Thailasia Tour Part 1: Introduction and Overview
When I last cycled in Thailand 20 years ago it was paper maps, internet cafes and guidebooks that helped me navigate my way through the country - as well as 30 others on what was a 3-year bicycle journey from Japan-UK.
Route through Thailand in 2006. I continued north into Laos. My route planning was limited to a simple country road map with little detail.
The land of smiles and 7-11's left positive memories during the two months I spent cycling here back in 2006, although a lot of that time was spent off the bike waiting for a new passport and applying for visas.
Relaxing by the River Mekong. Pre-smartphone and social media, I read more books in 2006.
The decision to return for a 3-month tour between November and February, which would also include Malaysia, was influenced by several factors.
Aside from weather conditions being at their most favourable, my brother and family live on the island of Penang in western Malaysia. Combining a ride with a family visit, while re-exploring a region famed for its diverse cuisine, felt like a welcoming break from some of the more adventurous destinations I've cycled in recent years.
While Thailand has a reputation for being over-run with tourists, I always feel that travelling by bicycle is the easiest way to connect with a country in a way that the majority of visitors don't.
Other than my time in several locations (notably Bangkok, Pai and Kanchanaburi) I saw fewer foreign tourists than I expected. I didn't visit any of the islands on this visit - some of which are particularly popular, and often found myself in towns and villages that probably see little in the way of tourism.
I had a rough route plan sketched out before leaving Bangkok; the idea being to ride north into the mountains on the border with Laos and Myanmar during November, before looping south and hitting the coast towards Malaysia in December and early January.
The original route before I started the tour - just over 5000 km. The final route was broadly the same, with a few alterations.
Initially I imagined being in Thailand for about two months and Malaysia 4-5 weeks, before boarding a return flight to the UK, but it was 11 weeks after arriving in Bangkok that I crossed into Malaysia. Few of my days were particularly long in the saddle - typically 4-6 hours of cycling, covering 60-100km. I took plenty of rest days, although they were never full rest days. I ran frequently, used gyms and tried to visit local temples and other sites.
I found the Komoot app fairly reliable for planning day-by-day rides in Thailand. I usually planned routes as a mountain bike or gravel ride, which means the app would choose off-road trails over paved ones. I would often tweak this a little before downloading it to my Garmin computer, and then tweak it during the day where necessary using the app on my phone.
I bought a Garmin Edge Explore II a short time before leaving for Thailand, and made sure to download the country map, which can be done free online This is the first bike computer I’ve used in about 6 years. A garmin watch in recent years has recorded all my rides, and I’ve used my phone to navigate. I did envisage mostly just using the Garmin computer to map read, but it’s far easier and faster to use komoot, or any mapping app on a phone, than it is the computer. I was still glad to use the computer to log my rides and let me know I was on the course that had been created on the komoot app and synced to the computer.
Wherever possible I avoided main highways, some of which can be big and busy in Thailand. Fortunately hard shoulders are generous, but such roads are best avoided wherever possible. About 70-80% of the 4500km I did in Thailand and Malaysia was on paved roads, most of which were quiet.
Compared to places where I've cycled in recent years, I found Thailand a relatively easy cycling destination. Mobile network is strong and reliable almost everywhere, and food and accommodation options plentiful and affordable.
Outside of tourist areas few people speak English, so leaning some basics and using Google translate helped a lot.
Despite the lack of conversation, I found people to be welcoming and friendly, if sometimes shy and reserved. I never felt any danger or security issues with leaving my bicycle unattended when going into a shop or visiting a site.
The only issue on the road was the daily encounter with dogs. Thailand has a large dog population - many of which roam/sit freely at the roadside - lying in wait to harass passing cyclists. In truth most are not a serious issue, but I always gave them a wide berth when cycling by.
While there was no need to bring camping equipment to cycle here, or elsewhere in South East Asia, I enjoy camping, so mixed up sleeping in budget accommodation - costing between £7-12 per night, with camping - either free or at campsites for £2-4.
I mostly used Google maps and reviews to find accommodation and campsites, rarely booking in advance, unless it was a popular destination and I saw a good deal/room online. Paying online was also useful as a means to hold onto cash. While ATMs are ubiquitous throughout Thailand, they all charge a flat fee of 250 baht (£6) for a withdrawal, regardless how much is taken out. This isn't the case in Malaysia, where I found ATMs during the short time I was there to be free.
I knew this in advance, so carried cash to Thailand and changed when I needed to. I managed to just use one ATM during my time there.
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