Countries visited: Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia
Cycled mileage in March: 2,539.0km
Cycled mileage per country: 295.5km Cambodia, 1,709.2km Thailand, 534.3km Malaysia
Total cycled mileage incl. March: 16,361.8km
Days per country: 3d - Cambodia, 22d - Thailand, 6d - Malaysia
Days cycling: 24d
Technical failures: 3 punctures, 2 split tyres, 2 snapped shifting cables, 1 pair of shoes, 2 sets of shifting cable housings, 2 rear hub cones, 1 handlebar-bag adaptor (broke back in January but could only be replaced now)
Link to this month's route
Back in February we visited Siem Reap and the stunning temples of Angkor. From there we continued to Battambang which is famous for its colonial architecture and – even more important – for the Bamboo Trains. Back in the days the French built a railway system in Cambodia that fell in disrepair after the end of the Khmer Rouge's reign. Around Battambang some of the dilapidated and warped tracks are nowadays used for Norrys, known as Bamboo Trains to oversea visitors. They consist of not much more than a platform made from bamboo with two detached axles and a small engine that can speed up the whole thing to around 50km/h. Despite all obvious safety concerns riding a Bamboo Train is great fun!
 |
| Strolling around Battambang |
 |
| On a Bamboo Train |
 |
| The ride is great fun! |
 |
| There is only one track. If 2 Bamboo Trains meet one of them will simply be taken off the tracks... |
From Battambang it were 2 more cycling days to cross the Thai border and around 500 kilometres more to reach Bangkok. Even though we cycled along the coastline for much of the way taking a dip in the sea wasn't really an option. Most of the beaches were either to close to urban areas or just to far away from our route.
 |
| Coastline near the Cambodian border |
After 5 exhausting days we reached the Thai capital and allowed ourselves to rest for half a week at Spinning Bear Hostel. We haven't exactly been doing nothing during that time, either. We spent almost 2 days to service our bicycles which was much needed after 15,000 kilometres.
 |
| At Play Bike Store in Bangkok we finally found replacement for the worn cones in Simon's rear hub |
From Bangkok we cycled on to the south of Thailand. On day #2 we stayed with famous Warmshowers host Paul Hamon. We didn't only have a great time at his amazing place, we also met Belarusian touring cyclist Aleks there.
 |
| With other cyclists at Paul's place |
For the next 5 days we rode down the east coast together. There was nothing particular to see along the way but we found a pleasant routine of cycling from dawn to noon, relaxing at a random beach during the midday heat and scanning for a temple to sleep in the late afternoon. Temples in Thailand are a great budget accommodation or more precise – you can sleep there for free. There are communal halls that are only used on special occasions and that remain unused for the rest of the time. You will mostly always be allowed to sleep in these halls although you shouldn't expect any luxury and you obviously have to respect the temple's rules.
 |
| Cycling down the coast with Aleks |
 |
| Breakfast on the beach: sweet sticky rice with banana and soybeans, prepared in a banana leaf |
 |
| Relaxing in a hot spring near Surat Thani |
 |
| Preparing to spend the night in a Buddhist temple |
 |
| Sleeping place at another Buddhist temple |
 |
| And yet another night at a temple |
 |
| There's nothing better than cycling next to the sea! |
 |
| Cycling through pineapple plantations |
At Surat Thani we separated. Aleks took the direct route to the Malaysian border while we made a detour to Krabi on the west coast. Krabi itself isn't exactly mind-blowing but the landscape is beautiful and boasts amazing limestone formations.
After 3 days we continued south to the Malaysian border. Along our way we stumbled across a hot stream and waterfall and visited the Thaleban National Park. On 26th we eventually entered Malaysia which happens to be the 20th country on this journey. The scenery didn't change substantially with endless rubber and palm oil plantations.
 |
| Picking Mangos along the way |
 |
| Rubber plantation |
 |
| And this is how it works |
 |
| The further South we got in Thailand, the higher the percentage of Muslims. This was the first gas station on our way featuring praying rooms |
 |
| Yes, that's a screw in Dominik's rear tyre. It was sitting in there so tightly, the tyre wasn't even deflating. Dominik had to use a screwdriver to remove it! |
 |
| Breakfast at our bungalow in Krabi |
 |
| Stopping for a chat with a Thai cyclist near the Malaysian border |
The food, however, did change thanks to strong Indian influences in Malaysia. We thoroughly enjoyed spending a lot of time in the food stalls of Malaysia's so-called food Capital George Town. Ah right, street art is another thing that George Town is famous for ;-)
 |
| Street art in George Town |
 |
| Malaysian dessert: Shaved ice with syrup and sweet corn |
From George Town it was another 2 days to Sekinchan. There is nothing special to say, neither about this town, nor about the way there. It was only just the last stop before reaching Kuala Lumpur and the last town we reached in March! Stay tuned for pictures from Kuala Lumpur and stories about the riding to Singapore in April.
