I now sit in a cosy hostel in the bustling island of Singapore, sipping English tea and munching on peanut butter toast. How I’ve missed these luxuries!
My journey through Thailand and Malaysia to my final destination in Asia have been brisk but fun nonetheless. I’ve been averaging between 100-130km a day. It has been further than anticipated but I passed a few mileage goals along the way which was great.
After cycling through the thin stretch of land in central Thailand I got to the town of Chumpon and then headed West to the coast and the tip of Burma (Myanmar).
A beach near Chumpon.
Sunset over the tip of Burma.
I arrived at a small unremarkable town for Christmas day, however they had some natural hotsprings nearby to relax in.
Man made pools with the hotsprings water filtered through. A cool 40 degrees!
The natural pool further up the mountain.
Passing the 7000 mile mark on boxing day (11,200km)
Passing small waterfalls on the roadside.
I then headed to the island of Phuket. Thailand’s equivalent of Ibiza. I wanted to experience some madness for new years, not usually my first choice of celebration but since I was close it would have been a shame to miss it.
Passing the National park heading south.
More islands between Phuket and the mainland.
Just before reaching Phuket I put my feet up and relaxed for 1 day, the weather has been non-stop sunshine everyday for the past 2 months (sorry to rub it in!).
Below is a representation of my memory for New years.
Just an alcohol fuelled blur!…. Busy to say the least.
I quickly rode out of Phuket and propelled myself into Malaysia and headed towards Penang island.
I bumped into 3 Italian cyclists who were travelling there too and rode together for the day.
I stayed for a weekend relaxing. Eating good food and taking in some sights.
Tikka Masala on Banana leaf.
Kek lok si temple overlooking George town.
Coincidentally Barry was here at the same time (including his friend Ryan who I had met in Tbilisi, Georgia) having spent a fortnight with friends who had got married over the festive period. It was great to catch up again!
Then I made a 4 day dash to the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.
I’d been dreaming of visiting the Petronas twin towers since the beginning of this whole trip. I am chuffed to bits to have made it here!
The final leg of my journey to Singapore was quite tame, quiet smooth roads led gently to the island.
Passing the 8000 mile mark.
The last beach before heading over the border.
So now I am finished with Asia. Technically starting in Istanbul, Turkey roughly 7 months ago.
That’s now 2 continents, 20 countries and 13,000km cycled. PHEW!!!
My next destination is New Zealand and then Australia.
I was planning on cycling Australia first but was reliably informed that the weather would be much more pleasant and favourable if I did it in reverse order. So I will.
I’m really excited about New Zealand and will be exploring both islands for 6 weeks.