BY AGYA POUDYAL & JOE JACKSON - eKantipur News Kathmandu, March 31st 2006

Globe trotting through 55 countries, two Belgian cyclists, Ingrid and Nicole have now come to Nepal. After setting out on their journey from Belgium in 2004, Nepal is the 19th country the duo has visited so far.

Though a negative portrayal of Nepal in the newspapers initially raised doubts as to whether it would be wise to visit the country, the two could not be more complimentary about their current port of call. "We hope to extend our visa to see as much of Nepal as possible. The mountains and people here are simply fascinating," explained Nicole. 

In contrast to regular cyclists who claim to make such world tours for peace the "crazy twins", as they are called back home in Belgium, have a rather different mission. Fielding questions from eager journalists, the intrepid duo revealed that the intention of the trip was not only to set a record in the Guinness Book of Records for visiting most countries without the use of motorized vehicle, but also to raise awareness about pollution and alternative modes of transport.

"In our journey we advocate living in a clean environment and promote the use of alternative energy," Nicole informed the press.

Interestingly, with the help of the sponsor DHL, the two have been able to change their cycles as per their need. Currently they are on their "sleeping bicycles", which are best suited for riding on plains. The mountain bikes for riding on the rugged terrain of Nepal will be sent over from Brussels. 

But their trip hasn't been all smooth sailing. The two revealed that they have had several near-death encounters on their trips, the closest was being accosted by a grizzly bear while camping by a river in Alaska. "He stole all of our food for the next week, but we crossed our fingers and luckily it spared our lives!"

They also had a tough time in Baluchistan, the restive tribal border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. "That was probably the scariest place we've been to, we were nearly kidnapped by the Taliban there," Ingrid told reporters.

The trip has also been a learning experience for them. "You learn to trust your senses, especially as women. In some situations, like being stuck on an African border with aggressive soldiers, you realize that the best thing you can do is be complimentary, even if they seem horrible."

Nicole and Ingrid met while under the strict supervision of nuns at a traditional catholic convent in Belgium, and were not initially good friends. "I was at the bottom of the class and she was at the top," Nicole remembers, "So the nuns thought it would be a good idea to put us together. From that point we got on really well. We're like black and white, ying and yang!"

The duo will next stop in Lhasa. From there they'll move on to China, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia and Siberia, before crossing the Bering Sea into North America. After travelling the length of the Americas, they set sail for South Africa and then plan to visit Morocco, Spain and France, before arriving back home in Belgium by the end of 2009.