in the truck,

and finally, we reach Turkmenabad
right on the Uzbek border.

At least we make it in time.

DAY 211 - 8,412 KM
TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN

In an international clinic in Uzbekistan,
I am diagnosed with severe gastritis.

I get antibiotics, but this time
with an English translator.

A few days of convalescence
in Tashkent, and I'm fit again.

Finally back on the bike, I'm off
to the last country before China:

Kyrgyzstan.

"A Kyrgyz's wings are his horse,"
they say here.

No matter their age, in this country,
anyone can ride a horse.

We'd also like to switch to a horse
every now and then.

But even if we don't look
quite as graceful on our bikes,

we still feel exhilarated.

It's indescribable how beautiful
it is here. I'm really amazed.

We're in nature from morning till night,
avoid big cities or main roads

and sometimes feel a bit like
we're in an Indiana Jones movie.

The last meters.

DAY 218 - 8,921 KM
ISSYK KUL, KYRGYZSTAN

It got dark last night, and we showed up
in front of this house and…

without knowing who we are,
what we do, where we come from,

they invited us in,
sat us down at the table.

We were given tea and food.

It is unbelievable how warmhearted
and open the people are.

I could never imagine doing
something like this in Germany.

But it's moments like this
that really make me

want to rethink
this attitude I have at home.

People here really live
in pretty simple conditions,

mostly off agriculture,

and quite often without running water.

The little boy who lives here
has never ridden a bike in his life.

I've just told him he's about to go
for a ride. He's very excited.

-Da…
-Da?

I don't think "Da" is his name.

Two months ago,
we were thinking about flying home.

It's a good thing we didn't.

We're sitting here

in Kyrgyzstan in the Steppe in front
of a yurt. We rode our bikes here,

are close to 10,000 kilometers,
we're almost in China.

It's so crazy what has happened

in the last seven months.

It feels like we've been on the road
for several years,

and I'm so incredibly grateful

for what can happen
in such a relatively short time.

That we get to do this here
and experience this here is unbelievable,

unique, and I will never forget it.

I am so grateful.

DAY 229 - 11,450 KM
TRAIN STATION URUMQUI, CHINA

Absolutely surreal.

It's just another world.
It's so modern unlike the other countries.

Turkmenistan… I can't even put
the differences into words.

Three days ago, we crossed
into China, into the Xinjiang province.

For the last three days,
I've felt like a constant suspect.

We were checked six or seven times a day.

We had to empty our bags every time.

We were questioned, had to sign things,
had no idea what was going on and…

It's really so stressful, so exhausting.

In the autonomous Xinjiang province,
there is total surveillance.

Even in restaurants or supermarkets,
our passports are checked.

There is virtually no freedom of movement.

We therefore decide
to cross the region by train.

-Are you really drinking that?
-I'm hungry.

It feels weird
being cooped up for 30 hours.

Who'd have thought we'd be so happy
to be back on the bike?

Now we're off to Beijing.

The wings of a Chinese man
apparently are his electric scooter.

Merge somehow and go with the flow.

Where one city ends, the next begins.
Goodbye, nature.

But the streets are full of life -
basically a free cultural program.

The way he does it is so crazy.

Can I have a go?

I don't think you're qualified for this.

In no other country
have we seen so blatantly

how tradition meets modernity.

China is somehow, in every respect,
a complete cultural sensory overload.

After nine months, we got used to spending

every day in the saddle.

Nevertheless, we are just happy

when it finally arrives:

The last day on the bike.

The last day!

The last one!

DAY 246 - 15,239 KM
CLOSE TO BEIJING

Sixty-two to go.

-Crazy.
-So crazy!

Exactly 10 kilometers left.

In your head, you have to go through

everything that's happened
up to this very moment.

I've just done that.

They're all greeting us.

TIANANMEN SQUARE, BEIJING

After 246 days, we arrive in Beijing.

We did not go the whole 15,000 km by bike,

but we don't care.

We were, are and will remain,
two not particularly ambitious cyclists.

Our bike tour ends in Beijing.

But as I said,

Beijing was never the destination.

30 HOURS LATER

While we were still on the bike,

a more important journey began
on the other side of the globe.

PARAJE XOLJOC SCHOOL

It is only in Paraje Xoljoc, a village
in Guatemala, that we understand

what our idea has turned into
in the last nine months.

Let's hear it for the third graders!

Welcome to the school.

My name is Vaillan Antonio Ritanopez.

I'm here to speak for our primary school.

Thank you, Nono.

Thank you, Max.

For our school.

137 children

can now attend a proper elementary school
thanks to the donation money

and now enjoy the education
that we often take for granted.

In Guatemala, it is the custom

for the children to hide their dreams
for the future at the construction site.

Their goals are, so to speak,
the foundation for the new school.

The question is, wasn't that
exactly our goal in the end?

I believe that a goal is never about

something definitive like Beijing
or a fundraising amount.

It's just a step that paves the way
for the next step…

for you or for someone else.

And the path on which you take those steps

is best walked

together.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE
THE BUILDING OF THE SCHOOL POSSIBLE

AFTER THE TRIP, WE REACHED
100,000 EUROS IN DONATIONS

IN THE MEANTIME, A SECOND SCHOOL
HAS BEEN BUILT IN GUATEMALA

PENCILS OF PROMISE WILL SUPPORT
BOTH SCHOOLS FOR TEN YEARS

THE DONATION PAGE IS STILL RUNNING
AT BIKINGBORDERS.COM