Intro: Cycling in Asia
Above: Kaihinmakuhari Station, Japan - the perils of leaving your bike out overnight!
Over the years I undertook several mini-trips by bike. In the early days, travelling overseas, you could just put your bike through with the luggage, no box or bag, then wait at the carousel for it to appear with the pushchairs. Later it was bag-box or no-go, plus a fee for carrying the bike. All this was pre-GPS and suchlike, just a guidebook and a compass on my handlebars! Navigation certainly had its challenges. Meanwhile, I cycled every weekend where I was living in Vietnam, Thailand and Japan. Considering how long I lived in Vietnam (10 years), I have almost no photos of rides - no idea why - too busy with the peleton of colleagues nipping in and out of the motorbike mayhem, I guess. Some mad traffic, to be sure.
Over the years I undertook several mini-trips by bike. In the early days, travelling overseas, you could just put your bike through with the luggage, no box or bag, then wait at the carousel for it to appear with the pushchairs. Later it was bag-box or no-go, plus a fee for carrying the bike. All this was pre-GPS and suchlike, just a guidebook and a compass on my handlebars! Navigation certainly had its challenges. Meanwhile, I cycled every weekend where I was living in Vietnam, Thailand and Japan. Considering how long I lived in Vietnam (10 years), I have almost no photos of rides - no idea why - too busy with the peleton of colleagues nipping in and out of the motorbike mayhem, I guess. Some mad traffic, to be sure.
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L to R: On Nguyen Van Linh in District 7, heading west from Saigon; first cyclone in Japan, got some wellies on the way back from work; Somewhere in District 1 in Saigon; my regular Sunday morning ride was out from An Phu in Saigon along Highway 1 and back, 40 kms - boy, was that a mucky road! People used to shout at the lights, 'Oi, you've got mud all down the back of your top.' Doh! Threading through Vietnamese motorbike traffic was quite exhilarating. Although looking back on it, it was probably rather foolhardy. Imagine the adrenaline rush as a group of you barrels past a load of bikers - they all simultaneously look down to check their speedo, 'Am I dawdling?' they think. 'No, those guys are really doing 40kph!'
L to R: At the Neak Loeung ferry across the Mekong River; Highway 1 near Svey Rieng; Petrol station - top up by the litre.
Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh in Cambodia took just a couple of days, stopping at Svey Rieng. The first time I did that, much of Highway 1 was just compacted sand, which made for a hard day toiling in the sun. The second time there was tarmac. Carrying on to Sihanoukville I got the hydrofoil to Hat Yai in Thailand - big mistake in the monsoon season - everyone was throwing up all over the place. It was so rough that I was surprised the bike was still lashed to the top!
L to R: Vang Vieng, Highway 13; Luang Prabang night market.
My first trip to Laos was along Highway 13 from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, stopping in Vang Vieng. There is some spectacular karst scenery along the way. Steep gradients make the going tough, but they have their reward when you can freewheel coming down the other side - although I remember thinking that I wouldn't fancy coming off now, as my cycle-computer showed 70 kph. I hear there is now a high-speed rail link between the two cities. Unimaginable, years ago.
L to R: A tarmac road according to the guidebook; coffee beans drying in the sun; Tad Lo Waterfall.
My second trip to Laos was to the Bolaven Plateau, a circular trip on often unmetalled roads. Life-chances were clearly harder to come by up there, with houses, back yards and farms looking in poorer shape than those in the
adjacent lowlands. To get there I flew to Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand and crossed the border at Pakse.
adjacent lowlands. To get there I flew to Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand and crossed the border at Pakse.
L to R: The Irrawaddy River; Mandalay; Road to nowhere!
This trip to Myanmar with the idea of cycling from Mandalay to Bagan was a struggle. It was 45c during the day, and there were so many power cuts that I couldn't see where I was going at night. What a palaver, win some-lose some! It was also the time of the Songkran festival so there were plenty of opportunities to have a bucket of water thrown over me.
L to R: Mae Hong Son; Time for a breather; Wat in Lanna style'
From Mae Hong Son in Thailand near the Myanmar border, east to Pai was a tough one. Slight miscalculation with the gradients. I've since learnt that it is a popular motorcycle route, the twists and turns being fun rather than killers. Pai is a kind of 'traveller' destination, with banana pancake breakfasts, dippy patchwork shoulder bags, and man-buns compulsory. It is in the middle of nowhere, so I've no idea how that all came about. Nice enough place for a relaxing stay though.
L to R: Enjoying the bike lanes; 100 yen coins at the ready; Prayer tablets at Nikko.
My first trip to Japan (before I worked there) was to cycle to Nikko from Narita. It took several goes to get out of the airport, ending up at different terminals on the first few attempts. The roads were great, usually with cycle lanes separate from the main traffic. Nikko is slightly uphill going and slightly downhill coming back - a good arrangement.
L to R: Nice new Scott hybrid; Reflections in Nara; Koyasan
For my second trip to Japan I flew to Kyoto and cycled to Nara and Koyasan. Being spring-time I also had sakura as a backdrop. On the Mount Koya I stayed in a temple, which was a kind of spiritual induction 101 - fine,
apart from all that tofu! There are 200,000 graves in the cemetery up there, the location being sacred to the
Shingon School of Buddhism. A fascinating visit - check out the blog entry.
apart from all that tofu! There are 200,000 graves in the cemetery up there, the location being sacred to the
Shingon School of Buddhism. A fascinating visit - check out the blog entry.
Organised bike trips L to R: Penang; Koh Yao Noi (near Phuket); downhill to Ubud, Bali
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As for bikes, I rode various models over the years. I started out with mountain bikes - Scott and Trek, (now Specialized). I then switched to hybrids for the trips - a couple of different Scotts. For road bikes I have used carbon framed 'click to build' online Planet-X and Ribble models.
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Main road out from Chiang Mai to Mae On - really pleasant once you get past the ring roads - milestone says 26 kms to CM.