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