Solo Ride · Departing 3 May 2025 · Pamplona to Phuket
A solo, self-sustained ride from Pamplona to Phuket — 15,000 km across multiple countries — raising funds to educate orphaned children at Kamakhya Balak Ashram, West Bengal.
"I've always wondered what it would feel like to migrate like the Arctic Tern — that small, tireless bird who travels across winds and tides, chasing light and defying distance. Or like the Humpbacks who swim thousands of kilometres, guided not by maps but by memory and instinct.
The Long Haul East is that migration — a solo, self-sustained ride from Pamplona to Phuket. No crew, no support — just me and my bicycle, Vayuvat, crossing thousands of kilometres through cities, cultures and steppe, trusting my endurance and will to drift eastward.
This journey is a bridge — between endurance and empathy, between mettle and meaning, between what I seek and what I can give back. Perhaps, in moving toward the unknown, we don't just discover new lands — we discover new ways to belong."
— Arindam, Long Haul East
Donate from anywhere in the world — India, UAE, UK, US, wherever you are. One platform, one goal.
Accepts UPI · Google Pay · PhonePe · Indian & international cards · net banking · PayPal. Donate in any currency.
Publish your Fundraising sheet as CSV. Columns: Key · Value
Keys: total_raised · donor_count · km_ridden · milaap_url
Example: Key=total_raised Value=1250 · Key=milaap_url Value=https://milaap.org/your-campaign
✅ Update your total in the sheet after each donation batch — reflects on the website immediately.
I've had this idea of cycling across continents for years — and last October, I finally quit my job to give it a shot. This summer, I'm riding from Pamplona, Spain to Phuket, Thailand — about 15,000 km across Europe, Anatolia, the Silk Route, Central Asia and Southeast Asia.
It hasn't been the smoothest lead-up — a bout of sciatica earlier this year and the West Asia situation added their own uncertainties — but I've decided to go ahead anyway. The route winds through Europe, Anatolia, the Silk Route through Central Asia, parts of China and Southeast Asia — ~15,000 km, country by country.
Along the way, I'm raising funds for Kamakhya Balok Ashram in West Bengal — an orphanage that supports and educates children who really need it. The idea is simple: $1 for every kilometre I pedal.
Support the Ride →
I'm Arindam — a regular 9-to-5 guy with a not-so-regular habit of being slightly uncomfortable in beautiful places. From Abisko to Margalef to Interlaken, I've climbed rocks and ice. I bike tour. I scuba dive. Basically, I collect experiences that make excellent stories and occasionally terrifying life decisions.
Last October, I quit my job to cycle from Pamplona to Phuket — about 15,000 km across — countries. It hasn't been the smoothest lead-up — sciatica earlier this year and regional uncertainties — but I've decided to go ahead anyway. I'm expecting adventure, self-discovery, stunning landscapes… and the inevitable moment somewhere in Anatolia where I seriously question everything.
Years of being drawn to wild places eventually led here: hop on the bike, point it east, and find out what happens when you trade a commute for a continent. Every kilometre can make a difference. If this resonates with you — I'd really appreciate your support, or even just sharing this further 🙏
Tap any country to see photos, journal entries and videos from that leg of the ride.
Real kilometres. Real progress. Pulled live from Strava.
Add your Strava Access Token below to pull live data — km ridden, elevation, time and recent activities. → Create your free Strava API app
🧡 $0 raised equivalent through kilometres ridden — at $1 per km.
1. Go to strava.com/settings/api → create app → copy Client ID & Secret.
2. Authorise the app to get an auth code → exchange for an Access Token.
3. Paste values here → Save & Load. Tokens expire every 6h — see note below.
⚠️ Tokens expire every 6h. For automated refresh, use a Vercel serverless function. Full auth docs →
Latest shots from the road — raw, real and dusty.
⚡ How to connect: Register a free app at developers.facebook.com, add Instagram Basic Display, generate a long-lived token (60 days), and paste it above. The feed will load your latest IMAGE posts automatically. Token needs refreshing every 60 days — use the refresh endpoint to automate this.
Follow the ride live on Instagram:
Follow @long_haul_eastEvery kilometre pedalled is not just a step toward chasing sunrise — it is a small act of return. I'll be contributing $1 per kilometre towards facilitating the education of orphaned children at Kamakhya Balak Ashram, West Bengal, India.
The goal is $15,000 total — raised through Milaap. I have personally visited many orphanages, checked their documents, interacted with the owners and children, and found Kamakhya Balok Ashram to be a genuine one. The entire amount collected will be donated for children's education after I complete the ride.
Donate via Milaap →West Bengal, India · An orphanage that supports and educates children who really need it.
Every dollar gets Paul one kilometre closer to Phuket and one child closer to an education. Donate in any currency — Milaap handles it all.
Milaap accepts: UPI · PhonePe · Google Pay · Paytm · all Indian cards · net banking.
⚠️ Indian accounts only — due to FCRA regulations, only funds transferred from Indian bank accounts can be accepted on this campaign.
Milaap charges 8% as gateway fees — the rest goes directly to Kamakhya Balok Ashram.
⚠️ Due to FCRA regulations, Milaap can only accept funds transferred from Indian accounts. Milaap charges 8% as gateway fees — the rest goes directly to the children. All funds will be donated to Kamakhya Balok Ashram after the ride is complete.
Spain, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand. Vayuvat is packed.
Donations open via Milaap for Indian account holders. Share this page and help hit the $15,000 goal before the ride starts on 3 May. 🙏
Panniers packed, tyres pumped, GPS loaded. Despite a bout of sciatica and regional uncertainties, the decision is made. The road awaits.
📋 How to connect:
1. Make a copy of the Long Haul East Google Sheet template →
2. Go to File → Share → Publish to web → publish the Updates sheet as CSV
3. Copy the published CSV URL and paste it below
4. Sheet columns: Date · Title · Body · Category
✅ Once connected, just add a new row to your Google Sheet and the website updates automatically — no coding, no re-uploading. Update from your phone anywhere in the world.