My 2005 Winter trip to SE Asia

Left Toronto January 8, 2005 at 7:00 AM. Toronto - LA - Anchorage, Alaska - Taiwan - Bangkok
This is my first message back home for my SE Asia trip.

I won't get into details regarding the flights here from the other side of the world, suffice it to say that:
i) it was LONG
ii) i got enough sleep, so will have zero jetlag issues
iii) China Airlines has the coolest feature: personal videoscreens for each passenger (on the back of seat in front of you - you can select among 10 movies to watch, 20 TV shows, computer games, etc). Handy for a 12 hour flight.
iv) MOST importantly - the bike made it here at the same time I did, and in great condition.

At the airport I assembled my bike, reminiscing all the while of doing the same thing in Vancouver's airport and Luxor's (Egypt) train station. From the airport it was a 25km ride into downtown Bangkok - a perfect warmup to the trip ahead - well, more than a warmup, being 30C with humidity. They drive on the "other" side of the road here, which surprisingly took almost no getting used to at all. I was on busy roads all the way in, the traffic was dense, very diesel-ly, but incredibly well mannered. Cars zoom in and out of lanes, much like in Toronto rush hour, but there's one quite noticeable difference - the drivers here are very aware of the hordes of scooters, so are constantly looking out for 2 wheeled folk. Surprisingly, though, there are almost no bicycles (why?). The cars are small and low
here, so I am VERY visible, being well higher than most car roofs. I almost keep up with the scooters (they seem to form packs as they ride along, I HAVE to latch onto one of those at some point).

Bangkok has a very comfortable feel for me already - and I've only been here for 4 hours. I had originally thought that I wouldn’t like it, so am quite surprised. It has that third world simplicity that I love; it has much similarity to cities like Cairo, Damascus, and Mexico City, but is cleaner (litter-wise, not smog-wise). The traffic does NOT honk incessantly like I've experienced elsewhere. One really cool feature of the traffic lights here - many of them have a "countdown" sign, letting you know how many seconds to go until the light turns red, or green. The touts are out in full force, but are very quick to back down at the first "no
thank you", unlike elsewhere I've been. So, overall, a good start to the trip.

My next few days are in Bangkok: seeing the sights, arranging my Vietnam visa, doing a bit of shopping (sarong, bike store, batteries, etc.).
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Bangkok

Monday January 10, 2005
Not all my emails will be this frequent, but where i am right now has VERY convenient internet and I am physically exhausted from a long day...

Well, everything changed in this district of Bangkok as soon as the light went down last night. Thai women, and not a few transvestites, flooded the area, hitting on anything male that moved. Many of the guys (mostly younger in this backpacker district) were responding, and I'm not sure what % of them knew that the vast majority of the women (and men) were prostitutes. Guess they'll find out at the penultimate moment! It made
for quite the sight, but when I come back through Bangkok later in the trip, I think I'll stay in a different area, although unfortunately I think this aspect of this city is inescapable no matter where you go.

Tuesday January 11, 2005

Up very early for a big day walking through the city. My primary destination was across the city centre to the Vietnam embassy, but there was lots to see along the way. Wats mostly. Lots of wats. With lots of buddhas, per wat. Wats all day. Wats all trip, actually, except for Malaysia (if I get there). I hope I'm not TOO wat'd out by the time I see the granddaddy of them all in Cambodia.

Ed. Note: A wat is slightly more than a temple - its a buddist compound which is centred on a temple, but also a place for monks to live and do what they do. They are very brightly coloured, typically gold with red and green, much like my cycling jersey. Travellers can stay at wats, not a normal thing, but I'm guessing once or twice on this trip I will be, particularly in Laos where accomodation is likely to be sparse.

Joy of joys, my Vietnam visa will be ready for 4pm tomorrow! That means I can hit the road sooner than I had thought. This really made my day. The only question is, can I make it to Ayuthaya (my first destination) before dark tomorrow, leaving at 4pm... a flat 90km, but the first 20km is in Bangkok during rush hour... its 6:20pm right now and I'm nervously watching the light fade... we'll see. I won't push my luck... TOO hard...

I visited a snake farm, right in the heart of the city, where anti-venom is manufactured. They seem to treat the snakes very well, it was quite something seeing them up close... pythons at least 15 feet long, a King Cobra about 10 feet long. They aren't going hungry, thats for sure. There was a demonstration for the small group of tourists there, among other things the handler brought out a "relatively non-aggressive" King Cobra for all to see... and touch (carefully). A non-aggressive KING COBRA. I kept my distance. Reason? Its a 10 foot long KING COBRA. Apparently all the staff has been bitten by various of the snakes many times, SURPRISE SURPRISE.

Other random notes from a 25km+ blister inducing walk today:

- Bangkok's premiere bike store is very well stocked with all the goodies I will need in about 3000km time when I come back through this city, yay!
- The city is incredibly clean and tidy, but the air pollution is horrid. Many residents wear facemasks.
- There are wild iguanas (well, not sure they're iguanas, they look like an iguana-crocodile cross, they are so big) freely roaming some of the city parks.
- I had a butter chicken today that, while quite yummy, nearly melted my face off, and (not to be rude) I'm not looking forward to the tail end of it. I splurged on this sit down restaurant meal, the grand total for the butter chicken + rice + naan + Coke + bottled water was $5 Canadian.
- My shopping is mostly complete, so I am uber-ready to cycle off
- The heat continues to beat down, yet another reason that I'm itching to head North. Hopefully I'll be more acclimatized for it in 1-2 months time when I swing back through here.
c

Bangkok to Ayuthaya

Wednesday, January 12

97km / 122km trip total

Last night after the big walk my back was giving me severe problems... I'm not sure whether it was the walk, the awkward sleeping on the plane, or what. I got a massage for it (the legit kind) and it seemed to help.

This morning, off to Wat Pho to see the Reclining Buddha... a 46m long Buddha lying down (very unusual) in a pose representing his ascent to Nirvana. His Mona Lisa smile suggested that Nirvana is a good place to get to. Then next door to the Grand Palace to see the Emerald Buddha, one of Thailand's most sacred Buddha images. Yawn.

I rolled out of the Khao San backpackers district of Bangkok by noon, did some errands, hung out in the crocodile-iguana park, and by 2:30pm I was at the Vietnam embassy, waiting for my visa. At 3:30 I had it, and I was free at last! I had about 90km to cover, and 3 hours before darkness... plus Bangkok traffic to fight. I tucked in with the scooters and was dodging to and fro along with them, the adrenalin keeping me very attune with every movement around me. I was really fired up, I wanted to get to Ayutthaya quite badly, and test myself and my bike. As the traffic freed up a bit I checked my speedometer, surprised to see it registering 37km/h - I realized I was a bit TOO fired up and eased off a bit. Passing the airport on the outskirts of the city at 4:15, I knew I was in a good position to get to my destination by darkness.

Around 5:30 I was able to ungrit my teeth and fully enjoy the last hour into town. I was very happy with the ride, and now could sit up and wave back to the very friendly Thais around me. Another massage at night - hard to pass up at $5/hour, my back is beginning to become very worrisome.


Ayuthaya to Chai Nat

Thursday, January 13

130km / 252 km total

A day of massive highs and lows. I left town very early in the morning, slightly pre-dawn. The air was deliciously cool, the roads were quiet, just the sound of my bike whispering beneath me. The ancient Wats around me, that Ayuthaya is known for, fluttered past in the semi-darkness, only their outlines visible to me. I could more "feel" than see them. Off into the countryside, the road was dead flat, the pavement immaculately smooth, a 4
foot wide paved shoulder all the way, and little rest pagodas every 500 metres or so. Vendors sell fruit, drinks, and various food dishes from roadside stands, averaging 1 per kilometre. Cycling conditions could not be more perfect. The first 60km of the day were euphoric, everything was going right.

The Thai people are incredibly friendly and more than a few are intrigued by my bright, multi-coloured (personality) cycling jersey. The tuk-tuks and wats are of similar colours and contrast, so I guess I fit right in.

As the heat of the day intensified so did the pain in my back. Minor back pain I've dealt with for the past 5 years, but this is something else. Cycling doesn't really hurt it, but as soon as I walk - OUCH. By noon the temperature was at least 30C, with very high humidity, and I was stopping every 10km both to cool down and to stretch my back. I could feel the edge of nausea (a heatstroke indicator), so I dropped the pace and felt like I was inching Northwards. By the time I hit Chai Nat I felt like a cripple, barely able to walk properly until I worked my back over in the hotel room for half an hour. Even then, it still hurts to walk. A third massage, and I realize things are not getting better. The night was spent weighing my options.

Chai Nat to Chang Mai

Friday, January 14

11km / 263km total

After a long night of decision making I decided on what I consider to be the most conservative option. I cannot let my back heal up while I'm on the move, so I need to completely rest for a few days. The next place along my route that is suitable for hanging out for a few days (or more?) is Chiang Mai, so today was a bus day 450km here, to Thailand's Northern capital, nestled in mountains that are the first ripples of the Himalaya. Its a relaxed, less gaudy version of Bangkok, prices are very cheap, wat are
everywhere, and it will have to do. I'm not entirely happy about being "grounded", but then again, I AM in THAILAND, in a beautiful city, with dirt cheap prices, amazing food, and friendly people everywhere. It could be worse!

Other than the occasional news item, no evidence here of the Tsunami disaster. The North of Thailand is packed with tourists.

Price examples

1.25 litre Coke - 60 cents
full sit-down restaurant meal, with drink - $3-$5
roadside food - 30-70 cents
accommodation - $4 - $9 per night
internet - 50 cents to $1/hour

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Chang Mai

Saturday, January 15

0km / 263km total

I slid over to a better guesthouse today, they didn't have much room but are happy to let me sleep on a bed in the laundry storage room at $1.50 per night (the room is better than it sounds). The rooftop is right outside my door, which was a great place to spend the afternoon lounging on bamboo/wicker chairs in the Sun. I picked up Harrer's "Seven Years in Tibet" so that I don't go completely stir crazy. There is a pool next door in a more upscale place that I can use at $1.25 per day.

The muscle relaxants that I picked up last night seem to be helping quite a bit - I did a fair bit of walking today, at least 5k, plus carrying my bike up 4 stories, and my back is feeling a LOT better. Background ache is still there, but I'm not debilitated anymore. Tomorrow I will probably bike around to see Chiang Mai's ancient wats (so much more cooler than the newer ones) and continue to rest. If all goes well I will load up on happy pills (enough to get me through to Saigon), leave on Monday, but that may be optimistic. I've decided to take a very backcountry route North, near the Burmese border, which is the hill tribe trekking region. It may be paved all the way through, it may not, we'll see.

Chiang Mai is turning out to be a great place - very laid back, not pretentious like Bangkok's backpacker district was, and the mornings are nice and cool. An early favourite for this trip.




Chang Mai to ???

Sunday, January 16

on the road again, had a fantastic day, will write a report later. my back is hurting only about 30% of what it was.

I'm heading into real backwater area, and Laos (which is ALL backwater), so don’t be surprised or worried (mom!) if i'm not heard from for a while.




Chang Mai to Doi Chiang Dao

Sunday, January 16

81km / 344km total

I woke up late (why not - its another rest day) to do a quick spin around ancient Chiang Mai to see its wats. It felt great to be riding after 2 forced days off, and my back didn't feel to bad... so when I got back to the guest house I packed up and left town. I kept my mileage low to give my back a bit more time to rest.

The cityscape soon gave way to lush semi-tropical mountain terrain that had me climbing out of the saddle for the first time this trip. The scenery was spectacular; the road wound its way through mountain valleys and past several elephant compounds. I saw my first "danger: elephant crossing" roadsign. Overall, a very pleasant (but short) ride into the small town of Doi Chiang Dao. The back is sore, but not as bad as it has been.

Occasionally there is (what I take to be) buddhist chanting/speeches broadcast over loudspeakers, very similar to muezzin prayers from the minarets in Islamic countries. The difference though, is that I find muezzin prayers to be melodic and a pleasure to listen to... Thai is not the most... pleasant... of languages (when you don’t understand it), very staccato/abrupt sounding.

English is broadly spoken here by most people in the tourism/service industries. Some road signs are in English as well as Thai, and the significant intersections are always very well signed.

Doi ChiangDao to Chiang Rai

Monday, January 17
116km / 460km total

The day started tough, with extensive climbing through picturesque hill tribe country. The people here are very, very poor - they look as if they're making the most meager of a living. I was happy to stop and buy some food and drink from them - money directly into their pocket. Up, up, with craggy limestone peaks around me, the cool misty morning air pleasant and keeping me from overheating. Finally I crested and began a long, cold, winding descent to the plains below. The road flattened out, and now it was just a
long, hot, dusty monotonous haul to my destination. Tha Ton is just a few km from the Myanmar (Burmese) border, and occasional sandbag pillboxes and military checkpoints attest to border disputes in the area. Actually these border disputes are to my advantage - the Thai military keeps even the smallest of roads in the area paved and in immaculate shape (as if any roads in Thailand are NOT in immaculate shape). The soldiers were too busy yawning as I rode by to pay any attention, so I assume things are calm right now.

At Tha Ton I boarded a boat for a 3 hour ride through more hill tribe country. The trip was spectacularly unremarkable, but pleasant enough. The boat stopped once at a "tourist" spot, where elephants were waiting for people to take rides on... but the chains on their feet and restless attitude was enough to keep me well away from supporting that business. Finally into Chiang Rai and a nice soft bed for my weary back.

Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong (on the Mekong river, across from Laos)

Tuesday, January 18

65km / 525km total

I woke up with a slight bit of back pain - uh oh. Usually it heals overnight. I was on the road early, as usual, and the air, as usual, is foggy and choked with smoke from the seasonal undergrowth burning. I'm back on Asia highway 1, so diesel is added to the mix (yum). Still, the air was cool, so not too bad of a start.

My back kept getting worse as the day wound on, and I had to stop in between waypoint towns (i.e. in the middle of nowhere). What the hell is wrong? I lay there, incapacitated in the roadside rest pagoda, staring at my bike. It dawned on me that maybe the vibration from the beam-rear-rack is travelling up through the frame and playing havoc with my back. Very possible. After lying for an hour I refitted my load such that most of it
is in the front, underneath my aerobars, and the rear rack holds only shoes and a shirt - not nearly enough weight to vibrate it. It took me another half-hour of lying down to recover from that activity, then I pushed the last 16km into town. Too late to tell if a difference is made, but the bike as a whole feels a bit better. Overall, I've made the decision to stress less about riding, and ride in moderation.

To cover the last 60km to my destination, I took a sawngthaew - like the minibuses in the Middle East, they are pickup trucks with covered beds, with a bench down either side for people to sit on. And a roof, where I choose to ride. Given that I couldn't cycle it, it was the best way to see the countryside! Quite a rush.

Tonight I'm on the bank of the Mekong River, with Laos on the other side. I will be on the river tomorrow (for 2 days) and not be back in Thailand for about a month. Hopefully when I come back to this country it will be on 2 wheels rather than 4.


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Chiang Khong to Pakbeng, Laos (on the Mekong river)

Wednesday, January 19
0km / 525km total

My first of 2 days of boat travel down the Mekong river. The boat is an ancient riverboat style, a long, narrow, slightly-bowed boat that handles surprisingly well in the rapids and current. Tourists are packed in tightly, so there is much shifting and shuffling during the course of 6 hours per day on wooden bench seats. Not for those who need creature
comforts, very basic.



Laotians are not in a rush for anything, so it was no surprise that we left 2.5 hours late. The river itself is similar to the Nile in width, but much shallower with real danger of hitting rocks or being swamped by rapids in high flow season (not right now). Boating accidents are not uncommon. On either side of the river is dense foliage with occasional human habitation - thatched hut buildings, bamboo-fenced pens for herd animals, etc.
Occasionally the boat pulls into a village to pickup fish, drop off locals, etc - its all life on the river. A true glimpse into Lao rural life.

The first stop is at Pakbeng, a small village that completely caters to the tourist slowboat market. Midway between Huay Xai (where we started) and Luang Prabang (where we end), it's the overnight for tourists going in either direction - upriver or downriver. Now that I'm off the bike I'm meeting more Western tourists and fewer locals - I'll be travelling for a bit with a German guy (Oliver) and an Aussie girl (Lisa) - we are headed the same way (for a while) at the same pace (roughly) and are interested in more than the Beerlao - which is fantastic and cheap - 650ml for $1 CDN. As the national beer of this communist country, it is the only one available, which is not a problem.

Pakbeng to Luang Prabang

Thursday, January 20
0km / 525km total

Another day on the river, pulling into the UNESCO heritage town of Luang Prabang at day's end. A massive wave swamped many of us today, notably me, all fun and games on the river.

Luang Prabang (like most of Laos) has a strong French influence which is easily recognizable in the food and architecture. Its a pleasant town along the banks of the Mekong, although I fear that in 5-10 years tourism will render it faceless. At the moment it has a quiet, relaxed atmosphere, a bit off the tourist trail since it does take some effort to get here.

The baguettes here are fantastic and of course ridiculously cheap. The best find, however, are 50 cent mango shakes at a neighbouring guesthouse. Beerlao continues to be the mainstay, although I've sworn off it for tomorrow.

Luang Prabang

Friday, January 20
0km / 525km total

A completely lazy day. I have a double room to myself in a beautiful teak (wood) French-colonial style building near the centre of town - at $6 CDN per night. The word on the street is that Vientienne, Laos's capital and my next destination, is fairly uninspiring... so with great food, great drinks, fun town, friendly Laotians, a steadily-healing back, and fellow travellers down the hall there isn't much reason to be in a rush to move on. I climbed the hill in the centre of town with Oliver (the German) for the town-wide
view... a must-do here. Later the 3 of us ended up with Beerlao on the table... again (sigh).

Tomorrow its off to a local waterfall with the swimsuit and goggles. Maybe a massage, maybe to a Lao dance performance... we'll see.



Saturday, January 22
0km / 525km total

A phenomenal day that was completely unexpected to be. We booked a tuk-tuk and driver for the day ($12US total, split 3 ways) to take us into the mountains to a nearby waterfall (Kuang Si) where apparently there was a swimming hole. We weren't terribly excited about it, but it was something to do. Little did we know. The waterfall was a multi-tiered cascade tumbling from the high mountains, overall about 1km of rapids, falls, and
pools. The water was a light aqua blue colour - words are difficult to find to do it justice. It was what you imagine a tropical paradise to be. At the very least the most beautiful waterfall I've ever seen, by far. Not overrun with tourists, those that were there were in awe like us. We picked one particular pool at the base of a 3m fall, that had a rope to swing on into the water, and spent hours there - swinging into the water, swimming
beneath the fall, etc. Too much fun. Oliver and I carefully scouted, then jumped off, the waterfall itself (like idiots).

The trail to the falls passed a mini-zoo that had a tiger and some asian bears - all saved from poaching. Being Laos you can get VERY close to the animals - magnificent. The road to and from the waterfall passed some villages where the people were living in very poor conditions, and they weren't smiling about it. Very sad.

The backpackers/tourists in Laos are a very pleasant crowd, with the Thai-beach-and-weed crowd being filtered out. Laos is well off the tourist trail, has an expensive, short visa ($30US for 15 days), much fewer services than Thailand, no beaches - all conspiring to ensure that the people that come here are not here for purely hedonistic purposes. Speaking of tourists Americans have a VERY BAD reputation... whenever there is an incident with a loud/obnoxious tourist (often complaining about the lack of
services/hardness of seat etc) it is assumed they are American, and often enough they are. We ran into a few LOUDLY complaining in the quiet streets at midnight, that everything was closed... we just shook our heads and moved on. Its a buddhist, communist country and they just don't "get it". In our guesthouse is an American family, in between our rooms, that woke us all up at 6 am LOUDLY complaining, again, that the roosters are waking THEM up. They're paying $4 per night, for the 3 of them, and they're complaining. About the chickens. What can you do.
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Luang Prabang

Sunday, January 23
15km / 540

Another slow, relaxing day in Luang Prabang - our last. Mango shakes, pineapple shakes, etc. I took the bike out for a jaunt out to a wat, and to scout out the bus station - it felt SO good to ride, again. We checked out the museum, it was so-so. Only a little Beerlao tonight (thankfully) and an early sleep.

Luang Prabang to Vientienne

Monday, January 24
5km / 545

An early morning bike ride to the bus station for a long, arduous bus trip. They pack them in tight in Laos, there were people sitting on plastic aisle seats - for 10 hours. My back was a pillow for a Lao guy most of the way. The road was a spectacular winding mountain road that would have been a fantastic 3 day bike ride, alas. Very, very poor people live in huts perched precariously on the mountainside, lining the road. Midway through the trip, at a rest stop, a guy with an AK-47 boarded the bus, which made us
all a little nervous and thinking contingency plans along the line of "Lets Roll". Nothing happened, all good, and we arrived in Laos' capital of Vientienne before dark. The tuk-tuk driver out of the bus station (carrying Lisa and Oliver) made me strain to keep up at 50km/h on my bike, what a rush riding through Vientienne at that speed passing scooters and other tuk-tuks. Another high-ceilinged, French-colonial hotel at $5/night.

Vientienne

Tuesday, January 25
37km / 582

Today the other 2 rented bikes and the 3 of us spent much of the day riding around Vientienne seeing the sights (relatively undramatic, French architecture blah blah). Now that I'm out of the mountains the heat is back, at least 30C today. It was good to be on the bike, taking it easy, but very fun, and very little back pain - but enough to keep me from serious riding until Vietnam. Both Oliver and Lisa are dealing with sunburns and
"stomach problems" that fortunately I have managed to escape so far. We went swimming in the afternoon at an outdoor pool that had lanes (sort of) and starting blocks - too much fun for me (starting blocks!).

The food continues to be fantastic, and cheap, a great bonus to travelling in this region. Here in Laos there is a wide variety on the menu, from Thai to French to Chinese to Western - all in the same restaurant, and all good - especially the baguettes. And the shakes just keep coming - crushed ice with banana/pineapple/mango/lemon/whatever at 50 cents. I had 3 today.

Money is interesting here in Laos. The local currency (kip) is only used for small to medium purchases, normally. American dollars are what talks here (in this communist country), but not all American dollars - only crisp ones. When paying for my visa I pulled out some bills among a stash collected from Skinlicious sales - used bills, in good condition but used, and had a hard time getting the customs official to take them. Why? Black market - a crisp dollar is worth more than a manhandled one. Eventually I had to get change for 2 good twenties that I had (crisp change) and use that to pay with. I don't quite get it, and how an official agency like customs is tied to the black market, but such it is. Also, the Thai baht goes a long way here and is equally accepted as currency, plus you are always converting to your own dollar to relate to the prices. So kip/US/baht/Canadian, and the rates between, are always running through my head.

17 days down, 53 to go. Its hard to put anything in any kind of perspective, since what lies ahead is quite unknown. The unknown, the adventure, is the most captivating aspect of this style of travel for me - or travelling in general, I suppose. You sort of know the kinds of things you will be seeing/doing, but its the happenstances along the way that are truly memorable and special. I've already been through so much, even being in Bangkok seems like such a long time ago, but a fond memory. I might even stay on Khao San road (the backpackers district that originally repulsed me a bit) when I pass through again. The three of us that have been travelling together split up on Thursday, which is sad, but part of the ebb-and-flow independent travel that is not new for me. Its Australia Day Wednesday, like our Canada Day, so supposedly Lisa has some activities planned to celebrate.
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Wednesday, January 26
0km / 582

The problem with Beerlao is that it tastes great and goes down far too easily, far too innocuously. Today was Aussie Day, I'm travelling with an Aussie, its the 3 of our last day together, there was Happy Hour from 5-7pm, and prices are incredibly low to begin with. All in all a dangerous combo, but I've faced worse dilemnas. After a quiet morning, celebration was the order of the afternoon and night in Vientiane, Laos, a sleepy capital city on the banks of the Mekong River.

This e-diary is not only for my own memories but for painting as full and complete a picture of what travel (backpacker/cyclist solo travel) is truly like in SE Asia - so I'm including this story of what happened back at the guesthouse. We stumbled in, late, and I passed out in my room, door open, lights on, etc (and I was not the worse for wear among our little group!). Security in Laos is quite good, I had friends down the hall, so an unlocked (even open) door had not been that unusual. A knock stirred me from my
slumber, assuming it was Lisa or Oliver I murmured the usual "come in". Still coming to, I realized there was a Lao "bar girl" sitting on the neighbouring bed. In the span of about 10 seconds she made it crystal clear, through her decisive and quick actions, what she perceived the situation to be. Now and abruptly WIDE awake it took me about 5 minutes to get her out of my room. Like an idiot I didn't lock the door, 10 minutes later she was back, after a re-booting I double locked it all and went to sleep. The other two were HIGHLY amused at the situation.

Vientienne, Laos to Vietnam

Thursday, January 27
5km / 587

Up early (how was that possible?) for shakes. A day we'd not been looking forward to for a while now - a week+ in the company of others may not seem like a long time, but travelling time seems so rich and full that it seems ages ago that the three of us met on the Mekong River slowboat. Oliver was first, he announced at noon that it was time to go. We sadly watched his tuk-tuk pull away, around the corner - then there were two. Lisa and I had planned some swimming, tanning, and massages to "kill" the time, so for $6 US each we spent the whole afternoon at a resort-quality fitness/outdoor pool/massage facility in 30C heat. The time came, back to the guesthouse to gather our things, then off to the bus-pickup spots. We didn't know how it was going to play out, as it happened I cycled away following the tourist van (to my bus) that dropped her off.

On my own again.

The bus I had booked turned out to be a local minibus style thing, loaded with Vietnamese on their way home. Two American girls were also on the bus, a little nervous about the situation, the Vietnamese seeming a little coarser than Laotians or Thais. Happy as they were not to be the only foreigners, we "built" our spots among the luggage inside the back of the bus. Viets were sleeping on the floor, on each other, and on me. A packed packed 20 hour ride to Hue, Vietnam. The girls upheld their country's
stellar reputation by complaining about almost everything, which was very confusing given that they had done Peace Corps and traveled extensively? Another mystery. They settled down after a while, thank God, either from realizing that the Viets were not all that bad or that their opinions were not universally shared amongst the 3 of us. Either way, they are pleasant enough, although far from ideal (high high standards have been set) and now (as I write this the next day) they seem to have adapted and relaxed somewhat.

The ride was long, long, all through the night. I sat there, in the middle of the back of the bus, with the two girls asleep on the right, two Viets on the left, one's head lolling onto my shoulder, jarred off at every bump or twist in the road, my legs on top of luggage in front of me. The road twisted, turned, bumped, and bruised, aggressive passing, cornering, and braking. Most would hate it, but I love it - it is of these things that memories are made and truth is found. I had much to think about. One phase over, another beginning. Perspective, so hard to achieve when you're in the midst of it all. Well, I have a free place to stay in Berlin and Sydney. Pondering intangibles of circumstance, I drifted off to sleep.

Hue, Vietnam

Friday, January 28
30km / 617

The bus rolled on and on, all through the night. Occasionally there were stops in nondescript shanty towns for food, bathroom, and Beerlao (but not for the driver - I think...). The border crossing was insane, Viets seem to like to push and shove and demand, so I had to take a When in Rome approach to get anywhere. I got our 3 passports stamped, finally, and the bus rolled on. And on. Through the mountains, we descended to the coastal plain (South China Sea) with rice paddies in all directions. Around 1pm we were let off, 6km from the edge of Hue (our destination), about 20-30km from downtown. For me, no problem, but I wasn't alone (for now...). The touts were madness, as bad as Egypt, and they have no qualms about lying outright. Finally the girls were loaded into a local bus and I rolled off towards our appointed meeting guesthouse. I arrived before they did, which was not good news since I had watched their bus speed away down the road ahead of me, and it turned out the lies had kept coming - they had a hellish time getting into town. Touts are always at their worst when it comes to transportation, which is one of the great freedoms of bike travel. Whereas
I had nothing but smiling faces and a pleasant ride into town (Xin chao!) the girls faced chaos, bartering, lies, and stress. Totally opposite experiences for that hour. Vietnam is full of cyclists and scooters - heaven for me for riding. If my back co-operates.

We decided to split a huge suite, for $5US each, that has a BATHTUB, BALCONY, FRIDGE, HOT WATER, FLUSH TOILET, and TV. All of these items make me giddy, and in sum, we have a KICKASS spot. New currency in pocket (the dong), food in belly (quality seems good so far!), I sit here in an internet cafe with darkness outside, scooters put-putting by, bikes jingling along, content, happy, and smiling.
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Saturday, January 29

We were up fairly early to go to the Forbidden Purple City - the highlight of Hue. Much like China's Forbidden City, and surely modeled after, Hue's Forbidden City was the home and administrative centre of Vietnam's emperors for a few hundred years. Concubines, eunuchs, imperial guards, death penalties, same same, you get the picture. A good 3 hours, but the Americans bombed the hell out of it (like everything else within 300 miles) 30 years ago, so many sections are just... not there anymore.

The two girls went shopping in the afternoon, while I walked around, checking out the other backpacker's district in town (there are two), etc. Vietnam seems to be off the main SE Asia itinerary for most... like Laos it has an expensive visa and is less-easily-navigable than Thailand. The foreigner's districts here are quite small, cozy, and laid-back, which is all good. At night, we convened at the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) Bar - the DMZ itself - the former border between North and South Vietnam - is a notable site not far from here. Atmospheric, fun.

Vietnam is significantly different than Laos and Thailand. Laos felt like a poorer, backwater Thailand - food similar, culture similar, language similar, even the wats looked the same between the two countries. Vietnam, however, has a very strong "Chinese" feel to it - the architecture, the industrious nature of the people (Thais and Laotians are very laid back), the written language, etc. The food has not been as good, and prices are
generally the same, or slightly more expensive. The people on the street are very aggressive - pedicabs, scooter taxis, even restaurantuers - are all very in your face to stop in, take a ride, etc. Walking down a city block, in downtown, will average 3-6 people calling out to you for one thing or another.

Sunday, January 30

Five of us rented a boat for $6US... total... to take us up the Perfume River to a few sites. A big tomb (ack forgot the name), a big pagoda (Thien Hu), interesting enough. The Perfume River is anything but, as we saw more than a few locals confuse the river with a sanitation system.

Our guesthouse staff has been incredibly helpful with travel planning... Chinese New Year is coming up (Feb 9th onwards), making travel all the harder, but Saigon should be fantastic, when I get there at about that time, with all the celebrations. We are booked into a same same guesthouse in the next town down the coast (Hoi An), just past the big, notoriously ugly city of Da Nang, which is probably not worth a stop. My back is 90% better and has been for a few days, allowing me to walk all day, ride around town, etc
without pain, but I won't ride between towns until I'm 100% - I've learned that lesson. Being so close, but feeling too far, to being fully on the bike is particularly frustrating here in Vietnam, which is a very two-wheeled country.

It "rained" for the first time tonight on this trip. I haven't felt any precipitation at all since early January snowfall in Toronto, this is the dry season here. It wasn't really rain, though - the humidity just got so high that the fog was condensing/raining out on everyone. Speaking of which, I've heard that the wet season is as wet as the dry season is dry, so anyone thinking of coming to a country that has a monsoonal climate, check
the weather patterns twice before booking a ticket!
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Hue to Hoi An
Monday, January 31
0km / 617

A slow but scenic bus ride South from Hue, down the coast through DaNang to Hoi An. As usual the bus stopped at a "selected" roadside cafe - simply walking across the road to neighbouring cafe's cut food and drink prices by 50% (and the ire of the bus driver?). The bus climbed from sea level to 1500 feet, and down again, quite a view over the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean).

Hoi An used to be an important port, has a nice old downtown, but has completely been overrun by tourism and has lost all character - sort of like Banff/Lake Louise. The highlight here are the tailors, that can make anything you want, custom fitted, same day, for about 10-15% of what you would pay back home. Heaven for many, quite understandably, but the rows and rows of tailor shops left me glassy-eyed. Walking down the street, foreigners seem to outnumber locals - especially when you consider that many Vietnamese come here as tourists, although are less obviously recognizable
as such. All in all not quite my kind of town, as you can imagine. Aussies continue to dominate - Indonesia has fallen out of favour since the bombings, and SE Asia is by far the cheapest place for them to fly to. Fortunately they are a pleasant bunch - for the most part!

Hoi An, My Son, bus to Nha Trang

Tuesday, February 1
---> 107km <--- / 724

A happy day! I decided to test things out (read: back) and do a day trip bike ride to a relatively distant tourist site called My Son. I hadn't planned to go into the site, it just gave a purpose to a route. Loaded lightly (maybe 1/4 my total baggage), I spun easily along to DaNang, then South down Highway 1.

note added later - yes, i was riding a longer route to go to DaNang first. the main reason was road conditions - the smaller roads out of Hoi An looked dicey. as it was,
even highway 1 had a few rough spots (gravel sections).

Road signs in English were non-existent, so I had to stop many times to ask for directions. The Viets were very friendly, very curious, but not incredibly helpful (although they wished to be) - other than Highway 1 and their local village, they don't seem to know where anything else is or how to get there. I felt like I was finally in the "real" Vietnam while I was riding - no guesthouses, no buses, no other foreigners, no touts, no "Mastercard/Visa" signs, just the people doing what they do, unimpacted by tourism. Overall, I made it close to the site before my odometer told me it was time to turn around.

Traffic in Vietnam is hectic, chaotic - but I love it. The bicycles travel along at around 10-15km/h, the scooters between 25-40km/h, and the trucks/buses between 35-60km/h. At 30km/h I am well-centred and completely part of the natural flow - very safe. Overtaking/being overtaken by scooters is a gradual process, allowing for conversation sometimes. I've been challenged a couple of times by two smiling Viets on a scooter for a race - which I can't refuse, but always seem to lose (sigh). Many smiles all around, though. One of the most fun parts of Vietnam's traffic flow is when trucks/buses go by... if they're doing 45km/h or less, which is quite typical, I can jump hard on my pedals, slide into their draft zone, and fly along on a magic carpet ride. The drivers are always excited and very animated when I do this, again, good times all around.

The best news is that back at the guest house, after 4 straight hours of almost-interrupted, moderately hectic riding that left me dehydrated and very hungry - my back felt fine! Still a little tightness, still not quite 100%, but the CYCLING itself did not SEEM to impact it. My legs felt fresh, even better, I feel like I'm in great shape. Walking around town with the American girls, the smile could not be wiped off of my face. I am cautiously optimistic that I will ride out of the next town - Nha Trang.

Protein is becoming a problem - finding it. Viet food, actually SE Asian food in gneral, is very veg and rice/noodle, great for carbs but poor for protein. Which is not good for healing back/leg muscles. The meat dishes are always very scant in meat. There is no milk or cheese to speak of. Pork kebabs from street vendors appear to be about 90% visible fat. Tofu always seems to be deep fried (yuck). The best source of protein that I've found, and quite happily at that, is Tandoori chicken and/or daal masala at Indian restaurants. There are usually 1-2 indian restaurants per mid/large sized town, so more insistently than ever do I seek them out (if that's possible?), and am double-rewarded when I find them! note added later - much fish. apparently edible. unfortunately i hate fish.

I'm on a bus at 6pm for an overnighter down the coast to Nha Trang, Vietnam's premier beach paradise, my first of such towns in SE Asia. The girls are staying on a day or two, shopping shopping shopping, I may see them again, maybe not. Hopefully this is my last unplanned/forced bus ride, but we'll see.


Nha Trang

Wednesday, February 2
0km / 724

The bus arrived on time, surprisingly, and I was able to grab a guest house and slide into a tour of the bay before 9 am. Nha Trang is known as Vietnam's premier party beach destination, but I found the beach itself to be rather dull and uninspiring. The day-long tour, however was great - a snorkeling stop, a floating bar stop, a stop at a resort (beach volleyball!), and a stop at a fishing village, as well as all you can eat all day, for $5US. A fun fun way to spend the day, and I have my first sunburn of the trip. My legs and arms are golden brown, and now my torso is tomato red. All good though, it doesn't hurt. Yet.

The touts are out in full force, as expected in this place, and I've gone back to my "je ne parle anglais" response that I used in the Egypt to anything they say. It seems to be both the quickest and most polite way to get them to leave me alone - I've never had a follow up, or dirty look.

Although this town would probably be fun to linger in, I'm hitting the road tomorrow, finally fully back on the bike, inshallah. There are 450km to Saigon, if things go well it will take 3 days, but I'm certainly not counting on it. I'm very ready to escape the tourist scene for a bit and be on my own, well, just me and the Vietnamese. Don't get me wrong - meeting and hanging out with other travelers is great and an essential part of travelling, in my mind, and backpacker travel is a fantastic way to go. But for me it gradually gets to feel like a plastic and artificial way to see a country - hopping from tourist destination to tourist destination, with a bus window whirrr of the landscape and people in-between (that is, if you're not sleeping). I feel I've been tainted by the experiences I've been fortunate enough to have, in that if I can't feel the wind in my face, the ripples of the landscape, the smell of the air, the distances in-between, and the thrill of not knowing what the next 15 minutes will hold, it doesn't quite feel like the real thing. Which is quite a handicap, when you think about it.

I've made many adjustments to take as much pressure off my back as possible - seat moved down and back, I ride very upright, I focus on locking my hips and not rotating them with pedal strokes, 90% of my luggage is up front under the handle bars, and my back wheel is slightly under pressured. Nothing more I can think of to do. I'll be on the road before sunrise to avoid the stifling afternoon heat and humidity, so off to bed I go.
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Nha Trang to Phan Thiet

February 3, 2005
258km / 982

I'm not sure how to express what today has meant to me, so I will just start at the beginning.

I rode out of the guesthouse in downtown Nha Trang a little later than I had wanted to, but still quite early. I was nervous from the get-go, this being my first fully-loaded ride in weeks, and I was hoping my back would hold up. The city traffic was busy, at times I felt like I was riding in a peloton, shoulder-to-shoulder with scooters, around roundabouts, etc. It was before 7 a.m. and already the temperature had me unzipping the front of my cycling jersey - not a good sign for the day ahead.

The city soon gave way to lush, cultivated fields, palm trees, etc. The road was flat, smoothly paved, with a nice paved shoulder, so I was happy. I was carefully controlling my speed, cadence, and posture - constantly thinking about my back. Many scooters would ride beside me for a km or so, chatting, smiling, thumbs up, all good, very positive, very friendly. A great way to start the day.

Around 10 a.m. the monsoonal wind started to rise, behind me, and the temperature was at least 30C. Vietnam's two monsoon periods dictate wind patterns - this season (dry) its from the NE, which is the only reason I'm riding SE Asia clockwise. The lush fields gave way to a desert, cacti and all, with barren mountain ridges rising out of the sandy plains on both sides of me. The asphalt steamed, but my back was ok, I was going 37km/h, so I couldn't complain. The road meandered, turning tailwind to headwind and back again, and soon enough I emerged onto the coast. An amazing sight - the road hugging the coast, the South China Sea on my left, barren rocky ridges immediately on my right. And still things were all good.

Around 1 p.m. I hit the best-case destination for the day, at around 150km, and found prices to be far too expensive ($15 US+!) at the hotels. Sure, they were seaside resorts, but come on now. I was feeling fantastic, although hadn't eaten much, not a peep from my back, the wind was still tail-ish, so I decided to move on.

The heat continued to be punishing and I had to ride shirtless for a while - sort of taboo here, but I had seen Viet men riding scooters down sideroads shirtless, so it can't be all THAT frowned upon. Drinks were easy to find, but cold drinks near impossible. The only way to get a cold drink was to get the little shack owner to chop up some ice for me, which they gladly did. I may pay for it later, but I wouldn't have survived the heat today without it.

90km out from Phan Thiet - the largest town in the area, I decided to go for it, barring any back twinges. I was feeling awesome, legs fresh, just low on food. A big town meant more choice of food and accommodation, and I felt there was 90km in me. I just rode. 40km out from town I hit the "wall" - nausea, fatigue from exhausting the body of available carbohydrates. 200km+ on a baguette with egg will do that to you. I religiously fell back on the one drink that for me always solves everything - the Nectar of the Gods, surely - Coca-Cola, and it carried me through.

30km from town, now well over the 200km mark, I had my first of three run-ins with scooter thieves. Violent crime in Vietnam is EXTREMELY rare, but theft is EXTREMELY common, and scooter thieves are notorious in Saigon, ahead. As I was riding along, a scooter pulled up beside me, nothing unusual, "Hello" I said - nothing. "Xin chao" - nothing (very rude in SE Asia to break any social protocol - including responding to Hello in either English or Vietnamese!). No smiles, the two men didn't look at me, just the items on my bike. All VERY different than the 50ish scooters that had ridden with me today, who were absorbed with my presence, not possessions. They dropped behind me, to my left, chatting quietly, looking at my rear rack (empty save for shoes, shirt, etc - all my goodies are well buried under my aerobars up front). They hung there for a while, chatting quietly, then moved to my rear-right, checking out that angle. I knew that something was up, for sure, at this point (thanks Lonely Planet!). I was completely
unintimidated from a personal safety point of view - far too many other people on the road for anything serious to happen, aside from the fact, again, that violent incidents being unheard of here. But I didn't like it. I lay off the pedals, with them behind me, 30km/h, 20km/h, 10km/h, they slowed appropriately. Right. I jumped on the pedals, taking off, all fatigue temporarily forgotten, and they didn't follow - but pulled into a driveway where ANOTHER scooter came out, playing the exact same game. Sigh. These two were much younger, smaller, and noticably nervous... I turned to wave them through, looking them directly in the eyes... and they left.

15km from town another guy played the same game, but now I knew what to do. I slowed down (so did he), jumped back up to 30 (so did he), then in one motion moved 2 feet over to the right and hit both brakes, slingshotting him past me. Hah! I caught up to him, and started shadowing him. Two can play that game, sucker. He sped off, excitement over.

The last 10km into town were glorious, for countless reasons, and as I sit here now there is absolutely no back pain at all. My shoulders are sore, legs are empty but fine, I have some small sunburn patches, hands are cramping, and until just now was still nauseous. Today's ride was one of the hardest of my life, 4th longest but by far the longest carrying 30lbs of gear. I can look forward to riding for the rest of the trip, when only 2 weeks ago I had nightmares about never being able to do serious cycling again. How quickly things can turn around, and how good life is.

Phan Thiet to Dau Giay, Vietnam

Friday, February 4
128km / 1110

At 6 a.m. I gingerly rolled out onto the road, fully expecting to be sore in many places - nothing. Not even saddle-soreness, which is more a testament to the smoothness of Highway 1 than anything else. My legs felt hollow, though, there was no way to completely replenish myself last night from yesterday's silliness. No worries, I knew I wouldn't make the 190km to Saigon, I would just turn the pedals over and see where I ended up.

I had breakfast at one of the innumerable roadside cafes - baguette with a bit of tofu and sausage (i think). I ate in the company of 6 Vietnamese guys, none of whom spoke better English than my Vietnamese, so it was sign language all around. Camera, sunglasses, ah they look good on you, no you can't keep.

The road pushed inland from the coast, into a dry, low-lying agricultural district. The pace of everything noticeably increased as the kilometre markers to Saigon ticked down. People drove faster, fewer "hello's", and the towns got larger and more gritty. The heat shot up, worse than yesterday, and with no ocean breeze for respite I really began to suffer. After 10 a.m. I was reduced to riding 15-20 km, then stopping for a half-hour drink. I'm now stopping at gas stations, which have become larger and better equipped, most importantly with refridgerated drinks - no more Russian Roulette with ice cubes.

By noon I had to admit that I was played out for the day - the heat had done me in. Now well off the tourist trail my guidebook was useless, and I had to learn some more Vietnamese to be able to identify the hotels amongst the other buildings along the road. Thankfully the French (did I just say that?) forced the Vietnamese to use Roman/Latin characters instead of Chinese-style script when they ran the country, making it far easier for me to translate words on signs. After checking in, I spent the rest of the day cooling off in front of the fan, eat, drink, and repeat.

Saigon

Saturday, February 5
64km / 1174

The air was deliciously cool this morning, maybe 18C when I started riding. Immediately I was into suburbia, more of an industrial wasteland than anything else. Saigon is the industrial and economic heartbeat of Vietnam, so I had been expecting this. The air became thick with smog giving me nasty flashbacks of Bangkok - please not again. The road undulated, with long gentle climbs and descents, and the traffic thickened, scooters, diesel-belching trucks, along with the random push cart. Traffic circles were a maelstrom - I have found that the safest way through these things is to ride on the traffic-leeward side of a large vehicle. Everybody was all business, most people probably on their way to work in downtown. With such a short ride, I let myself fly along, at times the fastest vehicle, riding down the middle of the road, passing scooters 3-deep to my right. It was quite a rush, something had to be amidst the dirty urban industrial blight around me.

On the outskirts of Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh city - but anyone not in the Party still calls it Saigon) proper everything abruptly changed. Still on Highway 1, the road was divided with parkland grass on both sides and down the middle. Grass! The air cleared, trees sprung up, the buildings receded from the roadside, and the trucks disappeared. The 2 wheel - to 4 wheel vehicle ratio was, quite literally, about 20 to 1, the hapless bus/car/truck drivers mired in scooters darting to-and-fro around them. Moving closer to downtown, the streets remained wide, well-laid out, and a pleasure to ride. I was stunned - having gritted my teeth in preparation for the dense choking sprawl of Bangkok, to emerge into Parisienne Saigon. It took me a few blocks of riding past gardens and columnated buildings to collect myself. Walking around downtown later, it contributed food for thought towards the unsolvable question as to whether colonialization is a good thing (Saigon) as opposed to a bad thing (Thailand never was - and it shows in Bangkok).

The afternoon was spent, basically, hiding from the heat. I have a few administrative things to do here (Cambodian visa, meet with Skinlicious supplier), plus a number of museums and pagodas I'd like to see, but I'm in no rush for today. I found a small grocery store that sold cheddar cheese (from Ireland!), so, after the mandatory Indian food, it was cheese and baguette all day.
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Sunday, February 6
0km / 1174

I walked through downtown Saigon's parks and sports facilities this morning, very beautiful. The city is gearing up for Tet, Vietnamese New Year (essentially the same as Chinese New Year), which starts on Wednesday. The parks, which are extensive, are filled with flowers and plants in all kinds of designs, including the hammer and sickle. I'm not sure if the flowers are for Tet or not, regardless, something you would not expect to see in the heart of a third world city during the dry season.

My destination was the War Remnants Museum, until recently known as the Museum of American and Chinese War Crimes. The displays were mostly pictures, the vast majority taken by Americans and Western journalists, and also captioned by them. The fact that it was American voices speaking with contempt about American involvement and behaviour in the war helped to give the illusion of an unbiased presentation - far more effective than any "imperialist pig" propaganda that one usually associates with Communist countries. Noticeable, however, was the lack of mention of Viet Cong atrocities, who certainly terrorized, tortured, beheaded, and otherwise murdered civilians just as the Americans did. A large wing was devoted to the witches brew of chemicals that the Americans dropped on Vietnam, and their long-lasting effects on the civilian population. Some of these chemicals take years and years to take effect - i.e. cause cancer, birth defects, etc - and I was left wondering what is the military gain in this type of attack? What logic comes with the placement of such weapons that only have long-term insidious health effects, that will not affect a guerilla army on the ground, into the belly of a B-52 bomber?

Being in SE Asia for a month, travelling through on the ground and meeting it's people, eating their food with them, facing their heat and wind and dust, makes the Vietnam War so much more tangible. As opposed to some sort of shadowy country-on-the-other-side-of-the-world that only evokes images of Hollywood actors stuffed into 1970's GI uniforms, being here makes Vietnam a real place with real people with real lives. Seeing pictures of Americans parading severed Viet heads for the camera, torturing VC for information, gunning down entire villages (My Lai) to the caption of "that child in the bottom left was trying to run from us, but Johnny got her" - it became too much for me. Yes, the VC did the same thing, but they don't swagger around the world claiming to be all that is good and holy and God Bless America. Of course when a few Americans are beheaded in Iraq, only 30 years later, by people that believe they are defending their faith and country, the Americans react with disgust, horror, hypocrisy and short-term memory. The power of ignorance.

The rest of the day was spent recovering from the War Remnants Museum, which took some time, and Indian food. Saigon transforms at night, and not in a good way. The middle-aged balding white men come out, as do the teen-something Vietnamese girls, and all are happy(?). As opposed to the rest of Vietnam there is a noticeably high male/female Westerner ratio here, and its only for one reason. I found sanctity from the glitter, noise, and hustle with Alex Garland's "The Beach", and the quietness of my hotel room.

Monday, February 7
0 km

The main reason I'm here, now, is that I'm trying to meet up with one of Skinlicious's suppliers, who is based here in Saigon. I have a phone number and email address, but haven't had any luck yet... "The Beach" is finished and I guess I'll grab another book. Other than a foray to Little India its been a very quiet day - I am itching to get back on the road and into Cambodia.

Tuesday, February 8
57km / 1231

Its been 1 month since I left home! I haven't been sick (other than my back problems), have some small bits of peeling from sunburn, have maybe lost 10 pounds (?), and am looking forward to the next month and a half!

In furthering my hunt for Skinlicious's organza bag supplier (our contact has mysteriously disappeared and not responded to my emails for 9 days now), I decided to track down the address to the factory, and ride out there. Just to see, to stretch out my legs, and for something to do. The address was well off any map I could get my hands on, and I spun out of downtown with a handwritten note in Vietnamese from the helpful guesthouse people, to show to locals along the way.

The traffic today was the most insane I've ever ridden in, anywhere in the world - with very few streetlights, people relied on nudging their vehicles across intersections, against traffic, whatever they think will work to get into the "flow" of where they're trying to get to. In theory, there is a lane for people going in each direction, in theory. And there sort of is, until broken by someone coming straight at you, maybe slightly to your right or left, but not far enough such that you both don't have to swerve. Then there's the carts loaded with vegetables, ducks, etc being pushed across the road, causing chaos, and since no one wants to slow down oncoming traffic spills into your "lane". All the time you are shoulder-to-shoulder with scooters, each with their own agenda and very few seeming to want to go in a straight line. Thank God I was the most agile thing out there - most scooters have 2 people on them and don’t brake or turn very quickly. An accident wouldn't be TOO bad, as no one can possibly get over 30km/h, no matter how anxious they are, how big their vehicle, or how hard they toot their horn.

I navigated using my shadow for a while, since I knew the compass direction my destination was in, but after 20km it was all sign language with the locals. Inevitably I got contradictory directions, and rode the same stretches a few times over. Miraculously, down some nondescript road lined with cow fields and rice paddies, I pulled up in front of a factory with the right name on it. Of course the gate was locked, but I banged for a while and got the attention of two people inside. They spoke ZERO English, gave me a blank stare when I showed them our contact's name and phone number, so that was it. Back to town.

Well, who knows how much longer I would have to wait for this person to appear, so I'm off to Cambodia tomorrow. The border is only 70km away, but I don't have my visa yet, so the crossing may take some time. However, my alarm is set for 4 a.m. so I sould hit the border as it opens. Saigon streets are well-lit at night, and judging by today's traffic I am probably safer on a well-lit, empty street at night than the same maelstromic street
during the day. Border crossings on a bike are always fun, and special, pedaling from one country into another. I'll pack my "civvies" in an accessible place to change into quickly so that the customs people don't have to suffer with a sweaty lycra-clad foreigner dripping in front of them. Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, is about 240km away from Saigon... if tomorrow is exceptional (I'm not counting on it) I might make it. The heat will likely stop me from any such foolishness. I've heard nasty, NASTY rumours of 38C in Cambodia...

Later addition -April is the hottest month. The "summer" is the wet monsoon season - so not as hot, very wet. Its all monsoonal here, which overrides sun position, apparently.
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Saigon to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Wednesday, February 9, 2005
66km / 1297

I woke early, as planned, and was on the road in downtown Saigon around 4:30 a.m. The roads were cool and quiet, the odd scooter going by bearing late-night revelers from New Years. All were very friendly and many rode with me a few intersections, laughing, thumbs up, Happy New Years. I followed the main, lit road out of town, riding along silently in the semi-darkness, my shadow rotating around me as I was passed along from streetlight to streetlight. The lights ended just as dawn broke, all good, well-timed.

50km in I noticed a wobble in my rear wheel. I figured that I had broke a spoke, nothing to get too excited about, happened many times, and I was carrying 3 spares. The wobble quickly got worse, so I pulled over for a look. TWO broken spokes, side-by-side. NOT good. As I rolled softly towards a cafe to deal with the situation, BANG, a third spoke went, my God, my wheel is disintegrating underneath me. I pulled in, causing much excitement, and changed to my regular clothes, knowing this would be a long stop. I was only 6km from the Cambodian border.

As I went to work a large group of onlookers gathered around. Off went the tire, tube... oh no. The spokes had all broken on the same side of the hub as my cassette (the set of 8 gears on the rear wheel). To change the spokes, I would have to remove the cassette. A cassette-removing tool is a specialized gizmo that is not standard issue for touring cyclists - in 17 years of cycling I certainly have never owned or needed one of my own.
Until. Now.

I looked around in frustration, stuck. The locals had other ideas, though, and ran off with my wheel, with signed-languaged assurance that all would be ok. I sat, drank, spoke a bit of French with an elderly Vietnamese man, and waited. Soon enough a 3rd party on a scooter came roaring back, with the wheel in the same useless condition as before, sorry, they couldn't do it. Not a surprise, as I wasn't expecting a cassette-removing tool to exist in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

Options: back to Saigon, on to Phnom Penh, by bus either way. I'm not good at the going-back thing, so I packed up and started walking my bike the 6km down the road towards the border. Soon enough a scooter pulled up with 2 enthusiastic Vietnamese boys, wanting to help. I rode along with them, 2 of us holding my bike out to the side, the third driving. As I stepped off the scooter, my leg brushed against the tailpipe, which happened to be razor hot. I was burned. I didn't know how badly (that would take time), but I rubbed some medicated lip balm onto the wound - the burn was(is) about the size of a large tangerine, not small! I went through customs, rubbing some Polysporin into the burn while I waited at the various checkpoints. The burn didn't really hurt much, but was bubbling up and turning purple quite fast. There was no peeling skin or anything, so I assumed it wasn't anything to get worked up about - as if in the location I was in, that anything could be done anyway.

Eventually I was on a bus, speeding along the very same road I was to have ridden. Flatter than the prairies, very poor, rural Cambodia is much like rural Thailand - wats everywhere, little rest pagodas, but much poorer. I was feeling more than a little gloomy, and the poorer things looked out the window, the more concerned I became about the possibility of getting my wheel fixed, at all - until Bangkok. The horror. As we drove into Phnom Penh, the capital, everything changed - fast food restaurants, big banks, spotless gas stations, grocery stores, many Western trappings. A terrible contrast. After a long afternoon search I finally found a guy who was able to fix my wheel. He worked on the damn thing for about 2 hours, including an extensive truing which included (for free) whacking the rim with a large piece of wood. When he was done, all was perfect, and I gave him $6 after he asked for $3.

Now to my leg. A massive blister had been developing, as large as two twoonies, quite spectacular to behold. I found some gauze and went back to my guesthouse for a little self-surgery. SPLAT. I drained the fluid, and many wads of toilet paper later the skin was flush against the rest of my leg again. I rubbed in Polysporin, gauzed it up, and taped it to my bare (shaved! Yet another good reason to shave) leg. I'll probably be repeating this procedure for about a week (sigh). In the end, unbelievably, my bike and I are all in one piece again, and I will resume "normal life" and explore Phnom Penh tomorrow (Killing Fields, etc).
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Thursday, February 10, 2005
28km / 1325

I awoke pleasantly late on a day that was scheduled to be relaxing. First thing, I checked my burn. It seems to be on the healing phase already, and patches of fresh new white skin are poking through where night movements had pulled the burned skin aside. I slathered on the Polysporin, wrapped up my leg with gauze, and began the day.

I hopped on my bike and spun off to the Tuol Sueng (sp?) genocide museum in the centre of town. The museum is on the grounds of the prison used by the Khmer Rouge to detain, interrogate, and torture Enemies Of The Revolution before sending them off to the Killing Fields (just outside town). There were no happy, laughing faces among the tourists here. The Khmer Rouge were efficient note-takers; every prisoner that went through the prison had their picture taken, and now every single of those pictures is part of the display (among everything else that comes with a torture facility).

I had a hard time deciding whether to ride to the Killing Fields themselves, afterwards - my quota in the department of Things-To-Remind-You-How-Evil-Humans-Can-Be is filled for the next 10 years. The past 4 days I've been inundated with Vietnamese, Viet Cong, Chinese, American, and now Khmer Rouge atrocities. Its been somewhat overwhelming, but I decided that the bike ride would do me good (does it ever not?). As I
rode towards the Fields, the road deteriorated in a hurry, and I was soon on an incredibly coarse rocky road. This was NOT good for my wheels, rims, and spokes - after a few km I decided to turn around - I could do without seeing the Killing Fields, but couldn't do without a rideable bike.

I spent the afternoon lazing in the guesthouse, which is one of the nicest I've ever seen (only $2US/day!). A massive thatched bamboo lounging area extends into the river, on stilts - free pool, free movies (movies that aren't out yet on video at home, and that occasionally you see the silhouette of someone getting up to go to the bathroom - in the movie theatre where it was shot). There is a bar that serves almost any kind of food or drink - cheap and remarkably good. The Khmer are as friendly and helpful as everyone else in SE Asia. There are a few monkeys hanging around, as well as a friendly cat. There are even some other Torontonians here! The scene is quite Utopian.

I loaded up on gauze, medical tape, and found some large sterile pads that perfectly fit my burn. The bike ride today showed me that riding doesn't seem to impact my burn, or the taping/gauzing of it - although I will have to be careful not to let sweat run down my leg. I ride in the morning; in 2 days I should be in Siem Reap/Angkor Wat - 310km away.
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Phnom Penh to Kompong Thom, Cambodia
Friday, February 11, 2005
167km / 1492

Overall, a day unusual in its relative normalcy and lack of surprises. As usual, on the road early, pushing hard to cover good mileage before the Sun dominated life. The first 4 hours were relatively cool (i.e. sub-30C) and at times the road was shaded on both sides by trees. Very nice, and by 10:00 a.m. I had covered 90km and had had a decent meal. Many Khmer rode beside me on scooters, chatting, curious, the usual here in SE Asia, all smiles. The Khmer people have much Indian blood in them, and it shows - many look 100% Indian - it seems unusual when the peoples on all 3 sides of Cambodia are very Oriental in appearance.

The wind rose, as it does around 10:00 a.m., and this time it was in my face - I was riding North into the same Northeast monsoon wind that had helped me riding Southwards along the coast of Vietnam. The heat sprung up as my shadow disappeared beneath me, Sun very high in the sky. I buckled down for a tough ride.

The road was straight and flat for long, long stretches, the Sun baking the asphalt. The dusty wind didn't seem to help cool me down, as the telltale signs of heatstroke started knocking on the door. It became quite hellish. I developed the 15km rule - after every stop for shade and drinks and ice, I had to ride at least 15km before stopping again. It was a tough, tough ride. At 3 p.m. I limped into Kompong Thom, grabbed a room, went for dinner twice, etc etc. I had made my destination for the day, just over halfway to
Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), but had really been beaten up doing it.



Kompong Thom to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia

Saturday, February 12, 2005
152km / 1644

Up even earlier this morning, in fear of the heat. My burn continues to heal, slowly, turning scab-like which I consider to be good in its familiarity. I hit the road at exactly the right time, JUST as I could see everything around me, with a faint light in the sky to the east. It was 5:40 a.m.

My legs felt empty, as I started out. Food last night wasn't great, and I was sort of expecting this. Riding through the heat also seems to take its own toll, above and beyond the effort of covering the mileage. I consoled myself in the fact that I had less distance to cover today than yesterday, and had started a bit earlier, and eventually my legs found their rhythm. I then pushed with great urgency, leaning down and frward on my bullhorns, occasionally time-trialing along on my aerobars, aggressively turning the
pedals over. I had to get as far as I could before the heat hit, damn the consequences.

After about 70km I forced myself to pull over to eat - I hadn't eaten yet at all. Food places along this stretch were scarce, and looked marginal at best. The place I pulled into seemed slightly less dingy than the rest, but I have suffered through worse - or so I thought. A dog (cleverly) casually maneuvered under my chair and lay down to sleep. When the food came, I was horrified. The meat was like some sort of horror-movie beef jerky left over from the 1970's, and the steamed rice - normally pure white, right?... had
little flecks of... stuff. There was no way I was touching that meat, so the dog got a great meal, and I poked through the rice, ending up with maybe 5 forkfuls, before I got the hell out of there.

Pushing along the road, I realized that this might be another hitting-the-wall day, which is not entirely pleasant. There was simply nowhere to eat, other than very dirty-looking "restaurants" that I could not trust and looked same same as the place I had just stopped - those who've traveled with me know that my limits are quite low to begin with, and can
only imagine the type of place that I would refuse to eat at. There was lots to drink but sugar and caffeine can only take you so far. The Sun was out in full force, although thankfully I had a tailwind (now riding predominantly Westwards). It was back to the 15km rule. Finally, I came across a roadside fruit market, devoured 4 warm tangerines, and moved on.

30km from Siem Reap, I was melting. You start playing mind games with yourself at times like this, doing math concerning pace/distance that only holds true back home on a moderate day under normal conditions. A tuk-tuk slowly passed me, and I jumped on the pedals (how?) to get a draft, a respite. In the tuk-tuk was an American and a Canadian, and we had a 10km-long chat at 40km/h. The tuk-tuk turned off to go to some damn temple and I was left alone with the Sun, asphalt, heat, only 13km from town. I pulled into my umpteenth drink stop, head in my hands, exhausted and overheated, never had 13km of cycling along a dead flat road seemed so insurmountable.

Made it - shower - fan - change dressing on burn - tandoori chicken - lemon juice with plenty of ice - getting ready for dinner #2. Siem Reap is a mega-tourist town, so the food is plentiful, if not cheap. Tomorrow is Angkor Wat day, the cultural highlight of my SE Asia trip. Angkor Wat sits a few km out of town, plenty of tourists rent bicycles to see it, so I'm in good stead. Most people say you need more than a day to see it, the "distances are so big - 30-40km, plus some walking"... I have a feeling I'll be able to tough out that kind of mileage in one day. And I'll be there at 6 a.m. Its $20US to get into the site, for 1 day - as much as a month-long Cambodian visa! From everything I've heard from other travelers, its more than worth it.
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Siem Reap to Poipet, Cambodia

Sunday, February 13, 2005
67km / 1711

Angkor Wat. The most impressive thing about Angkor is not it's beauty (kind of ugly, really) or age (less than 1000 years old), but it's size. Angkor is a collection of many wats, Angkor Wat being the biggest and most famous of them all. I was there at 6 a.m., along with about 3000 other people, most of them with cameras waiting for the Sun to rise behind the famous silhouette of Angkor Wat itself. I have never seen such a dense collection of tripods in my life. I wasn't as interested in the photographic aspect, so barreled into the main complex and was shockingly alone, clambering up and down stairs, through passageways, down corridors. I was on my way out of Angkor Wat when the Sun came up, yes quite beautiful.

I spent the morning casually riding through the rest of the greater Angkor complex, checking out various other Wats. My favourite was Ta Prohm, a wat that had been left more or less to the jungle, quite broken down, but still recognizable in its form. Passageways had dead ends, there were danger signs, easy to get lost, lots of fun.

Back to Siem Reap for food, then I was out of there, on my way towards the Thai border. The road ahead was notoriously bad, and numerous cyclists I had met had warned me that I would never make it through on my road bike tires. So, I rode 20km out of town, then waited for a pickup truck/taxi to come along. I didn't have to wait long, and soon enough I was hanging off the back corner, my bike strapped to the tailgate, amongst 15 other people in various locations on the bed and railing. The road deteriorated into a nightmarish, dusty, potholed dirt road that knocked me around and had my arms straining to keep me on the truck. The heat again was out in full force, and dust devils were everywhere. Whenever a large vehicle passed a thick cloud of orange dust enveloped everyone and everything, it was quite nasty. The going was long, slow, exhausting, and chaotic - by the time I got to my destination at sunset, Poipet, I was done. Completely covered in orange dust, I spent at least an hour showering and cleaning much of my gear, including my bike. Finally, sort of clean and relaxed, I strolled into town looking for food.

Poipet is a border town, with Thailand only 1km away. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, so the very Eastern end of this typically poor, 3rd-world town is a Las-Vegas style casino strip, complete with duty free and pawn shops. Just like Las Vegas, there were buffets (as I suspected!), and I launched into one with a vengeance ($4.50 CDN including drinks). The whole scene was wonderful in its air-conditioning, glitter, and doors that open for you, but terrible in it's contrast to the people living metres away. The Thais love
baccarat, there was no blackjack anywhere, a little bit of poker, some roulette, and some slot machines with unrecognizable gaming rules.
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Kabin Buri, Thailand
Monday, February 14
108km / 1819

Back past the casinos, this time on my bike. The border crossing went relatively smoothly, as border crossings go, probably having something to do with no money changing hands (resulting in lackadaisical border staff). Unfortunately I had lost valuable morning riding hours - the border only opened at 7 a.m., and I was into Thailand just before 8. I must confess that I rode down the wrong side of the road a few times, and took one particularly bad turn into oncoming traffic - but have now settled into riding on the left side of the road again.

A headwind rose immediately, straight into my face from the West, and not weak. Already struggling with the temperature, I knew this was going to be a "worst-case" day. I have a rule for myself - no matter how bad the weather conditions, on a full cycling day I must ride at least 100km - so this is what I set my sights on. My left side was (and still is) bruised from the pickup truck ride from Hell, but wasn't impacting my ability to turn over the pedals. I rode much of the way buried behind my aerobars, trying to hide from the wind, but it still found most of me. It was a slow, hot ride through flat agricultural land. The Thais were as friendly as always, lots of thumbs up, but I wasn't feeling the happiness, my teeth gritting as I nudged myself forward into the wind.

80km along I rolled over one of countless bumps, and pssssssh, my rear wheel flatted. Nothing unusual, and not a problem. 2 seconds later, before I had rolled to a stop, BANG, a spoke blew. Big problem. I settled into a bit of shade, changed the tire, and did some counter-spoke tightening (playing with the tightness of spokes adjacent to the blown one, to diffuse the load and try to straighten the wheel a bit). I actually made some impact, much to my surprise, and thought that maybe there's an outside chance that I will not lose more spokes before I get to Bangkok. What I REALLY didn't want to happen is to have to take ANOTHER bus.

The best thing about cycling in Thailand, as opposed to Laos/Vietnam/Cambodia, is the 7-11s. 7-11 has invaded Thailand in a big way and every town of reputable size has a 7-11 in the middle. 7-11s aren't much for food, but for drinks they are spectacular - anything you could want, and slurpees. There is nothing better than a slurpee when you are overheated and its 30C in the shade. Particularly a Mixed Fruit slurpee with Gatorade (or orange juice, etc) poured into it and stirred. I spend much cycling time thinking of what flavour combinations I'll try at the next 7-11. Heaven.

Kabin Buri was a completely non-descript town at the intersection of two major roads, but it had a cheap hotel, a 7-11, a market, and it was the requisite >100km from where I started. Dinner was a couple of Grahammade ham sandwiches with green onion & tomato from the market. Plus 9 pork kebabs. Yum.

Khao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand

Tuesday, February 15
175km / 1994

I didn't think I was going to make it to Bangkok today. I started early, but slow, and it took a long time for my legs to get going.

The day was uneventful, I just basically kept pedalling and rarely stopped. The wind was neutral, switching around a bit. The heat was actually not crushing today, first day in a while that I can say that - I think it was due to the predominantly strong crosswind. I mean, it was still 30C, but not crazy hot like I've been dealing with. The key to distance on the bike (as I see it - and this is MY journal!) is not really how fast you go, but having as little stoppage time as possible. Its all about a comfortable bike seat, great cycling shorts, and carefully monitoring all pieces of the puzzle (back, hands, fluid intake, temperature, bike, etc). A little bit of masochism and obsessive-compulsiveness helps, too.

My rear wheel held, and so it was around 1pm that I was moving through Bangkok's suburbs, and around 2pm I saw a sight that I hadn't seen in over a month - I saw something that I had seen before. The Democracy Monument, and its neighbouring wats - part of the first long walk that I took through Bangkok all that time ago. The large loop through mainland SE Asia had closed, and I passed along roads that were familiar, to a guesthouse that was familiar, to staff that remembered the guy with the bicycle. Phase I done.

I haven't had a day off the bike since Saigon, and I'm starting to feel a general, overall fatigue. I attribute it as much or more to the heat than the mileage. I have a few days rest now, however, and will be fired up to leave (by Thursday or Friday). I've decided to ask the guys at the bike store to completely rebuild my rear wheel - to replace all the spokes with new ones. Spokes are always cheap, and labour is cheap in Asia, so why not. Hopefully they're not too busy, and can do it same day, or next. I'm too exhausted to head over there now, so will drop by the store ("Probike") tomorrow at opening (10 a.m.). I have various other minor things to get done (batteries, handlebar tape, etc etc), Bangkok has everything, cheap cheap and of somewhat decent quality, so its a good place to restock and refurbish.

The next Phase of my trip is riding from Bangkok through Southern Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore. I haven't decided on my exact route yet, only that I will take the East coast of Thailand from Bangkok at least as far as Ko Pha Ngan, an island paradise. I will likely avoid the tsunami-affected areas of Thailand, although depending on what you read it seems this is the best time to go to those areas - in Thailand much has been rebuilt, and locals there really need the tourist $$ influx. For those worried about disease, bodies, etc - don't confuse Thailand with the really hard-hit countries like Indonesia and Sri Lanka - 2 different worlds to begin with (Thailand is worlds ahead of those countries in terms of medical training and Western investment), and Thailand was barely scratched compared to those places. I have a bit of research to do - but plenty of time. I also have a few friends from Toronto coming to travel with me for a bit - my friend Leanne will be here (Bangkok) tomorrow night, and my friend Kenton will meet up with me/us on Ko Pha Ngan. Neither are cycling, so it will be here-and-there meetings, which is probably for the best for them - I don't want to overburden them with my incessant ramblings about cycling through SE Asia!
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Bangkok, Thailand
Wednesday, February 16
0km / 1994

First and foremost I went to the bike shop today, a little slice of paradise. My rear wheel will be rebuilt with 23 brand new spokes for tomorrow, so I will likely be leaving Bangkok in Friday's wee morning hours. I hung out in Lumphini Park again, trying desperately to even out my cycling tan, then saw a few movies. Theatres in Bangkok are first-rate and massive, on par with or better than the best at home, and movies are only 4.50 CDN. Reclining, huge seats, great sound, a curved screen, and of course the King of Thailand's anthem that everyone solemnly stands and observes before the movie. I saw the current "big" kung fu movie, which was quite good, and Finding Neverland (wow). Then back to the guest house. A much-needed relaxing day.

My next big destination is Chumphon, 450km down the coast. Should be a 3-day ride. From Chumphon I will catch a few ferries to take me to Ko Pha Ngan, an island in the Pacific that is reputedly one of the best backpacker hangouts in the world. On Feb 23 is the next Full Moon Party on Ko Pha Ngan, an all-night beach party occurring every Full Moon (duh) that is the largest of its kind in the world. Something to experience, for sure... although since I'm not into drugs (illegal ones) I won't be getting the "full-on Full Moon experience" that most of the revelers will. On a side note the Full Moon Party has turned into a major cash cow for local police, who hand out stiff fines for possession, and work in tandem with local dealers to set up busts of foreigners. Kind of funny, so Thailand.

The Khao San district of Bangkok (the penultimate backpackers district) is very different to my eyes the second time around. Its tacky and commercialized for sure, but compared to Saigon and Phnom Penh (and even the smaller towns in Vietnam and Cambodia) I am hassled FAR less "you want some marijuana mista? how about pretty girl, boom-boom?". Saigon was particularly bad for this - I couldn't go anywhere without hawkers zooming in on me, following, etc. As a single guy walking around taking in the sights and sounds I am the perfect demographic for these types of questions, so I get it pretty bad and insistently. I was getting pretty fed up with it in Cambodia, and now in Thailand, even on Khao San, there is a sense of relief as I only get asked these types of questions maybe once per 10 blocks walking.

Thursday, February 17, 2005
0km / 1994

Today was spent travelling around downtown Bangkok finishing up various errands, including going back to the bike store to pick up a beautiful-looking newly-spoked rear wheel. My friend Leanne (from Toronto) is here, and I've been orientating her around the city and culture (both Thai and backpacker)... not entirely foreign to her, as she is Taiwanese-Canadian. She's off to Ko Samet tomorrow, while I begin my big push South, we may or may not meet on Ko Pha Ngan in about a week.

I'm feeling strong and well-rested now, and am ready for the ride and heat. My route South will follow a lot of coastline, and I'm hoping that I can spend time relaxing at beaches during the heat of the day, followed by a few hours riding in the cooling-off hours leading into darkness. My burn has healed well enough that I will not tape & gauze it up tomorrow, but wrap a tensor band over it to capture sweat and dirt.

Overall my destination is Singapore, which sits around the 1 degree mark (North of the Equator). Bangkok is around 13 degrees North.

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Bangkok to Hua Hin, Thailand
Friday, February 18, 2005
195km / 2189

Up and out very early, pushing my way Southwest through suburbia Bangkok. The air was terrible, the traffic was busy, and it wasn't fun. After what seemed like an eternity fields appeared, and the bulk of the day's ride was a long, uneventful slog South into a mild headwind.

The heat was not as bad today, with a cross-headwind blowing onshore from the ocean. 170km into the day the road finally found it's way to the coast, at Cha'am. My first glimpse of paradise. Sand stretching off as far as the eye could see, palm trees, a cool ocean breeze... and suddenly I did not feel so exposed riding along wearing only my cycling shorts. Oh no, the European men in their thong/Speedos made my thigh-to-abdomen length cycling shorts look like a burqah.

I pushed slowly the remaining 25km to Hua Hin. My hands and back have been taking a beating - not the same back problems as before, just tired muscles. As I pedal I ride on my elbows down in my aerobars, to relieve my hands, until my back can't take it anymore - then shift to a more upright bullhorn position, until my hands can't take it anymore - then back to the aerobars, etc etc. No complaints from the legs, as long as I feed them they keep turning and turning.

Hua Hin was a very very strange place to me. A big-time package tourist destination, there were hordes of tourists around, but few-to-none backpackers. Prices for everything were 50% higher, and the tandoori chicken was predictably Whitey bland. I could not find an internet cafe (the hallmark of backpacker travel). I walked along the beach for a while,
careful to stay out of the water - I had noticed the daylight shining through the elaborate "plumbing" in my guesthouse - you can guess the rest. I came upon a big resort, and walked up and through it, quite nice, for sure - it turned out to be the Hua Hin Hilton. $160 US/night. I sat there in the lobby giggling - up until now I have spent about exactly this much on accommodation - $4 US/night average @ 40 days worth. Still, it had a
beautiful pool, if it wasn't for my healing leg (almost better!) I would have put in a few laps, on the house of course!

A few incidents reminded me of why backpackers sometimes have a... lesser opinion of SOME package tourists. I was in a mini-mart buying some chocolate milk (yum) when some Eastern Europeans of some sort started barking at the Thai shopkeeper in their native tongue. Now, it was either their native tongue or English so coarsely accented that even I couldn't decipher it, me a native-English speaker that is, much less the poor Thai who makes <$10/day and is just trying to get a sale. The Thai nodded helplessly, as the tourists continued barking things like "lwkjgeds" and "bvtqweqwfd lkghjna!!!" and pointing at something on the bottle. A complete lack of appreciation of language difficulty, perspective, and respect. I stood there wondering what was going through their heads... "why doesn't this person respond? Surely they know Romanian/Czech/etc etc!". Thais struggle to learn English (the language of travel, PEOPLE), much less any other tongue. I must back this up with the fact that every backpacker I've met, anywhere, can either converse well enough in English or the local's tongue to carry a conversation, regardless of their nationality (ok except for one French guy). In general, the complete lack of graciousness on the part of many people walking in and out of the Hilton - the graciousness that is part and parcel of Thai culture - was rankling. Christ all it takes is a
palms-together, slight nod of the head, "Sawat dii" to bring a genuine smile to a Thai's face. But no. Too busy desparately trying to get their $2000/week's worth.

Hua Hun to Ban Krud, Thailand
Saturday, February 19, 2005
163km / 2352

A late start (7:30 a.m.), I was feeling unrushed given the big miles I had put in yesterday and the slightly cooler temperatures. It was another long, dull slog into the wind down Highway #4. The Highway is a good ride - flat, straight, many services, a 5-foot wide paved shoulder all to myself - but it is mind-numbingly dull and characterless. At the 120km mark the Highway left the coast... and I decided to risk it and try to find a coastal road (none marked on the map). I reasoned that This Is Thailand, there MUST be a road along the coast. And I was right. A beautiful, paved, palm-tree lined twisting meandering rolling coastal road that was a pure pleasure to ride and brought a big smile to my face. No trucks, buses, anything. Idyllic.

I pulled into a swanky-looking resort more for a rest than anything else, and as an aside asked what their cheapest room was. $9.50 CDN. Hmmmmmmmmm. Air con, fridge, pool, beachfront, thatched-roof patio restaurant. It wasn't a hard decision. As I left for my shower I turned the air-con on - my first air-con room on this trip - and came back from the shower to an icy Torontonian blast of air. Enough of that nonsense! I lunged for the
air-conditioner's off switch before the water dripping off me froze, and will have to set it at a more moderate setting tonight. Its quite silly, really, this resort. There are bungalows here that are probably $30-$40/night, why anyone would prefer to spend $160US/night further up the coast for a faceless Hilton room, rather than for a waterfront private tranquil beach bungalow, is well beyond my capacity to understand. But, then, most things concerning package tourism are.
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quick note
Ko Pha Ngan (an island in the Gulf of Thailand)

Monday, February 21, 2005

internet is incredibly expensive here on ko pha ngan, as well as almost everything else, so my usual full report will come later.... maybe much later

all is well, I'm in a beach bungalow that I'm paying way too much for. both Kenton and Leanne will be here in a day or 2, plus maybe 3 cyclists that i met on the road yesterday (more on that later). still, I'm a little disillusioned with ko pha ngan, the prices etc, i've heard that the tsunami coast of THAILAND (not Indonesia, Sri Lanka, etc, but THAILAND) is safe and open for business, its empty empty of tourists, locals are starving for money, so I'm thinking of going. also, civil unrest in SE Thailand is pushing me towards the west coast in general.
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quick note
Ko Pha Ngan
Thursday, February 24, 2005
still on ko pha ngan

email still very expensive - will write my extensive log later when I get back on the mainland.

I found cheap accommodation, Kenton and Leanne are here (friends from Toronto), all of us are having a fantastic time. Quiet, laid-back sunny breezy wavy blue-green water sandy palm tree paradise.

my return flight has been changed and lands the morning of Tuesday, March
15, because of changing Skinlicious commitments - we are into a show
(Sudbury spring show) that is getting significant media coverage.
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detailed report compiled after the quick notes
Ban Krud to night boat, Chumphon - Ko Tao, Thailand
Sunday, February 20
140km / 2329

Up very early, not because I needed to be, but for the enjoyment of riding with the sunrise over the Gulf of Thailand on my left. The road started flat, beachside, and was a pure pleasure to ride. A red sun slowly rose amongst the scattered morning clouds; fishing boats were returning from the night's work. Waves were crashing onto the shore, at times within 10 metres of me as I spun gently along an empty palm-tree lined road. Distance was a non-issue today, I was taking it all in and trying to commit the scene to memory. I will remember this ride for a long time.

The road meandered, split, and I went down at least 3 dead-ends as I pushed Southwards. Hills began - serious, thigh-burning hills that had me thinking today would not be the cakewalk I had imagined. Then, maybe 60km in, I saw 3 figures moving along the road ahead of me - too fast to be local cyclists, too slow to be scooters. It took me a few kilometres to ride them down - 3 cyclists from Manchester, on their way to Singapore as well! Adam, Tom, and Sarah had the same day's goal as myself (Chumphon), so I settled in and had company on the road for the next 5 hours. Traffic was light enough that we could ride 2 abreast; great for chatting. They were on mountain bikes with about twice the baggage as me, so the pace was quite casual from my perspective, which was more than fine after the past 2 days of hammering.

We rolled into Chumphon just before dark, they grabbed a room. At the guesthouse we met a 5th cyclist, a Belgian who's cycled ALL over the world (his favourite country - Iran. hmmmmm). When 5 long-distance cyclists get together the stories are rich, lurid, and attentively listened to. It was a great evening. But All Great Things... I had a ferry to catch and had to roll off. I will likely not see the Brits again, as they have twice the
time I do to get to Singapore.

I rode off in the dark, my first night ride - I had 13km to the ferry pier. The road was lit all the way, but still I was quite nervous. Thais are mildly insane drivers during the day, but at night it seems that opium is a prerequisite before getting behind the wheel. A thankfully uneventful ride to the pier.

Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
Monday, February 21
10km / 2339

The midnight ferry to Ko Tao was part transport ship, part passenger ferry. "Accommodation" was a flat blanketed deck that travelers and Thais alike lay on, packed like sardines. Very bohemian, just how I like it. Soon after departure we were all out like a light, in our various contorted positions. My pillow was my Lonely Planet Thailand guidebook wrapped in my sarong. I was woken several times as the ancient craft pitched and creaked wildly in the violent waves. Half awake I scanned the rafters for lifejackets (maybe 5), and did rough worst-case scenario planning in my head, centering around 4km, the longest distance I know I can swim unaided. But of course we made it, and I had a 3 hour wait in Ko Tao for my next ferry.

The ferry to my final destination, Ko Pha Ngan, was much faster and much more robustly built. The promoters advertised speed, and they delivered - the boat flew along, airborne at times over 2m waves, crashing down on them, getting everything and everyone drenched. Too much fun, well worth the price of admission.

On Ko Pha Ngan I naively set out on my bike to cover the 20km to the other side of the island. Once the road left the coast it went straight up - the steepest 3km I've ever seen - and I was pathetically reduced to walking and pushing my bike. There goes my ego. Near the top the pavement ended, a final kick in the face - I wouldn't even get to descend the other side. I flagged down a pickup, the bastard knew he had me and overcharged, and off we went down the rutted dirt road. At Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach I grabbed some accommodation, and settled in to wait for Kenton and Leanne to show up.


Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
Tuesday, February 22
0 km / 2339

Kenton and Leanne arrived today, so now there are 3. I found a much cheaper bungalow, and am far less stressed about... everything. The beach is a long, secluded crescent, about 10 minutes walk end-to-end, dotted with stilted bungalows, a few stores, and the occasional restaurant. Palm trees, coconuts, sunshine, crashing waves, friendly Thais, good friends. Very quiet, very tranquil, perfect. The South end of this island, 15km away, (where the ferry port is) is the busy, party end - still backpackers, but a much more raucous, tacky scene. It's where the Full Moon Party takes place (largest beach party in the world), every Full Moon. Much of the tourism on Ko Pha Ngan is dictated by the Full Moon. The party itself is in 2 days. Fortunately we are quite removed from the party scene here, not in small part due to the Road From Hell that separates the North side of the island from the South, making it a real undertaking to get here.

The day was spent enjoying the Sun, water, waves, and food. A few drinks at night with an Aussie couple and a British couple. All good.

Wednesday, February 23
0 km / 2339

I've decided for sure not to go to the Full Moon Party tomorrow night since the topic of conversation among those from this beach that are going revolves around Which Drug, When To Drop It, and How To Get It Past The Police. Personally I have nothing against people using drugs, but being in a place where everyone but you is focussed/dependent on being stoned is not my idea of a good time.

Another perfect day. We walked through the jungle over to the sister beach (Thong Nai Pan Noi). A bit smaller, a bit hippier, but the waves were much bigger and I was able to bodysurf. So I did, for about 4 hours. Some buxom blonde kayakers in distress needed help, and it was with great reluctance that I explained to them how to paddle into the waves without capsizing. They couldn't master it, so an Aussie and I towed them past the surf line, and off they went. Well offshore they capsized again, and were having grave problems getting onboard. Now a little concerned, I started swimming out to
them, not a short distance, but nothing Ironman-ish. At the same time another paddler came over, and promptly capsized himself, trying to help the girls out. What a mess. The girls took off, with their solution - one paddling, one kicking and stabilizing, while the guy's boat started to... sink. He was freaking out, by this time someone arrived with a lifejacket for him, which he refused to put on, as he swam towards the nearest bit of "land" - coral encrusted rock. Sigh. While others dealt with him, a Scandinavian guy and I slowly towed his sinking boat towards shore. Quite an effort, as the boat was fully underwater, but we were determined not to lose it. Eventually we hit the surf again and could touch bottom, and all was good, as the waves drove the boat ashore. I was quite exhausted after all this excitement, and the previous 4 hours of swimming/surfing. Back to our beach for a quiet night.

Thursday, February 24
0 km / 2339

Swim frisbee tan food card games sun waves

Friday, February 25
0 km / 2339

Swim frisbee tan food card games sun waves

feb 26 - as i write this - waiting for ferry to mainland. will be cycling
towards Malaysia today.


Ko Pha Ngan to Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Saturday, February 26
125 km / 2464

Time to leave, Malaysia hammering at my head, so I said my good-byes to Leanne and Kenton, and jumped into a pickup truck bound for the other side of the island. Back over the Road From Hell, and as the South side of the island approached, with it's 7-11s, t-shirt shops, etc., I felt as if I was emerging from some kind of dream. I was only away from Reality for 5 days, but it seemed so much longer. I gathered myself together and found the appropriate ferry ticket, back to the Mainland. The ferry ride itself was fast and uneventful.

At 2pm I rode through the port of Don Sak, and began a hell bent ride to Nakhon Si Thammarat, 123km away. I knew I was pushing it, big time, with sunset around 6:30, but what the hell. Once I get an idea in my mind I have a hard time letting it go (idiot), and I really wanted to make it there, to the biggest town for 100km on either side.

Certainly one of the most intense rides I've ever done, touring. The wind was cross-head, but I was bound and determined to make it. Stops were short (except for a flat tire), and I demanded much of my legs today. They delivered and pushed me at 30km/hour through the wind, somehow, South South South. Most of my time was spent buried behind my aerobars, hiding myself as much as I could. Mild nausea from the exertion reduced me to drinking only water, but that was ok, I was making it. I ran out of daylight about 10km from town, and carefully rode the final bit.

Mosques are prevalent, at least as many mosques as wats dotting the road. Thailand's South is heavily Muslim, and there is a little bit of unrest - the Muslim minority feels that Allah should have more say in national policies, in this Buddhist-dominated monarchy. I feel for them, but there have been 500 deaths in the past year from the unrest, further southeast than where I plan to ride - that's not cool. I rode through 2 military checkpoints today, which always gets your mind going.

Graham's plan for dealing with a terrorist kidnapping:
1. Greet anyone coming at you with a jihad scarf with a smiley, modest "salaam alekum!"
2. Continue to use as much Arabic as possible in conversation
3. Make it well-known that I am Canadian, and have been to Egypt, Jordan, and Syria - show them the Arabic writing in my passport
4. If held captive, pray 5 times per day facing West (towards Mecca)
5. Since I'm from a Western country, a Muslim is 10-100 times more likely (statistically) to die from my hand than me from theirs, so they better watch out!
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Nakhon Si Thammarat to Songkhla, Thailand
Sunday, February 27
165 km / 2629

Every single kilometre of the 165 I rode today was into the wind. A cyclist's nightmare, and a very, very tough day. I pushed along in my 2nd and 3rd lowest gears, gears usually reserved for hill climbing, down in my aerobars, occasionally buffeted by the wind. Brutal. No respite. 100km in I stopped for half an hour at a roadside rest pagoda and just lay there, dripping, staring at the roof, falling asleep from exhaustion.

The mosques are gone today, its back to wats, wats, wats. As with everywhere in SE Asia the Thais call out to me as I pass by, I answer when I can, and its a very friendly atmosphere.

With 30km to go, after 5-6 hours of pushing through the wind, I did something really stupid and decided to finish with a flourish - I cranked it up to 30km/h and held it there for 25km, fighting, pushing, believing. Then I hit the Wall - not the first time this trip, but this time I crashed into it. Headache, nausea, exhaustion, legs shaking, bad all around. But only 5km to go. A rustbucket of a car slowly passed me, and by instinct I jumped on it's rear wheel, drafting. REALLY STUPID. Like I needed a draft with only 5km to go. After 2km of that effort I was a complete mess, now dizzy along with all the rest, having further buried myself. Maybe at 10, maybe at 15km/h I rolled the final 2km to the ferry (a 100 metre crossing to town). Waiting on the pier for the ferry, amongst a crowd of ever-friendly, inquisitive but respectful Thais, I felt like I was going to die and started seriously wondering if Songkhla had a hospital. I leaned over the railing and threw up ncontrollably into the water below, much to the delight of the minnow-like fish hanging out there. Amongst the dry heaves were some crimson red bits, which you never like to see coming out of your mouth.

The Thais on the 5 minute ferry crossing brought a weak smile back to my face, with their playful antics and joie de vive. Barely able to turn my pedals over I stumbled through town, found a guesthouse run by some kooky but pleasant Dutch people, showered, and lay on my bed staring at the ceiling fan, a la Apocalypse Now. I must eat, having completely exhausted my body of carbohydrates in the past 2 days - I've already had one dinner tonight, and am planning one or two more. I still have a long way to go to my next (brief) stop - Georgetown (Penang), Malaysia.
___________________________________________________________________

Songkhla, Thailand to Alor Setar, Malaysia
Monday, February 28
135 km / 2764

Last night was terrible, I tossed and turned, my body aching and feeling like crap all over, not letting me sleep until very late, and not letting me sleep well. I had eaten as much as I could (cheeseburger and fries, a whole watermelon, 1L of chocolate milk, 10 small pork kebabs) but I knew it wouldn't be enough for tomorrow. My left hamstring siezed a couple of times, for no apparent reason, causing me to jump up and desperately stretch it to make the pain go away.

A LATE start, bound for Malaysia - I hoped. The first 50km out of Songkla wasn't too bad, I think I may even have had a bit of tailwind, but I then fell back to pieces. A slow day. The road gradually climbed to the "height" of land separating Thailand from Malaysia, Pacific Ocean from Indian Ocean, and it was around 2pm that I crossed the border. Regardless of how weak I was feeling, a big smile spread across my face. Malaysia! I had been looking forward to Malaysia my entire trip - the mix of Malay and
Chinese, Islam and Oriental. My first meal, of course, was nasi goreng - I couldn't tell the difference between it and typical Chinese fried rice, which was a bit of a letdown. All good though.

Immediately apparent was Order. Things here seem more regulated, more planned, and more enforced - most notably from a cyclist's perspective: the highway and the way the drivers drive. Thais drive, essentially, all over the road, against traffic, etc, whatever feels most convenient for them at the time; whereas in Malaysia the drivers seem to pay some sort of attention to the lines drawn on the asphalt. The Malay/Chinese mix of cultures is easily apparent, with some signs written in Chinese characters, some in Arabic, some in English, and most in Malay. How is it that a 3rd-world Islamic country can get by without language police, whereas Canada can't?

Contrary to what some people had warned me, the Malays (so far) have been as friendly as anyone else. I've already had my first, relatively intense political conversation, very typical of the types of conversations I've had with locals in other Muslim countries. No, no, I'm from Canada (ahhh Canada, very good, big smile). Yes, most Canadians hate Bush too. No, I don't know if he will attack other Muslim countries. No, I can't tell you why the Americans voted for him. I agree, killing Muslims for Oil is not a good thing. I understand, this puts Muslims around the world in a very awkward spot.

Well, my stomach has settled down now, time to try to eat something.
__________________________________________________________________

Alor Setar to Georgetown, Malaysia
Tuesday, March 1
65 km / 2829

Last night I couldn't sleep. I was in a really crappy hotel, that was hot, and had no screen for bugs. I'm also convinced there were bed bugs. That’s what you get in Malaysia for 6 CDN (damn). At 2 a.m. I had had enough of being bitten and of sweating, so I went the one place I knew never had bugs and would have a 25km/h cool breeze. By 3 I was out on the road, pedaling South. Only 3km along, at the South edge of town, I came across a 24-hour Indian food open air restaurant. Nice. I spent a few hours there, slowly munching away on goodies and watching the 40 inch flat screen TV they had setup on the patio.

Back on the bike, I slowly pedaled along in the darkness. Malays seem to be better drivers than any of the countries I had been in, and there was a paved shoulder on the secondary road I was riding, so I felt quite safe. And there were no bugs, and a nice cool breeze, of course. Riding Southwards of 6 degrees North, I was looking at stars in front of me that I'm sure I've never seen before. Anyone know if the Southern Cross can be seen North of, but near the equator? Traffic was light, and quiet sane - even cautious.

By sunrise I was over halfway to my destination (a moderate ride planned today), when BANG, a second spoke blew - I had been riding on one blown spoke for a couple hundred km. Sigh. In the next major town (damn I don't have my map here - Sungai Petani?) I began a fruitless search for a bike shop that could, or WOULD, help me.

I have to say, I've already noticed differences amongst the cultural groups of Malaysia. The Muslim Malays, which constitute the majority of the population, are incredibly friendly, receptive and helpful -quite possibly the most pleasant people I've met in all of SE Asia. A "salaam alekum" spoken at the right time to them will pretty much get you adopted as a second son. The Hindu Indians, a small group, are also genuinely friendly,
in a more efficient kind of way. Then there's the Chinese - the 2nd largest ethnic group here. I don't know what it is about Malay Chinese that makes them different than the other Chinese communities I've been through, but a significant number of them here are not pleasant at all - a first for me in SE Asia. I've had quite a few incidents with them already that remind me of the Greeks (shudder), which is sort of jolting after 2 months of big smiles and open arms, just like it was 2 years ago passing from the Arab countries into Greece. Not all of them, not nearly as high a "prick percentage" as the Greeks, but a high enough % to veer me towards Malays or Indians when given a choice.

Back to my story. All the bike stores were Chinese-owned, and I was met with stone faces (!!) at all. Huh. I could see road bikes hanging on the walls - which means they very likely had the right tools and expertise (I'm riding a fairly standard road bike setup) ... oh well. It was only 30km to Georgetown, but I didn't want to risk permanently damaging my rim, so I had to take a bus. In Georgetown, I found a receptive Chinese bike store that is happily fixing my wheel. Win some, lose some.

An afternoon sleep, that I sorely needed, and off to Indian food. Ahhhhh. Its everywhere, and cooked by Indians. Life is good again.
_____________________________________________________________________


Georgetown, Malaysia
Wednesday, March 2
0 km / 2829

A big sleep and recovery day. Sent my laundry in to be washed (it SORELY needed it), and I spent the afternoon walking around Georgetown - an old British colonial town that is now very Chinese. One of the cleanest Chinatowns I've ever seen - living in downtown Toronto, you wouldn't think... Some interesting mosques, temples, and forts. Picked up my rear wheel, and ate plenty of excellent cheap tandoori chicken. At night, went to the movies - like in Bangkok, movie theatres are very cutting edge, but movies are only $2.50 here!

Thursday, March 3
0 km / 2829

Held here by laundry, I went on a brief and cheap tour (!!) of the island. Apparently 60 people died here from the tsunami, and a bit of wreckage and temporary housing could be seen on the island's North shore. Malaysia is very lush, very green, all sorts of palm and fern all over. The highlight for me of the day was the Snake Temple, a Chinese Buddhist temple inhabited by still-venomous adders, hanging out in trees around the compound, and in the inner sanctum of the temple itself.

I've booked an air ticket from Singapore back to Bangkok for March 13 (Tiger Air) - about the same price as the train (90 CDN), and of course much much faster. So I am now committed to ride almost to the Equator.

Tomorrow's destination is Pulau Pangkor, what will likely be a tough 180km ride Southwards. Pulau Pangkor is like a mini Ko Pha Ngan, I'll probably spend 1 full day there (but only 1). Then from there, 1 day's ride will take me to Kuala Lumpur!
________________________________________________________________

Georgetown to Pulau Pangkor, Malaysia
Friday, March 4
180 km / 3009

Today's ride rocked. A partly cloudy day kept the heat below 30C, I was fully charged with 2 days of tandoori chicken and steamed rice, the wind was neutral, and the scenery was beautiful. Malaysia is incredibly lush - the vegetation is all green, all leafy, and all big. Truly a tropical feel - birds chirping in the jungle on either side, coconut plantations all over, snakes and salamanders skittering out of the way of traffic (many times unsuccessfully), monkeys and lizards crashing through the brush and branches. I felt incredibly strong, for once, my legs churning the biggest neutral-wind gears that I have ridden all trip. In just over 7 hours I covered the 180km, inclusive of stops for drinks and popsicles. I was smokin'!

A short ferry ride took me to Pulau Pangkor, known as one of Malaysia's top beach resort areas for both foreigners and locals. I was surprised at the lack of tourists on the ferry - it's a Friday, and Kuala Lumpur is only a few hours away by bus. I was expecting a Muskoka-like Friday rush to hit at any minute. As I rode around to my predetermined spot on the island, I noticed... emptiness. Cruising along the strip of bungalows, all were more or less vacant. What's going on? I had expected crowds, and was nervously happy that it was quiet and serene... another traveler filled me in. Tsunami aftermath fears are keeping people away from the ENTIRE west coast of Malaysia. I expected this in Thailand, but Malaysia? Only 68 people died here, almost all in Penang (Georgetown). Points North of here were barely hit, and Pulau Pangkor (and points South) were not hit at all! But what do facts matter, I suppose. Absolutely incredible, the power of fear and paranoia.


Pulau Pangkor, Malaysia
Saturday, March 5
17 km / 3026

A more or less leisurely day that was action-packed. In the morning I went
snorkeling at a nearby island - near enough to the mainland that I told the
boat not to come back for me - I would swim back to Pangkor. The fish were
fantastic to swim amongst, but the coral was in a bad way. The buoancy of
the saltwater (Indian Ocean) made swimming too easy. My biggest concern
swimming back across the channel to the mainland was getting diced up by the
speedboats that were zooming around, but they kept away. Back on the
Pangkor I sped out on my bike to circle the island - among the hilliest 17km
I've ever done. Grades (road slope) were regularly posted, ranging from 10%
to 20%. With my bike being unladen I climbed them all, but it hurt me (in a
good way of course). A fresh seafood barbeque dinner finished the night off
well.

Its quite sad to see all the bungalow owners, storekeepers, and restauranteurs struggling so. By all rights the beaches should be packed right now, accommodation full, and waiters running around frantically. Its Saturday in the dry season - high vacation time; within a 2 hour drive/commute of 3 million people. I have counted maybe 10 foreigners on a beach strip that can accommodate at least 2000 people. Prices are slashed - I'm paying $5 CDN for my bungalow. Its sick and I do feel bad paying such a low price. I'm happy I chose to come to the empty west coast, instead of the overridden east coast, and at least for this part of my trip spend my tourist dollars on the people that need them most. I'm starting to regret skipping the West Coast of Thailand, imagining how much more desperate the people there are for tourist $$. How brutal and stupid is it that the people here never saw a tsunami, but are reeling terribly from it.

Kuala Lumpur is 200km away.
________________________________________________________________

Pulau Pangkor to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sunday, March 6
75 km / 3101

A frustrating day. Off to a good start, early, pounding down the road. The road signs told me that Kuala Lumpur was 215km away, and I spent quite a while putting myself in "the zone" to make it all the way. Then, 50km in, BANG, spoke #1 went. Another 10km, BANG, spoke #2. No apparent reason - good road, smooth steady pedaling, no hills. Sigh. I limped along slowly to the next major town, and hopped on a bus for KL.

With various connections it took me some time to get to KL, and only got in around 6 pm. I might have made it faster had I been able to ride it. I tentatively rode along to my designated hostel, checked in, had food, and did some Chinatown night market shopping.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Monday, March 7
0 km / 3101

A busy day. 2 self-walking tours: one of Chinatown, the other of the Colonial district. A bus to the Batu Caves, and a walk around the Lake Gardens. All bike stores seem to be well out of town, on the outskirts, which is quite problematic transportation-wise and I may have to wait until the tourist town of Melacca until I get my wheel fixed (tourist towns seem loaded with good bike stores). A very exhausting day, and I'm starting to get sick of rice.

KL is a clean, bustling city with dramatic 21st century Muslim architecture, as well as having bustling Chinese and Indian communities. A great city, as cities go, but I'm already itching to move on, not being a city fan.


Kuala Lumpur to Melaka, Malaysia
Tuesday, March 8
5 km / 3106

A walk over to the Petronas Twin Towers in the morning (yawn), and a bus to Melaka in the afternoon. Melaka is one of Malaysia's oldest and most historic of cities, and I spent the afternoon doing a walking tour around the old downtown. It was nice to get out of Kuala Lumpur and back to a smaller town. As I had suspected I found a bike store very easily, and my rear wheel will be ready, again, tomorrow.

Today I decided to satisfy a growing craving for a hamburger, something I haven't had for a long time (relatively), and always hurting for protein as I am, in this area of the world. I beelined to the big mall in town, straight to the food court, nervously walking past the McDonald's knowing that if worst came to worst... I found a little place in the food court with a picture of a classic juicy Western hamburger displayed, and ordered one up. To my horror the lady proceeded to take a whitish-looking patty of something and dropped it in the deep-frier. Ignoring my frantic protests she refused to fish it out (whatever "it" was), until she was good and ready. I left (having already paid), unable to even think about eating it, and went down to the McDonald's, head hanging low.

Melaka to Muar, Malaysia
Wednesday, March 9
25km / 3131

After a very late breakfast I picked up my rear wheel, put my bike together, and head out for Muar, only 50km away - a town positioned well for a single-day push into Singapore. Such a short ride, feeling so strong after a few days off, I lay the boots to the pedals.

25km in my luggage bag finished it's job of insidiously working it's way loose from the straps binding it to my front handlebars, and rode the arc of my front wheel to the ground in front of me. Going too fast to do anything evasive, my front wheel slammed into it which brought me and my bike to the pavement in a rather abrupt way. I quickly got up and moved everything off the road, and surveyed the situation. My left elbow and knee were cut up, bleeding, but not bad. My front wheel was absolutely destroyed - rim
twisted tortuously, a complete goner. My front forks of my bike frame may or may not be misaligned. Everything else was ok, overall, for such an accident it could have been much worse. Either way, my cycling in SE Asia ended here.

A cheap taxi ride the rest of the way into town, a shower and application of alcohol swabs (OWWW), Polysporin, and bandages, and I'm back on my feet again. Sigh. It seems like the entire trip has been battling problem after problem, getting myself or my bike back on my/its feet again, time after time. Frustrating to a point, but I choose to travel this way and wouldn't want it any other (ok a few less problems maybe). I know that months/years afterwards I will look back on the highs and lows alike with fondness - often (for me) its getting through the lows, the struggles, the hard times that are the most rewarding of memories in the long-run. I feel I've really earned every single of the 3131km I rode through these countries.

Muar is another off-the-beaten-tourist-trail town along the Indian Ocean coast of Malaysia, so of course I like it here. I haven't seen a single Westerner in the 8 hours I've been here, walking around the downtown core of the city. It is Real Malaysia, untainted by tourists like me. Buses to points South are frequent, spacious, air-conditioned, and cheap, so things are all good.

Muar to Singapore
Thursday, March 10
0km / 3131

In the morning I went off on a daytrip to a nearly National Park (Gunung Ledang). A jungle walk, a big waterfall, and lots of mosquitoes. Nothing much that I haven't seen cycling along the backroads of SE Asia, so kind of a waste for me. But I needed something to do, on a day that I was supposed to be logging a 200km ride.

In the afternoon I was back in Muar, and on a bus to Johor Bahru - Malaysia's Southernmost city. A border city as ugly as Windsor, I had no reason to hang around so scooted across the causeway into Singapore, arriving late in the evening. Prices are much higher in Singapore, almost on par with Canada, but fortunately Leanne is here, so accommodation is setting me back much less than it would otherwise.

Singapore

Friday, March 11
0km / 3131

A big walking day around Singapore, covering most of the buildings and sights of significance. Singapore certainly lives up to its reputation as a clean, orderly city, and is also quite green. If it wasn't so expensive it would probably be my favourite Asian city, but after 2 months of paying almost nothing for everything its a bit of a shock to be paying near-home prices. Its almost enough to force me to stop eating until I get back to Bangkok (almost).

The subway system puts Toronto's to shame - clean, fast, completely automated (ticketing and entry), and quiet (both the people and the trains). The British legacy is quite strong here, and in some buildings there is a noticeable similarity with some buildings in Toronto - particularly the ones built from 1830ish to 1914ish (of course). Chinese dominate the city, although the main spoken language is English, as are all road signs. Food is great, but of course not cheap. The people are as friendly as ever (even though I'm not cycling).

I boxed my bike today, ready for the long "road" home. A hot, hot day at 1 degree North of the Equator.

Saturday, March 12
0km / 3131

With all admin activities taken care of, and having seen the main sights yesterday, Leanne and I decided to head to Sentosa Island, a Centre Island-style place off of Singapore's South shore. There were various activities to amuse - animal shows, a beach, the Southernmost point of continental Asia, minigolf, etc. Lots of jungle, lots of fun, no stresses of any kind, a good way to begin the end of my trip.

Even though I have 1 more day in Bangkok in between flights, particularly with the bike boxed, it feels already like I'm heading home.
___________________________________________________________________

Khao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand
Sunday, March 13, 2005
0km / 3131

A short early morning flight from Singapore to Bangkok, and bigtime deja vu as I traversed through the same customs, gates, and baggage checks that I did 2 months ago when I was a neophyte to the region and culture. How same (same), but how different as I viewed everything with totally different eyes. I walked past the very spot where I assembled my bike (an unexciting but special patch of drywall between a firehose and a utility closet), and waited for a bus to downtown from the same ramp from which I set off all that time ago to ride my first 25km in Thailand.

Traveler-watching at the airport was quite fascinating - it was so easy to discern travelers fresh from home, vs. those in transit in the region. The newbies were paleskinned, overflowing with nervous excitement, wide-eyed, and awkward in the way they shift their just-loaded backpacks, and the way they try to communicate with the Thais. I wondered how much like this I must have appeared in early January. The travelers who've been here a while are tanned, relaxed, and sort of slide along, unhurried. On the bus into town a dreadlocked, dark-tanned English girl was fast asleep in front of me, sandals off, feet up; I quietly watched the road that I've ridden twice on my bike go by, reminiscing, while the new travelers at the back kept coming up to the front to ask the driver "is this Khao San Road? is this Khao San Road?".

Now the third time I've come to Bangkok, its sort of become a home away from home, for all that I hate and love about it. I don't need to carry a guidebook or map to move around the city anymore, which is quite the feeling of independence and belonging in itself. I know exactly how much everything should cost, when to walk away, and when to turn back and offer a more compromising price. I can't believe I'm saying this, but aside from being sad to leave SE Asia, I will be sad to leave this city.

I have one day to finally do some shopping - I haven't done any all trip. My approach to bike tripping is "ultralight" - travelling with the utmost minimum of gear, clothing, and supplies, which allows me to log big miles when I want to - double the daily mileage of most touring cyclists that I've met. This gives me great flexibility with daily destinations - rarely have I been forced to stop in a town or region that was unappealing to me. But there are downsides - handwashing clothes almost every night, always worrying about what is clean or dry and what isn't - and its impossible to shop since I literally have no place to carry any new items. Bangkok is a shopper's haven, and pretty much has everything that I saw for sale in Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore - except at cheaper prices. So, my most expensive day is my last, here in Southeast Asia.

I'm a bit concerned about the weather back home - my coldest day in 2 months was a night that the airconditioning was left too high, and the room got down to, maybe, 15C? It was 35C here in Bangkok today, and I didn't notice the heat - finally acclimatized. Great. Acclimatized to 35C, having to be in Sudbury, Ontario this coming weekend (-20C? -30C?). I will have to be careful once I get back to Toronto that I don't get sick.

Well, that’s it, its 10:20pm now, my long dull flights home begin in less than 12 hours, so this is my last journal entry of the trip. Its been unbelievable, an incredible experience that I feel lucky to be able to have had. I thought I knew something about these countries before I came, but compared to the understanding I have now, I must have been naive beforehand. The countries were so similar to each other in culture, religion, and ethnic groups, that travelling from one to the next was not much of a change - in many respects, it was as if I was travelling through states or provinces of a larger country (but don't tell them that!). There's probably about as much difference between your "average" Thai/Laotian, Laotian/Cambodian, Malay/Singaporean, etc. as there is between an "average" Ontarian and Quebecker (maybe less!). The travelers I met and journeyed with were fantastic, each in their own way, and the local people were as friendly and helpful as a solo cyclist/backpacker could possibly hope for. I never felt threatened by anyone (other than 1 or 2 passing-happy trucks), and neighbouring countries of the region are very high on my list of places I'd like to go next time, inshallah... so until then... goodbye from Bangkok, Thailand. See (most) of you soon!