Bikepacking nightmares

Bikepacking should be adventurous and fun, because you are under the sun, entirely free from everything, you meet new people and see new landscape every day. This is your choice of living your days, thus you are motivated to continue your dream. But where there are dreams, there are nightmares. Common fears of bikepackers are getting ill, getting robbed, not finding a place to sleep, loosing motivation on the way, hunger and thirst. Hungry and tired people loose their temper more easily, and if it’s combined with other troubles, you want to throw your bike in a big hole, set it on fire and bury it.

Hard moments won’t skip us either, and we have our fears on such tours. We collected these personal, most unwanted experiences:

Péter:

• Cold shower in cold weather. Taking it after sauna is fine, I learned this during my studies in Finland.  Taking cold shower in hot weather is not a problem, that I tried it in Malaysia (water was in a barrel, and with a small bucket I poured the water over my head). Warm body, cold water, cold weather, and I will start to sing and dance when the cold liquid touches my skin.
• Cycling ill: it’s impossible to avoid fever, diarrhea and nausea, in other words the traveler’s illness in Asia. Alcohol doesn’t sterilize the stomach, and there’s no medicine to prevent these symptoms.  And when there is the pressure of expiring visa on us, we can’t stop for some days, but cycling won’t bring smile often on our faces anymore.

Linh:

• As a picky eater since the very young age, there are many ingredients that I don't enjoy eating such as onion, chilli and curry. Travelling to the East means visiting spicy kitchens where all the above elements are highly used. I know that a big challenge is on the way to me. Or else, a golden chance for me to train my taste is about to come.
• The political situations in South Asia and Middle East are fluctuating day by day. The media has made these regions a dangerous/risky zone for travellers and this somehow affects me. I am a bit nervous for the trip because it will be a long journey and anything can happen despite of your expectation. One of my biggest fear is to be stuck in a country because of some national changes leading to border closing.

These are the things we predict, but life likes to give twists, so the list will grow on the way. Do you have any fears of a bikepacking journey? Or survived some already? Tell us!