South East Asia Revisited

I am currently in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan awaiting for my Iranian visa after obtaining ones for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. I should get it on Thursday all being well and then its off to cycle across the Pamir mountains which I am very much looking forward to. The only visa left to get will then be the Turkmenistan transit visa which I hope to get in Dushanbe. I arrived here after cycling through Kazakhstan from China both of which were great.

China was an incredible journey. It was a shade under 2 months and 5573 unforgettable and epic kilometers. This makes it the most cycled country on the trip so far beating New Zealand by about 100 km. It is also now the third county I have spent the most time in. England is obviously first, Germany second (3.5 years when younger), China third (3.5 months for work in 2006, 2 months now and a few trips to HK) and then the states fourth (3 months in 1996 and various holidays and work trips of various lengths making about 5 months total). 

China will probably be 4 videos, 2 of which are done and 2 I've got to put together so should be up fairly soon. The reason I do the videos is document the trip whilst I’m going along and prefer them to just looking at my photos. I try and use music which I am listening to at the time or which represents a theme in the clips. I've been listening to ‘The Streets’ a lot whilst in China, which is not something I would usually listen to but the lyrics make me chuckle and some remind me of home ... “the hazy fog over the bull ring”, “If they don't win this one and the next one, they're getting relegated to the third division” ... hmmm ... unfortunately that happened to Wolves where I used to work but let “push things forward”. At least Villa survived! I know this all happened ages ago but I was without access to this site whilst in China.

Before I blog about the ride in China it’s time to go back to South East Asia, as I’ve uploaded the videos for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Take a look!

South East Asia, Part Two - Cambodia

South East Asia, Part Three - Laos

South East Asia, Part Four - Vietnam

SE Asia - Part 2 and Entering the Dragon

Well it’s been a long time without a blog update so I though I would do a short written one before I enter the dragon of China and do not have access to this website.

Since leaving Thailand a lot has happened as Mike and I cycled across Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to Hanoi. Mikes blog is here and he has already detailed some of what has happened so take a look.

To summarise; we got food poisoning in Cambodia which slowed us down for a while. I knocked over a pot of boiling dumplings with my bike and had to make a swift exit after negotiating a payment settlement. We experienced Laos New Year which was crazy. Everyone was in very good spirits, having water fights and giving us free beer. We rode into the night on one occasion (which was great) as we wanted to make big distance that day and thought the further town might have a better hotel, which it didn't.

We rode from Laos into Vietnam across the number 12 road which was one of the best rides in South East Asia, had a bit of trouble getting into Vietnam as Mikes visa had sustained water damage in Laos ... but after extended checking and phoning the guy let us through.

The contrast from one country to the other as we cycled over a mountain range into ‘nam was incredible. The sound of the birds and insects in Vietnam was straight out of a ‘nam film (bar the chopper) and we were cycling through swarms of flies. It was just hilly jungle and getting late. We were thinking of pitching the tent somewhere before it got dark just after seeing a big black snake slither down the road, when we saw what we thought might be a guest house so went to investigate. As it turned out it was a small primary school. We got invited in by the totally non English speaking teachers who shared a meal, gave us shots of their home made rice spirit  lost at chess to me, let us use the bucket for a wash and then let us stay in the class room under the watchful eye of a Ho Chi Minh portrait. We got up early and then cycled of to the bemusement of the local arriving school children. The people of Vietnam were intrigued by my height which meant that we got a lot of attention. We didn't actually see any other white people until we got to Hanoi. I intend to do the usual video blogs for this section of the trip but will have to do them at another time. So a few should appear once I exit the dragon.

Things did take a slight turn for the worse though as Mike gashed his leg on his pedal when cycling on a really rough road. This then got infected as we rode into Hanoi in really bad weather on really bad roads and covered in filth. Things then got really worse as his leg swelled up to the size of an elephants and he was sick from the antibiotics (a common side effect with this particular type) meaning he had to go into hospital for a few days to have them delivered by an IV drip. Thankfully it seems he is on the mend though and will be heading back to KL and then Canada in the next few weeks.

I really enjoyed Hanoi and Vietnam and will miss it, but it is time to move on. I am near the border with China and should cross in the next few days. I have been cycling up to the border with Darren a great guy (and another Canadian) who is then heading to Sapa and then into Laos. He has just come the way I am heading so has been a great source of info. You can find his blog here. It’s been great riding with the Canadians and will be back on my own in the next few days which makes it seem like the start of a totally new trip.

My route is to be China (got the visa OK but have to extend it half way across or ride very long each day), Kyrgyzstan (No visa needed), Uzbekistan (paid an agency for an LOI so can obtain a visa on the spot in Bishkek), Turkmenistan (will have to get the transit visa in Tashkent), Iran (visa application code applied for, which if I get I can apply for a visa in Bishkek), turkey (no visa needed) and then into Europe. Total distance will be about 15,000 km to give a total of 27,000 km for the whole trip and home sometime in September.

It’s going to be epic!

SE Asia Part 1 & Route Home Options

Well it has been a long time since the last blog and a lot has happened. I left Indonesia and arrived in Singapore and then cycled into Malaysia to meet Mike in Kula Lumpur. During this time there was some sad news from home. After spending a few days at Mike’s cousin’s house (thanks again) we set of up peninsular Malaysia and into Thailand. We met some interesting people along the way and had some great riding. As usual it’s all in the video so take a look ...

As you can see from the video it was getting hot. It was also time for a hair cut so went back to my roots (literally) ...

Anyway we are now in Cambodia, where the plan is to cycle up through Laos and into Vietnam. Mike leaves Hanoi on the 25^th of April and I’ll have to make my way home. I've currently done just over 10,000 km and anticipate another 2,000 km to Hanoi. From there it will be between 12,000 and 15,000 km (route dependent) to Calais to jump on a ferry and to see the white cliffs of Dover.

I’ll spend some time in Hanoi sourcing visa and planning route options, but I basically have 4 options:

1: China -> Kazakhstan -> Russia -> Europe

2: China -> Kazakhstan -> Ferry across the Caspian sea -> Azerbaijan -> Georgia -> Europe

3: China -> Tajikistan -> Uzbekistan -> Turkmenistan -> Iran - > Europe

4: Go to the Himalayas and then fly into Europe and cycle back

All have their pro’s and con’s.

Option 1 is relatively straight forward, apart from insects and potential swamp land in Russia. It could also be a bit boring for long stretches. It is dependent on getting a Russia visa in Hanoi, but there is an embassy there and loads of people must decide to go and get the trans-Siberian train home and have to pick up a visa somewhere. China and Kazakhstan visas should be relatively easy to obtain.

Option 2 is on paper quite straight forward. The trouble is that you can only get a 30-day Kazakhstan visa. The route to the ferry is not direct and additionally the ferry only leaves once a week meaning I have to get there within 23 days. I may also need time in Kazakhstan to obtain an Azerbaijan visa which makes things more tricky and tight on time frames.

Option 3 is the best but a visa nightmare. The Pamir highway through Tajikistan is meant to be one of the worlds cycling highlights but has recently been shut off to foreigners due to civil unrest. Further on from there obtaining visas could be a headache. Apparently they can be obtained at each neighboring country but at a time cost of at least a week at a time. Due to the amount of countries I have to pass through, time and cost will add up, plus the fact that I will arrive in Europe in late autumn which is not ideal.

Option 4 was my original idea. I have always wanted to cycle in the Himalayas and it is only possible to do it during July, August and September. Tibet is also a no-go area for individual foreign travel. It is possible, but highly risky, to enter by sneaking through check points at night. If I went to the Himalayas I could either fly in to Nepal and then into northern India (which would give me time to cycle south-east China) or cycle across China to Kashgar and then south down the Karokaram Highway into Islamabad. A big problem here is O’Bhamas drones and militants. Again, the KKH is always cited as one of the worlds cycling highlights but isn’t really practical at this point in history.

Basically I have until I enter China to decide. It’s currently looking like option 1 and home for September.

Anyway, thanks for reading and watching.

Take care, Neil

Indonesia

Well that’s the trip to Indonesia done bar packing the bike up tomorrow and sitting around the hotel. As with New Zealand and Australia the time here has gone too quick. I have to try and make the most of every moment, even the bad ones, as before I know it I’ll be back in the UK. So as usual the highlights are in the video below.

I was riding along one day and a monkey jumped out of a tree and looked at me quite inquisitively, a bit different to squirrels you see when riding back home. Certain sections of the island did have a lot of mosquitoes which had a good feed on me. After the last 2 weeks I think the mosquito population of Bali is going to have an obesity epidemic.

The people here were really friendly and happy, the food was good and the riding was interesting. As I said in my last blog the riding was always going to be reduced for this portion as I had some other things to finish off for back at home. I haven’t got as far as I would have hoped but progress is being made. I will just have to try and maintain a little each day approach. I have been doing that with stretching and can now quite easily touch my toes. I have really long legs and am really inflexible. Those toes always seemed so far away, but they are now within touching distance (pun intended). I just have to keep working on my left hip.

Cheers, Neil

Australia

Australia was great and I really enjoyed it. The first few days were a bit tough due to rain and a strongly southerly wind which I had to cycle straight into. After that it was into the heat, hills, fly's and long, long roads. Nothing that couldn't be handled though. I feel like it was too short a trip there, especially after so long in New Zealand so I may have to return one day to get a few more thousand kilometers in. The summary is in the video below so take a look ...

As I mentioned in my last post I met some great, friendly and very hospitable people through the warmshowers website which made my trip more interesting so I would just like to say thanks again. Also, once in Melbourne I stayed with Rob from school who has just moved out there and met up with Steve from Philips/NXP. It was good to catch up and see some familiar faces. So thanks very much for everything.

Flying out from the airport was a bit of a hassle mainly due to how my bike was packed (which met all the airline guidelines on their website) and being 4 kg's overweight. They wanted $100 for that but they let me take it as hand carry, which was good but a bit of a hassle to repack.

So I am now in Indonesia and will be here until the 1st March. First time in Asia for a few years. Cycling requires a whole different approach for various reasons ... but more on that next time!

Cheers, Neil

On the Bike Again

I’m now halfway through my time in Australia and just outside Melbourne. I am going to cycle past Melbourne and out and back down the great ocean road to catch my flight on the 18^th. It is a bit of a shame that I won’t cross the whole country and make it to Perth, but that just gives a reason to come back.

 One of the questions I get asked a lot about my trip is ‘what has been the best bit?’. For Australia it has been meeting a wide variety of kind, interesting and generous people through the warmshowers home stay for touring cyclist’s website. In New Zealand I only used it once but over here I have used it several times mainly due to the price of accommodation ... one campsite wanted $35 !! The hostel was only $23. So all of this has meant that what is shown in this blog posts video has been kept to a minimum. I would just like to say thank you againto all of the people who have put me up over the last week and to any future hosts who put me up over the coming week. It really is much appreciated.

Onward Plans & North Island part II

Well that’s New Zealand well and truly cycled. I pretty much went everywhere apart from Taranaki, Northland and Milford Sound and covered 5400 km in 259 hours of cycling. Some of the highlights from the last few weeks and some strange quirky things in New Zealand are in the latest video compilation so take a look to save me typing about them.

So I am now in Australia and it is not what I expected in terms of weather. It has just been pouring with a very strong South Easterly wind which since I’m heading down the coast from Sydney is not welcomed. I don’t mind the hills, in fact I like them, but the wind is tough. Oh well, just have to get on with it.

My original plan was to cycle from Sydney to Perth, but that has changed to Sydney to Melbourne for various reasons. Mainly as Mike, the guy I spent the last few weeks cycling with in NZ, is in Malaysia from early March and we have decided to cycle up to Hanoi together. So it is just 18 days in Oz with the aim of getting to Melbourne but hopefully also up the great ocean road. If I just go to Melbourne it will be about 1000 km and another 600 km to do the great ocean road, so it should be achievable.

On the 18^th of February I fly from Melbourne to Bali where I’ll have a couple of weeks to mainly finish off some things I need to get done and a bit of cycling around. The island isn't that big but is meant to be quite hilly. I’ll probably stay in one or two places instead of moving from point to point each day. In early March its then of to Singapore and about 350 km up to KL in Malaysia. It will then be up to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. If I can get the required visas for central Asia I’ll cycle all the way back to Europe otherwise I’ll head through China then double back on myself through the Pakistan and Indian Himalaya regions towards Nepal. This way I’ll be there in the cycling period of July, August and September and miss out Tibet where individual travel is not permitted. If I do this I’ll then have to fly back to Europe missing out central Asia.

The football scores are really depressing at the moment and the run Villa had over Xmas must be the worst run of results I have ever known any team have. I am starting to fear for relegation which would be a total disaster.  Anyway, other than the football, I hope all is well back in the UK.

Cheers, Neil