Across Asia on a bicycle

In Short

This travelogue records the three-year journey of two young Americans who biked across Asia in the early 1890s, tracing a route through Asiatic Turkey, Persia, Russian Turkestan, the Gobi Desert, and China. Traveling without guides or interpreters, they documented remote landscapes, climbed Mount Ararat, encountered local rulers, and navigated unfamiliar customs. The book endures as a vivid record of a vanished Asia, captured at the threshold of modern global connection by two observant, self-reliant travelers.

The Story

The narrative begins with two Washington University graduates embarking on a overland expedition across the globe. After crossing Western Europe and wintering in Athens, they begin their Asian overland journey at the Bosporus. Traveling on heavy, early-model safety bicycles, they ride without guides or interpreters, choosing instead to learn rudimentary phrases in each local language to ensure genuine contact with the people they meet.

Their route takes them through the dry plateaus of Asiatic Turkey. Despite official skepticism, local guards, and mountain terrain, they press eastward. Near Bayazid, they pause their cycling to undertake a grueling ascent of Mount Ararat, defying local legends that the summit is unscalable. Pushing through deep snowfields, bitter cold, and mountain crevasses, they reach the top, returning safely to a baffled Kurdish camp below.

From Turkey, the pair wheels across northern Persia toward Russian Central Asia. Navigating waterless wastes, salt deserts, and mountain passes, they rely on local produce like melons and pomegranates to survive long stretches between stations. Entering Transcaspia under the protection of Russian Governor-General Kuropatkine, they pedal along military highways, crossing the steppes and passing Russian pioneer settlements, Dungan farming communities, and ruined fortified cities. Everywhere they go, their unusual conveyances draw fascinated, sometimes terrified, crowds.

Reaching the Chinese border, they cross into the western provinces, where they face their greatest trials: extreme temperatures, broken equipment, bad roads, and deep local suspicion toward foreigners. They haul their bicycles across swollen rivers, trek through the sands of the Gobi, and sleep in damp sleeping bags near ruined robber dens. Despite constant predictions of failure from European expats and local nomads alike, they press on across the interior toward the coast.

Their journey culminates in an audience with Li-Hung-Chang, the Grand Viceroy and Prime Minister of China, who inspects their equipment and queries them about the world outside. Reaching Shanghai, they board a steamer for Japan and eventually return home to America.

How It Unfolds

Departure from the Bosporus Leaving Constantinople behind, the travelers cross into Asia Minor, trading European roads for rough Turkish paths. They quickly decide to dispense with official military escorts whenever possible to travel at their own faster pace.

Ascent of Mount Ararat Pausing near the border, they pack light rations and ropes to tackle the snow-bound peak of Ararat. After a treacherous climb over boulders and treacherous snow crusts, they reach the summit and return to astonish their Kurdish hosts.

Across the Persian Deserts Riding through six hundred miles of Persian wastes, they endure swampy salt flats and intense heat. They rely on frequent stops at oases and fresh melons to supplement their scarce water supply.

Into Russian Turkestan Descending seven mountain passes into Askabad, they enter Russian territory and receive a warm welcome from government officials. They follow military roads past Kirghiz nomads, Dungan villages, and Russian peasant colonies.

Crossing the Chinese Frontier Crossing the Ili River into Western China, they navigate ruined cities, high mountain passes, and rough tracks. A broken gear wheel forces a tense night in the open, listening to wild animals while clutching revolvers.

Meeting the Prime Minister Arriving in Tianjin, they are ushered into the yamen of Viceroy Li-Hung-Chang. The elder statesman examines their photographic gear, asks about foreign transportation, and praises their achievement before they make their final push to the coast.

The People

Thomas Gaskell Allen and William Lewis Sachtleben The two authors act as a unified, resilient team driven by a desire for genuine exploration rather than mere speed records. Wanting close contact with local cultures, they reject hired interpreters and learn regional languages on the fly, remaining calm whether facing suspicious crowds, harsh weather, or mechanical breakdowns.

The Turkish Vali of Erzerum An autocratic governor who initially greets the travelers with strict suspicion. After inspecting their Chinese passport, camera, and dusty boots, his mood softens, and he grants them permission to travel through his district while jesting about feeding their iron "horses" at state expense.

General Kuropatkine The Governor-General of Russian Transcaspia who receives the pair hospitably in Askabad. He grants them free passage across Russian territory, assuring them that their American citizenship is all the credential they need.

Viceroy Li-Hung-Chang The Prime Minister of China and a pivotal figure balancing traditional Chinese culture with modern foreign ideas. During their meeting, he shows sharp intellectual curiosity, systematically questioning the young men about their journey, their bicycles, and foreign technology.

In Its Own Voice

Before attempting the climb, they note the deep-seated local reverence for Mount Ararat:

To them it was, as it always will be, the same mysterious, untrodden height—the palace of the jinn.

Crossing into Russian territory, they record the stark transition from remote borderlands to modern infrastructure:

Strains of music from a Russian band stole faintly up through the darkness as we dismounted, and contemplated the strange scene, until the shriek of a locomotive-whistle startled us from our reveries.

Observing the powerful influence of tradition in Turkish architecture, they reflect on the standard response to foreign inquiries:

When a foreigner bumps his head, and demands the reason for such stupid architecture, he is met with that decisive answer, “Adet”—custom, the most powerful of all influences.

What It's Really About

Underneath the adventure lies an exploration of human connection across vast cultural divides. By discarding the buffer of guides, interpreters, and conventional military escorts, the travelers test whether mutual curiosity and basic goodwill can bridge deep differences in language, religion, and custom. The narrative contrasts ancient ways of life with the rapid onset of modern technology—symbolized by their steel bicycles, cameras, and the expanding telegraph wires stretching across Asia. It is fundamentally an inquiry into self-reliance and the emerging interconnectedness of the late nineteenth-century world.

Why Read It Today

This account appeals to readers who enjoy historical travel writing, pioneering athletic feats, and vivid cultural history. The prose moves briskly, driven by straightforward, energetic observation rather than heavy literary ornament. Readers experience the raw reality of late Victorian overland travel, from the logistical headache of repairing custom machinery in remote towns to the physical strain of hauling gear through snow and desert sand.

Modern audiences should expect period language and nineteenth-century Western attitudes toward foreign cultures, which occasionally reflect the biases of the era. However, the narrative is largely characterized by open-minded curiosity, respect for local hospitality, and genuine enthusiasm for the varied peoples encountered along the way. What remains long after reading is a striking visual picture of a pre-industrial Asia—a landscape of ancient ruins, desert caravans, and isolated villages—just as it was beginning to meet the modern world.