Hey, Everyone!
The posts have been sparse, but what do you expect? I’ve been reading and writing, but most of these past two weeks have been taken up by two of my favorite things: family and plans for ’round-the-world adventures.
For those of you just joining us, my name is Forrest Watkins and I’m cycling the world to collect stories of humans and climate change. I’m interested in climate change’s impacts on people, but also in the work of those searching for solutions. In the summer and fall of 2015, I biked 4,535 km across southwestern China and Vietnam and collected upwards of ten climate stories. So, now,
Here’s The Plan:
In a month, I’ll be in the Philippines (without my Hester, my bike, which is currently resting in central China). In Manila, I’ll meet with groups of artists and writers focused on social issues. I’ll move on to Eastern Visayas, where I’ll talk to groups working to get the word out about climate impacts in the area. Then I’ll head further south and talk to 350.org activists and groups opposing new coal projects.
Then, after the Philippines, I’m going back to the city where I taught last year, where Hester is waiting. And I’ll strike out west. I’ll be in “mainland” China for about two more weeks before I get into the Central Asian region of the country. Then it’s on to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Turkey.
Red markers are points of interest
At the end of this segment of the tour, I’ll dip into Greece for a moment for visa reasons and then post up in Istanbul for 2-3 weeks to plan for Europe.
Here’s what I need right now: Help me fill in that map. I need places to stay, I need people to talk to, places to visit, any advice or encouragement you can give. If you know of any people or places that have been affected by climate change, any compelling climate- or clean energy-related projects, any couches or floors where I could crash, or any places I simply can’t pass by, please comment below, contact me at fqwatkins[at]gmail[dot]com, or use the contact form here. I’ll be inexpressibly grateful for any information you can give–tips for where to go, names of compelling projects, whatever it may be. The route is tentative and deviations of 100 miles or more are just fine.
Please share this with your friends and family and anyone who might be interested in the project!
360 by bike 
Forrest, Re route through Turkey, where we visited about 12 years ago. I see by the map that you intend to follow the west coast . As you do that, I hope you will spend a little time in Ephesus. It doesn’t have any relevance to your mission, but it is such a key part of early Christian history that it would be a shame to miss it. I also found the Cappadocia region in central Turkey interesting for it architecture: not buildings per se, but domestic and social spaces excavated into the soft rock: no buildings, just empty spaces!
I’ll have more to say about both of these places when we see you next.
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They look spectacular and are on my list of places! I’ll have quite a bit of time in Turkey, so hopefully I’ll be able to visit the historical sites as well as the projects I’m looking at.
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