Original subtitles

[dramatic music]

[Nono] Our eyelashes, eyebrows froze, headphones broke,

mobile phone died.

We can't feel our hands anymore.

Just sick. In moments like these you start questioning several life decisions

that you've made here.

[laughs]

[Nono] This nesh guy here is me: Nono.

And this is what I actually look like when I don't have my mask on.

[Max] And this hairy creature is me: Max.

[Nono] We both know each other from uni.

[Max] We’re best friends and have one thing in common:

I hate it. I hate cycling.

I'll never like cycling.

[Max] I’ll say this much for now: our trip really didn't change anything about that.

[screaming]

[Nono] And yet, those 15,000 kilometers

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

[Max] Because Biking Borders is more than just a bicycle trip.

During our semester abroad, we had the privilege of teaching at schools.

In Guatemala, among other places.

Over there, one in five children can’t go to school.

There is a lack of infrastructure and financial resources.

[Nono] Since then we’ve had a big dream:

[Max] We want to build a school there.

That's why we're launching a fundraising campaign

together with an NGO for sustainable education.

[Nono] We try to generate attention through social media.

[Max] Nowadays, the best way to do that

is by doing crazy things.

Our challenge:

[Nono] A cycling trip around the world

From Berlin to Beijing.

Well, you can't cycle to Guatemala because of all the water.

[Max] And so Biking Borders is born,

probably the longest bicycle fundraising ‘run’ ever,

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

Yeah, and from here we ride all the way to Beijing.

[Nono] Six months of planning come to an end today.

I don't know exactly what we've gotten ourselves into this to be honest.

Man, I’ve never cycled more than 50 km.

[Max] I've been imagining this day for the past 6 months and now it's actually come.

And it's just such excitement, anticipation, nervousness.

Alright bro, let's go!

[cheering]

DAY 1 - 25 KM CLOSE TO BERLIN

[Max] Headwind and uphill. Nice.

My butt is definitely hurting already I have to say.

But…

I still can't really realize that we're actually on our way to China already.

[Max] We'll make it to Saxony-Anhalt in the first two days.

Beijing seems within reach.

We are here in Wittenberg. And in Wittenberg we have reached 100 kilometers.

Wittenberg!!

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

[in English] The big question is:

Can I make it in Adidas slippers?

Can you give me a push?

[pedestrian] Oh, it's getting even steeper!

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

[in English] Nono is super slow

but I know he's watching this.

At the next intersection: turn left!

[in English] He's playing the Instagram navigation game again.

But now I have him.

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

So incredibly hot!

[loud screaming]

DAY 3 - 218 KM SOMEWHERE IN SAXONY

[Max] What exactly am I supposed to be filming here?

Yeah bro, I'm not a filmmaker either,

but we have to somehow get across that it's not about cycling, you know.

I think we just have to show that the reason we do the whole shit here,

camping out here in the middle of nowhere, is only to build this school.

I think we need to show that, you know, that is the only thing really.

Adventure, sure that's one part, but we're doing this for a whole other reason.

Ta da!

-Whoop, whoop! -[Max laughs]

Beijing here we come!

[ominous music]

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 perhaps, which one of us got the axe.

Yeah, not me.

[Nono] Dude, that's a wolf, isn't it?

I hope not.

[Nono] What are you looking at on the wolf guide?

Hey, dude, if that's a wolf out there… and is about to howl, then…

[Max] I’m gonna shit my pants.

[Nono] What do we do then? What do we do then? Tell me already!

[Max] Get out with the axe.

[dramatic music]

-[Nono] You got the pepper spray? -[Max] Yeah.

[Nono] Okay, there are the eyes in the back.

[whispering] Nono… 3, 2, 1…

[bicycle bell]

[bicycle bell]

[Max] I think he’s running off!

[Nono] Okay, we're not joking. Just two meters from us, there was a wolf there.

My heart is still racing.

[Nono] Tomorrow we'll sleep at the campsite.

[Max] Yeah, man!

That was definitely an exciting night. Oh dear. Let's see what's in store for us.

[happy music]

[Max] After five days we cross the border to the Czech Republic.

[Max] We do 60-70 kilometers a day and slowly get used to being outside.

In diverse weather conditions.

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

Sometimes even sentences like:

"Cycling is nice" are thrown in.

[Max] Especially when you have these little feelings of success.

Okay Max… 30 meters…

20 meters…

-10 meters… Yay! 500! -Whoo!

-[Nono] Awesome! -[Max] Cracking!

9 days on the road, 500 kilometers, 8,500 euros for the school.

-Max, what do you think? -Awesome!

Simply awesome.

[Max] Our parallel journey on social media is also moving forward.

We make donation appeals…

[in English] If you have waited for a good reason to donate

Now is the time!

…get supporters on board…

[German TV host] Biking Borders. This is an account I want to support.

So that they get attention for what they are doing.

[Max] …and try to bring people along somehow.

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

We already have over 200 donors and almost 20% of funding for the school.

[in English] We have 8,500 euros.

[in English] We are blown away by your support.

Really, from the bottom of my heart: thank you!

[Max] This triumph must of course be celebrated properly.

Eh!

Free apples today.

-Do you want a big one or a small one? -[Max] Big.

[Max] Thanks.

Since our student wallet isn't big enough,

we're developing, alongside professional fruit theft,

our very own nutritional strategy:

Max and Nono's kitchen.

What we having today, Max?

Rice with sardines.

And sugar.

And perhaps a little peanut butter.

Flabby bread.

Winner's breakfast.

[Nono] For lunch. Bread with tomato paste.

Mmmhh. This tastes delicious.

[Nono] Honey

With sardines

and garlic salt.

[Max] And how does it taste?

It's like honey made by fish.

-Do you eat the bread with just mustard? -Yes.

My grandma showed me this back then. Family recipe.

Do you think it gives you the energy you need?

Yeah. It's got everything. Protein, omega-3s,

love.

DAY 11 - 725 KM OBORSKY RYBNIK, CZECH REPUBLIC

I'd say the bed's made.

[Nono] First time sleeping outside tonight. Are you excited?

Um… Yes…

How much bug spray do we have left?

[Nono chuckles]

[Nono] Oh, that's low.

[Max] No! That's disgusting.

[Nono laughs]

[Max] I still have to wash my face.

[Nono] You can go somewhere else.

[Nono] How many more nights outside do you think we'll have before we get to Beijing?

[Max laughs]

Well, that’s a silly question. No clue!

[Nono] True.

[Max] Well, bro. Good night.

[Nono] Good morning, Max.

[birdsong]

Morning.

[Nono] So, how did you sleep outside?

Ah, it's so cosy. Look at that… Look at that view.

[birdsong]

[Nono] Yeah, man.

[epic music]

[Max] After three weeks we can finally feel it.

The first whiff of the exotic.

[epic music]

[Nono] Austria!

[Nono] It feels as if we could conquer the world…

and then this wildlife.

[Max] And those mountains.

Those damned mountains.

[Max in English] It looks beautiful

but it is exhausting as fuck!

[Nono breathes heavily]

We're going uphill again.

[Max] We have to push our bikes constantly in Austria. This can’t be true, honestly.

[Nono groans]

[Max grunts]

[Max in English] Nono is looking for his Adidas Slippers.

[Nono in English] I lost them

but I never give up.

[in English] If you've ever thought about doing a cycling trip through Austria…

don't do it, just don't go!

[Nono] At least after 900 kilometers the bet is over.

[in English] I did make it only in slippers

[happy music]

[in English] We made it. 1,000 kilometers.

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.

[happy music]

Finally not so many mountains.

Ah! Finally going to the sea.

I don't believe it!

[Nono] Ocean!

[fast happy music]

[Nono] This is the reward

for every fucking mountain in Austria and Slovenia.

For every mountain this is the reward.

DAY 37 - 1,820 KM ISTRIA, CROATIA

We've found a place to sleep and

now I really start to realize that today is October 9th

and tomorrow really is my birthday.

And admittedly that's kind of weird.

My family is not here, my girlfriend is not here,

my friends are not here to share this day with me.

In moments like this, you do think to yourself:

Wouldn't it be nice to see everyone again,

to toast in some way, to hug and…

Well… but… but I do have Nono here.

Shall we eat now?

[Max] Yep!

[German birthday song]

[Nono] Morning!

[Nono laughs]

[Nono] Happy birthday!

Cheers, brother.

[Nono] You bearded creature.

[German birthday song]

[Nono sings]

[Nono] And my gift is the view.

[Max marvels]

[euphoric music]

[Max] Come!

[Nono] Good morning!

[euphoric music]

[Nono] In Croatia, the journey feels a little bit like a beach holiday.

We only cycle about 50 kilometers a day

and hardly ever take off our swimming trunks.

We have found the coolest camping spot ever.

Unbelievably beautiful!

[Nono] It's just insane.

[storm sounds]

[Nono screams euphorically]

[Max] So far we've mostly been lucky with the weather.

But on the exposed coastal roads,

we have to contend with gusts of up to 100 km/h.

We can't move forward at all.

We can't cycle properly either,

because we're always being pulled to the right and left.

So now we push our bikes a bit.

[Nono] We don't get much further that day.

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

[Nono] After 46 days we leave the EU.

Welcome to the Balkans.

[Eastern European music]

[Nono] We have now arrived in Bosnia

and have almost 2,000 kilometers.

So only 13,000 kilometers to go to Beijing.

[Max] The further east we go,

the more lively experiences we get on the roads.

Not only the animals…

also the people become more and more curious and interested.

[children's voices]

[Max in English] Hi, I'm Max.

-[man] How are you? -[Max] Good.

[Nono] Hi.

[Nono] 15,000 to China. 15,000 km.

-You're going to China? -Yes.

-By bike? -Yes.

Would you maybe like some juice?

Or beer?

Beer.

-This is my place. -[Nono] Ah, nice.

Stay if you want!

We're having cevapcici today!

[Max] People are inviting us.

Share their food

and share their lives with us.

Super photo.

[Max and Nono laugh]

[Max] Miro teaches us Bosnian dances.

[Nono] Toma shows us how to milk cows in Albania.

[Max] And Ibrahim prepares us for Turkey.

[speaking Turkish]

[Nono] And often we understand each other completely without words.

[loud laughter]

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 and yet they share what they have with us

and take us into their home… that is really an indescribable feeling.

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

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

[Max] We've already been through ten countries

but this is the first time we really pause

and leave the bikes for a few days.

[epic travel music]

[in English] Good morning. Day 70.

Yeah, day 70 on the road.

We have 16,150 euros in donations.

We are going to go to Greece now.

So crazy. Nothing, there's just nothing here.

[Max] Nothing. Absolutely no man's land.

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

[Max rejoices]

[euphoric music]

DAY 71 - 3,119 KM SOMEWHERE IN GREECE

[Nono] I don't want to get up.

It's so cold. I don't want to.

[Max] Within a few days, the temperature drops to freezing point at night.

[ice cracks]

It gets colder and colder. Day by day.

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

[Max] Somehow, in line with the weather,

Greece also makes a bit of a dreary impression.

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

[Nono] Cycling gets more unpleasant every day.

And our beach holiday takes to a completely new level.

[Nono] So?

It doesn't taste good, but it makes you warm on the inside.

[Nono] Do you think it will get much colder than now?

I think this is just a taste

of what it's really like when we drive through Turkey in winter.

-[Nono] I don't want to go out. -Neither do I.

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

And it's supposed to rain today, rain tomorrow

and thunderstorms the day after tomorrow.

So great cycling conditions.

Let's hope for tailwind…

-For what? -Tailwind.

Yes, because we've had tailwinds so often, haven't we?

-[Max] I don't think there's such a thing. -[Nono] I think a tailwind is a lie.

[Max] Yes, I believe that too. Just like climate change. Doesn't exist either.

[cowboy music]

It's raining, it's windy.

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

This really sucks. It's no fun, eh.

This is one of those moments

when you question it all. Completely soaked, completely.

Ah!

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

[Nono] Man…

3,000 kilometers and I have my first flat tire.

I've never changed a bloody tire in my life. Max has to show me that first.

[Max] What Nono doesn't remember:

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

For four hours…

[Nono] I must have been… a bit inattentive.

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

[Max] After only one hour, Nono finally did it!

And then the tire lasted… a whole day.

[sad music]

[Nono] I’m so fed up with this.

[Max] Well, Nono, what are good friends for?

[Nono] Well, for a fair division of labour?

[in English] Ten weeks without a flat tire.

And now…

[Nono] Thank you, Max, for being my personal bike mechanic from now on.

[in English] Today we've been three months on the road.

Yes, three months. It's crazy…

[whistling]

[loud laughter]

To celebrate the three-month anniversary we've made ourselves up extra nice today.

I think we look great!

[Nono] There, welcome to Turkey, my friend.

[euphoric music]

Last border of Europe.

-I'm so proud of us. -Yes, man!

[Nono] We reach Istanbul just before Christmas.

[muezzin in the distance]

DAY 100 - 3,586 KM ISTANBUL, TURKEY

[Max] It feels like we're unbelievably long away from home.

For the first time we realize how far we’ve travelled.

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

[oriental music]

[Max] We take our time to immerse ourselves in the new culture…

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

[both] Ho ho ho!

[Nono] Of course, our fundraising for the school

runs in full swing during the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

[Max] Support skyrockets during the festive season.

[Nono] We’re launching an initiative where every donation

is double matched by sponsors.

[in English] Until 24th of December, all donations will be doubled.

[Max] Shortly before Christmas, we have donations for half the school together!

[in English] We have over 26,000 euros in donations.

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

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

For our girlfriends, it takes three and a half hours by plane.

[Nono] And then it's time for Max to say goodbye…

[Max] 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.

Hmm…

That was a stupid idea…

[Christmas music]

[Nono] Christmas Eve almost feels like home.

After two weeks of time out, it's even harder to say goodbye again.

[in English] It's day 126 on the road.

And we made it to Cappadocia.

DAY 126 - 4,330 KM CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY

[Max] Just the two of us again.

But soon we get an unexpected companion.

[dramatic music]

Just in time for the new year it's here:

the real winter.

[wind blowing]

[epic oriental music]

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

[Nono] And a few weeks ago,

we were still complaining about a bit of wind and rain.

Cappadocia,

in the tent.

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

[Nono] Oh!

-Hopefully, it hasn't snowed that much. -Oh man, it's so cold…

[Nono] Oh, minus 8…

I've never slept outdoors when it was this cold in my whole life.

I slept with the whole outfit on, with the thick gloves, the hat, the hood.

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

[Nono] No matter how well you plan,

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

[Max] Many ski tourists come to eastern Turkey in January…

and this year also two cyclists.

It's been snowing here all day. I think we have 30 centimeters of fresh snow.

The cycling… we slide away all the time, it's so difficult…

[men in the distance] Hello!

[laughs]

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

-[Max] Everything good with you? -[Nono] Yeah, yeah…

-I don't think we have winter tires. -[Max laughs]

Now I have a lot of snow in my shoe.

[Nono] I think when people told us

Turkey was impossible in winter, I think this is what they meant.

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

We won't be able to cycle today.

We still have to go somewhere.

Yes, there’s truth in that.

[emotional music]

[Max] What worries us a bit:

We are on the road to Eastern Anatolia.

To 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 down here.

[Nono] But at the same time,

these are exactly the situations that we can use for our project:

[in English] Why should you donate?

We believe education shouldn't be limited by the borders we are living in.

In Guatemala, 25 percent of the entire population cannot read or do basic maths.

[in English] Everyone can donate.

With 64 euros, a kid can go to school for an entire year.

[Max] Maybe the snow will bring us a bit more attention again…

[Nono] Riding a bike is no longer possible today, though.

Also, 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.

[in English] Sorry, do you speak English?

[Nono and man communicate with sign language]

-[Max] Bicicletta, Alemania… -China.

-[man] China? -China.

Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan…

[man speaks Turkish]

[Nono] Thank you!

[Max] Really, we only wanted to ask for a mosque.

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

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

Welcome to hospitality in Turkey.

[Max and Nono] Goodbye

[Kadir speaks Turkish]

[Nono] Kadir forgives us for our almost non-existent knowledge of Turkish

and tells us that he has lived in Austria before.

[Kadir] Austria, Lindenhof 154.

[Max] And that his son died a few months ago.

We sense how happy he is about our visit.

We stay in touch with him even after the trip.

[in English] It's day 136 now.

It has been snowing all night long. It's still snowing.

[in English] You need a donkey in this weather. No bicycle.

[Nono] The mountains of Eastern Anatolia

keep what the locals promised us over the past few days:

They're beautiful.

[Max] And freezing cold.

I have two pairs of ski socks on and the thick winter boots.

My feet are just blocks of ice.

[emotional music]

[Max] We drive through the snow for six weeks.

Sometimes we only manage 30 kilometers a day.

We get into icy storms.

And at times we forget why we are here at all.

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 now we took a break and looked at our mobile phones

and we got so many messages from people who've just seen where we're going.

And that still gives you the motivation to keep going.

[emotional music]

[Max] And: we finally make it into the Turkish newspaper.

[Nono] And many other media all over the world.

[radio voices]

[Nono] The Turkish winter has driven the fundraising campaign so much

that the freezing was definitely worth it.

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

DAY 141 - 5,290 KM DOGUBEYAZIT, TURKEY

[oriental music]

[Max] Many friends and relatives reacted skeptically,

when we told them we wanted to cross through there.

[slow euphoric music]

IRAN 20 KM

We are in a lot of anticipation about the country itself,

about the people themselves, especially the differences,

between what you imagine and what it's really like.

And we just don't feel like winter anymore.

Iran, here we come!

[Nono] Let’s put it this way:

the first days in Iranian traffic really… take some getting used to.

[horn honking]

It's just no fun.

[Nono] So little that we even switch sides sometimes.

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

Ouch!

Ouch, that really hurt.

[hopeful music]

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

[Max] First he takes us 50 kilometers in his truck.

And then, Nemat insists on inviting us to his house

for a traditional Persian dinner.

[Nemat] His name is Ali.

Max.

[Nemat] This is Max and Nono.

[football commentary in Persian]

-[Nemat] Iran, white. -Iran, white.

Who are you supporting? Iran or Japan?

Iran!

MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOME HERE.

[Max] We’ve experienced a lot of hospitality on our trip.

But Iran just takes it to a new level.

Goodbye!

[Max] Hello!

Hello!

[Max] No matter where we are,

people greet us, stop us, share their food with us.

Thank you.

[in English] We wanted to take a small lunch break, and we met Ahmed.

And Ahmed insisted

to get some food from his home

and invite us for lunch and…

now we're having lunch here. This is Ahmed.

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

Complete strangers invite us to their homes.

We hardly sleep in our tents any more,

almost every night, we are offered a place to sleep.

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

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IRAN, BEFORE YOU CAME HERE?

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

But above all, the Iranians are very grateful

for the opportunity to pass on some of their thinking,

their culture and their language to us.

[in English] Here, the new year starts in spring.

[Nono] On 21 March 2019,

we celebrate the Iranian New Year 1398.

[in English] How do you say, "Happy New Year?"

Sale no mobaarak.

Sale no mobaarak.

Very good!

[applause and laughter]

[Max] 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 we know from our media.

[in English] And we will bring this message back home to Germany.

[Max] There's no other way to say it… we have fallen in love with Iran.

[Max] We love the culture…

[Nono] We love the people…

Hello!

[Max] We love the food.

[Nono] Well most of it, anyway…

[Max] Spicy?

[Nono] Oh, yeah.

Max, do you want a Magnam?

[Nono] It’s funny that, of all places, we feel most safe here in Iran, the country

we had the most reservations about.

[children cheer]

[in English] It's day 161.

We're just hitting the road. We're gonna go through the desert.

There's no town for 100 kilometers. So we stocked up heavily.

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

[Nono] We have to turn left here.

[Nono] Shortly after Yazd, about 650 kilometers before Tehran,

we enter no man's land.

DAY 173 - 5,836 KM NODOUSHAN, IRAN

We are completely on our own, we have to make do with what we have. It's crazy.

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

[epic music]

Alone, in Iran, 50 km/h, haha, yay!

[Max] 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 mobile 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.

[in English] The school can be built.

[in English] Yeah, we did it. 53,000 euros.

Yeah, guys. Thanks a lot. From the bottom of our hearts.

It's only now that I really realize

that what we've been cycling for these past five months

is really happening, that this school can really be built.

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

[Max] Out of nowhere, someone donated 12,000.

[Max] And suddenly there it is.

This number.

50,000 euros.

We have reached our goal.

[emotional music]

[Max] And then you stop and think, "Wait a minute":

What is our goal?

The donations?

The school?

Or our own journey after all?

[Nono] We were not prepared for this scenario.

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

After all, we said we'd go all the way to Beijing.

[Max] Shall we go on now to prove something to ourselves?

We are kind of aimless…

[emotional music]

[Max] And then, in the midst of this uncertainty,

Nono and his girlfriend break up.

It's just too much distance and too much not seeing.

And that's not going to stop.

[Nono cries]

Come here, bro.

I can’t be bothered at all. We still have three months to go.

I wish it was just over.

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

That moment when…

personal relationships suffer because of what we're doing here…

it takes so much momentum away.

We're still here in Tehran and

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

[Nono] And then you see these comments and news and donations.

And there are people behind them.

There are thousands of real people behind us

and believe in what we're doing here.

And 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 miles or donations.

[Max] We're not at our destination 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 a letter to the government of Turkmenistan,

explaining why we want to travel through the country.

Right, it has to say who we are,

what we're doing, why we want to go through the country.

And also which country we want to enter afterwards

and we also have to predict exactly now, when we want to enter

and then we are only allowed to enter on exactly that day.

That's a bit… but well…

Hello, dear King… [laughs]

[Max] The next few days in Tehran will be one visa marathon.

[Max] We also have to extend our Iranian visa

and go to the Chinese embassy a total of four times

because each time we are missing some kind of documents to apply for our visa there.

[Nono] After four days, we finally have everything together.

[Max] But Biking Borders is not only supposed to be a cycling tour.

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

we will continue the fundraising campaign.

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

And who says we won't even get enough donations for a second school?

[in English] It's day 191.

We had quite some hustle the past days.

Tomorrow, we're finally gonna leave Tehran

and go towards Mashad and Turkmenistan.

[Max] After our crisis of purpose and three weeks of standstill in Tehran,

it feels good to be heading back towards Beijing.

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

with its breathtaking landscapes

and friendly people have grown close to our hearts.

[Max] Goodbye.

[loud shouting]

Goodbye.

[Nono] Ahead lies a country with only 7,000 tourists a year.

We are two of them. And for the first time we are under time pressure.

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

I think the biggest challenge of our whole trip:

5-day transit visa through Turkmenistan.

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

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

to hear my doubts

about whether or not we could do it, because on this journey…

we've cycled 100 kilometers once, but never before

and now over 100 kilometers every day.

[Max] Yes, even after half a year on the bike,

100 kilometers is still a lot for us.

[Nono] If we overstay our stay in Turkmenistan,

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

and in the worst case even prison.

There is our tent, there is our border crossing. Exactly two meters,

so that when it opens at six in the morning,

we can cycle straight across through Turkmenistan,

so we really don't lose a minute.

I have to be honest, I'm a bit tense. Well, I know we can do this,

if everything goes smoothly, but

a little bit of nervousness, kind of.

I don't think I'll be able to sleep very well tonight either.

We just have to make sure nothing goes wrong.

[Max] We don't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign.

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

-[Nono] It’s completely deserted. -[Max] Completely.

[Max] We wait for an hour. And then we get frisked twice.

We quickly turn the camera off again.

Our video equipment seems suspicious to the border guards.

[Nono] But in the end, we seem harmless enough

and are allowed to leave and after a total of 3 hours we are allowed to leave Iran

and enter into Turkmenistan.

DAY 205 - 7,512 KM TURKMEN BORDER

[Max] We are not allowed to move around freely,

our route is precisely predetermined by the Turkmen 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 whole country. But camels everywhere.

[oriental music]

[Nono] Of course, we're too slow.

We've only gone 50 kilometers, we've got a headwind all the time. It'll be dark soon.

We will definitely not make our daily target today.

It's already four o'clock in the afternoon,

I've got an extreme headache.

We'll try to make up as many kilometers as we can here, and ride until dark.

End of the first day.

But only made 80 kilometers. And I have the feeling I'm getting sick.

It can't be. I'm in such a bad way. Everything hurts, everything.

Everything…

[Nono] When I imagine lying at home in front of the stove in a bed

and just taking medication and drink tea and not going 100 kilometers tomorrow.

I've caught something.

Ultra stomach ache. It just doesn't fit into this schedule in the slightest.

We had a very restless night last night.

Nono kept waking up all the time, had a fever, probably upset his stomach

and already told me during the night

that he would definitely have to go to the hospital today

and yes, I don't know him like that at all, so he must feel really shitty.

[Nono] But the nearest hospital is in Mary.

100 kilometers away, and off the approved route.

But I just can't go any further.

[car horn]

[Turkmen music in the background]

[Max] For the 100-kilometer route,

we have to 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.

[nurse speaks Turkmen]

[Nono] In the next few minutes,

we somehow lose a little bit of control over the situation.

Suddenly there are three Turkmen ladies in the room.

They're trying to help us understand each other.

And the man in the blue bathrobe… no clue what he's doing.

I get some kind of pills, I don't know what, never mind, maybe it helps.

After a quarter of an hour, two new gentlemen join us.

They want our identity cards… government employees.

Two Europeans in the Turkmen hospital, off the route: logical…

[he tries to speak English]

[Max] Nono should apparently go to another hospital. Alone.

And one of our new chaperones drives me to the hotel.

I've been told I can't stay there.

I'm here now in this flophouse, and, yeah…

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

[Nono] I'm in hospital number two now.

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

[speaks Turkmen]

[Nono] The result of the long day:

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

[in English] Another one? One, two…?

[nurse] One, and two…!

-I need two? -Two.

[Nono] I’ll just let them do anything to me.

They'll know what they're doing.

[groaning]

Just fever, stomach ache, vomiting…

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

The dearest people, so helpful,

but now all I associate with it is this infection.

[Max] Somehow we imagined it to be a little different in Turkmenistan.

In any case, no way we can cycle any more.

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 bad-smelling energy drink,

we are grateful to him for giving us a lift

and that we can get to know Turkmen people outside of a hospital.

[speaks Russian]

[Nono] We sit in the truck for almost 10 hours and finally 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 a severe gastritis.

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

A few days of convalescence in the Uzbek capital Tashkent

and I'm fit again.

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

Kyrgyzstan.

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

No matter what age - in this country anyone can ride a horse.

[euphoric music]

[Max] We would also like to change horses 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 flashed… really.

[epic music]

[Max] We're out in nature from morning till night.

Avoid big cities or main roads

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

[drum rolls]

[Nono] Whoo!

[Max] Last meters.

Woo!

[Max] Nice, bro!

[Nono] Ah, Dude.

[Max] Ah!

[dogs barking in the distance]

DAY 218 - 8,921 KM ISSYK KUL, KYRGYZSTAN

[Max] It got dark last night, and we just 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 warm and open the people are.

I could never imagine that I would do something like this in Germany.

But it's moments like these that really make me want to rethink

this attitude I have at home.

People here really live in pretty simple conditions, mostly from agriculture

and quite often without running water.

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

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

Thank you.

It was amazing.

Goodbye. Thank you so much!

[euphoric music]

What's your name?

My name is Max.

What's your name?

-Onmaz. -Uh?

-Onmaz. -Nice to meet you.

My name is Bikdad.

My name is Nono.

Nono.

What's your name?

My name… Max.

-[boy] Da. -[Max] Da?

-Da! -Da.

-Da! -Da.

[Max] I don't think "Da" is his name…

[Nono] Two months ago, we were thinking of flying home.

Good thing we didn't.

Now we're sitting here

somewhere in Kyrgyzstan on the steppes in front of a yurt.

We rode our bikes here,

almost 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.

[epic music]

That we get to do this here and experience this stuff here, it's just unbelievable,

unique and I will never forget it.

I am so grateful right now.

[epic music]

[station announcer]

DAY 229 - 11,450 KM ÜRÜMQI, CHINA

[Nono in English] Oh, man.

That's a bit different than on a bicycle, uh?

It's surreal.

It's just another world. It's all so modern

compared to all the countries we've been to before…

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

[Nono] Three days ago, we crossed the border into China,

into the Xinjiang province.

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

We were checked at least six or seven times a day.

We had to empty our bags every time.

We were questioned every time,

had to sign things, we had no idea what was going on and…

it's really so stressful, so exhausting.

[Max] In the autonomous Xinjiang province, there is total surveillance.

Even in restaurants and supermarkets, our passports are checked.

There is virtually no freedom of movement.

We therefore decide to cross the region by train.

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

[Max] 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 it's off to Beijing.

[motorbike horns]

[car horn]

[Nono] Hello!

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

Somehow thread in and swim along with the swarm.

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

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

[Chinese music]

The way he does it is so crazy.

Can I have a go?

[Max] I don't think you're qualified for this.

[speaks Chinese]

"Mother" means "grandmother"?

[Max] No, "grandmother".

"Greatmother".

Grand.

-Grand. -Grand…

-Grand. -Hmm hmm.

Grandmother.

"Grandmother".

Yes, good!

"Very difficult".

Yes! "Very difficult".

[speaks Chinese]

[Max tries to speak Chinese]

[Nono] In no other country

have we seen so blatantly how tradition meets modernity.

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

[rhythmic Chinese music]

[Max] After nine months we got used to spending every day in the saddle.

Nevertheless, we are just happy when it finally arrives:

[Nono] The last day on the bike.

The last day!

The last one!

DAY 246 - 15,239 KM CLOSE TO BEIJING

[Nono] 62 km to go.

-Crazy. -Fucking crazy!

[in English] We just entered the outer area of Beijing.

18 kilometers to go.

[Max] It’s exactly 10 kilometers.

[Nono] In your head,

you have to go through everything that's happened

up to the moment we're here, right now.

I just did.

[epic music]

[Nono] They're all greeting us.

[emotional music]

TIANANMEN SQUARE, BEIJING

[in English] We are here.

[Nono] Made it!

[Max] After 246 days, we arrive in Beijing.

We did not go the whole 15,000 kilometers by bike.

But we don't care.

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

[Nono] Our bicycle journey ends in Beijing.

But as I said,

Beijing was never the destination.

[stewardess] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Guatemala City.

The local time here is 12 noon.

30 HOURS LATER, GUATEMALA CITY

[Nono] While we were still on the bike,

a much more important journey has already begun on the other side of the globe.

[salesman speaks Spanish]

PARAJE XOLJOC SCHOOL

[Max] It is only in Paraje Xoljoc, a small village in Guatemala,

that we understand what our idea has become in the last nine months.

[cheering]

[children singing in the background]

[traditional Guatemalan music]

[school headmaster] Let's hear it for the third grade children!

[applause]

[in Spanish] 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.

Thank you.

[Nono] 137 children

can now attend a proper primary school thanks to the donation money.

And enjoy the education that we often take for granted.

[children sing]

[emotional music]

[Nono] In Guatemala, it is the custom

of 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.

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

I believe that a goal is never about reaching something final

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 CONSTRUCTION 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

[in English] Go, Max, paint. Faster.

Better.

["Revolver" by LUI HILL playing]