Thailand
Land of incredible generosity.
Hot even in winter.
It was well over 30C when I arrived in Bangkok! It gets better if you move north.
People are very friendly wherever you go and really like seeing foreigners!
Annoying dogs all over the place, many of them trying to chase you (mostly harmless, unless they carry rabies. Its deadly then :D)
I spent most of my time in northern Thailand.
I was all over the place, visiting Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai, Lampang, Mae Hong Son Loop.
Crazy climbs on a daily basis. Roads just get steep here for no apparent reason (15-20%).
Not ideal for a loaded bike, but doable.
Accommodation and food is very cheap here so Thailand is a great opportunity for those looking to cycle here with minimum gear (not carrying sleeping and cooking stuff).
I loved staying at Buddhist temples. I was in love with these temples as soon as I saw them!
I only missed some real hiking in the mountains. I learned that Southeast Asia is not really like Europe where mountaineering is popular and hiking trails are everywhere.
I could easily spend 3 months in northern Thailand and I would not be bored.
Add 3 months to visit the south and you can easily spend half a year in Thailand.
Thailand, I will be back.
Map of my cycling in northern Thailand.
It wasnt much (in span of a one month) but also it was a lot as the same time. A lot of climbing in north of Thailand. Roads get super steep and you end up making a lot of elevation over short period of time.
Staring outside of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport where I had to asemble my bicycle first.
One done that, I had to cycle out of the airport which wasnt easy :)
There were multiple levels (I think I was on level zero at first) and once I started cycling, police oficer stopped me and told to go to level 2. This meant going back inside the building, using elevators to go up.
After reaching levlde 2 I started cycling again only to be stoped by another police officer who told me to go to level -1. Back into the building I go. Finally I was able to cycle out afterwards.
Funy, I use Komoot for navigation I am not sure how would I navigate these levels on Komoot. I never encountered such navigation issue :)
Sunrise from one wild camping spots close to Bangkok.
In the beginning after I leaft Bangkok, temperatures will very hot from very morning and there were a lot of mosquitos especially in the evening. I couldnt get bothered to even buy a mosquito repellant spray in the beginning, which resulted in my feet getting dozens on bites literaly overnight.
It was almost as bad when I was in Finland. Luckily, this stopped as I moved more north were temperatires got colder and mosquitos almost dissapeared.
Inside of one of the temples I stayed in.
In Thailand you can easily stay in Buddhist temples (which are everywhere).
While accomodation is cheap in Thailand (so not really a reason not to stay in guesthouses), staying in temples offered much more to me.
I fell in love in these temples as soon as I saw them and there is just little something for me being almost part of local religion.
Khao No, an impressive limestone mountain that rises high on the otherwise flat countrside, offering stunning 360 views. Hiking on top is relatively easy (starting with many stairs from the bottom and few ladders at very top).
Views from the top of Khao No.
My cockpit filled with snacks (mostly fruit) on daily basis.
Resting houses located roadside in Thailand. They were very beautiful and I even stayed in few overnight during my time in Thailand.
Water dispencer machines available all over Thailand. They were a necessity in Thailand (as drinking water from tap was not safe). These machines offered safe water to drink at very cheap price. You just had to find them, but they were present in most cities, even smaller ones.
Rose Apple fruit. Found this first time after exiting Bangkok. It had a citrus taste and it was very refreshing to eat in those hot summer days. I havent seen it afterwards :(
Not the worst office in the world part x
Staying in tempels gave me the opportunity to work, because there is always a place to sit around and work on my laptop.
As you have already learned about, I loved staying at temples in Thailand :)
Thailnd was perfect opportunity to try local food cheaply on daily basis. Most of the time you didnt know what you were buying (as communication was as issue) but food was cheap and I would just buy stuff randomly and try them later.
Mountainous regions of northern Thailand.
Locals in Thailand are mostly used to tourists so seeing a white main is not something spectacular (like in some other countires).
So making photos most of the time required asking people, as they were not used to getting filmed or asking to be filmed themselves.
Buying fruit at roadside fruit stand.
As lady who sells fruit, local policeman and me found themselves in the random photo:)
Pai Memorial Bridge, a historical landmark in Pai.
The bridge was constructed in 1942 by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII to transport soldiers and supplies. It was later destroyed by retreating Japanese soldiers but rebuilt by locals, symbolizing resilience.
Staying inside Buddhist temple overnight. How cozy can you get?
And waking up with a view on temples in the morning is one of the things I liked the most in Thailand.
Endless farmer fields soaked in water. There were (humanless) machines connected in every field which pumped water from closeby streams into the fields themselves.
Meeting other long distance fellow cyclists on the road is always a joy! Makes your hart feel warm when you realize there are other souls wandering around and doing the same.
Staying in many temples along the way was such a releaf because you didnt have to worry about finding a place for wildcamp overnight.
You just rolled in with your bicycle, show them a message on phone translator (about you wanting to stay there overnight) and you were alway given a place inside or under a roof, you had drinking water available and often they would even give you food.
Local dishes (random vegetables) and rice. Often (or always) with spices nex to it. I avoided spicy food because my stomach is not used to eating spicy food.
Celebrating Christmas in Chiang Mai with other cyclists who were present there at a time.
Chiang Mai was a nice city I spend some time in. Seems like one of better towns in northern Thailand to rest and relax. Lots of things to do and even some hiking opportunities in Doi Suthep Pui National Park next to Chiang Mai.
I left Thailand just before New Year and my journey continues in Laos next.
To be continued...
