The ride to Melacca was very pleasant, through small kampung (villages) and plantations. We once again experienced the Malay hospitality when a small restaurant owner refused to let us pay for our iced teas and food. The people are very interested in our bike and the trip and we are interested in the way of life outside the cities, which appears very relaxed.
We found the traffic in Melacca difficult to get through, but eventually found a cheap hotel with a friendly Chinese owner in the new part of town. That night we treated ourselves to a bit of Western culture and went to the cinema to watch the much talked about Avatar. The next day we took a break from riding to explore the old parts of Melacca, in particular the majestic colonial district with its Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and vibrant China Town. In the afternoon Kate ambled around the trinket shops in China Towan while Rowan snuck off to buy a certain something... under the pretense that he was sick of spending time with Kate.
We set off for our final three days of riding, feeling a bit miserable that our trip was coming to an end. After a few loops around Melacca trying to find the road south, we headed for Batu Pahat. Batu Pahat was another one of our transit towns but we have come to enjoy these places the most. While there isn't that much sightseeing to do the people are always super interested and friendly and we feel we get to witness the real everyday life of the locals. That evening we joined a number of Chinese families in the vibrant hawker stalls and ate rice and chicken cooked in claypots and served by a no-nonsense grandma who had been doing it for years.
The next day we set off for Pontian Kecil, which turned out to be a very pleasant seaside town with a promenade and seafood restaurants. The road was quite and windy through yet more plantations and we were once again treated to free tea and food in a Malay eatery. On account of Australia day and it being two years since we met, we got a niceish place and an even nicer dinner with many beers to keep Rowan happy, although it was hard to find somewhere that served alcohol!
Our last day of riding was very hectic. We were forced to ride through busy Johor Bahru, which involved getting stuck on freeways and being nearly blown off by passing trucks. It was pretty surreal passing though Malaysian and then Singaporian immigration on our bike. Upon reaching Singapore we immediatly noticed the drastic difference from Malaysia. Everything was clean and orderly and there were lots of trees and public open spaces. Rowan insisted that we must ride the whole legnth of Singapore (taking about 2 hours) so we could say we finished the trip. So after a sweaty ride involving some illegal maneuvors and a frightening stint on a major freeway we arrived on Sentosa Island with its fake beaches and theme parks and made our way to the 'Southern most point of the EuroAsian landmass'. After a giant jug of pina colada to celebrate completing our trip we walked accross the bridge to the Southern most point, being unable to take our bike across due to the very obvious sign saying no bikes (amongst otherthings). Atop the viewing pagoda looking at Indonesia, reflecting on the trip and dreaming of adventures to come, after 3,616km on a bike together, Rowan proposed to Kate. Kate, completely shocked, in her sweaty riding gear collapsed. So unHollywood but it was perfect (of course she said yes!).
Later than evening we rode back through Singapore to Kate's Aunty's house. Veronica and her son Luke were so welcoming and we had a great time catching up on news and eating Veronica's delicous home-cooked pasta. The next day we designated to sorting out the bike and our stuff. After a trip on the bus with two huge cardboard boxes we were helped by Luke (8 years old) to clean, dismantle and pack the bike. He did an excellent job! That evening Veronica and her partner Ken took us out with her expat friends for Singapore's famed Chilli crab. It seems people are always on the hunt to find the tastiest and best value crab in town and this local eatery did a very good job! The next day we did a spot of sightseeing, wondering around the business district, old colonial buildings and high paced malls. Singapore really is a 21st century city. However, although raw culture has succumbed to souless consumerism, the place still has a certain charm, or maybe it is because we were hanging around some really cool expats.
We spent the final evening of our trip eating with Veronica and swapping travel stories. The next morning before departing for Australia we managed to squeeze in one more dramatic experience. At 5am Veronica, Ken, Luke and us headed down to Little India to watch the goingson of one of the most interesting Indian festivals, Thaipusam. It was a complete sensory overload - in a crowded hindu temple, with rythmic Indian drums and horns, the wafting smell of incense and chants of family members going in and out of trance like states, men were being pierced by bars and hooks through their mouths, tongues, lips and body and adorning lavishaly decorated kavadi, supported by needles spiking into their chest or dragging carts from the hooks in their backs. It is hard to describe in words, but we will post some pictures and videos.
So here we are at the end of our trip and heading back to real life. In the comming weeks we plan to do a review of our experience bicycle touring in general, tandem biking in particular, and our thoughts on Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. For now we can say it has been a truely unforgettable experience!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Penang - Nibong Tebal (50km), NT - Sitawan (135km), Sit. - S. Besar (100km), SB - K. Selengor (60km), KS - Klang (50km), Klang - Port Dickson (130km)
The generosity of the Malaysian people has overwhelmed us on our journey south. In particular, we would like to thank David who welcomed us into his home, fed us and gave us an insight into the three distinct cultures of Malaysia - Indian (his culture), Malay and Chinese . We learnt about David from a fellow cyclist, Houso, in Southern Thailand. He gave us David's number and explained that David himself is a keen cyclists and opens his home up to any international cyclists passing through the area. David, a grandfather and farther of eight, took up cycling after a heart operation and has never looked back. He has cycled all over Asia and Europe and has even cycled with his children around Malaysia. Judging by all the newspaper clips he showed us he is quite famous here! So, after getting in contact with David we rode just 50km from Georgetown, Penang to David's hometow, Nibong Tebal.
When we arrived at David's house he informed us that we were invited to attend his family's annual get together at nearby Laketown that evening. However, on route he decided to take us to meet some of his beer-drinking-buddies. We sat down at a table with David and his four buddies, most notably a Chinese man they called 'the mafia boss' and a massive Indian guy called '2 metre', who forced us to drink vast quantities of beer, all on them! The mafia boss knew every trick for opening bottles - one handed, with newspaper, two at a time etc and could drink like a trouper. Eventually David got us out of the complicated drinking game we were playing and we headed off very happy to meet David's family. We made one more stop on the way at a local bicycle collector's home. His collection was jawdropping, penny farthings from 1844, bicycles made by what are now car manufacturing companies circa 1900s, and a number of extremely unique contraptions, including a unicycle where you sit in the middle of a 6 foot wheel, a Chinese design from the 17th century. This elderly Chinese man's home crammed with this amazing collection was one of those things we will remember for ever.
Finally, we made it to David's family reunion and were thouroughly spoilt by everyone, especially his sisters and nieces who kept bringing us mountains of tasty food to try. We had a very interesting conversation about Malay politics with David and his brothers, in particular about the thirty year old bumiputra policy which privileges the Malay (defined as those following Islam) in Malaysian society, particularly in the areas of realestate, jobs in government and education. Unfortunatly, this policy is to the detriment of many Indians and Chinese who have lived in Malaysia for many generations, remembering that many of the Indians were brought over by the British as slave labour. It seems that the politics here is very complex and we wish to learn more about it on our journey south.
The next day was action-packed. David took us for a bike ride through local plantations and fish farms, explaining in detail how everything worked. We stopped at a local Chinese fishing town and observed the hectic fish market. Then we had a notable drink - a combination of tea, coffee and milo on ice - the locals love it and it was delicious! On our ride back through the fields we stumbled accross a Malay wedding and were ushered inside by the hoards of people gathered around the bride's house. The bride, dressed in a beautiful white and blue gown and headscarf personally showed us around her decorated home, including the wedding bed ladened with gifts and her 'throne' which we were instructed to sit on and pose for photos. The brother of the groom then made us eat with all the other guests under a colourfully decorated marquee. All the women were in the most colourful Muslim dress, it was such a spectacular sight. Later on the groom arrived, dressed like a sultan in the same white and blue colours. We felt so akward being at a person's wedding but we were told that in Malay culture the more guests at a wedding the more honour. Nonetheless Kate felt very underdressed and embarrassed in her bike pants and bear sholders!
That evening we were wisked off to David's hash house harriers club for a jungle 'run'. The 'run' turned out to be a sheer climb up thick, borderline impassable, jungle. We had to bush bash our way up for 2 hours helped by the friendly hashers and only in the last 20 minutes as we hit a jungle track could we possibly run. It was so fun and a jungle experience you couldn't pay for on one of these fancy tourist 'trecks'. We tucked into a well deserved picnic dinner at the end of the run and enjoyed a few (illegal) homebrew coconut wines.
Due to our time constraints we had to continue South and, on David's advice, followed a scenic coastal road to Sitawan. Along the way we were given lychees and a drink by a friendly Malay family and invited to talk with a local police chief. We are finding the people here so friendly and genuinly interested in what on earth we are doing in their country with a tandem bike! People generally speak very good english.
The best thing about Sitawan was the choclate mudcake we found at a local bakery. Other than that, it was a transit town with little to do. We left a bit late the next day and felt the full force of the Malaysian heat and humidity as we rode to Sungai Besar. We have noticed that with this heat, we have not been able to maintain the speed that we had in Thailand and we have to stop often for icy drinks. Rowan is drinking about 6 litres of water for a five hour ride, plus a number of sweet tea taricks along the way. Sungai Besar was another transit town with little to see, but we had a nice dinner at a local Chinese joint.
The next day we decided to do a short ride to Kuala Selengor on account of the return of the dreaded babboon bottom. We had passed some older Swiss cyclists, who were on a two year round the world trip who reccommended the place and its famed fireflys, dubbed a natural wonder of the world (by the locals!). We stayed in the 'nature park', with its numerous troops of monkeys, as well as its healthy colony of mosquitos! We rode the bike to an old colonial fort (british/dutch) overlooking the Straits of Melaca and then made our way to the firefly river in a small town nearby. Rowan, our intreped captain, complained the whole way about the acid bugs that were flying in his eyes. Kate, as per usual was unaffected, shielded by Rowan's broad back - the benefit of being on the back of the tandem! The fireflys were very interesting, and all together looked remarkably like flickering christmas lights. The fisherman in charge of our rickety boat got us nice and close to the pulsating mangroves.
The next day we set out on another short ride to Klang, a town on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur with easy access by comuter train. The traffic was terrible and we definitely could not of endured anymore of it to get closer to KL. After finding a hotel in Klang's lively little India, we caught the train to KL for an afternoon of sightseeing. We visited the petronas towers and witnessed the consumerism of the large shopping malls and quickely escaped to the lively and busteling Chinatown and little India. We found the siteseeing quite exhausting, deciding that we prefer the small towns we visit by bicycle much more, and made a beeline back to Klang to prepare for the next day.
It was a long hot ride from Klang to Port Dickson. Not only did we spend an hour lost in Klang trying to get out of the place with totally incomprehensible signs (eg to go to x you can turn left, right, or straigh ahead - what?), but it was super hot and most of the ride was dead flat with a headwind. However, by the afternoon things had perked up, we had made it to some pleasant undulating roads through fruit plantations with lots of tasty things to try. In particular, we found the elusive red dragonfruit. All through Thailand we had searched for this fruit, discovering only the more common and bland white dragon fruit. We sat in a bus stop feasting on this things, sticky red juice running down our chins and fingers. Kate claims it is the best thing she has ever eaten.
As we approached Port Dickson we fully fathomed the scale of the palm oil industry in Malaysia. Riding along a ridge we could see only palm trees for miles and miles. The rainforest has been scalped to provide for this money making enterprise. It truely is one of the greatest environmental tragedies of our time, contributing to global warming and removing the habitat of many critically endangered species. We have tried are hardest to avoid eating palm oil while we have been in Southeast Asia (it is also extremely unhealthy) but they use it in all the cooking and all the processed foods, making it virtually impossible to avoid totally. We hope that there will be more international pressure and cooperation on this issue.
Nothing much to report on Port Dickson, an industrial/ resort town (weird - 5star resorts overlooking shipping docks?). We just ate, rested and slept.
The bike is starting to tell us how many km it has done now, with a few creaks we can't find, a worn out chain which has streched so as not to mesh whith the gears properly resulting in a weird vibrating, the rear brakes howling every time we use them and two cracked front panniers racks which are now held together with zip ties (any one who kows Rowan knows that he can fix anything with a bag full of zip ties).
When we arrived at David's house he informed us that we were invited to attend his family's annual get together at nearby Laketown that evening. However, on route he decided to take us to meet some of his beer-drinking-buddies. We sat down at a table with David and his four buddies, most notably a Chinese man they called 'the mafia boss' and a massive Indian guy called '2 metre', who forced us to drink vast quantities of beer, all on them! The mafia boss knew every trick for opening bottles - one handed, with newspaper, two at a time etc and could drink like a trouper. Eventually David got us out of the complicated drinking game we were playing and we headed off very happy to meet David's family. We made one more stop on the way at a local bicycle collector's home. His collection was jawdropping, penny farthings from 1844, bicycles made by what are now car manufacturing companies circa 1900s, and a number of extremely unique contraptions, including a unicycle where you sit in the middle of a 6 foot wheel, a Chinese design from the 17th century. This elderly Chinese man's home crammed with this amazing collection was one of those things we will remember for ever.
Finally, we made it to David's family reunion and were thouroughly spoilt by everyone, especially his sisters and nieces who kept bringing us mountains of tasty food to try. We had a very interesting conversation about Malay politics with David and his brothers, in particular about the thirty year old bumiputra policy which privileges the Malay (defined as those following Islam) in Malaysian society, particularly in the areas of realestate, jobs in government and education. Unfortunatly, this policy is to the detriment of many Indians and Chinese who have lived in Malaysia for many generations, remembering that many of the Indians were brought over by the British as slave labour. It seems that the politics here is very complex and we wish to learn more about it on our journey south.
The next day was action-packed. David took us for a bike ride through local plantations and fish farms, explaining in detail how everything worked. We stopped at a local Chinese fishing town and observed the hectic fish market. Then we had a notable drink - a combination of tea, coffee and milo on ice - the locals love it and it was delicious! On our ride back through the fields we stumbled accross a Malay wedding and were ushered inside by the hoards of people gathered around the bride's house. The bride, dressed in a beautiful white and blue gown and headscarf personally showed us around her decorated home, including the wedding bed ladened with gifts and her 'throne' which we were instructed to sit on and pose for photos. The brother of the groom then made us eat with all the other guests under a colourfully decorated marquee. All the women were in the most colourful Muslim dress, it was such a spectacular sight. Later on the groom arrived, dressed like a sultan in the same white and blue colours. We felt so akward being at a person's wedding but we were told that in Malay culture the more guests at a wedding the more honour. Nonetheless Kate felt very underdressed and embarrassed in her bike pants and bear sholders!
That evening we were wisked off to David's hash house harriers club for a jungle 'run'. The 'run' turned out to be a sheer climb up thick, borderline impassable, jungle. We had to bush bash our way up for 2 hours helped by the friendly hashers and only in the last 20 minutes as we hit a jungle track could we possibly run. It was so fun and a jungle experience you couldn't pay for on one of these fancy tourist 'trecks'. We tucked into a well deserved picnic dinner at the end of the run and enjoyed a few (illegal) homebrew coconut wines.
Due to our time constraints we had to continue South and, on David's advice, followed a scenic coastal road to Sitawan. Along the way we were given lychees and a drink by a friendly Malay family and invited to talk with a local police chief. We are finding the people here so friendly and genuinly interested in what on earth we are doing in their country with a tandem bike! People generally speak very good english.
The best thing about Sitawan was the choclate mudcake we found at a local bakery. Other than that, it was a transit town with little to do. We left a bit late the next day and felt the full force of the Malaysian heat and humidity as we rode to Sungai Besar. We have noticed that with this heat, we have not been able to maintain the speed that we had in Thailand and we have to stop often for icy drinks. Rowan is drinking about 6 litres of water for a five hour ride, plus a number of sweet tea taricks along the way. Sungai Besar was another transit town with little to see, but we had a nice dinner at a local Chinese joint.
The next day we decided to do a short ride to Kuala Selengor on account of the return of the dreaded babboon bottom. We had passed some older Swiss cyclists, who were on a two year round the world trip who reccommended the place and its famed fireflys, dubbed a natural wonder of the world (by the locals!). We stayed in the 'nature park', with its numerous troops of monkeys, as well as its healthy colony of mosquitos! We rode the bike to an old colonial fort (british/dutch) overlooking the Straits of Melaca and then made our way to the firefly river in a small town nearby. Rowan, our intreped captain, complained the whole way about the acid bugs that were flying in his eyes. Kate, as per usual was unaffected, shielded by Rowan's broad back - the benefit of being on the back of the tandem! The fireflys were very interesting, and all together looked remarkably like flickering christmas lights. The fisherman in charge of our rickety boat got us nice and close to the pulsating mangroves.
The next day we set out on another short ride to Klang, a town on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur with easy access by comuter train. The traffic was terrible and we definitely could not of endured anymore of it to get closer to KL. After finding a hotel in Klang's lively little India, we caught the train to KL for an afternoon of sightseeing. We visited the petronas towers and witnessed the consumerism of the large shopping malls and quickely escaped to the lively and busteling Chinatown and little India. We found the siteseeing quite exhausting, deciding that we prefer the small towns we visit by bicycle much more, and made a beeline back to Klang to prepare for the next day.
It was a long hot ride from Klang to Port Dickson. Not only did we spend an hour lost in Klang trying to get out of the place with totally incomprehensible signs (eg to go to x you can turn left, right, or straigh ahead - what?), but it was super hot and most of the ride was dead flat with a headwind. However, by the afternoon things had perked up, we had made it to some pleasant undulating roads through fruit plantations with lots of tasty things to try. In particular, we found the elusive red dragonfruit. All through Thailand we had searched for this fruit, discovering only the more common and bland white dragon fruit. We sat in a bus stop feasting on this things, sticky red juice running down our chins and fingers. Kate claims it is the best thing she has ever eaten.
As we approached Port Dickson we fully fathomed the scale of the palm oil industry in Malaysia. Riding along a ridge we could see only palm trees for miles and miles. The rainforest has been scalped to provide for this money making enterprise. It truely is one of the greatest environmental tragedies of our time, contributing to global warming and removing the habitat of many critically endangered species. We have tried are hardest to avoid eating palm oil while we have been in Southeast Asia (it is also extremely unhealthy) but they use it in all the cooking and all the processed foods, making it virtually impossible to avoid totally. We hope that there will be more international pressure and cooperation on this issue.
Nothing much to report on Port Dickson, an industrial/ resort town (weird - 5star resorts overlooking shipping docks?). We just ate, rested and slept.
The bike is starting to tell us how many km it has done now, with a few creaks we can't find, a worn out chain which has streched so as not to mesh whith the gears properly resulting in a weird vibrating, the rear brakes howling every time we use them and two cracked front panniers racks which are now held together with zip ties (any one who kows Rowan knows that he can fix anything with a bag full of zip ties).
Friday, January 15, 2010
Ko Lanta to Trang (120km), Trang to Pak Bara (134km), Ko Lipi, Langkawi, Langkawi to Alor Setar (60km), Alor Setar to Georgetown (112km)
We have slowed down alot over the past week, taking a little holiday from the bike and enjoying the islands of southern Thailand and Langkawi in Malaysia. 
We had a great time exploring the chilled out Ko Lanta and spending the evening with super friendly Neng and Californian Mike at the Chill Out Bar. We played a few games of Jenga (not so easy after a few beers) and met some of Neng's expat friends, including a rather brash American transvestite.
To get off the island we had to take the two barges back to the mainland and retrace our steps until we hit the road to Trang. Our first ride in tropical rain! We, the bike and our paniers were covered from head to toe in mud and drenched. We looked very intreped when we pulled up to our guesthouse in Trang and tried our best not to spread the mud around. Trang is a transit hub with not much to do, but we found some local eats and colourful night market to keep us entertained.
The next morning we set out for Songkla. We had a few days to kill in southern Thailand so we could meet up with Kate's family in Langkawi, Malaysia. Rowan decided he wanted to head to the deep south - he
isn't entierly stupid so he wasn't intending to go to the deep south where they kill someone / there is a terrorist attack once a day, but he did want to visit the province just above the declared danger zone, which had a 'usually its ok' reputation. Kate wasn't so keen but as per usual Rowan put his foot down and they were heading Southeast. After 20km Kate told Rowan that she just didn't feel right about it - women's intuition and all that. Rowan told Kate she was being silly and then a spoke broke - not that much of an event now days - it is our eighth broken spoke of the trip. After fixing it we continued on and then Kate said to Rowan that she would rather go the other way to the islands off the West coast and then our tire blew out! Tandems are crazy - these tires are meant to last for years, but after only 2,300km it was done for. The side wall was under too much load with both of us and our stuff. I think it all just got too hard for Rowan and we turned around to go to the islands. Turns out there was a big round of violence in the deep south that week in the lead up to the PMs visit.
On our way to Pak Bara - the departure point for Ko Lipe, being he tropical island Kate was so keen to visit, we met Kathi and Sandra who 1 year ago left there home in Austria, rode through Eastern Europe, Iran, Central Asia (the stans) China and South East Asia! WOW! We all rode together to Pak Bara, found a cheap place to stay (another one of those hourly places) and talked about bicycles over dinner. They have done 22,000km - amazing! The more cyclists we meet the more ideas we get about riding in the future.
The next morning we all jumped on the cargo boat heading to Ko Lipe with our bicycles. It was so unevenly loaded and overloaded that it was listing drastically and sitting way to low in the water! So safe we thoght. After 5 hours we had to transfer all the bikes onto a long tail to take us to shore, which wasn't easy. Luckely nothing went in the drink! Ko Lipe is absolutely picture postcard stunning - the purest white sand beached and clear blue water. It was touristy, but being in the far south, it's not as bad as the other hotspots in Thailand. It's on the verge, however, and we felt that we got there just in time. They are calling it the 'new Ko Pipi'. We had such a great 'holiday' for two days, relaxing on the beach, swimming, exploring the island, reading, drinking Changs while swinging in hammocks, going on a snorkal
trip and getting 2 massages (Rowan is a spoiler!). 
We left Thailand on a boat heading the short distance to Langkawi, Malaysia. Well it wouldn't be travelling if we didn't make at least one very costly and stupid mistake - like umm not realising that we only had a month visa for Thailand and overstaying for 9 days = $300 fine and a stern talking to by an immigration official - ooooppppsssiiie. Sammy (my best friend and frequent travel buddy knows this - forgeting plane tickets anyone -hehe). Needless to say Rowan was super grumpy and annoyed but after an hour we were laughing at how stupid we were!
At Langkawi we rode to Pentai Cenang to meet my Uncle Andew, (Auntie) Julie ;), and their
firends Gee, Jerry and Patto. These party animals were already pissed but were happy to have a few more beers and wines with us! The next day after a scrumptious Malaysian interpretation of our fave breakfasts we went exploring - the 'oldies' (haha) in a car and the 'kids' on a moto. After driving down every street and past the same petrol station 4 times the car eventually found the right road. We arrived at Langkawi's cable cars and ascended to 700m to view the beautiful islands. Another grand tour of the island (some neavigation skills hey) and we arrived at a waterfall. Upon the reccomendation of another Aussie family we went to another series of waterfalls - a massive steep climb to get there and then natural waterslides - it was so fun sliding so unelegantly down moss covered rocks! I especially liked my Uncles inpersonation of a seal - this one is going up on You Tube. After some beach lounging and eating the next morning we rode to the other side of the island to catch a boat to the mainland and ride the short way to Alor Setar.
We are now in Penang after a pretty non-eventful ride except for Rowan's overly confident but entierly uninformed navigation! It feels very Hong Kong esk here. We love the fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian. We have already overindulged on the food, so much so that Kate doenst think she can eat again!
Not long to go - miss you all xx
We had a great time exploring the chilled out Ko Lanta and spending the evening with super friendly Neng and Californian Mike at the Chill Out Bar. We played a few games of Jenga (not so easy after a few beers) and met some of Neng's expat friends, including a rather brash American transvestite.
To get off the island we had to take the two barges back to the mainland and retrace our steps until we hit the road to Trang. Our first ride in tropical rain! We, the bike and our paniers were covered from head to toe in mud and drenched. We looked very intreped when we pulled up to our guesthouse in Trang and tried our best not to spread the mud around. Trang is a transit hub with not much to do, but we found some local eats and colourful night market to keep us entertained.
The next morning we set out for Songkla. We had a few days to kill in southern Thailand so we could meet up with Kate's family in Langkawi, Malaysia. Rowan decided he wanted to head to the deep south - he
isn't entierly stupid so he wasn't intending to go to the deep south where they kill someone / there is a terrorist attack once a day, but he did want to visit the province just above the declared danger zone, which had a 'usually its ok' reputation. Kate wasn't so keen but as per usual Rowan put his foot down and they were heading Southeast. After 20km Kate told Rowan that she just didn't feel right about it - women's intuition and all that. Rowan told Kate she was being silly and then a spoke broke - not that much of an event now days - it is our eighth broken spoke of the trip. After fixing it we continued on and then Kate said to Rowan that she would rather go the other way to the islands off the West coast and then our tire blew out! Tandems are crazy - these tires are meant to last for years, but after only 2,300km it was done for. The side wall was under too much load with both of us and our stuff. I think it all just got too hard for Rowan and we turned around to go to the islands. Turns out there was a big round of violence in the deep south that week in the lead up to the PMs visit.On our way to Pak Bara - the departure point for Ko Lipe, being he tropical island Kate was so keen to visit, we met Kathi and Sandra who 1 year ago left there home in Austria, rode through Eastern Europe, Iran, Central Asia (the stans) China and South East Asia! WOW! We all rode together to Pak Bara, found a cheap place to stay (another one of those hourly places) and talked about bicycles over dinner. They have done 22,000km - amazing! The more cyclists we meet the more ideas we get about riding in the future.
The next morning we all jumped on the cargo boat heading to Ko Lipe with our bicycles. It was so unevenly loaded and overloaded that it was listing drastically and sitting way to low in the water! So safe we thoght. After 5 hours we had to transfer all the bikes onto a long tail to take us to shore, which wasn't easy. Luckely nothing went in the drink! Ko Lipe is absolutely picture postcard stunning - the purest white sand beached and clear blue water. It was touristy, but being in the far south, it's not as bad as the other hotspots in Thailand. It's on the verge, however, and we felt that we got there just in time. They are calling it the 'new Ko Pipi'. We had such a great 'holiday' for two days, relaxing on the beach, swimming, exploring the island, reading, drinking Changs while swinging in hammocks, going on a snorkal
trip and getting 2 massages (Rowan is a spoiler!). We left Thailand on a boat heading the short distance to Langkawi, Malaysia. Well it wouldn't be travelling if we didn't make at least one very costly and stupid mistake - like umm not realising that we only had a month visa for Thailand and overstaying for 9 days = $300 fine and a stern talking to by an immigration official - ooooppppsssiiie. Sammy (my best friend and frequent travel buddy knows this - forgeting plane tickets anyone -hehe). Needless to say Rowan was super grumpy and annoyed but after an hour we were laughing at how stupid we were!
At Langkawi we rode to Pentai Cenang to meet my Uncle Andew, (Auntie) Julie ;), and their
firends Gee, Jerry and Patto. These party animals were already pissed but were happy to have a few more beers and wines with us! The next day after a scrumptious Malaysian interpretation of our fave breakfasts we went exploring - the 'oldies' (haha) in a car and the 'kids' on a moto. After driving down every street and past the same petrol station 4 times the car eventually found the right road. We arrived at Langkawi's cable cars and ascended to 700m to view the beautiful islands. Another grand tour of the island (some neavigation skills hey) and we arrived at a waterfall. Upon the reccomendation of another Aussie family we went to another series of waterfalls - a massive steep climb to get there and then natural waterslides - it was so fun sliding so unelegantly down moss covered rocks! I especially liked my Uncles inpersonation of a seal - this one is going up on You Tube. After some beach lounging and eating the next morning we rode to the other side of the island to catch a boat to the mainland and ride the short way to Alor Setar.We are now in Penang after a pretty non-eventful ride except for Rowan's overly confident but entierly uninformed navigation! It feels very Hong Kong esk here. We love the fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian. We have already overindulged on the food, so much so that Kate doenst think she can eat again!
Not long to go - miss you all xx
Crab 1, Rowan 0, there is always next time crab! 
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Takua Pa - Khao Sok NP (50km), Khao Sok - Thap Put (92km), Thap Put - Krabi (115km), Krabi - Ko Lanta (110km)
It was a good idea to stay at Takua Pa and leave the steep climb to the national park until morning. It was hot and hard work but we were rewarded with spectacular views of the mountain ranges and vallys below. At Khao Sok we encountered another 'backpacker strip', an area built solely to capture the tourist dollar. It seems that many people go to this national park on a day trip from the resorts of puket or krabi as a token 'wilderness adventure'. After searching for the cheapest bungalow we could find we relaxed with a coffee with our German bicycle friends (who had also arrived that morning).That evening we debated what we would do on our rest day. The main drawcard of this place is these 1 day or two day 'jungle trecks' including a longtail boat ride across the dam, lunch at floating bungalows and cave exploration. Kate told Rowan "I refuse to go on one of these trips because they are usually just cheesy tourist traps". However, after investigating the options Rowan decided that it was way easier (and very much cheaper) to see the sights on one of these excursions than to get there, charter a boat and do it ourselves.
So off we set on our organised day trip, the benefit of which was that we met a lovely Danish/English couple and chatted away all day. As expected, the trip, although pleasant, was nothing awe inspiring - the bamboo huts were filled with tourists, the 'trek' was actually a walk on an extremely well trodden path and the cave was fun but filled with shreeking thais as they entered the luke warm cave streams. So overall, we thought, a good day. Then on the drive back to the backpacker strip Kate began to feel very sick. As we hadn't been in a car for a month we were convinced it was motion sickness. But after Kate vomited out of the back of the truck (much to the suprise of the tailgaters behind) more than 10 times we knew it was something more. Sure enough, Kate had terrible food poisoning and later that evening Rowan started chucking to. New Years 2010 = zero alcohol and good times.The next day, despite being ill and unable to ride, we decided to ride (what brains?!). Needless to say it was hard work - we had to stop reguarly to be sick. Things got really bad towards the end and Rowan had to ride the bike by himself for the last 10kms. On the upside, we were encouraged by village people celebrating the new years holiday with many a Chang (beer) and joyfully yelling "hellooo, hellooo, happee new year!". Unable to go on we stayed the night in a small transit town, the only accommodation being one of these hire by the hour places. Great! sick and sleeping in a sex hotel (don't worry it was hospital grade clean).
The next day we were feeling slightly better and had a pleasant ride to Krabi - Ao Nang. The place was bursting with Thai holidaymakers with whole families crammed into the back of a pick up trucks. We found a nice bungalow and crashed out.
To turn around the last few unfortunate days we had the best day ever! We went rock climbing on Railay - a climbing mecca. The karst cliffs jutting from the ocean were truely spectacular. It was a really good group - two Thai instructers, Moh and Tut, two South African guys, Chris and Dustin, an Australian, Nick, and a German, Michael. The only problem was, that with five big strong guys, we started off on some pretty hard climbs. Rowan, as expected, was a natural. Kate on the otherhand was petrified, clinging to the sheer rock face being forced to finish the climb by Tut and Rowan below. I was glad I did it but it was super scary for me! The boys did another difficult climb then we trecked across the island to a cave with ascending bamboo ladders. We came out the otherside of a big
carst cliff and absailed down the cliff face for coffee and lunch. That afternoon the boys tried two more pretty darn advanced (and high) climbs. Luckely for Kate she was joined onto a group of girls (Jess, Christine and Brioni) doing some more beginner friendly but still challenging climbs. It was such a fun day and we were all buzzing in the long tail ride back to the mainland. A few of us went out for some Changs and cocktails that night.The next day Kate spent the morning on the beach at Railay and Rowen went wandering. That afternoon we scrambeled up a series of rope ascents in search of the inland lagoon. Eventually we got to a section where there were a few girls hanging around. Kate looked down and saw
why - a r0pe climb down 2 sheer descents to get to the lagoon. Being sensible, Kate decided that without a harness etc she was not going to risk the 15mish descent. Predictibaly, Rowan launched himself at it and was rewarded by a beautiful lagoon surrounded by sheer 70m walls of rock and secret caves. Kate chatted with another sensible girlfriend. We clambered down the steep rocky hill just in time to escape the tropical thunderstorm and then spent a good few hours running around Railay in the rain.It was great to get back on the bike the next day and it was a great ride to Ko Lanta. We had to catch two barges to get here. However, we took the wrong turning to the second barge and had to squeeze the tandem onto a fisherman's
boat to get across to the island. Ko Lant is super chilled. Its been raining all night and our cheap as thatched bungalow is leeking everywhere - but we love it!Happy New Year everyone!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Chaam - PKK (110km), PKK - Bang Saphan (117km), Bang Sapahn - Chumphon (91km), Chum. - Ranong (145km), Ranong - Laem Son (60km), LS - Takuapa (135km)
What an eventful week! We have hit the beautiful roads and we are enjoying the return of hills!
We successfully lounged on our rest day and finished off our books. Cha-am to Prachuap Khiri Khan (PKK) was a flat, nothing remarkable ride although we had a great tailwind helping us maintain a cool 30km/h. PKK is a beautiful sea side town famous for seafood and a cheeky monkey troop guarding a hill-top wat. Again, there were few tourists but we did meet our first bicycle tourers (english, riding aroiund the world and have already done 15,000km). This is the bottle neck part of Thailand and a PKK is a necessary stop of tourers heading north and south. We heard murmerings of another tandem heading south.After stocking up at the morning market, we headed on our last freeway leg (thank goodness!) to Bang Saphan where we would stay for Christmas. Bang Saphan is a tiny coastal town and it took us a while to orientate ourselves and find the awesome beach we had heard about on the grapevine. We must have looked terribly lost as a helpful Thai driver pulled over and pointed us in the right direction. We found gorgeous jungle bungalows and a large expanse of beach which retained the undiscovered Asia feel - ie minimal farangs (whities) and shack like bars on the beach. Without a doubt one of the best things about
bicycle touring is that you are forced to get 'off the beaten track' and are rewarded with real gems. We were relaxing on our balcony and talking to a french man riding round Thailand with his seven year old daughter in a trailer, when the elusive other tandem showed up - a much more streamlined tandem (and people). They turned out to be french so we named them the 'french tandem'.Christmas was brilliant - heaps of food, many cocktails and topped off with a Thai massage. Despite what you may think this massage was not relaxing but as Rowan said "was more painful than when I felll of my downhill mountain bike and skinned my back." This lady with steel fingers and a strong will basically kneads all your sore muscels until your screaming to her pleasure. She obviously was highly trained as my legs have felt new since then but perhaps not something I will do again for a while....
The ride from Bang Saphan to the beach north of Chumpon was excellent - hilly, scenic regional roads through rubber and palm plantations and rural villages. We came across a rather large Thai lady driving a motor bike store ladened with tasty rice treats. Our favourite bicycle fuel of choice is banana rice - banana and sticky rice (sometimes beans) wrapped together in a banana leaf and cooked. We stayed at a beach famous for its kite boarding but to Rowan's dissapointment there was not a breath of wind and his idea of kite surfing lessons was thrown out the window. Instead we swam on the beach and talked to a local Thai bar man with a Cockney accent, who informed us that his mother was a golddigger who went to England with a man but he hated the weather so came back.
Chumphon to Ranong was by far the most challenging ride of the trip so far - 145km of climbing through highland mountain ranges. The whole time we were up or down, there was no flat (exept for a bridge crossing). Despite the hardwork it was spectacular and in this remote part of Thailand, the village people were constantly cheering us on. For half of the ride we were in kissing distance of Burma and there was quite a large Burmese population, distinguishable by a white powdery stuff many of them apply to their face. 20km before Ranong, feeling very exhausted, we stopped at a waterfall and, while enjoying an iced coffee, stared at the range we had to cross to get into town. It ended up taking 9 hours in total, with 7 hours of logged ride time and 2 hours of rests along the way (lunch, coffee, bum rests). Later that evening we were walking around Ranong's lively Sunday market when we ran into the 'French tandem' who casually informed us (in that French kind of way) that their total ride time including breaks was 6.5 hours. Rowan spent the rest of the night murmering "if we had a road bike tandem like theirs ...", "if we had the right wheels", "if we were carrying as little weight as them..." you get the idea.
We opted for a short ride the next day to Laem Son National Park, which turned out to be an
excellent choice (with no French tandem). We stayed in bungalows in a Dutch-Thai families garden, who were extremely friendly and helpful. We rode some terrible Thai bikes around the park but soon returned them and continued on foot through small fishing villages and beaches, which five years ago were heavily affected by the tsunami. The muslim influence is becoming more evident the further south we go. Slowely wats (buddhist temples) are being replaced with mosques and children wear their hijabs to school. We spent the evening with a really nice older German couple who have spent their whole lives bicycle touring (on seperate bikes). They were a wealth of knowledge on touring and we enjoyed hearing all their stories about Asia 20 years ago.We set off from Laem Son after a hearty breakfast with our German friends. We encountered a
number of large colourful (ie poisonous) snakes on the road out of the national park. There are more and more of them as we head south (but mostly run over ones). We eventually split off from the Germans and set a cracking pace up the hills. Another scenic hilly ride which we thoroughly enjoyed. About half way we were blinded by some Germans riding the 'dream tandem'. We cannot believe that we have seen two other tandems so far. This thing was something else, made by a dutch company with everything you could possible want - three sets of brakes, full suspension and all 
the trimmings. We had a nice friendly road side chat with the 'dream tandem' couple who informed us that the 'French tandem' just went past ... Rowan's eyes narrowed and the rest of the ride was carried out with military precision. We arrived in Takuapa in record time, but no sign of the French tandem ...Tomorrow we have a short ride to the hill station in Thailand's largest national park - our new year destination. Although I doubt being in a national park will stem Rowan's newely developed alcoholism - 4 beers per night :P
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.
Rowan:
Grrr... The French tandem... I think i may have over bulit the bike a bit for these conditions, making us slighty slower than certain other tandem teams... but who is racing any way..... not me thats for sure... The roads are so good that we didn't need the front suspension adding a few kgs that almost definitely slow us down a lot and maybe some thinner tyres instead of the indestructable kevlar set we have. Maybe the liquid latex filled tubes, which can resist large punctures, was a little overboard.
I am seeing a big improvement in Katies fittness as occasionally i have to tell he to back off or you will blow out later on, to which she says "im allright, im smashing it!"
Kate:
For the record, Rowan has also filled the paniers with an entire bike shop and mechanical kit which means they are super heavy and I have no space for clothes!
Having said that, the fact that Rowan built he bike himself (ie we got just a frame and he 'pimped it up' mountain bike style with all the other parts) has impressed other tourers!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Chai Nat to Suphan Buri (125km), Suphan Buri - Kanchanaburi (114km), rest day, Kanchanaburi - Phetchaburi (155km), Phetchaburi - Cha-am (55km)
Our speedo now reads 1,140km since we touched down in Thailand just over two weeks ago. We are suffering slighty, not so much from our legs but our bottoms - I never knew what cycling chafue was until now -ooouuuchhh (thanking mum for the paw paw cream which does help a little).
We will remember Chai Nat for the best night market we have seen in Thailand. Our eyes were bigger than out bellies as we collected bag fulls of delicous curries, bbq meats, and rowan's bag of horrible chilly pork crackling (eww). This is the cheapest and best way to eat in Thailand and, indeed, few locals bother to cook as the street food is so easy. Its really interesting staying in these non touristic towns, as people are a lot more interested in you and eager to practice their english.
We were stuck on the freeway on the ride to Suphan Buri but as we left at 4 am we only had the dogs to worry about. It was a challange to find a place to stay in this town (as it is in most of the transit non-tourist orientated towns). We rode around for ages looking for what might be a hotel/hostel but nothing is in english so our conversation goes something like: "is that one?", "no that's a dentist". However, when you do find something they are usually pretty good value for money (somewhere between $7 - 15 for a room). Having said that, with Cambodian and Laos prices in my head from the last trip is seems a lot more expensive in Thailand (Laos = $1-2 per room).
Suphan Buri to Kanchanaburi was a decent ride with more flat road which passed through some interesting market towns and sugar cane farms. It is getting hotter the further south we go, so to avoid the heat (and sun burn), we have been starting earlier and earlier. On this ride we knocked off 50km before dawn and arrived at our destination by 8:30. This is mostly because we were 'racing' again and managed to maintain our top speed of 40km/h for at least 30 mins (ouch and as if we needed it after 5 days straight of riding!).
Kanchanaburi has the classic 'backpacker strip'. Yes its good for cheap accomodation and menus in English (usually we just point at something and say please in Thai), but the lazy tourist syndrome gets to you after a while - there is no requirement for independent thought, tours our pre-organised, everything is there for you and everything is in English. Excellent if you require some serious relaxing but not good for those who are trying to be a bit more adventurous.
On our rest day we hired a moped to visit Erawen National Park and its
majestic waterfalls. We clambered up a steep path through seven tiers of waterfalls. The highlight of the day was the little sucking fish in the pools, which eat the dead skin off your feet. It's a natural kind of exfolient? Rowan thought it was hilarious and had about 30 on his feet. Kate got 'bitten' a few times and spent the rest of the time hopping aroud trying to avoid the fish to the amusement of others.
We woke up the next day at 4:00 to embark on our longest so far, 155km leg, to discover the bike was locked in the shed, which wouldn't be open until 9:00. So we started late and had to ride all day in the sun and didn't arrive until dusk. That morning over breakfast we watched some of the debates surrounding the recently completed Copenhagen round of negotiations on climate change. It really got as thinking as we rode along covered in smog, truck fumes billowing in our face, finding it difficult to breath, the road sides piled in plastic sometimes as deep as your knees as thai drivers whimsically toss more rubbish out the windows as they drive past in their brand new hilux's, that responsibility for climate change and pollution in general, must also fall on develeping countries. From our experience so far, Thailand is increasingly a wealthy country and, arguably, has the capacity to effect some change. Indeed, something has to be done, especially given that people's homes are built along the roadside, children's schools and play areas are along the roadside, food is harvested, dried, sold and eaten along the roadside and our skin and clothes at the end of the day is testement to the fact that everything and everyone is covered in the grime of pollution. I feel that the developed nations have a responsibility to aid developing countries like Thailand, but ultimatly what is required is a change in attitude from the people - what a task ahead to clean up this planet.
The entrance to Phetchaburi was gaurded by millions of monkeys, clambering on every surface and getting up to whatever it is that monkeys do. We went straight to the first accomodation we found (not so good but we could have slept anywhere after that ride). We left for the coast the next morning, following a small coastal road through fishing villages and abandoned / never finished resort towns until we got to Cha-am, a beach resort apparantly geared to Thais which has sweedish/dutch restaurant's on every corner? Although perhaps not the best place to stop, as Rowan will no doubt explain we needed to have a rest day and some beach lounging will be nice.
Rowan-
MY ASS!!! I think i am the first person to have a terminal case of monkey butt (think babboons giant red behinds). The seats I chose for the trip (wide gell supported touring saddles) were good but are not the correct ones for tandem riding, which requires you to be seated all the time. I think we needed a wider flater seat and pants with padding to suit the wider seat as kate has noticed that her bum padding is too narrow. At the moment i have a big towel folded up on mine and that helps a bit but Kate has decided that there is no helping her rear end and is just toughing it out.
We had our first mechanical, a broken spoke, which
causes the wheel to buckel pretty badly. This is a pain as the whole wheel has to be pulled apart and the rear sproket removed. Once the spoke is replaced, straightening the wheel is a bloody pain. I expected this to happen a fair bit as there is about 180kg sitting on both wheels with a bias towards the rear. Also, with the bike being so long, cornering at speed puts a massive load on the wheels. I have to be super anal with maintaing the wheels and re-tension the spokes every couple of days.
We will remember Chai Nat for the best night market we have seen in Thailand. Our eyes were bigger than out bellies as we collected bag fulls of delicous curries, bbq meats, and rowan's bag of horrible chilly pork crackling (eww). This is the cheapest and best way to eat in Thailand and, indeed, few locals bother to cook as the street food is so easy. Its really interesting staying in these non touristic towns, as people are a lot more interested in you and eager to practice their english.
We were stuck on the freeway on the ride to Suphan Buri but as we left at 4 am we only had the dogs to worry about. It was a challange to find a place to stay in this town (as it is in most of the transit non-tourist orientated towns). We rode around for ages looking for what might be a hotel/hostel but nothing is in english so our conversation goes something like: "is that one?", "no that's a dentist". However, when you do find something they are usually pretty good value for money (somewhere between $7 - 15 for a room). Having said that, with Cambodian and Laos prices in my head from the last trip is seems a lot more expensive in Thailand (Laos = $1-2 per room).
Suphan Buri to Kanchanaburi was a decent ride with more flat road which passed through some interesting market towns and sugar cane farms. It is getting hotter the further south we go, so to avoid the heat (and sun burn), we have been starting earlier and earlier. On this ride we knocked off 50km before dawn and arrived at our destination by 8:30. This is mostly because we were 'racing' again and managed to maintain our top speed of 40km/h for at least 30 mins (ouch and as if we needed it after 5 days straight of riding!).
Kanchanaburi has the classic 'backpacker strip'. Yes its good for cheap accomodation and menus in English (usually we just point at something and say please in Thai), but the lazy tourist syndrome gets to you after a while - there is no requirement for independent thought, tours our pre-organised, everything is there for you and everything is in English. Excellent if you require some serious relaxing but not good for those who are trying to be a bit more adventurous.
On our rest day we hired a moped to visit Erawen National Park and its
majestic waterfalls. We clambered up a steep path through seven tiers of waterfalls. The highlight of the day was the little sucking fish in the pools, which eat the dead skin off your feet. It's a natural kind of exfolient? Rowan thought it was hilarious and had about 30 on his feet. Kate got 'bitten' a few times and spent the rest of the time hopping aroud trying to avoid the fish to the amusement of others.We woke up the next day at 4:00 to embark on our longest so far, 155km leg, to discover the bike was locked in the shed, which wouldn't be open until 9:00. So we started late and had to ride all day in the sun and didn't arrive until dusk. That morning over breakfast we watched some of the debates surrounding the recently completed Copenhagen round of negotiations on climate change. It really got as thinking as we rode along covered in smog, truck fumes billowing in our face, finding it difficult to breath, the road sides piled in plastic sometimes as deep as your knees as thai drivers whimsically toss more rubbish out the windows as they drive past in their brand new hilux's, that responsibility for climate change and pollution in general, must also fall on develeping countries. From our experience so far, Thailand is increasingly a wealthy country and, arguably, has the capacity to effect some change. Indeed, something has to be done, especially given that people's homes are built along the roadside, children's schools and play areas are along the roadside, food is harvested, dried, sold and eaten along the roadside and our skin and clothes at the end of the day is testement to the fact that everything and everyone is covered in the grime of pollution. I feel that the developed nations have a responsibility to aid developing countries like Thailand, but ultimatly what is required is a change in attitude from the people - what a task ahead to clean up this planet.
The entrance to Phetchaburi was gaurded by millions of monkeys, clambering on every surface and getting up to whatever it is that monkeys do. We went straight to the first accomodation we found (not so good but we could have slept anywhere after that ride). We left for the coast the next morning, following a small coastal road through fishing villages and abandoned / never finished resort towns until we got to Cha-am, a beach resort apparantly geared to Thais which has sweedish/dutch restaurant's on every corner? Although perhaps not the best place to stop, as Rowan will no doubt explain we needed to have a rest day and some beach lounging will be nice.
Rowan-
MY ASS!!! I think i am the first person to have a terminal case of monkey butt (think babboons giant red behinds). The seats I chose for the trip (wide gell supported touring saddles) were good but are not the correct ones for tandem riding, which requires you to be seated all the time. I think we needed a wider flater seat and pants with padding to suit the wider seat as kate has noticed that her bum padding is too narrow. At the moment i have a big towel folded up on mine and that helps a bit but Kate has decided that there is no helping her rear end and is just toughing it out.
We had our first mechanical, a broken spoke, which
causes the wheel to buckel pretty badly. This is a pain as the whole wheel has to be pulled apart and the rear sproket removed. Once the spoke is replaced, straightening the wheel is a bloody pain. I expected this to happen a fair bit as there is about 180kg sitting on both wheels with a bias towards the rear. Also, with the bike being so long, cornering at speed puts a massive load on the wheels. I have to be super anal with maintaing the wheels and re-tension the spokes every couple of days. Photo of the day: who want'
s to go on the next trip with us?
s to go on the next trip with us? Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sukhothai - Kamphaeng Phet (87km), Kampaeng Phet - Nakhon Sawan (125km), Nakhon Sawan - Chai Nat (66km)
We are settling well into the riding groove now and have had a great couple of days. Sukhothai to Kamphaeng Phet was flat as a tack with the usual sore bottom dramas. However Rowan did a good job of keeping spirits high with his constant stupid jokes and our new favourite pass time - racing (well seeing how fast we can go, which on flat is about 40km/h). Kamphaeng Phet is a real gem of a town with few tourists. It is surrounded by C14th ruins amongst the trees. Also, unlike many Thai towns it had a big park (complete with an outdoor gym) and a waterfront promenade. The hostel was really nice too, with little bungalows set in a rainforest garden.We set off early for Nakhon Sawan. The 125km felt really easy after our short ride the day before. Nakhon Sawan was a nightmare to navigate, with traffic everywhere. After about an hour of riding aroud the streets looking for somewhere to stay we met Paul and
Lily, a brother and sister from France on their amazing 40 year old bicycle/mopeds. It's called a SoleX and apparantly it was the first ever moped - its basically a bicycle with a motor attached to it and they are travelling all around the world on these things - their website is http://www.avelosolex.com/ if anyone is interested. In search for accommodation, the boys ended up in the tourist office where they were informed that there was no accommodation in town. However, we were lucky enough to be invited to the home of a local mountain biking enthusiast, Mr Praphan.Mr Praphan was so hospitable, he and his wife brought us tasty snacks and cooked us an amazing vegetarian dinner. His close friend, another bicycle
enthusiast and marathon runner, spoke excellent english and translated for us for the night. It was so nice and we are really thankful for their generosity. Mr Praphan escorted us out of Nakhon Sawan amongst the busy traffic, Paul and Lily headed north and we headed south.On account of some sore legs, we decided to break a long trip into two, so we had a relitively short ride to Chai Nat for a bit of a rest. Again its a transit town with not much to do but we are busy planning how we are going to get round the outer suburbs of Bangkok - a web of traffic filled highways we wish to avoid.
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