CyclingDutchGirl

My bicycle seems to be getting tired.
It wasn’t long after my last update when she decided to quit. Again.
I’d only just come down from renewing my visa at the Burmese border, where I ran into a couple of seemingly very nice people who invited me to come and stay with them on Ko Phangan, when she did not want to change gear anymore.
I went to the nearest village where a bunch of very helpful but slightly clueless young men disassembled my gear lever and left me with the thing in little pieces since no one seemed to have paid any attention of how to put the tiny little bits back together.

Luckily a friendly policemen (in his tight uniform) told me it be ok to pitch my tent at the police station. He then took me out for a bite to eat and showed me the village.
Next day after cycling about 10km single speed, or actually, pushing up the hills and riding down, it seemed a good idea to jump on a bus the last 70km to Surat Thani from where I could catch a ferry to Ko Phangan and figure out what to do with my bike.

I didn’t realise I had to get another bus to the ferry port out of town, so after purchasing a ticket (5 times the price it just cost me to get there) the bus driver insisted I paid another half of that just for my bicycle. I told him to sod off and locked my bike in the bus. He nearly burst so angry he got… And I always thought Thai people don’t scream and shout. Well he did, and he also called the police. So they came and stood around and looked pretty, as Thai policemen often do.
I couldn’t be bothered with the trouble so exchanged my ticket and got a coffee.

It was then I ran into Des, an English teacher who told me where to get the best massage in ST and invited me to his girlfriends birthday party that same evening. Suddenly I was having dinner with 12 new friends from all over the world while my bicycle stood safely in Des’ kitchen… for the next two weeks.

Don was still in Bangkok trying to sort out his motorbike. He was supposed to come down and see me, but the Bullet seemed to give him more trouble then expected, he could find me a new gear switch lever and bring it down as soon as the bike allowed him to.

So I arrived on the Island of Ko Phangan, famous for it’s full moon parties, a week before the next full moon. I had taken a night ferry, which conveniently had departed right next to the bar where the birthday party was at. I arrived at 5 am, rented myself a motorbike and drove around looking for the ‘golden rock resort’. It’s a great little hide away run by ‘papa and mama’ at the quiet side of the island where I made my home for the next two weeks. I got a bungalow right near the beach where at night you could go swim and the luminescence would sparkle up all around you, during the day I could hang around in my hammock and read books. Just like a holiday. There are worse places to wait around for bicycle parts,

You quickly get used to not using days or dates on this island, instead it’s half moon, full moon, black moon, Shiva moon, etc, and each of these comes with a party….

I met up with the guys from the Burmese border. Crystal, a magician-assistant from Texas and completely mad (in a good way), and Sophie, a young but very smart and sensible girl from Germany, became my new best friend for two weeks.
Together we tried climbing mountains (but got lost in the jungle), went snorkelling (where I finally got to use my snorkel and mask!), cooked meals together, drank wine in a Jacuzzi and danced at the biggest beach party in the world. For which we got each other, and a bunch of other people, all painted up…

It was a wonderful time even though the ‘music’ isn’t of the kind I usually like and I was real happy when Don finally arrived who shares my taste. I like motorbikes, beer and music with guitars and lyrics. Instead of DUFDUFDUF-noise, hanging on a beach and drugs…(although it IS funny and Crystal and Sophie are REALLY my BEST friends in the world EVER (…)

I spend another few days on the island, driving Don’s motorbike around and eating proper English pub-food at a proper English pub before heading back to the ‘real world’ where my bicycle was patiently waiting for me in Des’ kitchen.

It surprised Don how little I actually know about fixing my bike… I’m sure I can figure things out myself, but why should I if someone else can do it better
So he fixed the gears and kept me company for another two weeks in which I found out what it is like to have a Don-on-Bullet-support-team…

I would leave after breakfast and he’d catch up somewhere around lunchtime. Then he’d move on looking for a place to stay which sometimes were very questionable places indeed… Like the time he found a pink hotel in the middle of nowhere with no windows, and curtains in front of the parking space where you can pay by the hour as well…
In the evenings I would usually drive us somewhere to find a place to eat. Because I can’t help but love riding a Bullet around. When I grow up I’m gonna get myself one. Where ever I might be. (Mine is actually still in Nepal, but it’s Mick’s now…)

We kept up the holiday feeling by taking regular breaks and side-trips. We went to Railay beach, a stunning little isthmus accessible by boat only. It’s famous for rock climbing so I had a go at that (purely accidentally though) when I tried to reach a lagoon hidden away in the lime cliff rocks, I nearly made it there but the rock face was just a little to steep and slippery for me. I did come down the mountain sufficiently dirty resembling a proper rock-climbing chick…
We tried walking around the tip of the land but big cliffs stopped us, trying to get back inland didn’t work because it would involve some serious climbing, we tried a little and ‘discovered’ a beautiful fairytale-like jungle space, resembling a room with high walls of limestone all around. Magic.
It’s also the place I lost my 3rd pair of sunglasses this trip…
We had to hurry walking back along the rocks because the tide came back in fast.
We strung our hammocks between the only two good trees on a beach surrounded by cliffs and overlooking some peculiar shaped islands, making a hammock-bunk-bed.
Waking up and jumping in the warm waters of the Andaman Sea is not a bad start of a day…

On the road again we stopped at a hot-waterfall where the spring water came down and formed pools where you could bath in the sun.

Another time we were riding around when the road suddenly stopped. A bridge was being built (or destroyed I couldn’t really tell) so we had to take the long way around; I have discovered that the cycling is a whole lot easier when I hold on to Don’s motorbike

We got to a ferry-port where a ferry was just about to leave. Naturally we jumped on it and asked where it would take us.
Ko Muk.
Another pretty little island with nice beaches and a cave. We were told the sea is too rough now to go there but we tried anyway. In a kayak we peddled through the waves, almost looking like we knew what we’re doing, and managed to find the entrance. It seemed scary small but a wave took us into the 80-meter pitch-black limestone tunnel where you could only hear the water crashing in around you but see nothing… until we arrived at a sea-lagoon, a tiny little concealed beach, a few trees and cliffs.
We took a wrong turn on the way back in the dark and flipped over which would be scary anyway but when you see nothing… We survived. Had a beer. And continued the journey.

Don was not going to Malaysia. So at the border I said goodbye to him and Thailand, where I’ve spend 3 months by now! And crossed into Malaysia. I wasn’t half a km from the border when I got a puncture, so I fixed it, cycled up a mountain and was surprised by the tremendous views.

When I stopped to get some water I got rushed into a chair and given all sorts of sweets and lemonade. Wow, people are friendly here as well!
I pitched my tent in a garden (after being invited of course) and joined the neighbours for dinner. The man who lived here spent 9 months in the Netherlands in 1974… It was also the first time in a long while that I got asked those questions again; “How old is your father?…. what does he do?…” Ah yes. I’m in a Muslim country again.
There are covered-up girls, many mosques and annoying boys (but they are everywhere…)

It’s been mainly flat and mainly sunny, even though I’m still in the rainy season I only got soaking wet twice so far.

A few days ago I arrived at Penang.
Here Lizzie lives.
She’s Mick’s friend (motorcycle-guy I travelled in India and Nepal with) and a teacher at an international school, I’ve been invited to come and talk to 300 kids age 7 to 11. That would have been exciting, if someone would’ve come to my school and told me there’s no need to go to uni. You can also just cycle around the world, it would’ve saved me a few years. And a whole lot of hassle…
I’m staying at her place, which is again wonderfully luxurious. Washing machine, soft bed, my own bathroom, computer and big pool outside.

I’ve run into Crystal again, and Jay, who I’ve met in Varanasi a long long time ago.
And got myself my 4th pair of sunglasses (authentic fake Prada’s  )
And I’m going to see about an Indonesian visa.
That will be my last country before I reach Australia.

-x-

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I’m at the coast! And I might finally be able to use the snorkel and goggles I bought roughly 15.000km ago in Istanbul..
Talking about silly-things-to-buy-on-a-bicycle-trip. A motorbike might be a close second.
But everything else I’ve gotten is highly useful, and absolutely necessary. Like a cowboy-hat, trousers, another pair of trousers and ehm another pair of trousers… Shoes, I lost my crocs while dragging the bike in and out of trains, oh. That’s where the first breakdown comes in.

I finally managed to break free from Bangkok when suddenly my back wheel stopped turning. Even though I peddled like crazy, it did no good at all. And this just after a lovely day trying to navigate my way through the industrial outskirts of the city. I did have a nice lunch with a bunch of English teachers; surprised to see another ‘Falang’ in the area.
Turned out there is this thingy that connects the round bit with another thingy and that snapped. sooooo….
Had to get a new one, in Bangkok.

After being escorted to the train station by three Thai students eager to practise their English, and a Chinese man who helped me dragging the bike in and out the train (where I lost the croc) and then took me out for dinner while he was showing me the way,
I got sucked in again… Bangkok.
And I was just so happy I finally left! But what can I say. Don, My friend-with-a-Bullet from Nepal (he’s actually from Australia, I just know him from Nepal) had arrived. Together with the bike. I had a go and went straight down KhaoSan Rd. with Cristine (remember? from Vientianne/Nepal) on the back.
For the first time I actually went and did some sight-seeing, together with Don and Cristine I saw and did some of the main things to see and do in Bangkok, a temple, a reclining Buddha, markets, a big night drinking including karaoke, funny hats and a pingpong show… don’t ask.

Not feeling like cycling through the mayhem once again I dragged the bike on a train out of town.
And arrived in Kanchanabury. Famous for the bridge over the river Kwai. But I was more interested in this ‘tiger-temple’ I kept hearing about. But after hearing the tigers are sedated and lame I lost interest.
But my eye fell on an add inviting me to hug a giraffe! Sure, I’ll hug a giraffe. So with Don, who just bearly made it on the bullet and went back to Bangkok two days later to fix the machine, I rented a scooter and set off to the ‘open zoo’.

There, finally, we saw the tiger we’ve both been trying to spot in national parks all over Nepal and India…. Ok, the area was about 1 square km, but hey! You can’t tell on the picture… now can you?
And yes. we could hug the giraffes who stuck their heads into the van to try to steel the carrots we had to feed them. Never knew they have black tongues.
On the way back our tyre burst, lucky we survived due to Don’s wonderful driving skills. We also stopped right in front of one of them random really good coffee places, you find them all over Thailand, in really random places.
Taking this as a sign we enjoyed some real good coffee, got the bike fixed and returned home.

Where I set off the next day into the big unknown on my bicycle again (well, after making copies of Don’s very detailed map and lonely planet… maybe not that unknown..)

After visiting some temple-cave’s, there is a few of them around, I cycled into a village where a little Thai girl asked me if she could help me. She could, and she did. She actually took me to her student dorm and let me stay for the night. She also showed me around town and dressed me up like a Thai lady. I look nothing like a Thai Lady. Thai lady’s faces don’t burn… And my fingers don’t bend freakishly far backwards.

It’s pretty easy-going around here. One morning I wasn’t 5km out of town yet when an eccentric old gentleman asked me how many countries I’ve crossed. I like this question ’cause I know the answer (better than:why?) He then told me about his own travels and showed me his house where a little hut jam-packed with souvenirs and pictures from all over the world dubbed as his ‘guest house’. He has students staying there from time to time since he is a retired university professor himself. He offered me to stay and take a break (from my strenuous two days cycling). I got company as a girl my age joined me in the guest house. In the morning the professor cooked us breakfast in the slightly cluttered open air kitchen.
What a wonderful encounter!
this is Thailand.

Sometimes I stop for lunch at a restaurant where nobody speaks English, actually.. most of the time. But this one time I pointed at something on the menu (it was in Thai) and a plate appeared in front of me filled with a salad. Doesn’t sound too bad, if only the main ingredient weren’t cockroaches! Yuk! I sort of eat around the most obvious bits, couldn’t really enjoy it though..
I usually order noodle soup, I love it! Just think it’s a little strange that soup seems the only dish Thai eat with chopsticks.

And then I reached the coast! ….
Full of apartment blocks and dead-end roads that lead to private beaches so I got stuck on the busy main road. Expensive restaurants and people asking for money to use the road (ok, the road did go through a national park… I didn’t pay)
But things where about to improve.

I found this wonderful secluded beach and a German to share a tent with. Beautiful scenery, nice & quiet. WRONG!
It happened to be a Saturday night. So Thai people try to find the quietest corners to set up their karaoke-installations and build an instant party. And that they can do!
We figured we better join them. And we had a great night! Dancing and singing and drinking a beer or two. Great crowd, didn’t get too much sleep as we witnessed the sun rise.

So the next day i was a little tired and just as I sat down recovering two more bicycles showed up. I joined Rob and Marike for the day which woke me up a bit, men they have some pace! But I survived and in the evening we were joined by Ruud, another dutchie and a superhero! He just rode his Bullet Enfield all the way from Holland on his way to Indonesia! And he is 65!
We had a great night over a all-you-can-eat Thai style BBQ. And a beer… or two.

The last two days I’ve been joined by a Spanish couple.
Together we went to some interesting places and I’ve had a go at coconut-scraping and fishnet-weaving… I also stepped into a bit of glass that went straight through my shoe into my foot. ouch!
Just yesterday Maria’s saddle suddenly snapped off. So as we stood around a motorbike pulled up asking us where we’re going. As we didn’t seem to be going anywhere at that time he took us home and showed us around his rubber-plantation. That seems to be good business. He then went on by inviting the three of us for dinner and arranging a luxurious bungalow right on the beach where we could stay for free!

This morning I left early leaving Maria and Xabi behind. I need to make it to the border of Burma where I’m gonna hop across to get another 30 days visa. This one is going to run out soon and I still need more time for the compulsory Thai-beach parties and lazy-island-days.

Oomph, it’s a hard life.
but hey,
some body’s gotta do it

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Thailand is nice.

The people are nice, the food is nice, the scenery is nice and the road is nice.
It’s not outrageous like India, Exotic like Turkmenistan, Extreme like Tibet or Mind-blowing like Nepal.
But it’s very nice.

I’m not complaining. I’ve had some wonderful days of cycling. The Northern hills are great! Literally a breath of fresh air after the heat on the Indian plains.

And in between the showers I even managed to get a glimpse of the view every now and again.

Especially the first few days out of Chiang May were beautiful. I cycled across a national park where I could take a break to check out a waterfall or a stupa and even the highest Mountain in Thailand, Doi Inthanol. I managed to get up the 2565meter against rain and wind and had the idea to pitch my tent there. But it seemed a bit chilly and I left my sleeping bag in Bangkok so I rode down the Mountain and found a good spot near a waterfall instead. Where in the morning I discovered an army of ants, coloring my normally green tent black. I didn’t mind so much when I noticed they were cleaning up bits of insects that get stuck to the tent every time I fold it up.

There are some roads around here that are definitely the steepest I’ve ever come across in my whole career as a ‘world-cyclist’ (…)

In places I’ve gone up 200 meter in 1km! Impossible you think? YES! That’s what I think too! And I had to zig-zag up the road nearly falling over because I go slower than 3km/h.. it took me 2hours to cycle up 6km, only to be down the other side in 5min and start over again.

So riding around shouting SA-WAA-DI-KAAAA!!! At every men woman and child I came across I arrived at the village of Huai Bong. A small place where 200 people make a living by working in the surrounding rice fields. A friendly man invited me to stay in his brother’s house and then showed me around the village. They are building a church and have already finished the school. He told me they need a volunteer to teach the children English so if there’s someone out there looking for a place in Thailand…
In the evening I fell asleep to the mumbling of prayers coming from the next room. And when I left he gave me a bible. Friendly…

The really wonderful thing in Thailand is that after a day on your bicycle, you can just go and get a Thai-massage. It’s a mixture between stretching-muscles and massage where they use not only their hands, but elbows, feet and whole body to pull you lose. There are a lot of “AUCH-is-that-really-necessary?-moments” But it does make you feel good.

Near Mea Hong Son in the Northwest corner of Thailand you find a lot of Hill-tribes. One of which called the Karen-longnecks. In town I met a couple of people who’ve been working with the villagers and in a nearby refugee camp to make sure children would go to school and have a change on a better future (www.ksdp.co.uk) It’s an amazing initiative set up in 1999 by a 19-year old English girl, she tragically died at 21 in a motorcycle accident and her family now continue her work. They took me to the village and told me about the work they try to do and how the people in the village must sell handicrafts to tourists for a living. Because all the money people pay to go and see them (for a boat crossing and ‘entry-fee’ )doesn’t actually end up with the people in the village

The day I was there the new school just opened so all the kids got dressed up and performed songs and dances and had a bit of a party.

There are a few hot-springs around. They’re lovely, except that the ones I’ve seen were a bit too hot. So I didn’t manage to actually spend much time in them. At one place they tried to charge me 300Baht to go to a hot spring near a geyser. I only wanted to go camping so I told them they’re mad and didn’t pay. It was a lovely spot though. And funny enough there was no one else at all. So I had the springs all for myself.

It’s so easy to stop anywhere and eat some good food. In a small restaurant one afternoon I noticed a table full of real nice looking sea-food, so I pointed at one dish to order that when a crowd of men in white walked in. I started chatting to one of them, they were Buddhist on a mission. But I didn’t find out what kind of mission. I did get invited to join them at the table full of gorgeous food though! That made me very happy, and after some of them had a go on my bicycle I peddled off into the hills again.

One minor set-back is that I discovered I have become Lactose intolerant.
Apparently a parasite I’ve picked up somewhere on the road did it to me. The bad news is; no more milk, no more yoghurt, no more ice cream, no more cheese and no more CHOCOLATE!!! The good news is, it could only be temporarily…..

So across hills and through some flat land I arrived at the Mekong river. On the border with Laos. My last day in Thailand was amusing since just then a yearly festival with parades and dressed up people happened…

I’ve been looking forward to Laos because every one I’ve met who’s been here loves it.
It has been slightly disappointing so far, and not only because it’s been pouring down rain ever since I got here.

I crossed the Mekong on a scary wiggely long tail boat in the rain with a vision of my bike toppling of and disappearing into the dark brown depths of the river. Lucky that didn’t happen. We both got across safe. A bit wet though.

So after the passport hassle I stopped for a coffee and some shelter at a guest house. When I asked the way to the toilet the lady got all huffy that I was there just to use the toilet and that I ONLY ordered one coffee… So I said ‘fine, I don’t have the coffee’. Went to the toilet and left.

A moment later I wanted to have something to eat. So at a place on the side of the road, like so many in Thailand, I had some food and they asked me 8 times the price it would cost me in Thailand! I just gave them what I thought was fair and left in a bid of a bad mood. They must think I’m stupid…

Here the road goes up and down a good bit, which suggests I might’ve had good views were it not raining. Non stop. I guess that is to be expected if you’re cycling around south-east Asia in the rainy-season. And sometimes I’m really enjoying it. Not being too hot. And not caring about a big puddle ’cause I’m soaking anyway. Singing in the rain. But when nothing never gets dry it does get a bit yuk after a while.

I got to Luang Namtha two days ago. My shoes are still wet.

Funny that as soon as I stop cycling it stops raining as well..

It’s been good here. Met some people who’ve I rented scooters with and we headed for the mud-tracks up in the hills.

But tomorrow it will probably rain. Tomorrow I’m on the road again.

Nice.

-xxx-

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