cycling the world

Report No 36 -Dated 12 May 2008 - Mission Complete!

2008-05-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, the mission is completed and I'm going home.
50,518 km including - four continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia).

Thanks to the fellow riders, thanks to those who helped on the way, thanks for your messages, thanks to Geoff for updating the blog and thanks to the bike for getting me there.
The four sectors were:
1. Oct 2002 - Jan 2003, 6,905 km. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Macao, China, Hong Kong.
2. Apr 2004 - Jul 2004, 7,790 km. USA.
3. Apr 2006 - Jun 2006, 5,546 km. Ireland, Wales, England, France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey (Istanbul).
4. Apr 2007 - May 2008, 30,277 km. Turkey (Istanbul), Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Hong Kong, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia (Darwin to Perth to Sydney).

I wheel dipped in the west and east of each continent and pedalled, pushed or carried the bike the whole way with the following exceptions. If there was no bridge I used a vehicular ferry. You can't cross the Hong Kong border on a bike so I used the train and ferry. Bikes cannot go on the Bosporus bridges so I used the ferry. In Tajikistan there was a major landslide and the locals helped carry the bike and gear over it. There is no coastal road linking Western Thailand with Malaysia so I used boats but cycled as far as you can go on each road. In Australia I had to catch a lift to the next town to wait for tubes but I went back & cycled it. On one occasion in the USA the authorities insisted I catch a lift because of roadworks and once in China they insisted I get a lift through a tunnel. Both times I 'escaped' and rode on.
I've got a lot more stuff to put on the blog in due course.

Report Number 35 –Sydney -Dated 5 May 2008

2008-05-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

I am staying in a cabin at Botany Bay which is not too far from the airport and there is good public transport to Central Sydney.
I've just spent the day doing the final dipping. As 'the rules' say it can't be done in a harbour or bay I had to go out to the coast and clamber over rocks carrying the bike. These RTW cyclists do strange things!

The ride from Adelaide was good. I did part of the Barossa Valley and then followed the Murray River for a few days. This area is where a lot of the well known wines come from but they are cheaper in the Auckland supermarkets. The route crosses from South Australia to Victoria and then into New South Wales. In Victoria I was there for the coldest April day on record but it's been fine and sunny since. There was more Nullarbor type desert and then rolling hills and farmland. There were several beautiful historic towns along the way.
Bikes are allowed on the motorways here and the Hume Highway became a motorway for the last few days. The shoulder is wide except on some bridges but there is a constant stream of traffic whizzing past. As I was coming into Sydney I had a puncture and taking all the gear off and fixing a puncture on an extremely busy motorway is not a lot of fun.
I'll do a brief summary of the 4 stages of the RTW in a day or too.

Report No 34 Adelaide – Dated: 21 April 2008-28,742 kilometers

2008-04-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Nullarbor (Latin for no trees) ride was first class, world class in fact. There were lots of riders doing it including a tour party with a sag wagon who invited me to share their salad (as rare as hen’s teeth in these parts) lunch. The scenery does change and I took quite a few photos. Part of the route is coastal but it was too early to see the whales which come up from Antarctica. By doing 150 - 200 km a day you can enjoy home comforts every night as there are good roadhouses. The winds weren't too bad, some strong headwinds but mostly okay.
One day I averaged 27.7 kph which is pretty fast for me. I had another broken spoke 200 km out of Norseman but replaced it and had no further problems. It's a long way to the nearest bike shop. One of the straights is 146.6 km and it was good to finally see a bend.

At the end of the Nullarbor you get a certificate to say you've done it but it's not too special as they give them to car drivers as well. Norseman to Ceduna or vice versa is a ride I would certainly recommend and it can easily be done in a couple of weeks.
The ride down to Adelaide has also been good. The weather is just perfect but the countryside is extremely dry. I passed the turnoff for Alice Springs and Darwin, the same road I left on 10 January so it's been a long loop around.
It's only 1,415 km to Sydney and I'm planning on being home on 18 May which is the day after the tenants move out.

Report No 33 – Dated 3 April 2008 Norseman -26,648 kilometers

2008-04-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

We left Istanbul a year ago today (3 April). I'm having a few days here before tackling the Nullarbor which stretches 1200 km between Norseman and Ceduna.
I was very impressed with Perth and Freemantle. A great cheap integrated public transport system, totally bike friendly, good weather, music in the streets, the same size as Auckland but way ahead.
Thanks to all those who recommended that I do the South West. It was worth the extra 700 km. There was a bike path for the first 60 km out of Perth and then I made my way down the coast to Cape Leeuwin where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. This whole area consists of forests, vineyards (I didn't do any degustations(Not in the Oxford Dictionary!)like on the Route du Vin), beaches and is great for cycling.
I then turned east and felt like I was really heading home. At Pemberton there is the Gloucester Tree which has metal rods hammered in to form a spiraling ladder so you can climb the 61 meters to the top. Gavin had suggested I climb this but I only got as far as taking a photo of the sign listing all the hazards.
One day a ute stopped ahead of me and the guy got out and introduced himself as the local beekeeper. I immediately thought there must be a swarm of bees on the loose like there was in China. But he was concerned there was nowhere for me to stay on the road ahead and invited me to his house. I got supplied with beer and shared the dining room table with 60 queen bees which had just arrived by Australia Post. And the honey for breakfast the next morning was a real treat.

The weather is now quite cool and there are always fairly strong SE winds which are not exactly favorable. However things are back to normal after the rigors of the north. I did a 193 km the other day and I can now use the tent again. I now need the goose bag which I carried for several months without use. I'm meeting other cyclists including one I rode with for half a day. He had done some pretty interesting rides in such places as Sulawesi and Madagascar. He was just out for a day ride on a racing bike this time.

The photos as far as Perth are there but the Phanfare system has changed. If you want to see the photos follow the instructions on Phanfare after clicking on the link.
Cheers

Report No 32 –Dated 7 March 2008 – Perth 25,330 kilometers

2008-03-08T20:08:00.001-08:00

The round the world total is now 45,330 km so it'll be pretty close to 50,000 by the time I get to my front door step.
The cyclone turned inland and weakened before it got to Carnarvon but we had torrential rain.
It was a slow trip down to Perth with very strong headwinds and broken spokes again. One day I was aiming for the rest area next to the Murchison river. I got there to find the river was flooded and the rest area was under water. I was totally exhausted so lay down on a pile of leaves at 4.30 pm and didn't stir until 6.30 am the next morning. I stayed at Geraldton for a few days. It's a very nice place but the official temperature was 43C on the day I arrived. At Cataby roadhouse when they heard I had cycled from Darwin they said everything from the bar and the restaurant would be on the house. That's the sort of roadhouse I like.
I've got a cabin with a kitchen at a caravan park 18 km from Perth city centre and get to the city by train. I'm here for 2 weeks. The bike is in a bike shop and I am getting the rear wheel rebuilt (3rd time on this trip) with heavier gauge spokes and getting the 3rd cassette and chains.
I am thinking of doing the much nicer coastal route via Albany to the start of the Nullarbor but it's an extra 700 km. The best time wind wise for heading eastwards on the Nullarbor is May to October so I could still get some strong headwinds.
I'm meeting my ex Singapore friends Barney and Daisy who now live in Perth for lunch. It's only 29C in Perth so I'm feeling the cold!

Report No 31 -Dated 20 February 2008 -Carnarvon-24,105 kilometres

2008-02-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

I have reached Carnarvon which is located 900 km north of Perth. Carnarvon is quite a pleasant place and I've got a good fully equipped motel room for a realistic price so I'm staying here for a few more days.
Marieke and Arnold who have cycled around Australia told me that the section south of Broome is very tough section and they're right! But they mentioned the beer tasted good at the Sandfire Roadhouse and to watch out for the frogs that live in the toilets there. The night before Sandfire I didn't get much sleep as I was on a table again. It was very hot and the bugs were out and some people arrived with a caravan with a noisy generator which was going all night. I left at first light looking forward to a few beers at Sandfire. It was 169 km with some pretty severe headwinds in the afternoon. The roadhouse had burnt down and there was no beer! (Scribe – This is probably the worst type of disaster even worse than a cyclone!)

The motel was still there and my toilet had a frog in it. It didn't seem to mind getting flushed, it would just pop up again later.
I had a day off at Port Hedland. It's very hard to get a bed there as the iron ore company books up everywhere for its staff. I found somewhere but had to pay $199 Aus per night for a pretty ordinary motel. These were the most expensive nights of the trip. I saw on TV that Western Australia is having the worst heatwave in 45 years.
Back on the road there was a sign saying -Limited Water for 632 km.
At Whim Creek the roadhouse is now owned by the copper mining company and there is no accommodation for travellers. It actually turned out to be a terrific stop as they let me camp on the lawn and I had dinner and breakfast in the copper miners mess. The food was the best I've had in Australia by far. They are really nice people earning big $, working and playing hard. There's a lot of New Zealanders there and a lady from Kerikeri packed me a nice lunch.

For the first few days out of Broome I'd been getting tail winds in the mornings and headwinds in the afternoons but they changed to full on headwinds, almost gale force sometimes, all day every day. It's the toughest cycling I've ever done. I know because I'm having thoughts (only thoughts) about becoming one of those 'cyclists' who catches a lift when it takes their fancy. It's like cycling into hot air coming out of a furnace. I' am having to drink almost constantly otherwise the lips and tongue become like bricks. But if I'm on the roadside looking half dead, which isn't hard to do, people stop and give me cold drinks.
Thanks to Marieke and Arnold and Gavin for recommending Coral Bay. I slept in the bus shelter at the turnoff but in the morning the wind was so strong I couldn't bring myself to do the extra 100 km. Just as well as two days later the tourists were evacuated from Coral Bay.
I knew Cyclone Nicholas had been forming up north but at Minilya Roadhouse I found out it had turned south and was north of Exmouth. I paid $250 Aus for two nights in one of the dongas at Minilya. A donga is a tin shed with a bed, air conditioning, fridge and sometimes a TV and a kettle. The prices are extortionate because they know you've got nowhere else to go. In the middle of the next day, too late to cycle to the next place, they told me I would have to leave as they would be evacuating because of Nicholas.

I was packing up when they came back to tell me a truck driver who was also staying there had agreed to take me when it really became necessary. But I ended up staying the second night and I cycled the 146 km to Carnarvon the next day. There's nothing like having a cyclone on your tail to get you cracking. On the way a backpackers bus which was evacuating people from Exmouth and Coral Bay stopped and I had to tell the people on the bus about my exploits.

We're on blue alert (next is red) here in Carnarvon but there is a chance the cyclone could weaken by the time it gets here and will be downgraded to a tropical storm. It's a concrete building I'm in so it should be fine and I have stocked up with plenty of the necessaries.
My next report will be from Perth.

Report No 30 - Broome - Dated 3 February 2008

2008-02-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

I've made it to Broome on the Indian Ocean. It's about half way between Darwin and Perth. Broome is an upmarket town with one of the best beaches in Australia but not suitable for swimming at this time of the year because of the stingers. I'm glad I've seen part of the Kimberley area of Australia. The scenery is spectacular but it's tough on a bike in the wet season with the high humidity. I read the outside temperature at Halls Creek is up to 52C. The rain is not a problem as it comes at nights, usually with spectacular lightening and thunder. But camping is almost unbearable; I'm losing so much sweat in the tent at nights I'm sleeping in a pool of water. One day I was cycling along & the body started to go into 'shut down' mode, pretty scary stuff. But I remained compos mentis enough to know I had to brake and get off. After a rest I was fine. That was a while back and there's been no problem since but I'm being careful. I won't be like the cyclist I was told about. He went off the main road thinking it was a short cut. They found him alive but he'd gone completely bonkers. I'm carrying about 15 litres of water and four litres of coke. In addition, almost every day I'm being given water, sometimes cold. Even the police have given me cold water. Special thanks is due to the Polish couple in a camper van who gave me about a week's supply of groceries, water and four cans of cold beer. Some locals have told me they've seen me several times and one guy said he was stopped by the police for a breath check and they asked him if he had seen me yet. I'm the only cyclist out there so it's something for the locals to talk about.

On my first night out of Katherine I'd put the tent up and was resigned to the fact that it would be a beer free night, my first for weeks. Then two station guys stopped their ute and got out the cold beer which they shared with me. When I eventually went to bed the tree frogs had a competition with the cane toads to see which could make the most noise. It sounded like there were millions of them. I met one of the station guys in the pub 100 kilometers further on the next night so I was able to return the hospitality,

One night I was at a rest area and decided to sleep on one of the tables rather than in the hot tent. They have a roof over them but no sides. Later on I was completely surrounded by a 360 degree lightening & thunder storm but it was fine where I was. Then a gale force wind got up. When the wind kept on changing direction I knew I was in the middle of something. The rain eventually started so I donned the wet weather gear and went to sleep on the table with the rain driving in. I actually had a good sleep, better than in the hot tent.
Another night I just had to open the tent flaps it was so hot and I was bitten by every bug known to mankind. Rather than hang corks from the helmet I bought a head net so that helps with the flies. The flies tend to stick with you on the bike so travel long distances. I haven't seen any snakes or crocs. I've been on a croc hunt stopping at every bridge to look over to see if I could see them. I camped by a river and there was a sign to say there were crocs there. One guy did say I could go with him to feed 'Old Grumpy' a 12 foot freshie but I didn't bother. You've got to be careful with unfenced swimming pools as the crocs go walkabout in the wet season and like to get into people's pools. I was told one crocodile went to the airport and had to be moved so the planes could land. The most dangerous animals for cyclists are the bulls and I got chased by a huge hump backed one. The cattle stampede when they see me but tend to run with me not away. When this bull took a particular interest I took off at about 35 kilometers an hour.

Then 110 kilometers’ from the nearest town all my tubes failed except the one on the front but including the two spares. The valves came away from the tubes so they can't be repaired. There's quite a bit about this on the net I've discovered since. So I got a lift into Halls Creek and had to spend five nights there waiting for new tubes to arrive from Darwin. Then I cycled the 110 k back to where it happened, spent the night there and cycled back to Halls Creek to stay for the 6th night.
At Timber Creek a large drunk Aboriginal woman insisted she could hitch a ride with me to Kununurra 230 k down the road. She wanted to sit astride the orange bag and said nobody else would take her and I was the last resort. However, she lost interest when she realised I didn't have a supply of cigarettes for the trip.
It is now time to go back to the hotel for a swim.

Report No 29 - Dated 9 January 2008, Katherine Australia , 20,829 kilometers

2008-01-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

The Tiger Airways budget flight to from Singapore to Darwin was great. The basic cost was $40 +++. It was a new A320 and dinner was served at the time I specified and included canned wine etc. They fly all over South East Asia and to Melbourne so it might be a cheap way to get from New Zealand to Asia.

I had an extended stay in Darwin because of Cyclone Helen. The hotel I was in was pretty solid so I didn't have to go to a shelter. But I prepared my emergency kit as instructed. This included torch, radio, passport, biscuits and a bottle of wine. The winds were in the 100 to130 kilometer range and a lot of trees were uprooted. It was a bit of a fizzer compared with Typhoon Rose I went through in Hong Kong in the early 70's.

There was flooding south of Darwin and when I cycled off the internet reports were saying the Stuart Highway was impassable. However, I had no problems except for the heat and humidity. It was around 40 in the shade but more humid than anywhere else so far. On the first day I just cycled on as I always do until my body got out of sync and was telling me to stop. So I limped in to the Adelaide River pub with severe leg cramps, a raging headache and nausea thinking why am I doing this? It probably was dehydration although I was drinking more than usual. Now I am slowing right down. The trouble is that it is not very pleasant resting on the way as the flies and ants drive you nuts.
Katherine is 325 km south of Darwin on the way to Alice Springs (population 11,000) but I'm turning off here towards Western Australia. Katherine is on flood alert as the river is very high. I asked the motel owner about an escape route and he said I could get up on the roof with him and have a few beers.
Apart from this I'm seeing lots of wildlife including pelicans, a huge variety of other birds & wallabies. There are also loads of road trains.
It is 500 kilometers to Kununurra near the Western Australian border (3,000 kilometers’ north of Perth) and there's only one tiny town on the way.
I probably won't do another report for quite some time.

Report No 28 -Trip Status and Route

2008-01-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

My original plan was to get a boat from Singapore to Batam in Indonesia and then another boat to Sumatra. Then I was going to cycle Sumatra, Java, Bali and fly to Darwin from there. But Indonesia is having the worst wet season in decades and there's no guarantee that it's going to get any better. Dozens have been killed by mudslides, bridges have collapsed and some areas are under two metres of water. The dry season doesn't start until May. It probably would have been okay to go there but I've decided not to take the risk. I am cutting short my Singapore stay and on 1 Jan ( a very cheap flight on Tiger Airways that day) I fly to Darwin. It's the wet season there too but all the roads are currently open. The intention is to cycle to Sydney but I'm thinking of going the long way via Perth. On the main direct roads it's 4,500 km to Perth and 4,000 kilometers’ from Perth to Sydney. It'll probably be quite a bit longer for me. That still qualifies me for around the world status as it'll be four continents and well over the required mileage. However for the future there's still Sydney to Darwin via Queensland then Indonesia to Singapore. The RTW started in Singapore so it makes sense to finish there.

Report No 28 -Singapore,20,496 kilometers

2008-01-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

After languishing on Langkawi I took the ferry to mainland Malaysia and went in the wrong direction towards Thailand to make sure that I had not missed any bits and broken the rules. I then turned south down the west coast. The last time I was in these parts was in the early seventies when I used to drive my Vauxhall Viva up there and I worked on Penang Island for a while. One night I was having dinner with a cyclist from Cornwall when a cycling couple I met in Thailand arrived so it was a cyclist’s night out.

In another place I was told about a cheap penthouse apartment. It was great, three bedrooms, nice views, all mod cons. But the next morning the two lifts weren't working and I had to wheel the fully laden bike down steps for twelve stories. I had three nights in Malacca which is a major tourist destination and a wonderful historic city. I arrived at Johor Bahru, the crossing place for Singapore, early and spent two nights there. It's not the sort of place I ever thought I'd stay at. It lived up to its reputation as I was propositioned and there was a dead body on the steps of my hotel one morning.

In Malaysia all the hotel rooms have an arrow stuck to the ceiling so you know which way to face when praying. I was very tempted to climb up and turn them in a different direction but I never got around to it. So I had a dipping ceremony in Singapore at more or less the same place as the one we had for the Sing Honk ride. As I thought might happen the whole area had changed and was under construction so it wasn't easy to get access. That completes the central loop of the RTW. Sing Honk 6905 km, Honk Sing 6362 km.

Report No 27 –December 9 2007 -Ko Lipe Thailand– 19,418 kilometers’

2007-12-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

I have now covered 19,418 km from Istanbul and there is another 1,000 to go to Singapore. But I'm afraid I could be accused of being on holiday rather than on a mission as I'm currently having ten days in a row beach combing and then there will be fourteen days off in Singapore. So these days it's more swimming than cycling and I've also done some snorkeling.
The last report was from Cha-Am Beach. From there I cycled further south stopping at a beach every night. I then crossed to the west side and followed the Myanmar border to the coast. I met a very nice couple from Oregon on Bike Fridays.
Khao Lak turned out to be one of the best stopover places of the whole trip. All the coastal resorts were totally destroyed by the tsunami and amazingly only three years later there is no sign of it except for warning towers, warning signs and escape routes. Fortunately the trees and beaches survived intact. The beach at Khao Lak goes on for miles and is just superb. All the resorts are new and I had a nice bungalow, more up-market than I'm used to but still only half the price of a cheap motel in New Zealand. One night I thought I would have one of those half- price on the beach happy hour cocktails that we've had before in Thailand. When I couldn't find my usual 'B52 Bomber' I thought the 'Around the World' would be appropriate. I wrote down the recipe but needn't have bothered as it consists of just about everything.

I followed the coast for as far as the road goes in Thailand, south of Satun. At Satun I was wandering around looking for a beer in a mainly Muslim area which is not an easy task when I was recognised as a cyclist by the bar bag I was carrying. I was wondering when that would happen. Julie & Ian are cycling to New Zealand. There is a gap of twenty kilometers’ from where the Thai road ends to where the Malaysia road starts. This meant another of those rules committee meetings with myself but this time I used your proxy vote Gavin. There were two choices, go well inland to a potentially unsafe area or go by boat. So I cycled 70 kilometers back up the way I had come and caught a boat to a beautiful Thai island Ko Lipe in the southern Andeman ocean. There's no wharf on Lipe so the bike and all the gear had to be transferred to a longtail. It wasn't too bad arriving but very tricky when leaving in choppy seas. I wouldn't have been at all pleased if the bike had of ended up on the bottom of the ocean. There are also no roads so the longtail took me to the bay I had chosen. I was in a basic hut right on the beach, just the perfect place for rest and recreation. From Ko Lipe there is a direct boat link with Pulau Langkawi in Malaysia so here I am. I'm in another bungalow on the beach. In a few days I'll catch a boat to the mainland and cycle from the start of the coast road. I've missed 20 kilometers’ but did an extra 70 and there will be another extra fifty on Langkawi.
My next report will be after Xmas.

Report No 26 Cha – Am Thailand, 18,150 kilometers

2007-11-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well I'm now reaping the rewards in the Gulf of Thailand.There is a beautiful beach with a nice bungalow and lots of good food.The 1,200 km down from the Laos/Thai border was pretty easy with flat roads and tail winds.

I spent five nights on the banks of the Mekong. Lying in bed in Laos and
looking out the balcony door at Thailand seemed to appeal to me.
Chiang Saen on the Thai side was pretty interesting.Last time we stayed out of town at Gin's I think solely for the reason that the name appealed to us.But in town evening food vendors set up stalls and the locals come out in their hundreds to sit on grass mats on the river bank and consume fish or chicken barbecued inside thick bamboo.
I've never seen anything quite like it.Watching the cargo ships from China was also interesting.Westerners can travel from Thailand to China by boat through Myanmar and Laos.

The bike shop at Chiang Rai run by Bird and his wife was excellent and I got various new parts. Bird worked on the bike like a hospital surgeon calling out for tools and parts and the wife would hand them to him. But I had an annoying noise a couple of days later and after a process of elimination for a day or two I changed the quick link and the noise was gone.I was still using the original.

I met two elderly expatriates in Chiang Rai who both tried to convince me that Chiang Rai was the place to be.One was a Norwegian kayaker who I had dinner with.The other was an American who was a permanent resident at the same guest house as me.He played tennis and had a massage every day.
One day west of Bangkok (I didn't go there this time) for about fifty kilometers
the road was lined with hundreds of police, several ambulances & an emergency response team. I realized that a sixty four year old rolling in by bike from Europe was pretty amazing but I thought this sort of reception was a bit over the top.But it wasn't for me but rather for the Prince and Princess of Thailand who were in a convoy of white Mercedes and BMWs travelling at about 150 kilometers an hour.I had to get off the road and wasn't allowed to take a photograph.They allowed me to stay on the road until just before the arrival so it didn't hold me up too much & they explained what was going on.
I'll be crossing to the west side of peninsular Thailand in 300 km and it will all be new for me as I haven't been there before.

Report No 25 - Huay Xai, Laos, 16,966 km

2007-11-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

I'm having a few days here, five minutes by boat across the Mekong to Thailand. My room is on the river bank and has a large balcony overlooking the Mekong and Chiang Khong, Thailand. There was a very nice sunset over Thailand last night. The place seems to have grown since we were here last on the Thailand \ Laos trip. It is a bustling little town full of tourists, as was Luang Namtha a couple of days further north, where I had a rest day. Laos has got to be right up there amongst the top places to cycle.
In between the bigger towns the accommodation is pretty basic, a wooden hut, bucket wash with cold water, no electricity but candles provided, the night before here. It was just near a place called Been Too Far (that's what it sounded like, actually Ban Ta Fa). I'm enjoying the Beerlao and sticky rice again.
The 1900 km from Nanning was pretty gruelling but I'm bursting out in song while riding along so I must be enjoying it. Basically it was mountainous, climbing to a ridge, down to a river and repeating that over and over. One afternoon I measured a 37 km climb but that wasn't to the top as I spotted a hotel with a fridge full of beer in the foyer which was just too tempting. The good bits were banana, tea, nut, rubber plantations, spectacular jungle and forests, nature reserves where there are still wild elephants and great downhills. The bad bits included rain, red mud, truck jams and fog. One day the road was so bad and dangerous I couldn't cycle parts of it and did a lot of bike pushing. But my walking speed was about the same as the trucks trying to get up the hills on a road consisting of rocks and mud. The only cyclists
I met were a Dutch couple cycling Kunming to Hanoi. They said this is a very popular ride for the Dutch and there is even a tour company doing it.

I crossed the Tropic of Cancer line. Things got even cheaper in this part of China. For example on my last night in China the hotel was 40 Yuen (aircon, English TV, the works), meal 15 Yuen, haircut 5 Yuen. Divide by 6 to get New Zealand. That's less than $1 for a haircut and the meal was 4 courses with 3 beers and very good. However, the floor of the restaurant was the dirtiest I've ever seen with bits of meat, bone, rice etc. There was a dog employed to try and clean it but it wasn't making much headway. So after almost four months in China I crossed to Laos at Mohan \ Boten. You've got to be careful in these parts not to take the wrong turning as you might end up in Myanmar or Vietnam the countries are so close together. In Laos the 'hellos' were replaced by 'sabaidiis'. I've developed a royal type wave which seems to do the trick. There were hordes of kids in the schools all yelling 'sabaidii'.
There were numerous times in China where people would go out of their way to help eg one lady went to great lengths to find a trishaw and instruct the pedaller to take me to the internet, another hired a motor cycle taxi for me to follow to accommodation and people would walk me quite long distances, I was passed a complete packaged dinner through a car window etc etc. I'll be boring people for years to come about China as I've got lots of memories. And I've found a new use for the squat toilets, the front wheel fits nicely in the bowl to hold the bike upright while giving it a shower.
No more trouble with the rear spokes but the 2 chains need replacing so I'll get that done and a new cassette in Thailand. I had to put in a new rear derailleur cable.
Next I'll zoom down to a beach and have some more time off. I saw this the other day 'travel hard, rest easy'. I like it.

Report No 24 - Nanning China - Dated 19 October 2007

2007-11-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

I ended up spending nine days in Hong Kong and during this time I got a Thai Visa and maps along with three visits to the bike shop. I now have a Tubus rack which was sent from England and the rear wheel has been rebuilt with Swiss spokes and the noise has been eliminated from the freewheel. I had a meeting of the Rules Committee (consisted of myself) on how to get out of Hong Kong on my bike. All boarders are closed to cyclists so you have to catch a train, bus, plane or boat. I opted for the boat to Zhuhai. It takes one hour as opposed to ten minutes by train but it is crossing a river (well the mouth of it) and there is no bridge but a 29 kilometer one is being built. So I convinced myself that this arrangement was within the rules. I had a brief dipping photo session at Repulse Bay. The last time I did this it was winter but this time it was summer and the beach was crowded.
The authorities were not keen at all about me wheeling my bike across the sand and let me know of their displeasure through a loudspeaker. When I ignored this they sent a deputation but they ended up taking photographs of me. My idea of a Great Wall wine party with illegal skyrockets from China was put on hold!
On my first night back in China the waitresses kept on wanting to top up my beer glass with tea and there was loud banging on my door during the night. In the morning I found a note slipped under the door saying ‘what are your credentials?’ I suspect it was something to do with my passport but I knew I was back in China. Hong Kong is so different. I decided to take the longer coastal route to Nanning so part of it was retracing our Sing Honk ride. This was 868 kilometers in five days so I am having a few days here as it is a very nice city and I have a five star type room for 80 Yuan (NZ$13).
Nanning is located some 160 kilometers from the border with Vietnam and has a sub tropical climate and is monsoonal.

Late one day the lower jockey wheel jammed and the bearings were coming out of the side of it. It was getting too late for roadside repairs so I chartered a motorcycle cart to take me back to the hotel. The guy unloaded his current load including his wife and charged me $3NZ to take me back 30 kilometers. His wife would have been waiting for a long time at the roadside in the dark. It was just as well that I had a spare jockey wheel otherwise I would have been cycling with a shortened chain with only one gear. Another day I had a collision with a hen. It ran across in front of me which was okay but it then turned and tried to get back to the kerb through my front spokes. There was quite a loud thud and feathers were flying but I stayed on and there was no damage to the wheel. I am not to sure about the hen though.
This is my last major city in China but there is still 1,500 kilometers to the Laos border. Peter at Bike China has suggested a scenic route which is very close to the Vietnam border but the roads look a bit minor so I will probably stick to the main roads. I know it is a very roundabout route I am taking and that going through Vietnam to Laos would be shorter but it is one less visa and I like China.
I am about to book 1 Orchard Road in Singapore for two weeks but my next news will be from Thailand so it may be a while.

Report No 23 - Hong Kong-Dated October 6 2007

2007-10-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

The first stage from Istanbul of 14,134 kilometers has been completed (well not quite as we still have the dipping at Repulse Bay). Taking into account the earlier trip from Ireland to Istanbul the northern hemisphere part of cycling around the world has been ticked off.

I got here yesterday nice and fast and I can now have seven nights away from the madness that is cycle touring. It was a terrific feeling to arrive and to see the sea again.

From Guilin I passed through Yangshuo on the Li river and I cannot believe the changes since I was there about ten to fifteen years ago. It was a sleepy village then but is now overcrowded with tour groups with the river packed with boats and has a KFC. However the limestone peaks are incredible so is still a great place to visit.

I have been saying for the last six months that it is to dangerous for me to cycle at night with my eyesight but I broke the golden rule and off I came. I misjudged the time and came into Wuzhou an hour late and I did not see the roadworks and I ended up rolling sideways down a bank of rocks. All I got was a few minor scrapes but checking into the hotel afterwards was more crazy than usual. Not only did I have my usual disheveled appearance but I was also oozing blood and had rips in my shirt. However I went next door and brought their entire supply of cold beer which I needed after a 218 kilometer day and a crash. I did not even require a sticking plaster and the crash left no damage to my bike but I won’t be cycling at night again.

All of the cities in the Guangzhou (Canton) area are merged together so this makes it a city ride of hundreds of kilometers. There are flyovers, ring roads and traffic lights galore which make it a ride I would not want to repeat.
Coming into Shenzhen and crossing the border by train into Hong Kong was a breeze as I have done this before with Gavin and Peter. I avoided Humen, the mouse hotel and the hill climb otherwise everything was much the same. At Sheung Shui (only ten minutes by train) I got on to the expressway. I lasted about fifteen kilometers before the police stopped me. As the policeman was escorting me to the next exit he was talking to me on the loudspeaker wishing me good luck, take care and have a nice trip.
So here I am at the Bishop Lei being my fourth stay at this hotel. Hong Kong is still very different from China especially at the mid Levels. It’s an expat area and I feel like one myself and just love the place. I had a full English breakfast this morning and saw things like muesli and peanut butter in the supermarket so it's going to be great. The downside is this morning's paper says the air pollution will be at health threatening levels today.

Report No 22 - Guilin, Dated 29 September 2007

2007-10-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

The seven hundred kilometers from Guiyang was amazing. We followed rivers downstream for nearly four days so virtually a four day downhill. I was thinking that this is world class just like the United States. Long rivers, forests, quiet roads just perfect cycling. Then it all turned to custard with rain, rocks, mud, and no milestones to reassure you along the way. It was just as bad as Laos and Cambodia. After about fifty kilometers I thought that this cannot be right not in China but the compass was okay. So I found a guy and pointed at the Chinese characters on the map showing him where I wanted to go. He pointed back up where we had come from which suggested that I had come the wrong way. After a lot more pointing and talking in two different languages I had an offer of lunch and it turned out that I had already passed these places on the map and that I was on the right road.
One night I stayed at a family type guest house. They didn't seem to mind my mud coated bike in the room. They had cold beer and the lady served up a great meal. Granny starred at me the whole time, the young couple sat on a motorbike outside and starred, the lady kept on pointing me out to people passing and couldn't stop laughing; the husband watched TV and ignored me. The starring was okay time and it was a very relaxing setting. Another night the restaurant lady sat at my table and chopped ginger for two hours. During this time not once did she look at the ginger, it was all automatic and she had her eyes glued to the Television. There are various ethnic minorities that live in these parts wearing different clothes and headgear. The only ones I recognised were the Hakka dressed in black. You're not supposed to photograph them as they say the camera is stealing their soul.
The whole area is prone to landslides and I was a bit concerned about getting blocked in but the road was passable (just). The shocking road broke my rear rack and burst a sidewall so that's another parcel from England. You can tell you are getting near South Eastern Asia by the number of water buffalo. They wander all over the place and I even saw them in the main street of a town.
The Guilin/Yangzhou area is one of the top places in China famous for the limestone peaks. But I've been here before so I won't linger. Jan wants to cycle at his own pace which is fair enough as this is what every cyclist wants. So I'll forge on to meet my 1 August next year deadline and give myself time to have a holiday or two on a beach somewhere.
When I arrived in Guilin I got a taxi to go to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a visa extension. I showed the taxi driver on the map where he was to take me but he had his own ideas and took me to another Public Security Bureau. I knew it was wrong so I didn't pay him. Then another taxi driver tried to convince me I was in the right place. So I went inside, woke up the receptionist who was asleep, who then went outside and came back with a young kid who translated. I was taken to an office and after a while two policemen arrived. I thought it was something to do with not paying for the taxi but they took me outside to their police car and with lights flashing drove me to the correct Public Service Bureau on the other side of the river.
I will pick up my visa tomorrow and will head off and my next report will be from Hong Kong.

Report No 22 Chongqing China -12,580 kilometers – Dated 22 September 2007

2007-09-27T23:52:00.001-07:00

Chongqing is a city of some 19 million located in the south west of China and is situated on the upper reaches of the Yangtze river. It is a modern city so offers bright lights a fast pace, Starbucks. KFC and McDonalds and is surrounded by water. Our route here has been fantastic with quiet roads, major hill climbs, forests, rivers, river terraces and is a great part of China. Peter Snow Cao of Bike China suggested this way. Now we are off to Guilin so we are getting closer to Hong Kong.

One night we were staying in a flea pit – No complaints we were only paying a $1 NZ a night but during the night as we slept there was a banging on the door. Jan got up dressed in his underpants and four policemen burst into the room. Jan said next day that he thought that they were only after his autograph as they wanted him to sign something and they also had a camera. I thought that it was probably a confession and that we were in a no go area or in a hotel not fit for foreigners.
Anyway I woke up and leapt out of bed completely starker’s and manhandled them out the door and bolted the door. It is not a pretty picture but a 64 year old nude kiwi cyclist was more than a match. They jabbered in the corridor for some time but that was the last we saw of them.
We have covered 12,580 kilometers since April. The circumference of the earth is approximately 40,076 kilometers so this means that since April we have cycled 31.39% of the circumference of the world. Legendary really! (This last paragraph has been added by the scribe!)

Report No 21 – Chengdu China- Dated 16 September 2007

2007-09-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

As we departed Xian we saw the Terracotta Army and when I get around to uploading the photos on to the website they will tell all. We had an appointment with the Television crew as we left town which consisted of one and a half hours of filming for a two minute slot. They seemed more interested in the fact that I had local noodles in my pannier than any other part of the trip and the camera was held right up close to the noodle packet in order to show the brand name. We have not seen it but we have been promised it will be sent to us so we might then be able to put it on the web.

The 1,000 kilometer ride here was mainly through a Forest Park where Pandas and Golden Haired Monkeys are supposed to live. Of course we didn't see any but the ride was world class but very wet. This was a novelty as we have not seen any rain for months. One of the days consisted of a seventy five kilometer climb up a gorge with a corresponding downhill. This was just fantastic but there were lots of tunnels with one being 2.5 kilometers. We did stray onto an expressway and we managed a fast one hundred kilometers before being escorted off by a police car. The policeman wanted photos and even put his arm around us. So we were photographed arm in arm with a policeman with our bikes in front of a police car. I am sure this would not happen at home in similar circumstances!
Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province with a population of some eleven million so it has a population that is nearly three times more than the whole population of New Zealand. We have been enjoying the spicy Sichuan food every night.
Yesterday we went to the Giant Panda Research Base and Park. We both really enjoyed this and we were able to get very close to the pandas as they were feeding so the photos should be good.
Tomorrow we're off towards Chongqing on the Yangzi so we are getting closer to Honkers.

Report No - 20 Xian, Shaanxi Province China - Dated 2 September 2007

2007-09-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are now in Xian a walled city of some seven million people that is described in the Lonely Planet as a splendid living museum. This is because for more than two millennia over a dozen dynasties rose and fell in Shaanxi and always in the vicinity of Xian. Xian is the eastern terminus for the Silk Road.
To date we have not seen much of Xian because we have spent most of our time here at the Public Security Bureau getting a thirty day extension to our visas. We will be back for our fifth visit on Friday and the whole process has to be repeated in thirty days. We will be seeing the Army of Terracotta Warriors tomorrow.

From here we leave the 312 road which we have been on for 2,500 kilometers and turn south to Guangyyuan, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Guilin (I will show Jan Yangshuo where I have been before which is a beautiful part of China). We then go to Guangzhou and Hong Kong. We are not going to Beijing now but after Hong Kong we return to China to cross to Laos and then south.

We spent quite a few days in Lanzhou but on the way here I lost Jan on the first day and we did not meet again until here. The long rides of up to 200 kilometers suit me (Scribe – what does he do after lunch?) and then I like long breaks.
There were three quite long tunnels on the way here which were hair raising. At one tunnel they insisted that I put the bike on a truck but as Gavin knows this would not have gone down well with me. I escaped and managed to speed through before they could stop me!
Another cyclist who also passed this way tells me he went by truck. This is somewhat of a dilemma for those of us who think that to complete a journey you have to cycle all of the way!
(Scribe – a number of words spring to mind that may apply to a person, who for the above reason, biked through a dark tunnel- try: compulsive, fanatical, fixated or neurotic)

In another there were roadworks in the middle of the tunnel and with practically no light it was very scary. I came across the most amazing traffic jam as there was gridlock for about 50 kilometers’ on both sides of the road. This was caused by trucks breaking down on the hills, jackknifing, roadwork’s etc. But on the bike I could squeeze past and get through. Also there were loads of bees being carried on trucks and had escaped and I got stung twice.
When I arrived in Xian people were starring at me more than usual for Western tourists and in fact some people I tried to ask directions from took of when they saw me.
When I looked in the mirror I discovered that my face and eyebrows were absolutely black from coal dust, truck fumes, tunnel stuff, general pollution etc. Another feature of this section of our trip was the expressway building and it is just amazing the extent of it.

Strange things can happen in China. A couple of examples include when I was sitting down having a shoeshine when I felt this hair on my face. It was a guy showing an Alsatian dog skin and hair in my face trying to sell it to me. Another time in the desert there was a bowl with about an inch of water in it for washing hands in the restaurant. I was just about to use it when the restaurant owner put her feet in the bowl and scrubbed between her toes with a toothbrush leaving the same water.
The local press has been on to Jan and he features in this morning’s paper and also TV is chasing him and he wants me on as well.

Report No 19 - Dated 21 August 2007 - Lanzhou China

2007-08-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

We have reached Lanzhou which is more than halfway across China. We passed the big 10,000 kilometers the other day and I did a whoopee! In fact I did 228 kilometers yesterday (which included a lot of hill climbing) catching up with Jan but not as good as his 260 kilometers when he was catching up to me. I had to replace four spokes on my rear wheel as well as four punctures. The Chinese do not know how to build wheels and most of them don’t know that beer has to go in a fridge! We spent ages going from place to place in search of a beer.
The Lonely Planet suggests that Lanzhou maybe the most polluted city in the world but so far I like it.
We arrived just as it was getting dark and after finding a hotel and having a shower we sat on the footpath in the breeze and had a beer and tasty Uighur food (Cost less than $1NZ) until midnight. Just blissful after a hard day. I had a great birthday in Zhangye which is pronounced Jonya. This is a modern city and Marco Polo spent a year here so he must have liked it to. After the wine in the room and beers in the park at lunchtime Jan took a lot of waking for dinner. He had a chain on the door and the maid could not get in and banging on the door did not work but he showed up later alive and kicking.

The 500 kilometers to here was good and we saw a lot of the Great Wall including taking pictures of us at the top of the wall, a motorway through the middle of it and wonderful scenery. I am not sure if the desert is finished with yet and there were certainly a lot of desert type mountains on the way here. The next major stop is Xian (600 kilometers’ away) and then a wiggly route to Hong Hong.

We have Chinese maps for each province and are getting good at reading the characters. It would be hopeless without them as there are few English signs except on the motorways. They've spent billions on these motorways but some of the English signs are funny. Examples include 'Do drunken driving' and 'don’t chuck flotsam out car window'.

Report No 18 - Dated 16 August 2007 - Jiayuguan - Great Wall of China

2007-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

We have reached Jiayuguan on the Silk Road (9,300 kilometers) and the Jiayuguan pass is the first pass which is located at the west end of the Great Wall of China.
Map:
http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/10119/China/Gansu/Jiayuguan/Great_Wall_of_China___Jiayuguan_Pass

This is where the Chinese say that the wall starts and where the real China starts so we will see that tomorrow. We are motoring along feeling fine although we are getting lots of punctures with the very fine wire from truck tires. There is nothing worse than getting a puncture where there is no shade and to add to that the wheel I had built in Kashgar is a bit suspect.
In China the way to find a hotel is to go looking for clocks. They all have about four showing the international times above the reception desk. I always wear my helmet in to try and explain why I am so filthy, dirty, unshaven and wearing strange pants. Three times I have gone into very likely looking buildings and have been surrounded by soldiers. They must have been the army headquarters. And I don’t know if this is a first or not but due to a lack of water I used my full chamber pot the next morning to find a leak in a tube. One night we stayed in a brothel, the advantage being that there was a very large and elaborate spa in the room. On the road each day I am having five to seven large bottles of water a day.

Photo Link:

Report No 17 - Dated 5 August 2007 - Hami , Taklimakan Desert

2007-08-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

We have completed another 400 kilometers across the Taklimakan desert from Turpan. We have reached Hami which is a town with a population of over 300,000. It is the eastern gateway to the Xinjiang province. Like Turpan it is a rich agricultural oasis that is feed by underground water channels and is famous for its melons, hops and many other kinds of fruit. A fellow traveler Marco Polo visited the region in the 13 century.

There have been incredible winds with it being tricky enough to stand up let alone cycle. It has been very difficult riding and we have had to concentrate to avoid being blown off the edge and when trucks pass they create a vacuum and the bikes swerve to the left. We have had some close calls. We have been down to 8 kilometers an hour on occasions but yesterday it was mainly a tail wind and we did a quick 180 kilometers.
The water in the bottles gets so warm so I am putting in tea bags in the bottles so we can have tea on the go. One day I was getting concerned about my dwindling water supply but we came upon a shop unexpectedly (it was closed but we got it opened). We brought eight bottles plus three cokes. The lady had a huge smile on her face, we were her best ever customers! The wind makes you drink more.
We should start seeing bits of the Great Wall soon. China has not changed that much since my last visit – you still have to disconnect phones and they still want bikes in the carparks and you still have to pay a deposit. However there is less form filling and to date no foreigner’s rates or barring yet.

Report No 16 - Turpan: Taklimakan Desert - Dated 30 August 2007

2007-07-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

We have reached the oasis town of Turpan located in China’s Western Xinjiang Province which is some 250 miles inside the Taklimakan desert. It is one of the lowest places on earth at 154 metres below sea level and is the hottest place in China. The temperature once reached 49.6C. Turpan was an important rest and watering hole for the travelers on the Silk Road. Water is brought all the way from the Tian Shan Mountains some 500km underground. We are not yet half way across the desert and this is as far away from the ocean as you can get.

Turpan is a welcome rest spot for us as it has a Johns Café the same as the one in Kashgar and we are enjoying some western food including pepper stakes and chips and cold beer and they speak English. Turpan is famous for its superb grapes and produces Chinas finest wines. All in all this is a good place to rest. When we arrived we cycled directly to the café and did not start looking for a meal until midnight.
It took us nine days of cycling to get here from Kashgar and we cycled an average of 162 kilometers’ a day and over 400 in the final two days with the highest being 217. We have now covered 8,251 kilometers so we have exceeded the United States distance traveled.

Some of the desert has been interesting but mostly boring. I have to confess to cycling along dreaming of swimming pools and cold beer! We have used motorways that we are not supposed to use but in some places there is no alternative.
One section over a mountain range of rocks was just amazing, incredible scenery and is a real engineering accomplishment to get a motorway through there. The desert is not really suitable for camping so at night we have had a roof over our heads. The cheapest is about $1 per person but they are the sort of places where you would not put a dog in.

The road we are on now has the milestones reading over 4,000 kilometers’ so that gives an idea of the distances involved. I am having a lot of trouble with tires and tubes so I am getting replacements sent from England along with a pannier to replace the burnt one.

Report No :15 Kashgar China - Dated 20 July 2007

2007-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

We are planning to leave here Wednesday so that will be a week’s holiday. I have a new rear wheel as the XT hub packed up and new tires and pedals and new shirts. We have uploaded all our photos so they can be seen on my photo link and Jan has also downloaded his photos. We will doing the Silk road north so there will be a few thousand km’s of desert.

Report No 14: Kashgar China - Dated 20 July 2007

2007-07-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

So here we are in Kashgar in China which is a Silk Road hub. Kashgar is in the Xinjiang province and is a town of about 200,000. We have now traveled 6,800 km.

The Pamir Highway was well worth the effort with magnificent scenery but horrendous roads in parts. We had six nights at over 10,000 ft with no problems with the altitude except for heaps of panting and we had to walk the bikes a lot. The highest pass was over 15,000 feet. It felt like my Everest and having done it I would not want to do it again. The weather started to change on top, very strong wind gusts and then it started to snow.
We couldn’t get down quickly because of the road condition so after a while found an old building for the night. I think it must have been a caravanserai hundreds of years ago; it had a courtyard, arched doorways and ceilings, but is now used to house the animals in winter. Jan and I had separate bedrooms; we spread the tents on the dirt floor and slept on top. My cooker had shaken apart with all the bumps so it was beer (yes! I carried three bottles up 15,000 ft) and biscuits for dinner.
At another pass we had a really heavy snowfall and it was hard to tell where the road was so it was safer to push the bikes through the snow.

We had the yurt experience, called in for tea and got yak yogurt, yak butter, the stove was fuelled by yak dung which was all very interesting.

We followed the China fence for a long way and then entered Kyrgyzstan but only for two nights. At Sary Tash (altitude 10,400 Feet) I wanted a shower, after a week without one, and queued up for about two hours at the communal one but in the end gave up when others pushed in ahead of me.
We got back to the place where we were staying and discovered that what I thought was a bedside table was in fact a stove for heating. It had been turned on and burnt the bottom out of one of my Ortliebs.
We crossed into China and chose a nice campsite on grass by a stream with mountains on the other side. This part of China I imagine is like Utah must be. In the morning we were woken by the ground shaking with an earthquake. Next there was rumbling and the mountain was coming down. We were safe where we were but after the dust had settled we discovered the mountain had collapsed on the spot where Jan had been sitting the night before. China is like heaven with good roads and good food. My bike needs a bit of work but there is a good bike shop in Kashgar but they don’t speak any English which makes it a bit awkward.

Report No:13 Pamir Highway - Tajikistan - Dated 30 June 2007

2007-06-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

We have reached Khorugh a town of some 28,000 people which is 2,100 metres above sea level near the border of Afghanistan.
We have just completed seven days of extreme cycling having now traveled 5,900 kilometers’. I have had only one wash which was under a waterfall. This has got to be one of the most isolated places in the world. The scenery has been magnificent but the roads have been very bad. We climbed 50 kilometers’ over another 3,500 metre pass but we experienced no altitude problems this time. The downhills are not easy with such bumpy roads and the hands cease up with all the breaking and we have to cool the rims in the streams. A lot of the streams do not have bridges and for the past three days we have been following the river that separates Tajikistan from Afghanistan. So we experience the cries of delight and whistling, yelling etc at the sight of us coming from the Afghanistan people as well. This part of Afghanistan looks very peaceful and beautiful. There are land mine warning signs still on the Tajik side and a few abandoned tanks.

One night we stayed with a family camped outside their house. In the morning we had plenty of apricots for breakfast as they had fallen all around our tents. These people do not have all the things that we are used to such as electricity, phone or a water supply or stoves or toilets. They get nice cold water from a stream but in the winter it freezes over. I always chill the beer in the stream if I can.

In these parts a hotel is a room with a concrete floor and no furniture and when you ask where the toilet is they just point everywhere and a shower is a teapot filled with water and dinner a piece of green meat.

Yesterday I had a puncture just as we were setting of and the delay could have saved us. Just along the road there was a massive rock and mud slide which had just happened and completely covered the road. We could have been under it.

I know it will take more than a week to clear and the only way past was to go over the top of it or back to Uzbekistan.

So I did a bit of a survey and then employed six porters to help. The eight of us clambered over the huge rocks and waist deep mud with the bikes and gear. By this time there were crowds on both sides and the others followed our lead. We got over but were covered in mud and our shoes were filled with sand and grit. We paid off our team and were just about to take some photos and put the gear on our bikes when the word went out to run for our lives. Another lot was coming down and we took off abandoning the gear. It was mayhem with cars reversing and people running everywhere. Everyone stopped thinking it was safe and then they started to run again. You could see clouds of dust away up the mountains where it was coming down. We thought that we had lost a lot of gear but our team stuck with us and rescued all our gear including a bungie cord I left on the road. Jan said it was an experience that he would not have missed. However we were lucky as I read in the Lonely Planet that there was a mud slide five years ago that killed twenty seven people.

We are now resting in a quite a nice apartment, no beds but a fridge, hot shower and hot water jug, western toilet but with no flushing. We next have to climb to the Pamir plateau which is the highest pass at over 15,000 feet which will be the highest I have ever been apart from in a plane.

I think the next internet place will be in Kashgar in China which is likely to be three weeks away. We know we are getting close to China because we are seeing convoys of trucks from China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamir_Highway

http://www.pamirs.org/panoramas.htm

Report No 12 - Dated 24 June 2007 - Dushanbe Tajikistan

2007-06-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

Tashkent was not too bad. We went to an Irish pub for Stephen’s birthday but strangely they had no Guinness or Irish beer but the food was excellent. It was the best meal we have had since leaving New Zealand. We knew it would good and pricey because of the United Nations and Red Cross landcruisers parked outside.

We went to Samarkand by train and shared the cabin with two Uzbek majors who were good guys. The militisia are to be avoided and fortunately I had only one episode with them when I was stopped and they took a special interest in my wallet. I must have put on my most aggressive stance as when I indicated that they should back of they did so even though they were heavily armed. When we traveled by bus to Tashkent the driver was frequently handing over money at the checkpoints to the police.

On entering Tajikistan the first night we camped on a bed of rocks only just being able to anchor our tents and on the second it was in a mud hut. Lonely Planet describes this road as one of the world’s greatest road trips and the scenery was spectacular with towering snow capped peaks, gorges with fast flowing rivers with all the snow melting.

The road condition was terrible so that we were down to an average of 10 kilometers’ an hour with most of it unsealed. There were plates missing from bridges so you could look down hundreds of feet. It was so bumpy that my rear block unscrewed itself and the cogs were all loose. I managed to fix it with a spanner borrowed from Korean bridge builders.

We then climbed a 3,500 meter pass so that both Jan and I were totally exhausted with the altitude so that we had to stop every three or four minutes to get how breath back. It was so hot that we mixed the snow with our water. We cycled through a cutting where the snow was about five meters’ deep.

For all this we were rewarded with a 75 kilometer descent although it was very bumpy.

The third night we spent with a family and slept on their sleeping platform under the apple trees. We had dinner and breakfast with them and they would not take any money.

After four days of dust, mud and sweat we arrived in Dushanbe the capital of Tajikistan. It is a city of 562,000 that was badly damaged in the civil war between 1992 and 1997.

However it is now peaceful although it has bullet holes all over. Our hotel was used by the mujaheddin rebels. Last night we had a fabulous meal and once again the United Nations and other agency people were there spending up large.

We are getting our Pamir permits today and will have to register everywhere with the KBG. So far we have managed to avoid the vodka that gets offered to us and it was offered again this morning for breakfast. We should be able to email next from Khorugh a town of 28, 000 people which is situated on the Pamir highway and is 2,200 meters above sea level. The highway is about 700 kilometers from here and often very difficult to pass. After that we are likely to be off air for a long time.

Report No 11 - Trip Status -Dated 21 June 2007

2007-06-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

The next post may be before they reach the Pamir Highway. Otherwise it may be three to four weeks before the next report. This is because of the lack of the internet to email the reports.

Report No 10 - Samarkand - Dated 14 June 2007

2007-06-14T02:19:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Samarkand a city that I have dreamed of visiting since I was a boy. It occupies a central position on the Silk Road between Europe and China and is the second largest city in Uzbekistan (population 413,000). We have passed a big milestone having now covered 5,000 kilometers.

We stayed at a backpackers in Samarkand which has a nice courtyard with grape vines growing all over it This place has been well known for decades. (Editor: No name included - they must be tiring with all the riding!) There was a good breakfast and a huge Russian dinner last night with beer at 70 cents a bottle. Stephen’s dodgy wheel has just lasted the distance.

Our next move will be to leave our bikes here in Samarkand and go by train to Tashkent tomorrow. Will plan to stay in Tashkent for a few days. This will allow us to get our visas and to replace the wheel.

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Uzbekistan/East/Samarkand/

Taskent

It turns out that we could not get a seat on the train so we traveled by bus. This to say the least was hair raising including the two drivers changing places at 100km. No kidding! We have obtained our visa which took three days. For one of them we got priority treatment and only had to stand in the sun for four hours. We were told that the locals can queue for four days.

Stephen fly’s out of Tashkent tomorrow night for Bangkok having cycled from Istanbul to Samarkand on his first cycling trip. This would have to be one of the tougher journeys to start on. He is now off to Thailand so we will look forward to hearing how far he does there.

Report No 9 - Bukhara - Uzbekistan - Dated 10 June 2007

2007-06-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

We have reached Bukhara the 5^th biggest city in Uzbekistan that has a population of around 240,000 having crossed from Iran to Turkmenistan. We have now done 4,800 kilometers. The border crossing took 3 hours and the paperwork included everything in triplicate but with no carbon paper. There was a count of our money and a full description of our cameras, bikes and phones etc.

http://www.advantour.com/uzbekistan/bukhara/pictures.htm

We cycled to the next town were we saw a shop with Efes beer in the fridge and I had one in my hand. After a month without beer it was share torture when I discovered that they would not take Iranian money!

We have crossed the desert a trip of some 500ks with the temperature at 40 degree centigrade and reaching 60. Looking back the trip across the desert it was uncomfortable but quite an experience.

We then went to Merv a historical city which is Turkmenistan’s greatest attraction. It is one of the oldest and best preserved of the oasis cities along the Silk Road and includes a number of monuments. If you cannot cycle there you can look at the Merv monuments on the following link:

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/tm/merv/map.html

We were cycling across the desert and one evening we came across a small shack and went to investigate – It was the proverbial mirage in the desert but it turned out that it had a cold beer and a cyclist’s log book! Naturally we stayed there for the night.

As we were approaching the Turkmen Uzbek border Stephen had a slight disagreement with a motorist as can happen quite often on these roads and gave him an international hand signal. A bad move as the driver just happened to be the head of Turkmen immigration at the border so we consequently had a bit of trouble leaving the country. After a thousand apologies we were released.

Bukhara is wonderful city centuries old and a highlight of the Silk Road. It is being restored. It is a touristy place so lots of restaurants and watering holes. Breakfast is included where we are staying. Had it in a shady courtyard this morning with egg meat yoghurt cheese bread even coffee. This pace makes our daily grind on our bikes worthwhile. Talking about daily grind Stephen’s rear wheel is splitting exactly the same as mine did in Vietnam so we will have to get a new one as it won’t last much longer. We have sent out an SOS for bike shop addresses in Samarkand or Tashkent to get a replacement.

The roads are appalling in Turkmenistan and it seems that most of the money is spent on palaces and statutes rather than roads? We carry so much weight on our bikes with so much water. I cannot lift mine off the ground.

Report No 8 - Mashhad Iran - Dated 28 May 2007

2007-05-28T03:03:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Mashhad a city with horrendous traffic. It has been very hot but we have still been cycling in the midday sun. We have now completed 3,900 kilometers and have only two more days cycling in Iran to the Turkmenistan border. We go to the consulate tomorrow so hope that there are no problems with our visa.

http://www.world66.com/asia/middleeast/iran/mashhad/lib/gallery

One of our experiences recently was our arrival at a nice forest area that seemed perfect for camping so we waded across the river carrying our gear only to discover it was the home of several wild boar and Stephen saw a large snake. It seems that there are not too many wild boar in High Wycombe and Jan was not to keen on the idea of sharing with them. As a result he did not go to bed until very late and with the radio on and his bike tail light flashing outside the tent to scare them off.

Another night the campsite was dry and dusty and then absolute bliss. Water started to flow through an irrigation canal and we were able to wash the soot from the cookers off our hands. These things become very important.

Another night the locals arrived by tractor, motorbike and on foot and we spent the next couple of hours in their company before I politely suggested that they bugger off which only encouraged them to make themselves more comfortable. They eventually left after lifting the lid of my pot to see what I was cooking and fighting over who was going to look at the pictures in the guidebook. I zipped myself into my tent and left Stephen and Jan to entertain them. They arrived back at 5.30 am the next morning to stare at us as we packed up to leave.

On our trip to the boarder there is a caravanserai which should be interesting. It was built 100 years ago for the Silk Road. We will be crossing the Karakum desert which covers 70% of Turkmeinstan and we should see lots of roaming camels. There will be no internet until we get to Uzbekistan.

Report No 7 - Dated 23 May 2007

2007-05-23T02:01:00.000-07:00

We have now covered 3,300 kilometers and have now finished with the Caspian and will not see any sea from now on until after Beijing. Unlike the Black sea the road has been flat with the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Had a swim in the Caspian but the coast is somewhat marred by the excessive traffic and the rubbish with beaches, rivers and roads being treated like mini rubbish dumps. We have done quite a bit if camping with some being on private property. Went to the barbers and had a good haircut but I refused the ear treatment where the barber lights his cigarette lighter and holds the flame on the ears presumably to burn any hairs.

We are currently at the foothills of a mountain range and will be climbing for 600 kilometers to Mashhad. Mashhad is a town at 1,019 metres that has a population of 2.9 million. It is the holiest city in Iran with more than 12 million pilgrims visiting the city each year.

During our travels in Iran the locals have been very friendly and we are constantly being whistled at and being honked at. This can become somewhat tiring and it is nothing to be cycling along a motorway fairly fast and to have cars and motorbikes pulling alongside hoping to get an English lesson on the go. Or they climb out of the car windows to get a better look. One guy was coming at us head on waving with both hands no hands on the wheel. Some buses and trucks have whistles and not horns. There appear to be no traffic rules and often vehicles come at you from the wrong side of a motorway and they stop to pick up passengers in the middle of the road and don’t bother to go to the side.

Surprisingly, while there was a huge military presence in Turkey with frequent checkpoints, the same is not true for Iran and we have not been stopped once by police or military. I have recovered from my chesty cough so I am back to full fitness for our journey.

Report No 6 - Dated 12 May 2007

2007-05-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

We have reached Astara (pop 32,000) a border town on the Caspian Sea coast which is the main crossing point to Azerbaijan. We have now covered 2,575 kilometers. We went by train from Tabriz which was quite good with a first class sleeper and meals which were very cheap. Having arrived in Tehran we then spent most of the morning in a taxi trying to find the Turkmenistan embassy. It transpired that they had moved without telling anyone or changing their website.

With these embassies you stand on the footpath and speak to the person through a small hole in the wall who is at a much greater height. All they wanted was a photocopy of your passport and a copy of the visa for the next country. The rest of the formalities will have to be done in two weeks after our application has been to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). We are hoping to get this done in Mashhad to avoid going back to Tehran. Having done this we took the train back to Tabriz. This detour took 24 hours all so that we could hand over two photocopies. The trip actually took more than 24 hours if you take into account the prayer stops.

The roads are somewhat hazardous with pedestrian crossings and footpaths places to be avoided and in all my travels I have not seen anything like it although we have seen only one crash.

We took three days to bike to the coast and managed to camp by a stream each night. We entered a tunnel from this high plateau and on the other side the scenery changed completely too mountainous jungle. We had a 40 kilometer descent to below sea level as the Caspian is 27 metres’ below so there are lots of paddies here. All are cycling well and we are having no problems with bikes but I cannot say the same about my health. I still have a deep seated and persistent cough which is not stopping me riding but makes life difficult. I am looking to a change in my medication. To add insult to injury I also got bitten by a dog when asking the owner permission to camp in his orchard. Fortunately it was not the rabid type and Stephen administered his antibiotic liquid with the result that the four holes are healing nicely.

Report No -5 Tabriz Iran - Dated 6 May 2007

2007-05-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

We have reached Tabriz (a major city with a population of 1.2 million) in Western Iran having covered 2,400 kilometers of the Great Silk road to date. We will now be leaving our stuff here and be going by train tonight to Tehran to start the visa process for Turkmenistan. We have had a couple of nights hard camping on the Iran rocky ground with no water and a flea pit last night. The terrain is harsh and the traffic nightmarish approaching Tabriz. (Just wait until they get to Tehran to see some real traffic!)

http://www.dejkam.com/iran/azarbayejan/

The adults we have met are super friendly but we had a run in with a large group of what seemed five year olds who were trying to get our panniers of our bikes. The cars and trucks all give us friendly honks and in Iran they flash their lights which can get bit much by the end of the day. To combat this Stephen wears ear plus while riding. Lindsay’s rear rim has disintegrated and his Brooks saddle has collapsed so he has a new top of the range Thorn with a Rolhoff hub. I had a beer last night which had a 0.00% alcohol content that looked good but that’s where it ended.

Report No 4 - Dated 1st May 2007

2007-05-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

We have reached Dogubayazit or Dog Biscuit which is only 35 kilometers from the Iran border. It is a beautiful sunny day with Mount Ararat in full sight. We have now covered 1,900 kilometers. The local boys are busy gathering our firewood for our campfire while we sit and drink Efes. Yesterday we delayed getting up because I thought it was raining and that it might stop. When we did get up we found that it was snowing and not raining and that our bikes had turned white. One day the brakes and gears froze while we were in a teahouse. We foiled an attempt by some you trainee armed robbers but they were more scared than we were. The dog dazer is getting a lot of use. We will be having our last beer tonight before entering Iran tomorrow. We will be in Iran for 30 days.

Report No 3 - Dated 27 April 2007

2007-04-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Erzurum after having taken four and half days having to date completed 1,600 kilometers.

We then had a very pleasant evening in a bar with the locals making us welcome with great music and beer. The first back road was a gentle climb but with lots of tunnels. This is somewhat unsettling to be riding for 2km in an unlit tunnel. We camped by the river but there was no firewood available. The next day the road was much steeper and we camped in a nut orchard and drank tea with the owner’s family. It started snowing on the third day and there was Lindsay to meet us on the road. We then had to stay in a hotel because the road was closed ahead. On the next day we climbed the pass at 7,000 ft and going down was very cold. I was suffering I think from the start of hyperthermia Coming into Erz was flat and sunny and spectacular with the landscape covered in snow. As a result of the last few days I have a chesty cough and I am taking Amoxy to try and stop it.

You can see photos of our trip on our website link.

Report No 2 - Dated 20 April 2007

2007-04-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

We have almost finished with the Black sea with another 40ks to do tomorrow. To date we have done 1,234 kilometers’ of extremely hard cycling but it has been a good chance to get fit for the ride ahead. The weather has been cold but not to wet. Stephen had a bolt break on his bike seat but we used the method of putting a log between the back of the seat and the rack. This allowed him to travel to the next town where there was a cycle shop where it was fixed for no charge! We have found the Turks to be the most friendly and hospitable of people. The areas we have gone through are not generally visited by tourists so we have aroused great interest among the locals. The food and local beer is highly recommended. The only adverse comment is that the countryside is somewhat spoiled by rubbish dumped everywhere. Tomorrow we leave the coast and head south east towards Iran (700ks) and climb to Erzuram which is a ski resort and which still has loads of snow. It is snowing there today apparently and this may mean that we have to camp in the snow? Gavin left the party today (may rejoin later) and Lindsay from Whangarei will be joining in Erzurum. (That is how we know it is snowing there!).

All four cyclists in the party fit and well although saddle sore. I have tried three different creams to date.

Report No: 1 -Istanbul to Amasra-Dated 9 April 2007

2007-04-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

Our journey started by following the Bosphorus out of Istanbul along the Black sea coast of Turkey to the costal town of Amasra. Progress has been slow because the hills are incredibly steep. There are 488kms of hills which, when combined with the heavy loads, meant that it has taken 6 days to cover the distance at an average speed of 16km’s per hour. The coast is spectacular and very rugged. Passing through hazelnut plantations and there is tea tobacco cherries along this coast. The weather has been great except one night we were camping in the sand hills and were just about to start cooking when the rain started and it rained all night so we had bread and beer in our tents for dinner. Drinking loads of Efes beer and having lots of kebabs. We have been camping next to restaurants so beer and food are on hand. Breakfasts are usually bread, olives, cheeses, cucumber, tomatoes, boiled eggs and coffee.

The Turkish people are amazingly friendly but very little English is spoken here. Amasra is a beautiful tourist town and we stayed in a pension high up on a hill overlooking two harbours’. It was settled 2,800 years ago.

3 weeks and counting

2007-03-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Stephen and I will be winging our way to Istanbul, three weeks from today. We plan to start riding on 3 April. I'll be back in NZ by early August 2008 at the latest.
There's some excellent news. Jan is coming, it'll be our seventh cycle tour together, the Yin and Jang forces work pretty well. It's a huge commitment and Jan will be able to say that he has cycled from his home in London to Beijing and beyond. And Gavin is a late entry. He will be with us for three weeks along the Black Sea coast. Our eighth trip together. We just couldn't have started without Gavin.
It'll be great to get on the road after months of worry about visas, letters of introduction, permits, borders that are officially closed but not closed and so on.
Our route will take us from Istanbul, along the Black Sea coast and we'll turn south at Trabzon towards Dogubayazit. When we get to Tabriz in Iran we'll turn towards Ardabil and then follow the Caspian Sea coast to arrive in Mashhad. During this time we have to make side trips to Tehran to arrange more visas. We cross to Turkmenistan at Sarakhs / Serahs and race across the desert as we can only get transit visas. Bukhara is the first city in Uzbekistan and then Samarkand. We'll have to go to Tashkent to get more visas but there is a choice of two routes from Samarkand. We can enter Tajikistan to Dushanbe and follow the Pamir Highway along the Afghanistan border. The highest pass is over 15,000 feet and it's over 11,000 feet for more than 400 km but beautiful scenery. We would come out at Sary Tash in Kyrgyzstan. The other alternative is to cycle to Tashkent and then along the Fergana Valley to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. We cross the Irkeshtam Pass to Kashgar in China. We'll tell you about the rest of the route later.
Introducing Geoff. Next door Geoff has very kindly offered to be the Blogmaster during my absence. Geoff is a very keen cyclist and traveller. The only thing against him is he went to Egypt last year but travelled by bus, train, boat and camel. Not once did he ride a bike. Anyhow I'll pass on a whole lot of gibberish for Geoff to sort out and post. It's a great relief to me as I wasn't looking forward to fiddling with HTML in internet cafes. So he's telling you my news from now on. If the system works I'll be uploading some photos to the Phanfare site.
And for more news check out Jan's site. http://janslatter.mine.nu/CycleTheWorld/index.php?q=home
Jan's Google Earth is at the bottom of this page.

It's getting longer!

2006-11-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

My son Stephen is joining for the first four months, which should get him quite a way across China.
We're still working on a late March departure from Istanbul, but it's a team effort so the timing and route have to be agreed. If anyone would like to talk about coming along, for all or any part of this trip, please let me know. We should be able to predict when we will arrive at certain points, as we proceed.
There's a better border crossing from Iran into Turkmenistan at Sarakhs / Serahs, so getting across Turkmenistan on a five day (they give five days to cyclists) transit visa won't be a problem. My current thinking is that we should cycle to Beijing (see the Terracotta Warriors at Xian on the way) and then down through Shanghai to Hong Kong. Then across (via Yangshuo for the limestone pinnacles) to enter Laos at Boten. This adds about 3,000 km for China.
So now it's 18,000 km to Singapore. Then there's 4,000 km for Indonesia, 5,600 km Darwin to Sydney, but I could be dreaming here.
I'm getting advice from other cyclists. Dave http://www.chinacycle.co.uk/index.php has been particularly helpful and says it's a fantastic route to Beijing.

More bloggings - Istanbul to Singapore

2006-10-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Plan A, but it's open to change. We'll need a plan B if we can't get visas for this route. The total is very roughly 15,000 km (have only got small scale maps at this stage). We've averaged 75 km per day (includes non cycling days) over the last three trips (20,000 km) but for this one there will be waiting en route for visas, possibly waiting for spare parts and side trips. I'm allowing nine months.
Turkey. No visa required. Over the Bosphorus and up to the Black Sea. Follow the Black Sea coast as far as Tirebola. April is a good time. A few highlights from the Lonely Planet. Amasra - a real gem. To Sinop - a wonderfully scenic road, should be on every traveller's itinerary. Samsun - vibrant, bustling, very few tourists. Ordu - the Black Sea asserts its magic. Giresun - hazelnuts and cherries. At Tirebola turn south east into the mountains towards Erzuram. Then to the Iran border near Dogubayazit. Mt Ararat is pretty close. Approximately 1,700 km for Turkey.
Iran. Visas are up to 30 days but can be extended and you have to enter within 90 days. An authority letter from Iran is required, before applying, but there are internet sites where these can be organised. To Tabriz - a fine introduction to Iran. Then turn east to Ardabil and follow the southern Caspian Sea coast. Even the main road has attractive moments with areas of rice paddies and some lovely woodland. We could leave our bikes in Chalus or Noshahr and catch the bus to Tehran. Once we leave the Caspian we go through Gorgan, a large appealing city and turn north towards Turkmenistan at Shirvan. Total for Iran 1,600 km.
Turkmenistan. Without a guide the only possibility is a transit visa (no Letter of Invitation required for transit visas) usually valid for 3 days (233 km per day ??????????) but they have been given to cyclists for 7 and 10 days. Best time to visit April to June. Enter at Bajgiran / Gaudan then Ashgabat - one of the world's fastest changing cities, Mary and Chardzhev. 700 km for Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan. NZ (not UK) passport holders require a Letter of Invitation. Visas can be issued for up to two months. To Bukhara from the border point. Bukhara is Central Asia's holiest city, has buildings spanning a thousand years of history and an old centre that hasn't changed much in two centuries. Then on to Samarkand. No name is so evocative of the Silk Road as Samarkand. Domes, minarets, larger than life monuments. Next Tashkent, the biggest and worldliest city of Central Asia. Finally Fergana with its tree lined avenues and pastel plastered tsarist buildings. The border crossing to Kyrgyzstan is in the Fergana Valley. Total for Uzbekistan 1,100 km.
Kyrgyzstan. 30 day tourist visas are available without letters of support. The first city is Osh with history dating back to the 5th century BC. Then Sary Tash to the Irkeshtam Pass (2,841 metres) which was re-opened to international traffic four years ago. The pass connects the Fergana Valley with Kashgar in China along an ancient branch of the Silk Road. There are entries on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree which suggest that Irkeshtam is less hassle for cyclists than the more northerly Torugart Pass. Kyrgyzstan 300 km.
China. Hopefully we can get a 90 day visa but these are activated on issue not the arrival date. Extensions are possible but with a multiple entry visa you could exit (eg to Hong Kong) and re-enter for another 90 days. Kashgar - retains an intoxicating air of the exotic, has been a Silk Road trading centre for two millennia. There are two options from here other than the more tricky route through Tibet. The Silk Road North (via Korla) or the Silk Road South (via Hotan) to Lanzhou. They both enter the Taklamakan Desert. It's about 3,000 km from Kashgar to Lanzhou on the north route and 3,200 on the south one. Lanzhou is on the Yellow River. I wouldn't mind leaving the bikes here and travelling by train or flying to Xian, Beijing and Shanghai. From Lanzhou it's 2,400 km to the Laos border via Chengdu - an abundance of greenery and friendly characters, laid back. Then Kunming - thoroughly modern with wide palm lined roads and sky scrapers. Distance for China 5,900 km.
Laos. You can get a visa at the border or in Kunming. Enter at Boten. It's only about 200 km to Huay Xai on the Mekong, the road is passable if it's not too wet, but there are other longer routes to Thailand.
Thailand. Cross the Mekong to Chiang Khong and then 2,000 km to Malaysia following the tsunami coast.
Malaysia. 900 km down the west coast. It will be the tail end of the monsoon season on the east side. Some interesting places on the west like Langkawi, Penang, Malacca.
Singapore. Dipping at the same place as the start of the Singers / Honkers ride.

Future Round the World Sectors

2006-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's all open for discussion but we could possibly start again in Istanbul in March next year. Then we could cycle along the Black Sea coast to Iran and follow one of the Silk Routes through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. We could turn south at Lanzhou, pass through Kunming, across Laos to Thailand, 2,000 km through Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia and bike down the coast to Singapore. This is all roughly estimated at 16,000 km and allowing for waiting for visas and sightseeing it should take about 9 months. We would be home by Christmas?
Then there is island hopping through Indonesia to East Timor and Darwin to Sydney. South and Central America up through the States to where the Trans Am ended. Istanbul to Cairo and Cairo to Cape Town. Finally Perth to Sydney. I'm getting a bit carried away here as by this time I will be about 110.
Actually the Guinness Book of Records says around the world is 4 continents and 16,ooo miles but that seems a bit easy.

Round the World Sector 3 - Ireland to Istanbul - 5,546 km

2006-04-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ireland, Wales, England, France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey

The photos tell the story http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

4 April 2006, Dingle - Tralee, 85 km, 5 h 14 m, 16.2 av
5 April 2006, Tralee - Fermoy, 125 km, 7 h 4 m, 17.6 av
6 April 2006, Fermoy - Tramore, 99 km, 5 h 12 m, 18.9 av
7 April 2006, Tramore - Rosslare Harbour, 89 km, 4 h 47 m, 18.7 av
8 April 2006, Rosslare Harbour - Gwnduad, 76 km, 5 h 2 m, 15.1 av
9 April 2006, Gwnduad - Brecon, 92 km, 5 h 26 m, 16.9 av
10 April 2006, Brecon - Llanfihangel Crucorney, 65 km, 4 h 3 m, 15.9 av
11 April 2006, Llanfihangel Crucorney - Chepstow, 57 km, 3 h 28 m, 16.4 av
12 April 2006, Chepstow - Bradford on Avon, 95 km, 6 h 3 m, 15.7 av
13 April 2006, Bradford on Avon - Newbury, 91 km, 4 h 44 m, 19.2 av
14 April 2006, Newbury - High Wycombe, 67 km, 3 h 38 m, 18.3 av
15 April 2006, High Wycombe - Bexley Heath, 131 km, 7 h 56 m, 16.5 av
16 April 2006, Bexley Heath - Canterbury, 95 km, 5 h 39 m, 16.8 av
17 April 2006, Canterbury - Ardres, 83 km, 4 h 43 m, 17.5 av
18 April 2006, Ardres - Arras, 105 km, 5 h 41 m, 18.5 av
19 April 2006, Rest Day
20 April 2006, Arras - Laon, 129 km, 7 h 26 m, 17.4 av
21 April 2006, Laon - Vouziers, 116 km, 6 h 30 m, 17.8 av
22 April 2006, Vouziers - Verdun, 85 km, 4 h 46 m, 18.0 av
23 April 2006, Rest Day
24 April 2006, Verdun - Chateau-Salins, 109 km, 5 h 49 m, 18.7 av
25 April 2006, Chateau-Salins - Saverne, 81 km, 4 h 10 m, 19.4 av
26 April 2006, Saverne - Barr, 74 km, 4 h 43 m, 15.5 av
27 April 2006, Barr - Freiburg, 109 km, 6 h 11 m, 17.7 av
28 April 2006, Freiburg - Donaueschingen, 66 km, 4 h 18 m, 15.5 av
29 April 2006, Donaueschingen - Sigmaringen, 97 km, 5 h 30 m, 17.6 av
30 April 2006, Sigmaringen - Ersingen, 85 km, 4 h 41 m, 18.2 av
1 May 2006, Ersingen - Dillingen, 76 km, 3 h 51 m, 19.8 av
2 May 2006, Rest Day
3 May 2006, Dillingen - Vohburg, 124 km, 6 h 53 m, 18.1 av
4 May 2006, Vohburg - Regensburg, 67 km, 4 h 3 m, 16.6 av
5 May 2006, Rest Day
6 May 2006, Regensburg - Deggendorf, 96 km, 5 h 14 m, 18.5 av
7 May 2006, Deggendorf - Pyrawang, 76 km, 4 h 36 m, 16.6 av
8 May 2006, Pyrawang - Linz, 85 km, 4 h 21 m, 19.7 av
9 May 2006, Linz - Au, 26 km, 1 h 14 m, 21.0 av
10 May 2006, Au - Melk, 79 km, 3 h 34 m, 22.4 av
11 May 2006, Melk - Tulln, 89 km, 4 h 43 m, 18.8 av
12 May 2006, Tulln - Vienna, 46 km, 2 h 24 m, 19.2 av
13 & 14 May 2006, Rest Days
15 May 2006, Vienna - Bratislava, 70 km, 4 h 11 m, 16.7 av
16 May 2006, Rest Day
17 May 2006, Bratislava - Gyor, 100 km, 5 h 24 m, 18.5 av
18 May 2006, Gyor - Almasneszmely, 90 km, 4 h 47 m, 19.0 av
19 May 2006, Almasneszmely- Budapest, 95 km, 4 h 42 m, 20.3 av
20 & 21 May 2006, Rest Days
22 May 2006, Budapest - Kecskemet, 125 km, 6 h 43 m, 18.7 av
23 May 2006, Kecskemet - Szeged, 126 km, 6 h 13 m, 20.3 av
24 May 2006, Szeged - Timisoara, 123 km, 5 h 10 m, 23.8 av
25 & 26 May 2006, Rest Days
27 May 2006, Timisoara - Deva, 160 km, 7 h 30 m, 21.4 av
28 May 2006, Deva - Sibiu, 123 km, 6 h 5 m, 20.2 av
29 May 2006, Sibiu - Fagaras, 83 km, 4 h 9 m, 20.1 av
30 May 2006, Fagaras - Brasov, 80 km, 4 h 20 m, 18.5 av
31 May 2006 & 1 June 2006, Rest Days
2 June 2006, Brasov - Campulung, 91 km, 5 h 51 m, 15.6 av
3 June 2006, Campulung - Bucharest, 139 km, 6 h 27 m, 21.6 av
4 June 2006, Rest Day
5 June 2006, Bucharest - Ruse, 89 km, 4 h 48 m, 18.5 av
6 June 2006, Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo, 108 km, 5 h 36 m, 19.4 av
7 June 2006, Veliko Tarnovo - Shoumen, 113 km, 5 h 38 m, 20.1 av
8 June 2006, Shoumen - Varna, 118 km, 6 h 17 m, 18.8 av
9 June 2006, Rest Day
10 June 2006, Varna - Pomorie, 119 km, 6 h 1 min, 19.7 av
11 June 2006, Pomorie - Tsarevo, 97 km, 4 h 26 m, 21.9 av
12 June 2006, Tsarevo - Kirkarelli, 111 km, 6 h 56 m, 16.1 av
13 June 2006, Kirkarelli - Saray, 81 km, 4 h 10 m, 19.4 av
14 June 2006, Saray - Istanbul, 162 km, 8 h 41 m, 18.6 av
15 June 2006, Istanbul, 20 km, 2 h 2 m, 9.9 av

Round the World Sector 2 - Trans America - 7,790 km

2004-04-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

The photos are here http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

24 April 2004, Astoria - Manzanita, 51 m, 4 h 45 m, 10.7 av
25 April 2004, Manzanita - Cape Lookout State Park, 51 m, 4 h 27 m, 11.3 av
26 April 2004, Rest Day, 18 m, 1 h 33 m, 11.7 av
27 April 2004, Cape Lookout State Park - Grand Ronde, 56 m, 4 h 45 m, 11.8 av
28 April 2004, Grand Ronde - Coburg, 87 m, 6 h 10 m, 14.1 av
29 April 2004, Coburg - Eugene, 9 m, 49 m, 10.8 av
30 April 2004, Eugene - Blue River, 63 m, 5 h 9 m, 12.2 av
1 May 2004, Blue River - Sisters, 66 m, 5 h 53 m, 11.1 av
2 May 2004, Sisters - Ochoco Reservoir, 50 m, 3 h 58 m, 12.4 av
3 May 2004, Ochoco Reservoir - Dayville, 79 m, 6 h 12 m, 12.7 av
4 May 2004, Rest Day, 26 m, 2 h 20 m, 10.8 av
5 May 2004, Dayville - Prairie City, 47 m, 3 h 32 m, 13.4 av
6 May 2004, Prairie City - Baker City, 69 m, 5 h 42 m, 12.1 av
7 May 2004, Rest Day
8 May 2004, Baker City - Oxbow, 75 m, 5 h 41 m, 13.1 av
9 May 2004, Oxbow - Hells Canyon - Oxbow, 52 m, 4 h 30 m, 11.5 av
10 May 2004, Oxbow - Council, 63 m, 5 h 51 m, 10.7 av
11 May 2004, Council - Riggins, 62 m, 4 h 56 m, 12.5 av
12 May 2004, Riggins - Whitebird, 32 m, 3 h 14 m, 9.8 av
13 May 2004, Whitebird - Lowell, 73 m, 6 h 15 m, 11.6 av
14 May 2004, Lowell - Powell, 72 m, 5 h 51 m, 12.2 av
15 May 2004, Powell - Missoula, 59 m, 4 h 44 m, 12.3 av
16 May 2004, Rest Day
17 May 2004, Missoula - Hamilton, 59 m, 4 h 53 m, 12.1 av
18 May 2004, Hamilton - Rocky Knob, 34 m, 3 h 4 m, 10.9 av
19 May 2004, Rocky Knob - Jackson, 63 m, 5 h 20 m, 11.8 av
20 May 2004, Jackson - Twin Bridges, 77 m, 5 h 55 m, 13.0 av
21 May 2004, Twin Bridges - Cameron, 55 m, 4 h 53 m, 11.2 av
22 May 2004, Cameron - West Yellowstone, 62 m, 6 h 10 m, 9.9 av
23 & 24 May 2004, Rest Days, Yellowstone National Park
25 May 2004, West Yellowstone - Old Faithful, 35 m, 3 h 28 m, 10.1 av
26 May 2004, Old Faithful - Signal Mountain, 68 m, 6 h 27 m, 10.5 av
27 May 2004, Rest Day
28 May 2004, Signal Mountain - Dubois, 63 m, 5 h 44 m, 11.0 av
29 May 2004, Dubois - Lander, 82 m, 5 h 43 m, 14.4 av
30 May 2004, Lander - Jeffrey City, 60 m, 4 h 36 m, 12.9 av
31 May 2004, Jeffrey City - Rawlins, 70 m, 5 h 9 m, 13.5 av
1 June 2004, Rawlins - Riverside, 63 m, 4 h 47 m, 13.2 av
2 June 2004, Riverside - Walden, 50 m, 4 h 21 m, 11.5 av
3 June 2004, Walden - Kremmling, 64 m, 5 h 28 m, 11.7 av
4 June 2004, Kremmling - Frisco, 50 m, 4 h 26 m, 11.2 av
5 June 2004, Frisco - Breckenridge, 12 m, 1 h 13 m, 9.9 av
6 June 2004, Rest Day
7 June 2004, Breckenridge - Hartsel, 43 m, 3 h 23 m, 12.8 av
8 June 2004, Hartsel - Royal George Park, 60 m, 5 h 4 m, 11.9 av
9 June 2004, Royal George Park - Pueblo, 68 m, 5 h 56 m, 11.5 av
10 June 2004, Rest Day
11 June 2004, Pueblo - Haswell, 90 m, 5 h 53 m, 15.2 av
12 June 2004, Haswell - Tribune, 83 m, 6 h 42 m, 12.4 av
13 June 2004, Tribune - Dighton, 75 m, 6 h 9 m, 12.2 av
14 June 2004, Dighton - La Crosse, 72 m, 5 h 28 m, 13.1 av
15 June 2004, La Crosse - Sterling, 92 m, 8 h 7 m, 11.3 av
16 June 2004, Sterling - Hutchinson, 25 m, 1 h 59 m, 12.5 av
17 June 2004, Hutchinson - Cassoday, 85 m, 7 h 5 m, 11.9 av
18 June 2004, Cassoday - Toronto, 63 m, 4 h 53 m, 12.8 av
19 June 2004, Toronto - Pittsburg, 108 m, 9 h, 11.9 av
20 June 2004, Pittsburg - Ash Grove, 74 m, 6 h 17 m, 11.7 av
21 June 2004, Ash Grove - Hartville, 76 m, 6 h 22 m, 11.8 av
22 June 2004, Hartville - Eminence, 83 m, 7 h 36 m, 10.9 av
23 June 2004, Eminence - Johnsons Shutins, 58 m, 5 h 47 m, 10.0 av
24 June 2004, Johnsons Shutins - Chester, 84 m, 7 h 21 m, 11.3 av
25 June 2004, Chester - Carbondale, 54 m, 4 h 28 m, 12.1 av
26 June 2004, Rest Day
27 June 2004, Carbondale - Golconda, 71 m, 6 h 16 m, 11.3 av
28 June 2004, Golconda - Sebree, 85 m, 7 h 25 m, 11.4 av
29 June 2004, Sebree - Rough River, 75 m, 6 h 32 m, 11.5 av
30 June 2004, Rough River - Lincoln Birthplace, 57 m, 4 h 58 m, 11.5 av
1 July 2004, Lincoln Birthplace - Springfield, 70 m, 6 h 4 m, 11.6 av
2 July 2004, Springfield - Berea, 85 m, 7 h 46 m, 10.9 av
3 & 4 July 2004, Rest Days
5 July 2004, Berea - Buckhorn, 78 m, 6 h 52 m, 11.3 av
6 July 2004, Buckhorn - Hindman, 49 m, 4 h 45 m, 10.3 av
7 July 2004, Hindman - Breaks, 74 m, 7 h 15 m, 10.2 av
8 July 2004, Breaks - Lebanon, 51 m, 5 h 5 m, 10.0 av
9 July 2004, Lebanon - Sugar Grove, 75 m, 7 h 18 m, 10.2 av
10 July 2004, Sugar Grove - Christiansburg, 86 m, 7 h 19 m, 11.7 av
11 July 2004, Rest Day
12 July 2004, Christiansburg - Buchanan, 70 m, 5 h 41 m, 12.3 av
13 July 2004, Buchanan - Rockfish Gap, 77 m, 7 h 22 m, 10.3 av
14 July 2004, Rockfish Gap - Louisa, 87 m, 7 h 39 m, 11.4 av
15 July 2004, Louisa - Richmond, 75 m, 6 h 21 m, 11.9 av
16 July 2004, Richmond - Williamsburg, 80 m, 6 h 28 m, 12.2 av
17 July 2004, Rest Day
18 July 2004, Williamsburg - Yorktown - Hampton Roads Tunnel - Williamsburg, 75 m, 5 h 47 m, 12.9 av
19 July 2004, Rest Day
20 July 2004, Hampton Roads Tunnel - Virginia Beach - Hampton Roads Tunnel, 41 m, 3 h 45 m, 10.9 av

Round the World Sector 1 - Singapore to Hong Kong - 6,905 km

2002-10-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Macau, China, Hong Kong

The photos http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

The following is an article that was published in the newsletter of the Auckland Cycle Touring Association http://www.geocities.com/actanz/index.htm

A HUNDRED DAYS TO HONG KONG

ACTA member Keith Craig has explored South East Asia with a group he met originally through the UK Cyclists' Touring Club. Here's his account of their trip from Singapore to Hong Kong.

Singapore was the start point. Our route would take us approximately 7000 km, up the east coast of West Malaysia and peninsular Thailand to Bangkok, across Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City and then would follow the coast in Vietnam and China to Hong Kong.
Mid October was an ideal time, as we wanted to be out of Malaysia before the arrival of the monsoon. More importantly, we knew that we could get across Cambodia only during the dry season and winter is a good time for southern China.
So on the first morning we set off bright and early, despite having spent the evening in Harry’s Bar on the river, listening to Denise Mininfield, a delightful black jazz singer. We had toasted our absent friends, Maree and Jan. Maree couldn’t make this trip, but Jan would join us in Vietnam. We had all met on a CTC exploratory trip, on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, in 1999.
But first came the dipping. There had been considerable debate as to whether it should be the rear wheel in the sea at the start and the front at the finish, or vice versa, or the front in both places, etc etc. In the end, we opted for both in both places, as we didn’t want to get it wrong and have to do the trip again.
The five of us looked resplendent in our brand new ‘Singers to Honkers’ T-shirts, as we set off through the streets of Singapore.
Our first challenge of the trip was to cross the causeway to Malaysia. Bicycles had to use the motor cycle lane and motor cycles can approach the checkpoint only from the BKE expressway. Bicycles are not allowed on the expressways, and motor cycles cannot approach the checkpoint from the only other entry, Woodlands Road. We decided to use Woodlands Road, not the expressway, but stood there scratching our heads when we got to the checkpoint. Ray (our pace maker and bike technician) then spotted the motor cycle lane and we quickly crossed over several lanes and around a few barriers, to get to the right place.
After swapping our money for ringgit and having lunch in Johore Bharu, we turned right towards the east coast of West Malaysia.
On the second day we had left the heavy traffic behind and were soon enjoying typical Malaysian scenery - jungle, rubber or palm plantations, with the odd monkey, snake, colourful bird, or giant lizard, to fascinate us. That morning, there had been a bit of confusion, as Gavin (our medico, map reader and hotel inspector) and Peter (our 72 year old hyperactive, teenager) left earlier than the rest. I had told them to take the same road, but in the opposite direction, meaning not the direction we had come from, but the direction we were going in.
We had come in from the left on a loop road, and I wanted them to turn right, but they turned left again, not realising it was a loop road. Rhona (our steady, uncomplaining, thoroughly nice cyclist), Ray and I, spent the whole day trying to catch them, when they were actually behind us. Anyhow, the police stopped us to pass on a message from them. Being the only Kiwi in the group, I took a fair ribbing for that.
We came across a Shimano factory and were given a guided tour. Everything was highly organised and spotless. There was a list of edicts on the wall, which included, ‘Cleanliness clears the mind’ and ‘Anything not used in one year throw out’.
Mersing was the departure point for a boat trip to Tioman Island. A visit to one of the islands is a highlight of a Malaysian cycling trip. It was really too early for a holiday, but we had chosen Tioman, as most of us hadn’t been there before. The Perhentian Islands are equally as good and a few days’ cycling further north. Tioman was everything we expected, with excellent snorkelling, jungle walks and friendly staff.

Back on the mainland, we collected our bikes and headed north. One night we stayed at a 1920s rest house. We had enormous rooms, with the typical ceiling fans and wide verandahs. You almost expect to bump into Somerset Maugham.
We reached Cherating, which has retained its backpacker feel - the Club Med is around a headland and out of sight. Accommodation, right on the beach, is in simple chalets and there is a good choice of restaurants.
We met a cyclist who was travelling down from Korea, whose strategy was to cadge a bed and a meal in fire stations. He was one of a number of long distance cyclists we would meet.
Our first day of over 100 km was to Rantau Abang, where the giant leatherback turtles come ashore. We chose a nice seaside bungalow, had a swim and then ordered the usual daily beers, forgetting that we were in the heart of Muslim territory. Normally, getting a beer in this area is not too much of a problem, as you just find the nearest Chinese restaurant, but after exhaustive enquires we discovered there weren’t any.
Somebody mentioned they had seen a sign offering one litre mugs of beer, several kilometres back. We decided to walk, seeing we were a bit saddle sore. We eventually arrived, only to find it was not beer, but very cold and refreshing fruit juice.
At Merang, not to be confused with the nearby Marang, we stayed in a Chinese-run place and spent a very interesting evening with the proprietor, who gave us a full account of Malaysia’s underlying issues.
I was thoroughly enjoying the local food and one of my favourites for breakfast was roti canai, a fried pancake served with curry. We were passing through fishing villages, so fresh fish was often on the menu. There are numerous roadside stalls, selling tropical fruit and drinks, along most of the roads in South East Asia.
We headed for Kota Bharu, near the Thai border. It’s a fascinating place and the night food stalls would have to be among the best anywhere, with the most amazing array of delicacies imaginable.
There is a ten minute vehicular ferry ride from Malaysia, across the river, to Thailand. We sat by the river and had our first rules committee meeting. Our options were to use the ferry, or cycle a long way inland and cross by bridge. We ended up having one of these meetings for each of the seven boat crossings to come. In most cases, there was no alternative. We decided every time that if there wasn’t a bridge on our road, that was not our fault and we couldn’t be accused of cheating.
Bombs in Thailand
We had no problems entering Thailand. A few more cyclists must be passing through this, off the beaten track, entry point, as I had come with a bike several years ago and, that time, the officials just stood there in amazement and then burst into prolonged laughter.
We used an ATM to get our baht and then cycled north, through the grounds of a royal palace and into Narathiwat.
The main road stretches 1187 km, from this corner of Thailand to Bangkok and is four lanes wide, with a good cycle lane on each side. The trouble is, the cycle lane is shared with motor cyclists, who come at you from the wrong direction, so you have to be alert. It’s especially bad at night, because you can’t see any wide loads that they may be carrying.
The coast here is very undeveloped, with miles of beautiful, deserted beaches. We tried to follow the coast as much as possible and keep off the busy roads.
We were reminded that we were in the Muslim dominated south, by the arrows on the bedroom ceilings pointing towards Mecca and the early morning calls of the muezzin to prayer. At Pattani, we debated whether to stay in the My Garden Hotel. We decided on a cheaper one and read later in the Bangkok Post that the My Garden had been bombed by terrorists that night. Fortunately there were no casualties.
The weather was perfect, with tail winds and our rides over the next few days were all over 100 km. We were now seeing more prawn farms than the usual rice paddies.
It was time for more r&r and we caught the ferry from Don Sac to Ko Samui Island. This time, we took our bikes, as there are roads on Ko Samui and Ko Phangan. Ko Samui is totally developed and extremely touristy. We thoroughly enjoyed it though, despite the monsoonal rain. I rode through a flood and ruined the front bearings, so had a wobbly wheel all the way to Bangkok. We caught the ferry to Ko Phangan, which broke down in stormy seas, but it was soon repaired. Ko Phangan was relatively quiet, as it only livens up for the notorious full moon parties. To avoid disqualification, we made sure we got a ferry that would take us back to Don Sac and not further up the coast.
Navigation was quite difficult at times on the minor roads and the compass got plenty of use. The locals often gave us conflicting directions. The scenery was superb, with lots of coconut trees and lovely beaches. We had got into the habit of departing soon after daybreak each day, to get as far as possible before the midday heat. Most days, the temperature was up in the mid-30s.
We passed the narrowest point of Thailand, which is only 10.96 km. One night we stayed on an air force base next to a beach, where we were saluted on entry. Then it was the Dolphin Bay Resort, in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, where we were lucky enough to see a pod of the pink dolphins passing by. To give an example of how cheap things can be, this is a five star resort and a room costs $US23.
It was soon time to say goodbye to the Gulf of Thailand. We had enjoyed our daily swims and curries on the beaches, with the warm water lapping at our feet. We wouldn’t see the sea again for another three weeks.
Gavin and Peter bought face masks in preparation for the pollution to come, but they also became very useful against the dust in Cambodia. We crossed the Chao Praya river and were in the heart of Bangkok. We had cycled in Bangkok before, so didn’t find it too daunting. The other road users are amazingly obliging, you just do what you want to do and they all pause and let you go. You never hear any aggressive honking. We had been told about an excellent bike shop in Bangkok, so we were able to get all our repairs and servicing done.
The shortest way to Hong Kong is through Laos, but we had cycled Laos a couple of years before, so had decided on Cambodia this time. We headed out of Bangkok in the early morning peak traffic. The best way for us was along one way streets the wrong way, which was no problem. We could hear the intersection police radioing ahead that farangs (foreigners) were coming. This was one of our three days over 150 km and we didn’t find any accommodation until after dark.
The next day was to the border town of Aranyaprathet. Thailand is a great country for cycle touring. We had particularly enjoyed parts of the peninsular coast, with the superb beaches, accommodation, eating establishments, weather and, as yet, it’s undiscovered by the masses.
Cambodia – dry season essential
We had read all the information on entry to Cambodia at Poipet, but the contrast from Thailand still came as a bit of a shock.
Getting our Cambodia visas at the border was quite easy and cheaper than elsewhere, even with the officials on the take. Poipet was under mortar attack from the Khmer Rouge as recently as 1996. We had gone from the nice smooth roads in Thailand to a rock surface on the main street of the town.
It’s advisable to get out of Poipet, as quickly as possible, but we paused for some photos. Gavin’s wallet mysteriously disappeared and I caught a guy in the act of removing my passport and currency etc. The crowd thought it was a bit of a joke and I could hear the word ‘bandit’. From then on, we always put the rain covers on our panniers to make rapid unzipping more difficult. Incidents like these and the bombing at Pattani are very unusual for South East Asia, and we all still feel safer cycling in these parts than we do at home.
The road beyond Poipet was full of the biggest potholes I have ever seen and we were pleased we had suitable bikes - you could never cross Cambodia on a racer. We arrived safely in Sisophon, and that night we arranged for a restaurant to open early the next morning, to serve us baguettes and coffee.
The first part of the road to Siem Reap was amazing. After a while, we were covered in red dust, but my hair improved, going from grey to red. We could now appreciate why Cambodia can only be cycled in the dry season. The bridges often had the steel deck plates missing, leaving gaping holes. Despite all this, the countryside was very picturesque, with green fields. The people were very friendly and, as always in Asia, called out to us as we went by.
Siem Reap is the tourist town for the temples of Angkor and we spent a very pleasant three days here. It was interesting to compare the Angkor ruins with those in Bagan, Myanmar, which we had explored the year before. These ruins cover large areas and exploring by bike is a real advantage.
It was to be a four day ride to Phnom Penh, on the route that takes you north of the Tonle Sap lake. The holes in the road were well over a metre deep in places. Trucks, buses and cars had great difficulty, so we were often faster than them. Probably, being on a bike is one of the most comfortable ways to travel this road. We saw all manner of things being carried on bikes and motor bikes. The SPCA would have a busy time here, as the pigs, chickens and ducks are all transported alive and always upside down. One day, Gavin had a run in with a water buffalo, but both came out of it unscathed.
People would gather to watch us at every stop. During a drink stop, an old man tried to pluck the hairs from my arms and legs. It could well be that he hadn’t been that close to hairy aliens before. The night before Phnom Penh, we stayed at Skoun, famous for its edible giant spiders. We weren’t brave enough to eat them, but did have them crawling all over us for photo purposes.
It was good to see the Mekong again, as we entered Phnom Penh. We found a reasonably priced hotel, near the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and the club became our base for eating, drinking and relaxing. We visited the school that became a torture centre during the Khmer Rouge time and saw the killing fields. I read the book ‘First They Killed My Father’ on our ride through Cambodia and it was a very poignant reminder of the events of the 70s. Some of the people we got talking to had interesting but sad stories to tell.
It was a two-day ride to the Vietnam border and, once again, the roads were appalling in places. We had enjoyed Cambodia. It’s a ‘Wild West’ country, with very little infrastructure for tourism outside of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, has dreadful poverty and a terrible history, but the people are always smiling.
Memorable Vietnam
Our arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is one of my most memorable cycling experiences. We had arrived from Svai Rieng, in Cambodia, so it was a long day’s ride and early evening. The city has a population of eight million and it seemed like they were all out on their motor bikes, bikes and cyclos.
The intersections were not for the faint hearted. It was a matter of joining the surge and those on the street making the biggest surge forward, won. At roundabouts, you aimed straight for your exit point and kept going regardless. I thought at the time it would be a good idea to wear horse blinkers, so you wouldn’t see what’s happening around you. The roads were so tightly packed you could feel other vehicles brushing up against the panniers.
We were now halfway to Hong Kong and we had a week in Ho Chi Minh, doing all the tourist things, including a two-day bus trip south to the Mekong Delta and getting our China visas. There are ATM machines here and we were able to withdraw two million at a time - dong not dollars. That’s about NZ$200.
On 12 December we set off for the coast. We were joined by Jan (our laid back, very fit and fast cyclist, who enjoys a smoke at rest stops), who had flown in from England the night before. We had heard about a very quiet route out of Ho Chi Minh and were soon among rubber, coconut and casuarina trees. We passed through Ba Ria, where the New Zealanders were based during the war.
We encountered our first head winds and these were to stay with us for nearly 2000 km, but we had expected them. The South China Sea was a welcome sight and we had a swim on arrival at Long Hai. It was here that I noticed some hairline cracks on my rear rim, around the spokes.
At Ho Coc Beach, we talked to an interesting Vietnamese family who were visiting from the USA. He had been one of the boat people and told us of his experiences.
We were eating a lot of seafood for dinners and always baguettes for breakfast, if they were available. We were staying at beautiful beaches every night and making the most of the warm weather, as we knew it would be cooler further north.
Our quiet coastal road linked up with Highway 1, which we would follow to Hanoi. A sign said ‘Hanoi 1570 km’. Highway 1 is busy, but we thought it was safe enough. You get plenty of warning of vehicles coming up from behind. The air horns became so tiresome, that Gavin took to using my earplugs when cycling (carried in the event of any snoring problems).
As in other Asian countries, we saw the most amazing things being transported on bikes and motor bikes, including such items as large sheets of glass for building sites and even a cow.
I found many of the Vietnamese to be a bit too inquisitive and forward, but they were always friendly and helpful. Locals on bicycles and motor bikes would pull alongside to chat. When we had had enough, we could usually lose the cyclists, but the motor cyclists were a problem. If we gave up responding to them, we would sometimes get a friendly poke in the arm, or a slap on the back, or have our clothes pulled, as we were cycling along.
The Vietnamese seemed to have no concept of privacy. When we sat down for a meal, they would often sit at the same table and stare, or follow us into hotels, or push in to get a better look at our guide books or maps. They would want to wear our helmets, but we tried not to let them ride our bikes. The school children often wanted to race us, or show off by weaving in and out, which was a bit hazardous. Some of them were amazingly fast, considering the bikes they had.
At Nha Trang, I tried to get a new rim as mine was getting worse, but the local ones all have 36 spoke holes, whereas I needed one with 32. We did the harbour tour and enjoyed the floating bar. It was an inner tube, attached to the boat by a long rope, with a Vietnamese guy in the middle of the tube, serving copious quantities of free wine. Fortunately, they provided tubes to keep us afloat.
It was another five days’ cycling to Hoi An, where we had chosen to spend Christmas. We were enjoying the impressive coastal scenery, but there was a drop in the temperature and it was a bit wet at times.
My rim finally packed up a couple of days out of Hoi An, but I was able to limp in, minus a few spokes. The hotel receptionist was ever so helpful and found a man who transferred the front rim to the rear and adapted a Chinese made rim for the front. For parts and one and a half days’ labour, the charge was $US15. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, at the French run, Tam Tam Café. Hoi An really is the most enchanting place on the coast. This was as far as Rhona and Ray were going, and we said farewell to them.
We visited China Beach and crossed the Hai Van Pass, which was the one of the few climbs on the entire trip. In Malaysia and Thailand it was so flat we had moaned about the man-made hills up to the bridges.
We stayed in the ancient city of Hue and headed up to the former demilitarised zone. After crossing into what was once North Vietnam, Gavin and I took a side diversion, to explore the Vinh Moc tunnels. We had already visited the Cu Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh, and I was beginning to appreciate how the communists had won the war.
Peter and Jan had gone ahead and Gavin and I spent New Year’s Eve in a miserable place, where we were the only guests. We managed to get some rice and had some warm beers, but were asleep by 10pm.
It was another three days to Ninh Binh, which is becoming a tourist centre, with its breathtaking scenery. One day, Gavin was cycling on his own and came across an unconscious motor cyclist with a gaping head wound. He attended to him, but couldn’t get anyone to understand the word ‘ambulance’ and wasn’t even sure if they existed in this part of the world. The locals propped him, still unconscious, between two on a motor bike and they rode off. Gavin, who is a locum in between cycling tours, said he could have had a fractured skull and brain damage.
The final 30 km into Hanoi was along a motorway, with hardly any traffic. I’m not sure whether we were allowed on this motorway, but it was great cycling. Hanoi is the Paris of the east. We stayed in the Old Quarter and enjoyed the fine restaurants. I went to see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. He is looking rather pale these days, but goes to Russia every year for maintenance.
Jan had to get back to work and he flew home from Hanoi. It was still 350 km to the Chinese border and the three of us set off, across the Red River. The bridge had been bombed many times by the Americans, but was always re-erected in a few days.
Halong Bay is famous for its spectacular limestone formations, and we joined the tourists for a splendid sightseeing trip by boat.
Our last night in Vietnam was at Mong Cai, right up in the north-east corner on the Chinese border. It had been a pleasant ride through tea plantations that day. Our hotel was typical of the many we had used in Vietnam, a mini hotel, privately owned, virtually new and very reasonably priced. There is generally no need to book ahead in South East Asia, as there is always somewhere available and camping gear is not necessary.
Into China
We had the latest version of Lonely Planet and it said that this crossing to China was open to foreigners, but they had yet to meet someone who had entered or exited here. We entered China with no worries, except Peter produced a large wad of Vietnamese dong and the money changing girls got into a frenzy and literally swamped him.
We knew that the next 1000 km would be more difficult, as there would be even more language problems, the guide books did not cover these parts and we had been able to get very little information from the internet. We had maps, but we knew that with the intense development going on they would be out of date.
Our first day was along quiet country roads, with thatched dwellings. It was a perfect day for cycling. In fact, we had had no rain since Hanoi and it would be fine all the way to Hong Kong.
We found our way to Qinzhou and must have looked a bit lost, as some girls on a motor bike indicated that we should follow them and they took us to a good hotel. It was a big city and we found a McDonald’s type restaurant, bakeries, chocolate shops and even went ten pin bowling.
The next day we cycled to Beihai, which was purported to have the best beach in China, but it was fenced off, with a fairly steep entry fee.
One thing we did learn in China was to disconnect the telephone before going to bed, otherwise the ladies of the night would be phoning at all hours. We got into the habit of finding a bookshop in every city to get a local map. Even though they were in Chinese, we learnt to compare the characters with those on the road signs.
I was very impressed with the new motorways, which we could see in the distance. They were on a grand scale compared with here, with tunnels through the hills and very high suspension bridges. Throughout southern China, we were amazed by the scale and pace of development taking place. At Zhanjiang, I came across a dog butcher’s shop, with rows of skinned dogs ready for the pot. Jan had tried dog in Vietnam, but the rest of us, hopefully, hadn’t unknowingly been given any. Large crowds would often gather when we stopped in the cities, and we caused a few traffic jams.
On 19 January we entered the former Portuguese colony of Macau, now a Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong. We were directed into the truck lane. We thought it was a bit odd that they just waved us on and we didn’t have to go through immigration. I hadn’t been to Macau for 30 years and it’s still one of my favourite places. The Macanese food is hard to beat, especially when it is washed down with good Portuguese wine. We went to leave Macau and reenter China, but weren’t allowed to leave, as we hadn’t officially entered. They couldn’t understand how we had managed to enter Macau without getting our passports stamped. They eventually yielded, but not until we had signed a statement, detailing how we had got in. Probably, not too many Westerners arrive in Macau by bike.
We had a good ride out of the adjacent city of Zhuhai, as it was along a waterfront bike path that lasted for about 30 km. We crossed the Pearl River and arrived in Humen. We were checking into a hotel when the manager arrived and told us to leave, as he said the hotel wasn’t licensed for foreigners. It was the only place in China where this rule had been applied and he probably just didn’t like the look of us.
The ride the next day, from Humen to Shenzhen, was the worst of the trip. The traffic and pollution were unbelievable. Shenzhen was a tiny village, in a rural area, when I lived in Hong Kong in the early 70s. Now it’s a massive city rivalling Hong Kong with its skyscrapers.
Hong Kong complications
We chose a three star hotel, close to the entry point for Hong Kong, but the resident rat couldn’t resist Gavin’s snacks and chewed a hole through his bar bag.
We had tried, for several months, to get permission to ride across the closed area into Hong Kong, but no such luck. So on day 100, January 23, we exited Shenzhen and entered Hong Kong at the Lo Wu railway station.
We took the short train ride, across the closed area, to Sheung Shui, the first stop. We had opted for Route Twisk, up Tai Mo Shan, which is a very steep climb, but a quiet road. We dropped down into Kowloon, but got onto a motorway by mistake. It was a good half hour before we could leave our perilous position and get across a couple of lanes, to escape to the madness of Nathan Road.
Once again, we had tried to get permission to go through one of the under harbour tunnels, but the Hong Kong authorities don’t seem to understand the requirements of fanatical foreign cycle tourists.
The Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui only takes folding bikes, so we had to carry on to Hung Hom to get the ferry. We crossed over to the Hong Kong side and cycled up the rather steep hill to the Peak area and down to the beautiful Repulse Bay.
We pushed our bikes across the sand and with cameras clicking, dipped our wheels into the sea. The port that we had carried from Macau went down very well, and no doubt assisted with our speeches of self congratulation. We had cycled the 6,905 km in 100 days as planned, and were oblivious to the emerging SARS problem.
It was getting dark now and we still had to go back up the hill to our hotel. Peter asked if he could get a lift to the top, and as the ride was officially over, Gavin and I agreed. After all, he is 72, has had two hip replacements and had actually cycled from Hanoi with a broken elbow. He had fallen down the hotel stairs, but didn’t have it confirmed it was broken until he was back in England.
Gavin and I rejoined Peter at the top. We asked a couple of police motor cyclists for directions and they gave us a motor cycle escort, complete with blue flashing lights, to our hotel. This was quite a dramatic end to a wonderful trip and epitomised the good nature and helpfulness of the people of Asia.

16 October 2002, Singapore - Kota Tinggi, 75 km, 3 h 56 m, 19.1 av
17 October 2002, Kota Tinggi - Mersing, 94 km, 4 h 34 m, 20.7 av
18 & 19 October 2002, Rest Days, Tioman Island
20 October 2002, Mersing - Kuala Rompin, 70 km, 3 h 14 m, 21.7 av
21 October 2002, Kuala Rompin - Pekan, 91 km, 4 h 7 m, 22.2 av
22 October 2002, Pekan - Cherating, 93 km, 4 h 22 m, 21.3 av
23 October 2002, Rest Day
24 October 2002, Cherating - Rantau Abang, 103 km, 4 h 54 m, 21.2 av
25 October 2002, Rantau Abang - Merang, 107 km, 5 h 38 m, 19.1 av
26 October 2002, Merang - Khota Bharu, 139 km, 6 h 20 m, 22.0 av
27 October 2002, Rest Day
28 October 2002, Khota Bharu - Narathiwat, 73 km, 3 h 43 m, 19.7 av
29 October 2002, Narathiwat - Pattani, 111 km, 5 h 15 m, 21.2 av
30 October 2002, Pattani - Songkla, 111 km, 5 h 15 m, 21.3 av
31 October 2002, Rest Day
1 November 2002, Songkla - Hua Sai, 105 km, 4 h 28 m, 23.5 av
2 November 2002, Hua Sai - Sichon, 150 km, 6 h 26 m, 23.3 av
3 November 2002, Rest Day
4 November 2002, Sichon - Ko Samui, 90 km, 4 h 25 m, 20.3 av
5 & 6 November 2002, Rest Days
7 November 2002, Ko Samui - Ko Phangan, 7 km, 42 m, 10.6 av
8 November 2002, Ko Phangan - Surathani, 84 km, 3 h 56 m, 21.5 av
9 November 2002, Surathani - Chaiya, 56 km, 2 h 45 m, 20.6 av
10 November 2002, Chaiya - Hat Arun Thai, 108 km, 4 h 48 m, 22.6 av
11 November 2002, Hat Arun Thai - Thung Wua Laen, 94 km, 4 h 25 m, 21.3 av
12 November 2002, Thung Wua Laen - Bang Saphon Yai, 96 km, 4 h 56 m, 19.6 av
13 November 2002, Rest Day
14 November 2002, Bang Saphon Yai - Ao Manao, 113 km, 5 h 41 m, 19.8 av
15 November 2002, Ao Manao - Dolphin Bay, 85 km, 4 h 22 m, 19.6 av
16 November 2002, Rest Day
17 November 2002, Dolphin Bay - Hua Hin, 51 km, 2 h 31 m, 20.3 av
18 November 2002, Hua Hin - Samet Songkram, 131 km, 5 h 51 m, 22.4 av
19 November 2002, Samet Songkram - Bangkok, 82 km, 3 h 53 m, 21.2 av
20 November 2002, Rest Day
21 November 2002, Bangkok - Tawa Ravadee Resort, 150 km, 7 h 16 m, 20.6 av
22 November 2002, Tawa Ravadee Resort - Araya Prathet, 125 km, 5 h 46 m, 21.7 av
23 November 2002, Araya Prathet - Sisophon, 57 km, 3 h 47 m, 15.2 av
24 November 2002, Sisophon - Siem Reap, 110 km, 7 h 8 m, 15.5 av
25, 26 & 27 November 2002, Rest Days, 59 km, 4 h 21 m, 13.5 av
28 November 2002, Siem Reap - Kampong Kdei, 64 km, 3 h 50 m, 16.8 av
29 November 2002, Kampong Kdei - Kampong Thom, 87 km, 4 h 17 m, 20.4 av
30 November 2002, Kampong Thom - Skoun, 95 km, 5 h 2 m, 18.8 av
1 December 2002, Skoun - Phnom Penh, 81 km, 4 h, 20.2 av
2 & 3 December 2002, Rest Days
4 December 2002, Phonm Penh - Svai Rieng, 128 km, 6 h 26 m, 19.8 av
5 December 2002, Svai Rieng - Ho Chi Minh, 117 km, 6 h 48 m, 17.2 av
6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 December 2002, Rest Days, Ho Chi Minh & Mekong Delta
12 December 2002, Ho Chi Minh - Lang Hai, 96 km, 4 h 40 m, 20.5 av
13 December 2002, Lang Hai - Ho Coc, 54 km, 3 h 1 m, 18.0 av
14 December 2002, Ho Coc - Mui Ne, 122 km, 5 h 48 m, 21.1 av
15 December 2002, Rest Day
16 December 2002, Mui Ne - Ca Nah, 131 km, 6 h 21 m, 20.6 av
17 December 2002, Ca Nah - Nha Trang, 136 km, 6 h 40 m, 20.4 av
18 & 19 December 2002, Rest Days, 27 km, 2 h 9 m, 12.8 av
20 December 2002, Nha Trang - Dai Lanh, 85 km, 3 h 36 m, 23.7 av
21 December 2002, Dai Lanh - Song Cau, 106 km, 4 h 37 m, 23.0 av
22 December 2002, Song Cau - Sa Huyah, 139 km, 6 h 39 m, 21.0 av
23 December 2002, Sa Huyah - Quang Ngai, 68 km, 4 h 23 m, 15.6 av
24 December 2002, Quang Ngai - Hoi An, 120 km, 5 h 42 m, 21.1 av
25 & 26 December 2002, Rest Days, 8 km, 35 m, 13.8 av
27 December 2002, Hoi An - Lang Co, 75 km, 4 h 6 m, 18.5 av
28 December 2002, Lang Co - Hue, 84 km, 5 h 3 m, 16.6 av
29 December 2002, Hue - Dong Ha, 71 km, 3 h 24 m, 21.0 av
30 December 2002, Dong Ha - Dong Hoi, 129 km, 6 h 36 m, 19.6 av
31 December 2002, Dong Hoi - De Ngang Pass, 75 km, 3 h 46 m, 20.0 av
1 January 2003, De Ngang Pass - Vinh, 132 km, 6 h 28 m, 20.4 av
2 January 2003, Vinh - Thanh Hoa, 141 km, 6 h 26 m, 22.0 av
3 January 2003, Thanh Hoa - Ninh Bin, 62 km, 2 h 51 m, 22.1 av
4 January 2003, Ninh Bin - Hanoi, 94 km, 3 h 57 m, 23.8 av
5 & 6 January 2003, Rest Days
7 January 2003, Hanoi - Bai Chay, 152 km, 7 h 5 m, 21.4 av
8 January 2003, Rest Day, Halong Bay
9 January 2003, Bai Chay - Cai Rong, 48 km, 2 h 40 m, 18.1 av
10 January 2003, Cai Rong - Mong Cai, 144 km, 6 h 44 m, 21.5 av
11 January 2003, Mong Cai - Qinzhou, 100 km, 5 h 24 m, 18.5 av
12 January 2003, Qinzhou - Beihai, 128 km, 6 h 10 m, 20.8 av
13 January 2003, Rest Day
14 January 2003, Beihai - Shankou, 124 km, 6 h 5 m, 20.4 av
15 January 2003, Shankou - Zhanjiang, 99 km, 4 h 53 m, 20.4 av
16 January 2003, Zhanjiang - Diancheng, 134 km, 6 h 12 m, 21.6 av
17 January 2003, Diancheng - Yangjiang, 100 km, 4 h 43 m, 21.1 av
18 January 2003, Yangjiang - Duhu, 133 km, 6 h 31 m, 20.4 av
19 January 2003, Duhu - Macau, 92 km, 4 h 35 m, 20.2 av
20 January 2003, Rest Day
21 January 2003, Macau - Humen, 120 km, 6 h 7 m, 19.6 av
22 January 2003, Humen - Shenzhen, 82 km, 4 h 17 m, 19.1 av
23 January 2003, Shenzhen - Hong Kong, 67 km, 4 h 54 m, 13.8 av

Myanmar

2001-11-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Check out the photos at http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

Thailand and Laos

2001-02-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

The photos http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

The Cotswolds, Devon and Cornwall

2000-06-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

The photos http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

The Philippines

1999-10-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

The photos http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

The Great Ocean Road

1998-06-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Warrnambool to Torquay, Victoria, Australia. Geoff from next door joined me. It was Geoff who encouraged me to take up cycling so well done Geoff. The photos are in the usual place http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

Borneo - Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan

1995-08-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I did this trip with my son, Stephen, who was 13 at the time. The photos http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com

Khota Bharu to Kuantan

1993-04-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

My first bike trip http://cycling-the-world.phanfare.com