THAILAND - 42 days in the cycling paradise

On July 6, 2023, we and our bikes are entering a new world: that of Thailand, its islands, its temples and its perfect roads. The contrast with Cambodia is extreme, crossing the imaginary line and after obtaining our 30-day visa stamp, everything changes. Of course, the language, the currency, the faces and the food, but it is similar for each border crossing. This time it's different. From the first meters, we are in paradise: the asphalt is perfect, brand new, with beautiful emergency lanes on each side. However, we need a hundred meters to understand that the cars honking our horns want us to understand that we are on the wrong side of the road. Oops, we didn't know that! we therefore change direction and pedal on the left, English style and this as far as Australia!

The first day is interesting geographically, we follow the wild and sparsely populated coast, the road is magnificent, with small incessant climbs and descents. To our right, a few hundred meters away, still Cambodia. We have the impression that Thailand has managed to keep a coast which, logically, would belong to the neighboring country. They must have their reasons... When evening comes, we easily pitch our tent under the small roof of a closed restaurant. Showers and toilets nearby, blazing sunset. We are very excited for the next few weeks that await us in the Thai kingdom.

After several hundred kilometers, our first point of interest on the Eastern part of the Gulf of Thailand is the island of Koh Chang. This island is huge (one of the largest in the country) and very close to the continent. It will take us thirty minutes by ferry to reach it. But, once on the ground, we are in shock: the only road that goes around it is incredibly steep with passages at more than 20%... We are still in the heavyweight category of cycle tourism and pushing our bikes under the blazing sun on these short but impressive climbs is not our cup of tea. We sit in the shade in a small local restaurant and order pad thai, the traditional dish of the country. We discuss what comes next, a hike-a-bike kinda climb. Unclimbable road. We need to review our ambitions and set up camp as close as possible. Luckily, a Buddhist Temple is located nearby. We have never slept in a temple in Thailand but have only heard good things about it. A few minutes later, we return to their domain and meet the monks. They don't speak English but make us understand that this is not possible. No traveler has ever slept in this temple. It’s a bad start for the many nights we had potentially planned to spend in these mystical places…But a Thai woman passing by hears us and offers us to stay for free in a "bungalow". We are delighted with this fortuitous meeting and follow her by bike. It takes us a few hundred meters further to the heart of a fishing village, made up of countless rudimentary huts on stilts: the famous "bungalows". The inhabitants live here very modestly. The posts sticking out of the water support a platform made of wooden planks, protected from the rain by a sheet metal roof. No or few partitions or walls. It's almost like sleeping outside. But for us it's perfect, she shows us the platform next to her cabin and tells us that we can sleep there. We set up the tent (for the mosquito net) and she brings us a fan. We are facing the sea, in this 100% local environment: a paradise for us! During the few days that we will spend on the island, we will be invited many times to eat with our host family. The father leaving before dawn to empty the nets left overnight and the son leaving for the day off to catch big fish that he proudly shows us every evening on his return. Madame spends her time between the temple, visiting her parents and fishing with a line at her fingertips from her wooden hut.

They live off what they catch, literally. The last evening, we decide to make them happy by going to buy beautiful pizzas made by an Italian retiree who has opened a restaurant on the island. The pizzas are overpriced for their purchasing power (€8 per pizza) and we want to introduce them to our cuisine in some way. But, as for us with the Durians (the fruit that smells very bad but that everyone loves here), our host family is not convinced by this Italian dish. 'They forgot the BBQ sauce, right?' It's time to leave, climb the mountain hills again and find the coast and dry land. Flat this one.

Still several hundred kilometers to reach the capital, Bangkok. This city, like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, is huge and busy, it will take us two days of travel, from the first industrial areas to reach the city center. This is the least interesting part of the trip. We put ourselves on the emergency lane and cycle all day amidst the noise and smells; headache guaranteed! We sleep in our first Buddhist temples. All you have to do is show up at the end of the day and ask the monks who kindly direct you to a village hall type building, present in each temple and intended for morning prayer. Temples are easy. There are some in every town and village, sometimes several. In Thailand, they are subsidized by the state, therefore in good financial condition. The places are large, clean and the monks are always welcoming. Unfortunately their level of English is very limited and conversations are very basic.

We finally arrive in Bangkok, the most populated city in Southeast Asia (competing with Jakarta). Luckily, thanks to our networks, we are welcomed by a couple of French expatriates who have lived in the capital for two years now. François and Margot have lots of good advice, good addresses. We take advantage of this short stay to rest, maintain our bikes and meet our friend, Loïc, who accompanied us on one of the last days in France. We are planning a crazy project together: to buy a bike a little later and join us. To be continued. On the advice of François, we visit a small town two hours north of the city, Lumpuri. Here, in the middle of old temples, live hundreds of monkeys in freedom. We quickly notice that they have taken over the inhabitants of the city and that they are a bit the law. They empty trash cans, climb on buildings and temples, steal food... But these monkeys are also at the origin of the popularity of the city, which has become a small tourist destination. Anecdotal: the thing that brings tourists is also the thing that risks leading to its downfall... They are at an impasse, and nothing is changing except that the monkey population is increasing. After a visit to the dentist - here you just have to push the door to be taken care of within five minutes - we are ready to leave, heading due south, along the east coast of the golf course.

We thought we had been in cycling paradise for three weeks, but in the South-East of Thailand, we discovered the paradise of cycling paradise! The coast is sublime, like on the postcards: white beach of fine sand, coconut trees leaning over the turquoise waters... and the most extraordinary: no one on the horizon! We are so seduced that we even trade our nights in the temples to plant our sardines on the beaches. Breathtaking sunrise guaranteed. We go through the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, leave the bikes and set off to explore a huge cave. At least inside it is cool. A little further south we are hosted in Warmshower by a Thai couple who are launching a tourist farm project (farmstay) in the mountains near Burma (Myanmar). Because yes, at certain times Thailand is only about ten kilometers wide and shares the arm of land with its neighbor. Unfortunately the latter has been in civil war for several years and inaccessible... We are saving the discovery of this other country for next time!

Still a little further south, we arrive a few hours by boat from a string of islands: Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. We choose to visit the first because it offers scuba diving for 17€ per unit. Amazing. We are novice divers and this is an opportunity to immerse ourselves at a lower cost. It will take us 8 hours on a night ferry to reach the island. But there too, as on the island of Koh Chang, the climbs are extremely steep. We are therefore looking for accommodation close to the pier. Good surprise, we meet an Argentinian couple who also travel by bike and have settled in Koh Tao for 6 months and work there. Their adventure is very inspiring because they left home four years ago. We also meet our friend Loïc again on this island and decide that it is time to put our plan into action...

Once back on dry land, the three of us visit the bike shops in Surat Thani town. After several shops, he finally found a “second hand bike”, of good quality and not too expensive. We install a rear luggage rack for him and he manages to attach his traveler's backpack to it. Our duo is now a cycling trio. We will pedal together for a week over three hundred kilometers. What a pleasure to introduce our friend to deep Thailand and two-wheeled travel. Because as “Backpackers”, backpackers, it is difficult to get off the beaten track and tourist routes. By bike, you have to pedal every kilometer, the "empty" areas where the real rural population lives. But it is in these moments that we make the most beautiful encounters, that we marvel at the little things. And that puts into perspective the beauty of a place that will be over-frequented by tourism. For example, we arrived at a temple at the end of the day which was located in a very small village. The monks greeted us and informed us that there were no restaurants or shops around. We were very annoyed because we had no provisions. But luckily a religious ceremony took place and they invited us to eat. The meal was very spicy but sharing it with local residents happy to see us was very moving! We cycle with Loïc on Phuket, the island of Koh Yao Yao and the Krabi region, all magnificent but somewhat touristy places.

We finally arrive in the deep south of Thailand. A WarmShower in the city of Trang warns us: “If I were you, I would travel by bus”. I wouldn’t take the risk.” After some research, it turns out that the area is classified red on the France diplomatie website. We do our little investigation and contact cyclists who have already been there. From what we understand, the “deep south” is a predominantly Muslim area, closer to Malay culture than to Thai Buddhism. Some local independence groups make their demands heard through terrorist actions targeted at state symbols. Tourists, although almost non-existent, are not aimed and the area seems relatively calm lately: we have the green light: let's go!

It will take us four days to cycle the four hundred kilometers that separate us from the Malaysian border. Four days of immersion in the Muslim world, which we had left for the last time in Central Asia and especially in Iran. We appreciate this section, even if the recurring roadblocks and the presence of armed soldiers is impressive. The area is quiet. We are the only foreigners and the people are lovely, the food is good and really inexpensive. For us, it's similar to changing countries. The infrastructure is in much worse condition, stores and schools are changing. Mosques appear and Arabic writing appears on some signs. This cultural change prepares us, we are in the antechamber of Malaysia. As a precaution, we do not pitch a tent (the rare Buddhist temples are guarded by armed soldiers: not very reassuring!) so we take guesthouses. The last few kilometers we slalom on small roads and paths in the middle of rubber tree plantations, omnipresent in this region of Pattani.

After forty-two days and nineteen hundred kilometers across the Gulf of Thailand, it is time to say goodbye to this beautiful country. More than fifteen nights in Buddhist temples which will leave us with many memories in the Monks company. Amazing time with our hosting families in Koh Chang, François and Margot in Bangkok, the Warmshowers in the South and our one week getaway with Loïc. We were pretty skeptical before arriving, thinking that this touristy country was over-rated, over-exploited by and for visitors. We leave with a much more positive vision, of a welcoming Thailand, cycling friendly and with many areas, still, preserved from mass tourism.

Who knows, maybe we will come back one day and live here...