Author Archive
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
Show 20: Southeast Asia
There’s nothing like a rainy day to get a few things done. As the heavens opened, we realised cycling was going to be futile so instead we recorded our latest podcast. This time we share some of the highs and lows with you from our four months in Southeast Asia and a few tips for bike touring in the region. We also have two cycling stories from Adam, who we met in Bishkek. Adam, from Poland, was last spotted going up the Karakorum Highway with one gear so he’s quite the adventurer! We think you’ll enjoy hearing about his take on cycling in India and getting lost in Nepal.
No Comments » - Posted in Cambodia, Cycling Trips, Laos, Radio Shows, Thailand by andrew
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Finding Heaven
72km Houay Xai to Meng Rai
We returned to Thailand today by crossing the Mekong in yet another rickety boat. Dodgy water transport seems to be a theme running through our travels across Cambodia and Laos but this morning’s voyage, with our bikes wedged into a narrow and wobbling vessel, should be the last of our questionable boat trips for some time. Hooray for that because it’s not an event we put in the ‘fun’ category.
It took just a couple minutes for our driver to navigate across the Mekong, about twice as long for him to find a parking place (not unlike trying to get a landing slot at Heathrow Airport with all the boats ferrying tourists back and forth) and another pause was added on at the end as he grabbed a spare board to use as a hammer to pound the end of his boat back together. Some of the planks came loose when he rammed two other boats trying to squeeze into a docking place. The locals take this in their stride as just an everyday event, which it probably is. We, on the other hand, are always fearing the disappearance of our bikes and all our possessions into the water and a surprise swimming lesson. (more…)
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Laos, Thailand by andrew
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Last loop in Laos
342km Luang Prabang to Pakbeng
We must be gluttons for punishment. After a gruelling journey over mountains to Luang Prabang, we hit the road again for another steady series of rolling hills all the way to the tiny riverside village of Pakbeng. We could have taken the boat straight from the tourist centre of Luang Prabang to the Thai border but instead we plumped for the more difficult option of four days cycling to the halfway point. Our legs were complaining but our souls were happy as we pedalled through yet more rural villages to the steady tune of “sabaydee” sung by Lao children.
The average Lao family seems to have about eight children. You can’t pass through a village without large groups of enthusiastic and smiling kids running to the roadside to greet you and it’s these young Lao citizens who have really won us over to the country. When we first arrived a month ago from Cambodia we thought Lao was nice but not great. A tough couple of days about halfway through made us feel like running back to Thailand but now, looking back, we are so glad we didn’t take the easy option.
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Laos by andrew
Thursday, September 4th, 2008
Two years on the road!
It’s the beginning of September and as of today we’ve been on the road for two years. Two years! When we write it out, it’s hard to believe. So, what have we been doing all that time?
Well, we’ve had 306 rest days, off the bikes. That leaves 424 days to do all the other things we get up to. We are very good at sleeping and we reckon that takes up a good 8 hours a day. That’s 141 more days gone right there.
Now we’re down to 283 days.
During that time we’ve practiced another specialty, eating, which easily takes up 3 hours of our day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and a multitude of snacks. A cyclist has to eat and that’s 35 days gone just on calorie intake.
Add in shopping at the market (1 hour), writing things for the website, getting it online and keeping in touch with all of you (at least 1 hour), relaxing and sightseeing (2 hours) and we’re left with just 196 days.
How many days?! We still haven’t done our washing, filtered our drinking water, packed and unpacked our luggage, set up our tent, cleaned the bikes, planned our route or renewed our insurance and bank cards not to mention sorting through the other paperwork amassing in a pile at a friend’s house in London. That’s got to be at least another 2 hours a day right there.
So now we’re left with just 179 days on the road. Lazy? Well, in that time we have managed to cover 29,888km – about two thirds of the earth’s circumference. That’s an amazing 166km a day through 25 countries on 4 continents! Phew. Now we’re feeling tired. And we’ve survived 302 nights together in close quarters in our tent and we’re still married and speaking to one another. Even more amazing! Here’s to the next year on the road…
With credit to Sonya and Ali of Tour.tk for the inspiration for this post.
3 Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Random Ramblings by andrew
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Rewards of the Road
240km Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang
If we were asking ourselves just a few short days ago why we were doing this journey by bicycle, the world delivered its answer on the road to Luang Prabang. From the town of Kasi, only famous as a bus stop a little north of Vang Vieng, the road starts out flat but before long the mountains appear. Their peaks were still covered in mist as we began our climb in the early morning hours.
Up, up and still further up we went, passing women from the H’mong hill tribes with handwoven baskets on their back, walking in groups to the fields of rice, corn and bananas for a hard day of work. Sometimes they took their small children along but more often than not as we passed through tiny villages we spotted men at home with the youngest babies strapped to their backs. The parenting duties are equally shared in this part of the world, it would seem.
In each village, we were a universal hit with the kids, who rushed forward to wave and say ‘hello’ with wide grins. A few even held out their hands for high fives and were delighted when we managed to deliver one while still pedalling uphill. It was this constant string of good cheer coupled with the spectacular scenery that kept us going over a seemingly endless series of hills.
“Good luck,” said a backpacker as he looked at us when we stopped for lunch and then hopped into an air conditioned minivan for the ride to Luang Prabang. He was right, we needed it. Only occasionally did the road turn downwards, sparking hopes that maybe we’d reached the top but after two or three curves we inevitably spotted the next ascent ahead. By late in the afternoon we were flagging but a good 30km remained to the next guesthouse so carrying on was the only option.
Too tired to expend much energy on talking, we pushed silently to the top of a hill. Just as we glided over the crest we were greeted by a boy about 12 years old, singing a tranquil song in his own language. What a reward for our hard work and what a reason to travel by bicycle. The sound of his voice carried with us for a few hundred meters as we slipped down the other side to the next looming ascent.
Only the next day did we reach the city of Luang Prabang after rising at 5:30am from our spartan hotel in the mountain top town of Kiukacham, cooking breakfast on the hilltop and then descending through dreamy clouds of fog and lush valleys from 1,400 meters. Down we came to a river, then back up 15km before we reached our last downhill stretch into Luang Prabang. Finally in the city, our legs were like jelly and they stayed that way for the rest of the day. The mountains of northern Laos are hard work but the dividends they give back to the eager cyclist are worth it.
