From Git ("Go"), April 1998

Text of the article, translated by Gülden Güllü, (view scanned article) is as follows:

'The Internet Bikers rode through Turkey: The Journey of Bicycle by way of Internet'

by Eski Patikaci Bengül

The group called BikeAbout was in Istanbul in the last days of February. BikeAbout is comprised of five volunteers who are experts on Internet. They support the education, peace, common understanding and the use of technology in every educational field.

BikeAbout's aim is to increase the awareness, to pass through many countries in order to meet and travel with the local people there and to share the Internet with students, teachers and other Internet users. The schools which have network and the users of Internet throughout the website are the followers of BikeAbout, and they experience the joy of sharing an adventure and exchange. The BikeAbout riders and the ones who created the website let the world share the information by the help of succesive dispatches.

BikeAbout works in collaboration with CCC (Computer Curriculum Corporation) to improve and spread education on the base of interactive world communication. CCC is a leader in providing schools with educational curriculum. Simon and Schuster is one of the most widespread publishers in the world. The curricula loaded on more than 16,000 schools are being used by more than 10 million students. BikeAbout the Mediterranean has started as a journey around the Mediterranean coast by bike and has been planned as an international volunteer work to develop the communication among the cultures and peoples in the Mediterranean by use of modern technology and bike.

BikeAbout riders also call themselves Internet Jockeys. They began pedaling in the city of Ceuta in Morocco on September 25, 1997, with trailers loaded with Compaq computers and digital cameras behind them. In order to omit Algeria, they took the train to Marseille in the east coast of Morocco (sic), then took the ship to Tunisia. There, they pedaled to south 'til Djerba. Then, they reached Palermo in Sicily island by ship. They took the train from Palermo to Sicily, then flew to Cairo in Egypt over Malta. By pedaling to Alexandria, they went to Israel by the coastline through Jordan (sic). Here, two bikers flew to the USA for the coordination. Anthony went to Cairo again to deal with the visa procedure and to feel the spirit of the city again! Two ladies waited in Israel for the team to come together again. From here on, the group was divided into two up to Istanbul. The guys rode to Lebanon. Then, two of them flew to Istanbul and then pedaled all the way back to Adana. Here, the bikes were loaded on the bus. Anthony entered Turkey from Antakya through the Syrian border and met with the other guys in Adana from where they rode to Mersin. After Mersin, they followed the coastline up to Fethiye where they took the bus to Selçuk, then to Izmir. This time they caught the train to Bandirma. After getting off the train, they took the ferryboat to Sarayburnu.

The ladies took the ferry to South of Cyprus from Israel. As they couldn't pass from South to North Cyprus, they got on the ferry again to Rhodes island, then to Marmaris. By hitchhiking from time to time, they reached Gallipoli, with the trailers behind them, where the bus to Istanbul was taken. From there (Istanbul) on, they are going to go as four people in the group. One of them was left behind because of financial problems. They plan to reach Gibraltar-Spain in June. They say they didn't meet many different languages 'til Turkey. But after here various languages for different countries will be heard. Though the route is certain, it's subject to some changes according to the people they meet on the way or the Internet.

By the way, we introduced them to G&252;rsel Akay from Green Bicycle. If you like to know more about BikeAbout, to follow their route, to see the pictures of the places they rode through, to hear the voices they recorded and to read the dispatches about the countries, here is their website and e-mail address:

WWW: http://www.bikeabout.org

E-mail: hub@bikeabout.org

I cordially celebrate them as they manage to bike all that way. And I envy them because of not being a part of such an organization, as I have the dream to "go" everytime.

We said farewell and sent them to Greece.

Bengül, the old pathfinder