Date Destination Route Distance Km
NORTH VIETNAM
January 28 Hanoi 0
January 29 Hai Phong 113
January 30 Cat Ba Island Hydrofoil 41
January 31 Hai Phong 2
February 1 Thai Bhin 71
February 2 Ninh Binh 87
February 3 Thanh Hoa 65
February 4 Vinh 142
February 5 Ha Tinh 67
February 6 Deo Ngang 75
February 7 Dong Hoi 76
February 8 Dong Ha DMZ 98
February 9 Hue 74
February 10 Hue Rest Day 0
February 11 Danang Hai Van Pass 110
SUB TOTAL 1,021km
SOUTH VIETNAM
February 12 Hoi An 40
February 13 Hoi An Rest day 0
February 14 Quan Ngai 50
February 15 Sa Huynh 65
February 16 Qui Nhon 115
February 17 Tuy Hoa 112
February 18 Tuy Hoa Rest day 0
February 19 Nha Trang Dia Lahn Beach 128
February 20 Nha Trang Rest day 0
February 21 Phan Rang 110
February 22 Dalat Van up passes 64
February 23 Dalat Rest day 0
February 24 Boa Luc Gounan Falls 126
February 25 N of Bien Hoa Wedding Feast 133
February 26 Cantho Bien Hoa, Bus rides passed Saigon to Mekong delta 40
February 27 Cantho 50
February 28 Saigon Backroads van ride to airport 0
SUB TOTAL 1,042km
GRAND TOTAL 2,063km
Showing posts with label bicycle travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bicycle travel. Show all posts
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Our bicycle tour from Bangkok, Thailand, through Malaysia to Singapore
Destination Route Distance Km
THAILAND
Bangkok 6
Nakhon Pathon 86
Damnoen Saduak Bang Phae 66
Petchiburi 80
Hua Hin 73
Praduap Khiri Khan 101
Bang Saphan 95
Chumphon 95
Chumphon Rest day 0
Hat Arunothai 101
San Mok Khapalarum Chaiya 110
Surat Thani 62
Don Sak 72
Hat Sichon 76
Hat Sichon Rest Day 0
Nakhon si Thammarat Tha Sala 80
Sating Pura Kao Seng 141
Songkla 34
Thepha 68
Pattani Nong Chik 54
Narathiwat Saiburi 108
Tak Bai 45
Sub Total 1,553km
MALAYSIA
Kota Bharu 35
Kuala Besut 67
Tapai Kampung Penarik 79
Marang Terengganu 56
Paka Dungan 80
Cherating 72
Cherating Rest day 0
Cembaka Kuantan 60
Pekan 45
Lanjut 84
Rompin 43
Mersing 68
Tengeng Leman 72
Kota Tinggi Falls 91
Desaru 69
Desaru Rest Day 0
Singapore Belangkor 65
Malaysia 986km
GRAND TOTAL 2,539km
THAILAND
Bangkok 6
Nakhon Pathon 86
Damnoen Saduak Bang Phae 66
Petchiburi 80
Hua Hin 73
Praduap Khiri Khan 101
Bang Saphan 95
Chumphon 95
Chumphon Rest day 0
Hat Arunothai 101
San Mok Khapalarum Chaiya 110
Surat Thani 62
Don Sak 72
Hat Sichon 76
Hat Sichon Rest Day 0
Nakhon si Thammarat Tha Sala 80
Sating Pura Kao Seng 141
Songkla 34
Thepha 68
Pattani Nong Chik 54
Narathiwat Saiburi 108
Tak Bai 45
Sub Total 1,553km
MALAYSIA
Kota Bharu 35
Kuala Besut 67
Tapai Kampung Penarik 79
Marang Terengganu 56
Paka Dungan 80
Cherating 72
Cherating Rest day 0
Cembaka Kuantan 60
Pekan 45
Lanjut 84
Rompin 43
Mersing 68
Tengeng Leman 72
Kota Tinggi Falls 91
Desaru 69
Desaru Rest Day 0
Singapore Belangkor 65
Malaysia 986km
GRAND TOTAL 2,539km
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
The route of our trip last year in Rajasthan
Date Destination Distance Km
Nov1-10 Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune 0
Nov11-13 Mumbai 0
Nov 14 Udaipur 0
Nov 15 Udaipur 0
Nov 16 Udaipur 15
Nov 17 Nathdwara 53
Nov 18 Kumbalgarh 62
Nov 19 Kumbalgarh 10
Nov 20 Ranakpur 55
Nov 21 Ranakpur 25
Nov 22 Pali 85
Nov 23 Luni Fort 60
Nov 24 Jodphur 42
Nov 25 Jodphur 0
Nov 26 Osian 65
Nov 27 Phalodi 85
Nov 28 Pokaran 70
Nov 29 Minerva 65
Nov 30 Jaisamer 62
Dec 1 Jaisamer 0
Dec 2 Sam Sand Dunes 54
Dec 3 Jaisamer 42
Dec 4 Bikaner 5
Dec 5 Bikaner 0
Dec 6 Naguar 118
Dec 7 Merta City 82
Dec 8 Pushkar 62
Dec 9 Pushkar 0
Dec 10 Pushkar 0
Dec 11 Pushkar 0
Dec 12 Ajmer 16
Dec 13 Dudu 71
Dec 14 Jaipur 66
Dec 15 Jaipur 0
Dec 16 Delhi 0
TOTAL 1270km
Nov1-10 Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune 0
Nov11-13 Mumbai 0
Nov 14 Udaipur 0
Nov 15 Udaipur 0
Nov 16 Udaipur 15
Nov 17 Nathdwara 53
Nov 18 Kumbalgarh 62
Nov 19 Kumbalgarh 10
Nov 20 Ranakpur 55
Nov 21 Ranakpur 25
Nov 22 Pali 85
Nov 23 Luni Fort 60
Nov 24 Jodphur 42
Nov 25 Jodphur 0
Nov 26 Osian 65
Nov 27 Phalodi 85
Nov 28 Pokaran 70
Nov 29 Minerva 65
Nov 30 Jaisamer 62
Dec 1 Jaisamer 0
Dec 2 Sam Sand Dunes 54
Dec 3 Jaisamer 42
Dec 4 Bikaner 5
Dec 5 Bikaner 0
Dec 6 Naguar 118
Dec 7 Merta City 82
Dec 8 Pushkar 62
Dec 9 Pushkar 0
Dec 10 Pushkar 0
Dec 11 Pushkar 0
Dec 12 Ajmer 16
Dec 13 Dudu 71
Dec 14 Jaipur 66
Dec 15 Jaipur 0
Dec 16 Delhi 0
TOTAL 1270km
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Planning the next trip
After cook books, diet books, and financial self-help books, travel guides have to be one the most popular book genres, and as an avid traveler I devour them like chocolate, and were it not for the fact that my main mode of travel is by bicycle, I would be fat like a sumo wrestler and poor like the beggars of mid-town Toronto and needing the aforementioned diet and financial aid books. But as much as I consume guide books, I don’t actually read them carefully, lest their detailed descriptions spoil the reality to be experienced, but I do mine them for content, mostly to divine accommodations to be had and sites to be savored along the way. While I could write volumes about planning an independent bicycle tour, having a place to sleep at a reasonable day’s riding distance apart, is one of the important considerations. There are of course considerations of weather, topography, road conditions etc.
Still, every once in a while a description raises the wanderlust barometer, as did the following in the first and only 2001 edition of North India, by Lonely Planet: “Khajularho’s temples were build by the Chandelas, …most date from a one century-long burst of creative genius from AD 950 to 1050. Almost as intriguing as the sheer beauty and size of the temples is the question of why and how they were built here. Khajularho is a long way from anywhere and was probably just as far off the beaten track a thousand years ago as it is today.”
While nothing on the plant today is truly off the tourist path but the prospect is still enticing, and I Andrew Jacob, self-appointed Chief Explorer of Andrew’s bicycle tours, am ready to pump up tires and lubricate chains, to visit the three groups of World-Heritage listed temples, as much as for their remote location, as for their prolific Kama Sutra carvings, which are reputedly among the finest temple art in the world.
As might be expected, as I am in the midst of planning this winter’s tour, which will take us from Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Nepal and various places along the way, it will most definitely include Khajularho.
Stay tuned.
Still, every once in a while a description raises the wanderlust barometer, as did the following in the first and only 2001 edition of North India, by Lonely Planet: “Khajularho’s temples were build by the Chandelas, …most date from a one century-long burst of creative genius from AD 950 to 1050. Almost as intriguing as the sheer beauty and size of the temples is the question of why and how they were built here. Khajularho is a long way from anywhere and was probably just as far off the beaten track a thousand years ago as it is today.”
While nothing on the plant today is truly off the tourist path but the prospect is still enticing, and I Andrew Jacob, self-appointed Chief Explorer of Andrew’s bicycle tours, am ready to pump up tires and lubricate chains, to visit the three groups of World-Heritage listed temples, as much as for their remote location, as for their prolific Kama Sutra carvings, which are reputedly among the finest temple art in the world.
As might be expected, as I am in the midst of planning this winter’s tour, which will take us from Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Nepal and various places along the way, it will most definitely include Khajularho.
Stay tuned.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Battambang, Cambodia
Tourist Times
The culture shock of being in Siem Reap, the contrast of experiencing one of the true wonders of the world and the commercial trappings of all the material goods and services available here, after travelling for many weeks mostly on quiet rural roads where people live off the land, took us six days to overcome, but we did not only managed, but triumphed with great enjoyment.
With apologies to those who have been here and seen it all, its truly a challenging task to encapsulate what Angkor is about. It is much more than Angkor Wat one of the most famous landmarks that is applied to this area. Angkor in fact is the Capital City or the Holy City of the Khmer Empire that existed between the 9th and 12th centuries and it encompasses not only three or four centuries of massive buildings but an area that spreads over hundreds of kilometers, with ruins that are in various stages of preservation: some well done and others intentionally left unrestored with giant building block size stones scattered like mammoth lego pieces, with equally massive tree roots, like elephant trunks hugging them.
The Khmers also constructed massive water works, for many kilometers, and constructed temples dedicated to the gods, places of worship, as well as cities worthy of their military, economic and cultural dominance of a region that spread over an area that covers modern day Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Early in our travels, even though we were moving at a relatively slow pace, covering modest distances and had the benefit of two digital cameras and lots of memory cards, Alison and I agreed that we can't visit all sites and capture every photo opportunity, a promise we had to remind ourselves when we toured Angkor. We had a three day pass, which included an evening tour and we soon discovered that it’s nearly impossible to beat the crowds. The guide books all comment on the monuments and which is the best light to photograph them and then go on to suggest the contrarian strategy of doing them at reverse times, but its all to little or no avail. We would rise around five in the morning and were on the go by sixish, and this gave us a couple of hours of relative quiet but by eight or so, at least at the nearby ruins the buses would disgorge their passengers who eagerly followed their tour leaders' flag.
As our own counter, counter maneuver, we would start at some of the most distant sites which allowed us some of the best undisturbed viewing opportunities, but these would also be relatively short lived. Not that its a complaint, but having others around did take getting used to but it was still a most awe inspiring experience, and one that is not only worth doing but perhaps even repeating, not withstanding the fact that Angkor's popularity will not only increase but will grow rapidly as the roads, as we have discovered to Thailand and Vietnam and Laos have all been paved. One indication of this is that there is a near solid line of hotels built or under construction, west of the city of about four kilometers towards the airport which we only discovered as we were leaving town.
Beyond the hotels, there is a huge tourist infrastructure of eating, drinking, massages and of course shopping which we also got used to, especially the ability buy foods for an early in-room breakfast our favourite being whole wheat baguettes, and European style pastries which very conveniently were half price after eight p.m.
It took us six days of adjustment but we not only coped but thrived under these demanding conditions, building our touristic abilities. During the three days we ended not only bicycling about 175 kms between sites but enduring walking and climbing steep temples that were designed to humble the supplicants and sure provided an ideal training ground for rock climbing, often in the heat of the day, such that by early afternoon we would return nearly exhausted to do battle the following day.
Of course the mental stimulation is one that is most difficult to describe as one contemplates how without the benefit of modern tools and even local stones, over a 1000 years ago the Khmers built an empire that must have required untold amounts of money, labour, planning and execution, all the while fighting internal and external wars.
This wonderment was shared by most of the people who we saw and spoke to but there were some annoyances. The loud speaking foreigners, the groupies who would take ages to pose solemnly in front of a particularly impressive monument, followed by the remaining busloadful of their compatriots and the occasional young eastern oriental women in their slinky, silky, fluorescent outfits, with splayed arms and fingers, struggling to strike sexy posses for that trophy photo to preserve their experiences.
The variety and complexity of the structures and the details of the history are nearly impossible to absorb in such a short visit but left an enduring impression on us. Its also not possible to ignore the question of the decline and fall of major empires, such as the Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Mayan and ultimately our own as we see how in a relatively short period of time, a civilization can thrive and then decline to ruins.
While the comparisons may not be entirely appropriate, I am always stuck by, especially in South East Asia, the contrast between the monuments governments and near government agencies build for themselves and the way people around them live. In Vientiane one of the most imposing, pyramid like structures is the home of the Mekong Commission, with a parking lot full of fancy cars, while the people nearby live most modestly. In Siem Reap I donated blood to a wonderful children’s hospital, established and run by a cello playing Swiss Dr. Beat Richner and is supported by mostly private donations and yet the Ministry of Health is housed in a five storey, palace like structure.
Of course the contrasts within this society are even more striking. In a land like Cambodia where most travel by motorcycle or by bicycle, not counting the few eccentric tourists on two wheels, where if there is a private car, it is a soon to be recalled, beaten up Toyota Corolla from the 1980's and naturally, the typically black high end Lexus SUV, with blaring horns, is bound to stand out.
We could easily have stayed longer but the road called and what a ride it was to Sisophon, on a recently paved near flat, smooth surfaced highway with a paved shoulder, such that with the benefit of a tail wind, it felt like we flew the distance of 110 kms in 4.5 hours. From Sisophon to Battambang was another 70 km and enroute, I recorded 69,000 kms on my odometer marking also that we have since leaving Toronto, travelled more than 4,000 kms on our trusty two wheeled vehicles.
Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia, on the Stung Sanke River, and we elected to stay in an international class high rise hotel, not because of the wonderful room with all the conveniences, the second floor pool which two days running we have had to ourselves, but to avail ourselves of the buffet breakfast with both western and eastern food options and to take a well deserved rest day after all the tourist challenges of Siem Reap.
Tomorrow we leave for Pailin, not the home of the political wonder woman, but a town near the border of Thailand which is the shortest route to the Gulf of Thailand, where we will be able to squeeze in about a week of sea, sand and sun while we contemplate and try to integrate the wonders of Angkor Wat and prepare ourselves to ride to and to fly home from Bangkok.
The culture shock of being in Siem Reap, the contrast of experiencing one of the true wonders of the world and the commercial trappings of all the material goods and services available here, after travelling for many weeks mostly on quiet rural roads where people live off the land, took us six days to overcome, but we did not only managed, but triumphed with great enjoyment.
With apologies to those who have been here and seen it all, its truly a challenging task to encapsulate what Angkor is about. It is much more than Angkor Wat one of the most famous landmarks that is applied to this area. Angkor in fact is the Capital City or the Holy City of the Khmer Empire that existed between the 9th and 12th centuries and it encompasses not only three or four centuries of massive buildings but an area that spreads over hundreds of kilometers, with ruins that are in various stages of preservation: some well done and others intentionally left unrestored with giant building block size stones scattered like mammoth lego pieces, with equally massive tree roots, like elephant trunks hugging them.
The Khmers also constructed massive water works, for many kilometers, and constructed temples dedicated to the gods, places of worship, as well as cities worthy of their military, economic and cultural dominance of a region that spread over an area that covers modern day Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Early in our travels, even though we were moving at a relatively slow pace, covering modest distances and had the benefit of two digital cameras and lots of memory cards, Alison and I agreed that we can't visit all sites and capture every photo opportunity, a promise we had to remind ourselves when we toured Angkor. We had a three day pass, which included an evening tour and we soon discovered that it’s nearly impossible to beat the crowds. The guide books all comment on the monuments and which is the best light to photograph them and then go on to suggest the contrarian strategy of doing them at reverse times, but its all to little or no avail. We would rise around five in the morning and were on the go by sixish, and this gave us a couple of hours of relative quiet but by eight or so, at least at the nearby ruins the buses would disgorge their passengers who eagerly followed their tour leaders' flag.
As our own counter, counter maneuver, we would start at some of the most distant sites which allowed us some of the best undisturbed viewing opportunities, but these would also be relatively short lived. Not that its a complaint, but having others around did take getting used to but it was still a most awe inspiring experience, and one that is not only worth doing but perhaps even repeating, not withstanding the fact that Angkor's popularity will not only increase but will grow rapidly as the roads, as we have discovered to Thailand and Vietnam and Laos have all been paved. One indication of this is that there is a near solid line of hotels built or under construction, west of the city of about four kilometers towards the airport which we only discovered as we were leaving town.
Beyond the hotels, there is a huge tourist infrastructure of eating, drinking, massages and of course shopping which we also got used to, especially the ability buy foods for an early in-room breakfast our favourite being whole wheat baguettes, and European style pastries which very conveniently were half price after eight p.m.
It took us six days of adjustment but we not only coped but thrived under these demanding conditions, building our touristic abilities. During the three days we ended not only bicycling about 175 kms between sites but enduring walking and climbing steep temples that were designed to humble the supplicants and sure provided an ideal training ground for rock climbing, often in the heat of the day, such that by early afternoon we would return nearly exhausted to do battle the following day.
Of course the mental stimulation is one that is most difficult to describe as one contemplates how without the benefit of modern tools and even local stones, over a 1000 years ago the Khmers built an empire that must have required untold amounts of money, labour, planning and execution, all the while fighting internal and external wars.
This wonderment was shared by most of the people who we saw and spoke to but there were some annoyances. The loud speaking foreigners, the groupies who would take ages to pose solemnly in front of a particularly impressive monument, followed by the remaining busloadful of their compatriots and the occasional young eastern oriental women in their slinky, silky, fluorescent outfits, with splayed arms and fingers, struggling to strike sexy posses for that trophy photo to preserve their experiences.
The variety and complexity of the structures and the details of the history are nearly impossible to absorb in such a short visit but left an enduring impression on us. Its also not possible to ignore the question of the decline and fall of major empires, such as the Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Mayan and ultimately our own as we see how in a relatively short period of time, a civilization can thrive and then decline to ruins.
While the comparisons may not be entirely appropriate, I am always stuck by, especially in South East Asia, the contrast between the monuments governments and near government agencies build for themselves and the way people around them live. In Vientiane one of the most imposing, pyramid like structures is the home of the Mekong Commission, with a parking lot full of fancy cars, while the people nearby live most modestly. In Siem Reap I donated blood to a wonderful children’s hospital, established and run by a cello playing Swiss Dr. Beat Richner and is supported by mostly private donations and yet the Ministry of Health is housed in a five storey, palace like structure.
Of course the contrasts within this society are even more striking. In a land like Cambodia where most travel by motorcycle or by bicycle, not counting the few eccentric tourists on two wheels, where if there is a private car, it is a soon to be recalled, beaten up Toyota Corolla from the 1980's and naturally, the typically black high end Lexus SUV, with blaring horns, is bound to stand out.
We could easily have stayed longer but the road called and what a ride it was to Sisophon, on a recently paved near flat, smooth surfaced highway with a paved shoulder, such that with the benefit of a tail wind, it felt like we flew the distance of 110 kms in 4.5 hours. From Sisophon to Battambang was another 70 km and enroute, I recorded 69,000 kms on my odometer marking also that we have since leaving Toronto, travelled more than 4,000 kms on our trusty two wheeled vehicles.
Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia, on the Stung Sanke River, and we elected to stay in an international class high rise hotel, not because of the wonderful room with all the conveniences, the second floor pool which two days running we have had to ourselves, but to avail ourselves of the buffet breakfast with both western and eastern food options and to take a well deserved rest day after all the tourist challenges of Siem Reap.
Tomorrow we leave for Pailin, not the home of the political wonder woman, but a town near the border of Thailand which is the shortest route to the Gulf of Thailand, where we will be able to squeeze in about a week of sea, sand and sun while we contemplate and try to integrate the wonders of Angkor Wat and prepare ourselves to ride to and to fly home from Bangkok.
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