From Amsterdam to China by bike [Full Movie]

From Amsterdam to China by bike [Full Movie]

After 9,000 kilometers
After 149 days on the road After being greeted by endless
welcoming smiles and gifts After having seen the [__] for the first time After having seen the 
revolution for the first time After having eaten at the 
table of 26 ethnic groups After having recited the prayers of 
eight religions before the meal After having crossed 15 countries After having bathed in the 
warm water of the kindness of those who are not afraid to 
share what they have with a stranger On a cloudy afternoon At 6:32 Beijing time I made it to China Hi mum! Hi Dario, how is it going? I want to go to China by bike Eh?! I didn’t understand. What did you say? How can I know where you at? It’s dangerous! No, no, no you are crazy Do you realize what you are telling me?! No, no, no Dario I’ll tell this to your father, you’ll see You can’t go When would you leave then? You have to finish university I’ll leave in a couple of months Just on time to: 1. find a bike Where are we going? To Rhenen. No. Well towards Rhenen But we will stop in Maarn from Maarn we 
will get you know what a bus to go where? To go to Leusden Look there’s the bike you’re buying! Yes 400 mate. Okay Set it up They have longer– you have them like that I think you have them in 
three or four sizes these ones This is the middle one I think you have 2. Gain some money 3. Take the final exam The situation is: outside it’s dark This is me and this is the 
laptop where I’m still studying 4.  Train How long would you take? I don’t know Wish me good luck Yes Dam square starting point of the 
travel from the Netherlands to China   Fate wanted that today there is a protest 
for the independence of Tibet from China And this is something nice about Dam square 
that there is always something to protest   about And I always say clean squares mute people 
but Amsterdam is not mute and this is not a clean square– [Crash] [Heavy panting] After I fell yesterday I 
feel a lot of pain in my hand Let’s see if it is broken You cannot cycle for at least 1 month now 
and I know you already resigned your job, your apartment and everything 
but it’s probably better– better here than in the Middle East I’m sorry We are in Vienna I had to wait one month to recover 
but at least I’m not alone anymore Someone got fired last week so now he’s here Jeski Do you want to introduce yourself? [Mumbles] Let’s go to Bratislava Look how nice You don’t see a border like this every day We are in Serbia. We don’t know 
where we are going to sleep At the top floor Enjoy your trip baby First Couchsurfing host Marco Show me the honey Bravo Francescino The fish– a really big fish 
if this is like his mouth It tastes like lake fish or like river fish Like the Danube Like the Danube. It’s the Danube in a plate So me and Jeski were happily cycling 
and then we arrived to Belgrade and– Davide all of a sudden decided to come He said okay no worries 
geese I will buy one ticket And the day after I will reach you in Belgrade I will buy one bike the same 
morning in which I land in Serbia And this is the first day of cycling But please show us the bike. No it’s a nice bike Reliable It’s very reliable yeah yeah And what I want to show you is It’s also Peugeot Yes So it’s not even a bike Yes It’s like a car I think maybe it’s easier to buy 
a new bike than to repair one Do you think so? I’m sure 100% Really? Should I check Facebook Marketplace 
before taking this decision? Here he is Finally Here he is. Mamma mia. But what kind of bike did you get? What did you do in the last three hours? Just give me a small update I have to tell you one thing: if you 
are trying to hitchhike in Serbia it’s better if you don’t wear cycling pants So if you’re trying to hitchhike 
just don’t do it like this Come on come on What did you find Jerry? Where did you find it? In the field Yeah? [Dogs barking] Wow Serbian army at the border with Romania What is your name? Me? Zika Zika He says it’s not like Italians 
but hopes you won’t go hungry It’s very good It’s all paid for. Also pizzas No. No. No No worries No come on! But why? It’s too much Because My son used to tell me Dad I had everything on the bike What do you call those? Bikepacking bags I had everything But the water in my bottle was warm You know? Then the people travelling by van would pass by They would offer me a bottle of fresh water Yes please At least you also found someone who could help you Wow Wow thank you so much No because immediately you remind me of my son, look It gives me goosebumps every time Who whispered the bikes We arrived here very thirsty 
but there was no problem It looks really clean Go for it
San Pellegrino In a warm and starry night we are 
exiting Serbia from Sunday to Sunday [Dogs barking] Dear mum tonight again the 
river flows slowly besides us relentless bend after bend it carries us east 
as it has carried other travellers for millennia after a month the Danube is 
finally turning into a delta and Jeski and I will follow two different branches I will miss him with his solitary creativity and yet our bond will remain strong carved into 
our loves under the stars and across the Balkans the gateway to the Middle East I now see that friendship is a clear form of love Free of insecurity, possession, and jealousy It is pure admiration, harmony, and joy without 
obligation I breathe the silence with full lungs On this spring night I can smell freedom Look who’s here How many days of cycling in Turkey? We’ll see Full of mud Veri how is it going? It’s like I’m Sisyphus like the beetle we saw before pushing my bike and the 
wheels are not even turning This incredible bread is so soft like my mom’s belly It’s one by now after it was raining 
the entire morning the entire night Bread Homemade bread Another day of wild camping Ready for a new day of rain? Why aren’t you going? No I decided to stick to my idea How’s it going over there? Good luck trying to come here Go to the salty lake they said Banana? No basta we have to go After hours and hours on this stupid lake Veri why are you this dirty? Did you get the new Kanye West shoes? Ciao. Ciao Hello Rio look who’s here to wake us up Wow Come on come on Veri Vera how is it going? How does it taste? What is behind there? Are you stretching? It was not the best No? No Another day of rolling up 
the stone on the mountain Come on Veri we’re almost done How are you? Very tired I finished it Already? What about tomorrow? Want to try? Absolutely not How did you like these days? In general or between us? Between us I’m very happy that I came just a bit worried about our future since we 
don’t know when we’ll see each other again yeah Veri unfortunately this is my nature What do you mean? I mean that what makes me feel alive is not knowing where I’m going to sleep tomorrow To go, to explore, to live in depth 
the experiences I create for myself Because I feel that this life is the 
only opportunity I have to do this Yeah I understand I’m also not asking you 
to make a step-by-step future plan together but when you decide I’ll go, I 
don’t know where or until when I’ll not get a SIM card to 
speak more with the locals means we also won’t really be in contact and these things also make our 
future together quite uncertain Yeah and this is the downside of being free Do you know where you’re going next? No Honestly I don’t know because first I 
wanted to go to the Caspian Sea by ferry But then Azerbeijan has the border closed 
so now I’m going to go to the Middle East And yesterday someone told me you 
can go to Iraq it’s not dangerous   so yeah Iraq Iran afterwards I 
wanted to go to Turkmenistan but   they are not giving me the visa so 
most likely I will decide by then Day by day Are you still planning to be back in September? We’ll see So I’m alone in the eastern part of Turkey that is inhabitated mostly by Kurds and it is incredible to see how many 
cultures and ethnic groups live in such   a small area three days ago I was in front 
of Syria like 20 kilometers from Kobani that maybe you remember was the center of the 
resistance of Kurds against [__] And in that area it was full of 
Syrians escaping from the [__] But these borders honestly don’t really mean much Like right now I’m in Mardin 
and there are no Turks here And also the city is not completely Kurdish There are Assyrians And these communities have been here for centuries And I mean you can actually 
tell that it is extremely old Greek, Romans, Sparts, Persians, Ottomans Now Turkey But this is the point like it is not one nation It is a mix of communities, 
religions, and traditions Like three days ago I was 
in Urfa that is mostly Arabic And it is also a holy place 
because it is the tomb of Abraham And that is super conservative and the 
women wear hijabs and complete burqas And now here completely different again And tomorrow I’m going to be in Iraq But in the end this is Mesopotamia it is 
one single region since such a long time ago It is the cradle of humanity Here society as we know it started basically And I think it is a big illusion that borders can actually mark a real division It is all one single unity And tomorrow Iraq Hello Another border Super [__] As you want You decide By the way just to give you an understanding Already the cook didn’t want me to pay But then someone else came and paid for me So my pizza was offered two times tonight Incredible Welcome to [__] The landscape is beautiful but you cannot understand how warm it is I’m in the microwave of [__] No wind today Mountains you’re betraying me Whoa What’s happening? What is this? And while I’m sitting on this couch I have to say Today I lost my virginity I assisted to my first [__] So basically Turkey is 
bombing [__] also in [__], Iraq I don’t know how it is possible 
probably yeah I have no clue So the first one I was like wow Then it was just normal I’m in Lalish the holy city of Yazidi religion and Wow the spirituality of this place is very strong In so few kilometers you have a synagogue, a 
mosque, the church where I was this morning and where they offered me the lunch Actually there are different 
kinds of Christian groups here but also other small religions like in Iran on the other side 
of the border there are Zoroastrians i’m thinking about this region of conflicts and also about what I saw yesterday because for me it was incredible and for the 
people living here it was normality someone hosted me in their house and 
for them nothing happened that day the war here is happening now and Yazidi are of course a community that 
is closed and so they are always in danger they are 200,000 but probably more because 
they have to hide their religion you know and this holy city has been 
attacked few years ago by [__] And now they are reconstructing it basically I really feel lucky in this moment to be here 
and to have the opportunity of seeing this Also because in Iraq there is no tourism so the only way to arrive here is by bike Put this in oil and make the fire Yeah Iraq Iranian border I made it Let’s see how they’re going 
to treat me here in Persia Dear mum, Iran is incredible The landscapes are breathtaking The land so old The history, wow, the history 
goes back to the times of Darius and I can see it through the 
development of the architecture Colorful as a sky Nostalgic as a sunset Unique as a sunrise I feel safe and welcomed If you don’t hear from me for a while Don’t worry I decided not to buy a SIM card I don’t need it People call me from the streets Offer me a lunch Host me for the night I haven’t slept in the tent once Nor in a hostel These people, the heart of Persia From Arash to Ehsan The hospitality is every day a new surprise They showed me that they make 
jam from roses of Damascus I met teenagers that know more about movies 
than people after a master’s in cinema I spoke about Nietschze and 
Foucault with a taxi driver I met poets in the most humble houses And even in the smallest villages in the 
mountains I heard people declaiming old literature I met families who are not scared to 
help a stranger who comes from the road full of dust with just one 
bicycle and three t-shirts They were not scared to share their meals To open heir houses To offer their carpets to sleep I met the revolution and it has the face of women who are not scared to fight for freedom You know mom they remind me of you Describe yourself in three words in three words Brave Brave I’m so brave When you were 10 years old what was your dream? I always liked songs and I like to play guitar with my sister I didn’t have lots of toys when I was a child I had lots of books for children Do you know my sisters play with their toys and 
I just go to a corner just reading the books That’s one reason that I know 
about the world, different stories And now what is your dream? I love to travel like you and I like to keep listening and keep teaching guitar Favorite movie? Million Dollar Baby What is your favorite thing to do in life? Ride bicycle in the rain When is the last time you cried? Maybe last week Why? Because I’m in depression And I lost myself I can’t find myself Nowadays it’s changing And I’m watching it you know? Every day I’m watching it 
a bit, a step up changing Yeah and I don’t know if it is good or bad Free mind free life You must just live or think Both of them with each other are not possible Thank you You’re welcome Two days ago I arrived to my host Tami and Fare And they told me Come with us to a wedding in the mountains So now I’m here This is where I slept last night And I’m in the middle of a 
3 days traditional wedding Nobody speaks English My only translator is Fare But he is not here Just in the night he comes because he has to work So I am here without internet So no translation But still I feel like I’m part of it The whole village comes to the celebration And all women sing stories The newlyweds got a 
benediction using primordial elements Water, air, ground And guess who was chosen to be the 
first dancer of the first night It’s interesting to see that people older 
than 50 years old are allowed to smoke opium and the others not And it is a tradition but 
also it is considered a medicine And in the end it grows here 
and these are their own fields Now we go to the real celebration 
the final day is starting Afterwards they told me that we will have a big 
dinner, traditional games and the final party They’re preparing the lunch And I think we are going to be many people Okay so the goal of the game is to find out   who has the [__] in order 
not to get beaten up right? 1 kilometer from the Afghan border Time to get ready So this is Afghanistan The Americans left but the 
country still seems in a [__] First impact of Afghanistan There are less women in the streets It seems way poorer compared to Iran Everybody must dress in the traditional style And honestly there are so many [__] on the streets Every [__] has a [__] And they walk around without a uniform Just with normal clothes Also you cannot listen to music on the streets Of course the people are super super nice I’m staying in a house of some girls And they’re super smart but they are 
unsure on whether they can host me or not Like the situation with the 
government is not clear at all So they asked me not to show myself 
too much when I’m around the house Of course it’s a bit strange to do but it’s okay They are also from an ethnic minority They are Hazara Shia people And they are completely different in 
the traits compared to the other Afghans In these days they are having 
the biggest festival of the year But I cannot go unfortunately 
because it is too dangerous And they told me that I have to stay at home And it makes sense they are 
a minority so I respect it Here we have the area where they sell dogs Luckily I am not in the middle of them So for a couple of days I’ve 
been thinking what should I do Because many people told me Actually the road is very bad You should not go by bicycle 
it’s maybe even a bit dangerous But now I came to the bus station But while I was here I thought No I want to go a bicycle If the road is bad I will find a solution I will maybe hitchbike But I don’t want to skip the entire country I’ve already skipped many kilometers 
and now I don’t want to do it entirely So now I eat my last meal in Kabul That is bread with fries and vegetables And then I will start the journey again Thank you very much No problem you are guest my house Hello It’s raining By the way this is a highway That connects south of Afghanistan 
with north of Afghanistan This is the highway The big black bee that is not made to fly because it’s too big and has two small wings still it flies This is me This road is not made to cycle But I didn’t know so now I must cycle The Salang Pass: 3,400m my first 3,000 A free donkey in the tunnel So it was a wonderful day This bike behaved once again incredibly well But it broke Completely broken Ai ai ai, now I have to find a solution But I will sleep in the camp with the engineers Dear mom Once again I write to you in the dark The same dark that hides the 
Afghan girls every morning while they walk to school They can’t study Still they escape their prisons to 
get private lessons before sunrise They wake up at 4:00 and are at home at 7:00 Then they start reading 
literature from countries far away Mom I have been scared these days I’m sorry if you are hearing these 
stories for the first time just now I didn’t want to scare you as well The first night During the Hazara festival Some fights started against the [__] I was watching the sky from 
the house when I heard the shots That dark sea full of lights turned red And some stars fell to earth Weeping in tribute to two young lives lost It was so close to me mom The death Just a couple of streets ahead I have been thinking about 
our lives in the western world What are we doing? Chasing a status that allows 
to pay for needs that we humans have never had We lost any spirituality We believe in money We can be free but we decide not to In this corner of the world scarred by war I found determination adaptability depth This is Middle East but also an open door or a cup 
of tea already waiting for me I found a sense of community 
far greater than the individual than the personal achievement I found a sense of community 
that goes beyond gunfire, beyond the interrogation by [__] and the [__] 
in which they thought I was an American spy I found a community called the world and to truly live it all I need are the clothes I’m wearing and a dream to chase 3 months 27 days after I’m in Dushanbe I’m in Tajikistan And tonight I think someone is coming to join me So my brother Which bike will you get? We have many options We have many options all of them are fantastic It’s 3:00 a.m We just finished fixing this crappy bike and the mechanic What do you think about the bike? Remember these words When he will get to Pamir He will remember these words
and he will pronounce them Mark his words So in the Pamir there is no asphalt and very few people but in this other part the Bartang there are no people and no food Dario Davide Dino Exactly in the moment in which 
we had to go on a different road Just in that moment he got 
other mates for his journey What a lucky day Once upon a time there was a bridge 
then there was too much water Hello Hello We have fun with little my friend How is the bike going? Very good bro Sorry what did you say? four 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bravo very good So the bike of Davi broke Now we have to be on the truck Very high truck And I have to be like this The bike service was closed so on the 
side of the road they decided to fix it What is it? Tobacco? Do I have to spit it or? This is the lunch The first restaurant we found in ages And this how is it? This is actually a 10 out of 10 Bread, onions, random meat, maybe some 
liver because it has a taste a bit like ass Hello Hello Starting to feel sick What’s on the news bro? They say that the wall is falling How is it? Great 3000 by bike bro A kiss on the mouth So our dinner was completely destroyed because it was rotten hence I have to use the last 
bag of food from my aunt that I kept for all these months 
just for the emergencies Couscous just for one person 
but we will eat it with two And we are making the fire 
with the [ __ ] of the cows And the fire is very good And by the way we had: two phones fully charged, solar panels to charge the phones, extra batteries for a total of 30,000 mA, we had 400 Swiss Franks cash, we had six or seven credit cards But to be fair what is that? Nothing We just needed water and food The Tajik workers were trying to make a new road because this road is so [ __ ] However they decided to bomb one area That was not very solid apparently 
so everything fell down on the road Incredible experience as always Lupo (Davide) still has diarrhea by the way And in reality there is water Tastes like Fanta What do you think about this accommodation Dadone? I think this is one of the 
best places where I have slept in the last month Yes? For the rooftop are the stars my friend You have food poisoning You have to rest for at least 3 days You know what I think we should try anyway We can pack some rice and 
potatoes and just keep on going Day one Bartang Valley How’s it going brother? We are hopeful Hopeful this is the first and not the last Officially the mission 4,000m starts We left the last village From now on it is just us, the 
bicycles, and the mountains How was it bro? A little bit cold And to give you an understanding Now it’s 30° again 20 minutes ago I’m still wet It was raining ice At which altitude are we? 6,000 3,500 Starting to feel it? So we are at 4,000m We are cycling against the wind in the sand and it’s not like normal sand like gravel It’s sand like being at the beach going to the sea If I think about myself 5 months 
ago when I was in Amsterdam I don’t think I would have 
had the mentality to make it Indeed I don’t know where Lupo is I even had to pedal downhill What is that supposed to mean?
Look at how much space we got The kitchen will be the same as the 
place where we sleep, where we pee, and where we smoke a cigarette after sex The dinner gourmet Some noodles with some precooked potato juice If you put everything together it’s like being a chef Brother How happy are you that we are back in the asphalt? I would kiss it How do you feel from 1 to 10? Strong two I would say A strong two? Yeah but once we start going downhill, 10 How do you feel? In the hospital And for border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan 4,400m After 10 hours we can cross the Kyrgyz border right when we were prepared to 
give up and sleep at the border they said: oh no you can cross now in 
the middle of the night with no taxis I must be in the car because if I go by bicycle 
in the night there might be too many wolves I want to say one last thing: The impossible is fascinating luxuries are boring And in front of this crazy place so silent I am alone again For the series typical no man’s land The no man’s land between 
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan I don’t know I don’t know what to say Dear mum After 9,000 kilometers After 149 days on the road After having crossed 15 countries After having seen the [__] for the first time After having seen the 
revolution for the first time After having eaten at the 
table of 26 ethnic groups After having recited the prayers 
of eight religions before the meal After having crossed seven time zones After only 5 days of rain After being greeted by endless smiles and gifts After having bathed in the warm 
water of the kindness of those   who are not afraid to share 
what they have with a stranger After having never doubted 
whether I would have made it On a cloudy afternoon at 6:32 Beijing time the 26th of August 2024 Look Mum I can fly

The full journey of a lifetime — cycling all the way from Amsterdam to China by bike! This is the full documentary of my solo outdoor adventure across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, traveling on the Silk Road like Marco Polo, through breathtaking nature, cities from ancient history, remote villages, and beautiful mountains. But the core of the travel was the people, seeing the anthropology and sociology of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. I lived on the road with my tent, sleeping in the houses of locals, solo travelling, meeting and reporting their incredible stories.

Whether you’re passionate about bikepacking, interested in cross-continental travel, or just love cycling documentaries, this film will take you deep into the heart of one of the world’s most incredible overland routes. From the Danube River to the Pamir Highway, through Persian deserts, Turkish lakes, and Central Asian mountains of 5,000 meters!

Directed by Dario Crippa, Davide Lupini, Vera Konst.
Starring: Dario, Jeski, Lupo, Veri, all the people I met on the road.
A Monterojo Hoodboy Production.

It is more difficult to make a movie about cycling to China then cycling to China itself.

Follow for the return from China to Europe by TRAIN (Transsiberian in Russia)! 🚂

Join Monterojo Hoodboy community here: https://www.instagram.com/monterojo.hoodboy?igsh=MXhudnZ1eG9yMW9jaQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🧭 Countries visited: Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, China
⛰️ From the Alps to the Silk Road
🌍 9,000 km of human-powered travel
🎒 Wild camping, cultural encounters, and extreme endurance

📌 Chapters:
00:00 Starting
03:55 Cycling Balkans
11:44 Cycling Turkey
18:54 Cycling Iraq
25:42 Cycling Iran
35:15 Cycling Afghanistan
42:45 Cycling Tajikistan & Pamir Highway
55:50 Arrival

📷 Shot on iPhone 13 Pro, Google Pixel 6pro, Panasonic Lumix LX15.
🎵 Music by the street artists I met in Wien, Budapest, Beograd, Istanbul, Teheran, Center Asia.
Thanks to Pari and Sese for the guitar.
Original Music by CREMISI: https://www.beatstars.com/blazers996

#bikepacking #bike #travel #adventure #movie #cyclinglife #outdoors #documentary #middleeast #europe #asia #silkroad #fullmovie #biketrip #solotravel

🎒 FULL GEAR LIST TO CYCLE TO WORLD

🚲 Full Bike Setup:
Giant Toughroad MTB with Energizer Plus tires
Rear bike rack

👜 Bags:
Waterproof backpack (Amazon)
Restrap full frame bag – 9L
Farad Leibe top tube bag (Made in Iran)
Btwin front bag (Decathlon)
2x Riverside bottle bags (Decathlon)
Tucano packing cubes (Diego travel set)
Ziplock bags (IKEA)

🔒 Lock System:
Cheap €4 lock
Bike alarm (Amazon)

🛏 Sleeping Gear:
Therm-A-Rest Questar 20F/-6C sleeping bag
MSR Hubba Hubba 1P bikepacking tent
Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol pad
Sleeping mask (Decathlon), earplugs

🧥 Jackets:
Columbia Inner Limits raincoat
Ortovox Swiss wool down jacket (orange)

👕 Clothing:
Castelli Servizio Corse cycling pants (2019)
3x Ortovox merino wool short sleeve t-shirts
Ortovox long sleeve merino shirt
Forclaz zip-off hiking pants (Decathlon)
2x football shorts (Acerbic & Genoa 2016/17)
Linen pants (Bergamo market)
Ortovox Thermic pyjamas
2x underwear (Tezenis)
3x socks (Ortovox, McKinley)

🍳 Cooking Gear:
MSR PocketRocket stove
MSR ceramic pan set
MSR Piezo igniter + backup lighter
Folding camping fork + spoon

📱 Devices & Accessories:
iPhone 13 Pro, Google Pixel 6 Pro
Garmin Edge 530
VRURC 10000mAh powerbank (Amazon)
Fast Charge 3.0 adapter (Amazon – not recommended)
Solar panel (Amazon – never used)
USB-C & Lightning chargers
Apple AirPods Pro
Tripod (Amazon)
Microphone Boya

👟 Footwear:
Hoka One One Torrent 2 trail runners
Flip-flops (Decathlon €4)

🔧 Tools & Repairs:
Pump (Decathlon — recommend Cycplus electric)
HEMA bike repair kit
Decathlon biking multitool
Swiss-design pocket knife
Opinel No.9 knife
Pinch tool (Prosit)
Spare brake discs, chain pieces, inner tube
Forclaz fire starter (Decathlon)
White cotton cloth (cleaning bike)
Bike oil (Decathlon)

💊 Health & Hygiene:
Deodorant (local buys)
Etos spierbalsem / Elfenor 5% gel
Arnica e Artiglio del Diavolo (Just)
Esselunga SPF 50+ sunscreen
Water filter (Amazon)

🧢 Wear-On:
Helmet (Decathlon cheapest)
Sunglasses
Hat & knee protector (kept replacing)
Ortovox merino wool buff

🧳 Extras:
Italian passport 😉
Nabaji microfiber towel (80×130 cm)
Cash bag + Vera Pelle mini wallet
Tissue (made by grandma)
Marseille soap
Khefya scarf (Istanbul)