Frank Van Rijn: novelist, cyclist, journeyman

One of the greatest advantages of living off of one of the best paved roads in Madagascar, between two regional capitals, is that I cross paths with so many fascinating individuals. As always, I was having my morning coffee on the side of the highway when a cyclist stopped by the market to purchase a papaya.

The fruit ladies quickly ran to me to translate what he was saying. He was lean and nearly two meters tall. He sported a white beard and raggedy tee-shirt. His skin had been darkened numerous shades by the scorching Malagasy sun, as indicated by the tan line left by his sock. He was clearly not like any other tourist I have ever seen. I asked him where he was from in French and when he answered Holland I excitedly switched to English. I glanced at his bicycle which had numerous baggages tied around the front wheel as well as back. He had been touring Madagascar for nearly two months. I thought perhaps this was an adventure he had planned for when he had retired. No. He had been touring the world on bike for over thirty years, having already visited 125 different nations. This wasn’t just a vacation, this was a lifestyle choice. I asked him his name and he pointed to the print on his bike frame. Frank Van Rijn, what a pleasure to meet you.

Since he was unsure if he could find a hotel before sunset I invited him to pitch a tent in my extra room. I was also intrigued to hear more about his adventures abroad. After telling him of the different species of lemurs that live in my national park we decided to search for some. We trekked through the forest snacking on mangos while at the same time trying to dodge the ones that dropped down from above. It was a nice hike despite not having spotted any lemurs. I was also impressed at how much energy he still had after having already biked nearly fifty kilometers in blistering heat. I suppose all these years of biking had physically conditioned him.

Images of Indiana Jones popped up in my mind as he told tales of being held up by gunpoint in El Salvador, robbed by a man with a machete in Burkina Faso, being captured by a liberation organization in Mozambique, to having narrowly escaped flying axes thrown by bandits in India. His life is nothing short of a legend.

After graduating from university with a degree in electrical engineering he decided to take a gap year to travel through South, Central, and North America. After returning he taught science for nine months before deciding to get back on the bike. “this wasn’t a conscious decision to make this my career. It just happened like that,” he tells me. Loving the freedom and closeness with nature and people that you don’t get using any other form of transportation, its no surprise he opts to ride the bike.

He’s shared a glimpse of his experience in the eleven books he’s authored in Dutch. I complained when he told me that only one is available in English translation, Pilgrims and Peppers. “You can make beautiful books, with beautiful illustrations, and beautiful binding, but they may not be read by many if the book promoter is no good,” he states emphatically. I learned more about the complexities of the book industry after he described some of his frustrations with finding a publisher for an American or English public. I really hope his books will be translated not only in English but in several languages, as I believe his stories need to be told. It is not enough to know about our own environment in which we live. He offers a window into many different worlds through his own eyes and through his words fostering tolerance and humanity.

visit his website as well as keep updated on his current movement:

http://www.frankvanrijn.nl/?page_id=4&lang=en