Kyrgyzstan, the land of mountains
Before laying my eyes on the Kyrgyz Mountains, I had to cross the Chinese immigration office so I could leave the country. The Chinese have a funny way of doing things and leaving didn’t go as fast as I anticipated. The immigration office is located in Uluqqat (the new town previously called Wuqia) about 140kms…
China – The Center and the West
After nearly a month in China, I had to extend my visa for another month. One of the best place to do so was Leshan where I absolutely needed to reach before my current visa ran out. Struggling to find recent reliable information about this process, I was eager to get this done and enjoy…
China – From Mengla to Kunming
So much has happened since I entered China 2 months ago. I still remember how much more shops, people and cars there was 5kms passed the Laos border. It was quite a contrast with the quiet streets of Laos. The road became an elevated highway with 2 lanes on each side. The mountains of Yunnan…
Mountains of northern Laos, towards China
After leaving the Laos capital city of Vientiane, it was towards the northern mountains of Laos towards I encountered my firsts challenging climbs since I started my journey. It proved emotionally difficult, sometimes frustrating but a memorable experience. Going through party town of Vang Vieng and charming Luang Prapang, the inspirational Hmong people and their delightful villages dotted the way to the Chinese border. The amazing views of the landscape and friendships I’ve created along the way will remain with me forever.
First 2 weeks in Laos
Last days in Thailand towards the border with Laos was good riding. I was sad leaving Thailand, a country a really like, but I was excited to get in Laos and tackle the northern region and its hills. Savannakhet was lovely so was the ride to Vientiane, especially the night at a guesthouse where I was invited to have a feast and a few beers by a group of friendly locals!
The Land of a Thousand Hellos and Smiles
I was excited to cross into Cambodia. I longed wanted to visit this country so many people raved about. Crossing into Poipet gave the wrong impression about the rest of this fabulous country. Like many border towns, Poipet is dusty and not an enjoyable place to linger but after riding about 50kms to get to…
Visa Run
Since I had only 15 days allowance in Thailand while crossing the border by land, I needed to do a visa run as the travellers are calling it. This consist of taking some transport (minivan, bus, boat, etc…) to a nearby country, exit Thailand, enter that neighboring country, turn around and re-enter Thailand having a new 15 days (or 30 days depending on the country). During my first 2 weeks in Thailand, I spend my time in the south region, Krabi and Khao Sok National Park being the highlights.
First crash, Taiping and the islands of Kuala Pangkor and Georgetown
First crash, Penang, Palau Pangkor, Taiping, Food (lots of it!)
First week in Malaysia
First week in Malaysia was great riding; roads conditions were very good, food was awesome and the drivers behaved well. Melaka was an ideal spot to rest for a days before heading to Klang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
On the road again
The last stretch into Perth was to remember. After spending the night at Kingsway caravan park, I rolled into Perth from using the cycle path following the ocean. The sense of achievement was to it’s climax when I got to a lookout over the city into Kings park. Something I’ll never forget. I enjoyed a…