In April 2010 my wife Haidee and I moved to Nagoya, Japan. In April this year, we moved to Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, the northern-most island of Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, it is a fairly large, bustling city. But as far as Japanese cities goes, […]

Sapporo Yosakoi Soran Festival


Sometimes it is really difficult to really get at the depth of experience that a person feels when traveling by longboard. It is hard to express the joy, pain, frustration, challenge, problem solving, tiredness, cold, hot, sweat, freedom, constraint… But the Long Treks on Skate Decks guys have done an […]

The soul of long distance skateboard touring




Continuing this series of flashbacks, where I delve into my vivid memories of the trip, I re-introduce you to: Keith and Mary Keith and Mary live in Deming, New Mexico, USA. Deming is surrounded by beautiful desert. <br /><small><a style=”color: #0000ff; text-align: left” xhref=”http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=deming,+new+mexico&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Deming,+Luna,+New+Mexico&t=h&z=12&ll=32.268698,-107.75864″ mce_href=”http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=deming,+new+mexico&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Deming,+Luna,+New+Mexico&t=h&z=12&ll=32.268698,-107.75864″ >View Larger Map</a></small></p> I remember […]

Amazing People: Keith and Mary


Every now and then I have flashbacks to this trip. It seems like an age ago that I completed this 2.5 year journey, but at the same time it is like it was only yesterday. Something that cements that feeling of timelessness is the memory of the people I met […]

Amazing People: Kirk and Donna


Thanks to a tip-off from blog follower Kirk, I found out the other day that my world record has made a mention in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records! Very stoked. A short blurb plus the photo below is on page 107. ギネス・ブックに載っちゃいました。以下の写真と短い説明が107ページに載っています。やった~。 The book is Glenday, Craig. 2010. […]

In the Book



Lord, thank you for words. But even then, there is so much inequality in the world; even when it comes to words. Some have the privilege to be able to learn words. Learn grammar. Become literate. Some don’t. Us fortunate ones, we are so complacent. So content. Heads in the […]

A Prayer


Could Micro Four Thirds cameras be the future of travel photography? I was in Akihabara in Tokyo today, having a little browse through the massive array of electronics stores, when I came across these little beauties. Essentially SLR cameras which weigh half the weight of a full DSLR. About half […]

Akihabara and Micro Four Thirds cameras


Hi there. It has been a while. And as you can see, for the first time in many months, I have started blogging again. I hope you don’t mind. You see, on the 2nd of April (12 days away), I will be moving to Japan with the intention of living […]

An Explanation



Oamaru is one of the most intriguing places in New Zealand, in my opinion. It is often over-looked as just a place to shoot through on your way south. But the place is teeming with life; just make sure you get off the main drag as soon as you can. […]

HONEYMOON (Day 3): Oamaru to Kaka Point, New Zealand


On the 5th of February 2010, I was thrilled to be able to make a lifelong committment to my long-time friend Haidee Rich. In what was to be the biggest ritual – entirely centred around us – of my life, we got married and had a huge reception on a […]

Committment


I haven’t seen the book myself yet, but apparently I am on page 235 of the 2010 Ripley’s Believe it or Not Annual. http://ripleybooks.com/annuals/2010/extras/235 I must find myself a copy…

Ripley’s Believe it or Not



Well guess who came to town the other week. Markus Wagner from Cycling Without Borders fame. It was great to catch up with a fellow cyclist and swap stories from both of our long journeys on our own by bicycle. Markus cycled from his home near the Black Forest in […]

Markus!


Long distance human powered adventurer Rob Lilwall’s first book about his 30,000mile cycle journey is an absolute thriller. Each turn of the page left me shaking my head in disbelief at the fortunes and misfortunes of this rather unlikely epic adventurer. Some people just slide into the part of the […]

BOOK REVIEW: Cycling Home From Siberia


It is unsurprising that a journey such as the 14degrees Journey clarified what and who I want in life. Clarification of what is worth striving for, and clarification of who life is worth spending with. On both counts, this one year since the end of my skateboarding journey has been […]

Engaging Times



I was drinking some Jasmine tea at a cheap little Asian* restaurant the other day and it reminded me of western China. I felt the aromas of that aromatic tea and closed my eyes. I was taken back to Turpan. Xinjiang Province. Back to the heat. The unforced rhythms of […]

Jasmine Tea


Despite receiving this certificate over a month ago, this post has been long overdue. Simply because doing justice to a post like this is hard work. It starts and ends with thanks: Skatefurther.com Community is the most essential factor in any successful endeavour. Without the Skatefurther.com community, I wouldn’t have […]

World Record


I saw a news story on New Zealand national news the other week about an incident involving a British comedian interviewing a supposed ‘terrorist’ for a new film called Bruno. The gist was that comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (of Ali G fame), playing the part of Bruno, a gay Austrian […]

Why You Should Take News Stories With a Grain of ...



I had dream last night In it was the woman I love For months we had been forced apart For months I had longed to be with her At last we reunited At last she was there before me At last we were together But in my dream she would […]

RANDOM THOUGHT: Beauty



I seem to have come full circle; I now find myself back in Japan… My wonderful host parents from 13 years ago (AFS exchange when I was 16 years old), with whom I have remained in contact with over the years, suggested at the beginning of this year that I […]

Japan



So, I got an email from a friend today, asking what I thought of the concept of ‘free will’. Basically I don’t know what I think about free will, other than I’ve heard some cliqe comments about free will in church in my past, and am no longer sure what […]

The Center of My Life


Ever since I read this quote by Dean Karnazes, I think I have been afraid… “It is so easy to live a life that has been scripted for you by others, to fall into the mire of conformity by following a path that society has laid before you, rather than […]

Changing Lenses


I am subscribed to quite a few blogs on Google Reader, and today and article about the ‘Pedouin’ family caught my eye. The famliy of five (Mum, Dad, and three small children) are setting out on a 7,000 mile cycle journey across the US from Kentucky to Alaska on a […]

Talk About Pedal Power!



Seven months on from arriving back home… Watching video clips from the journey, I am filled with wonder at the audacity of what I set out to do. I watch amazed at the perserverance with which I stuck at it, even over rough roads on the longboard and through snow […]

Mixed and Painful Emotions


Just a quick note before you start reading: My journey took me to the extremes of living an alternative life-style. I learned a lot about myself, the state of the ‘world out there’, and the ‘world here at home’. Much of my post-journey musings may seem to be quite harsh, […]

Artistry


It has been a long time coming, but today I got this email from Guinness World Records in New York: ———————— Hi Rob! All fine here and I have good news! The record has been accepted and this is the text to appear in the certificate, but let me know […]

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD