Countries visited: Thailand, Myanmar
Cycled mileage in February: 1,436.7km
Cycled mileage per country: 782.8km Thailand, 653.9km Myanmar
Total cycled mileage incl. February: 31,905.8km
February mileage not cycled 1,119.1km (Train, Boat, Bus, Walking)
Days per country: 16d - Thailand, 12d - Myanmar
Days cycling: 17d
Technical failures: 4 punctures, 1 rear hub
Link to this month's route
Cycled mileage in February: 1,436.7km
Cycled mileage per country: 782.8km Thailand, 653.9km Myanmar
Total cycled mileage incl. February: 31,905.8km
February mileage not cycled 1,119.1km (Train, Boat, Bus, Walking)
Days per country: 16d - Thailand, 12d - Myanmar
Days cycling: 17d
Technical failures: 4 punctures, 1 rear hub
Link to this month's route
We finished last month in a small village halfway between Uthai Thani and Phitsanulok. The next day we made it to Phitsanulok but couldn't be bothered with the stressful cycling into town and stayed in a resort in the outskirts. We set off with the first light the next morning and arrived in Sukothai in the afternoon. Sukothai is an UNESCO world heritage site so there are opening hours and a rather steep entrance fee. We decided to explore the compound the next morning without time pressure.
The next day we got our tickets and spent most of the day strolling around the countless ruins, ancient temples and palaces. While the archaeological park is worth to visit we didn't find it particularly impressive. The structures are less adorned and look less sophisticated than those in Ayutthaya. Also the restoration work carried out seemed a bit too much in places.
After finishing the sightseeing we were delighted to find a weekend-only night market on the grounds of the archaeological park and so we spent the evening indulging in some outstanding Thai food.
The next day we got our tickets and spent most of the day strolling around the countless ruins, ancient temples and palaces. While the archaeological park is worth to visit we didn't find it particularly impressive. The structures are less adorned and look less sophisticated than those in Ayutthaya. Also the restoration work carried out seemed a bit too much in places.
After finishing the sightseeing we were delighted to find a weekend-only night market on the grounds of the archaeological park and so we spent the evening indulging in some outstanding Thai food.
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| Sunset in Sukothai |
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| Elephant temple |
It would have been easy to continue from Sukothai to Tak (and from there to Mae Sot) but we decided we would rather do a one-day detour via Kamphaeng Phet which had been recommended to us. In fact that detour was completely worth it! Albeit about 80 kilometres south of Sukothai, Kamphaeng Phet is part of the same UNESCO world heritage site. Kamphaeng Phet is just way less touristy plus we found the ruins much more impressive. We had a great day cycling around in the massive archaeological park, exploring the ancient city walls and numerous temples including a rather unexpected Hindu temple.
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| Exploring Kamphaeng Phet |
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| More sensitive restoration compared to Sukothai's Elephant Temple |
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| Another temple, another Buddha statue |
From Kamphaeng Phet we continued to Tak. Nothing to say about it really it was just the last town before the arduous mountain road to the Thai – Myanmar border town Mae Sot. We tackled that road, part of the Asia Highway 1, early the next morning. For the first bit the road was fine, smooth new surface, ample shoulder and gentle gradients. After an interesting tribal market where we stopped for an excellent coffee the smooth road ended. The next 40 kilometres were mostly construction site. By 11am the sun was scorching and the hills kept coming and coming. When we finally reached Mae Sot in the late afternoon we had climbed a total of 1,850 metres over the course of 85 kilometres.
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| Setting off from Tak |
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| 85km, 1,850m climbing - just to find the 'Magic Hill' |
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| Mae Sot night market |
We had been pretty late with applying for the Burmese e-visas and were prepared to wait a day in Mae Sot but when we woke up the next morning we found grant notices in our e-mail inboxes. We didn't leave too early, though. There was the option of cycling 55 kilometres from the border to Kawkareik where there was a guesthouse or the option of pushing on to Hpa An which would have been 140 kilometres. We elected for the fist option and so there was no need for an early start.
Crossing the border was a matter of 15 minutes and soon we found ourselves in the 25th country of this journey. Many borders seem to be no more than a random line on the map. When you cross them there is no real change in people's appearance, language and generally the 'vibe'. This border was a bit different. The traffic did not only change from left-hand (Thailand) to right-hand (Myanmar), it also changed from considerate drivers to madness. While Thailand is a comparably rich country there were dozens of beggars on the Burmese side. We hadn't ever seen Thais chewing betel nut but the roadsides in Myanmar were covered in orange betel nut stains. It almost felt like a throwback to India. And that is just to name a few differences!
There was no reason to spend much time at the border and we pushed on as soon as we had dispensed some Kyat from one of the ATMs. We had heard some stories about the roads in Myanmar but we cycled on smooth new surface and had ample shoulder all the way to Kawkareik. There was some uphill to be ridden, though. After the arduous ride yesterday we couldn't be bothered taking the old and scenic highway that would've led higher up into the mountains. Instead we stuck with the new Thai-built highway.
Kawkareik is a pretty boring place and our basic guesthouse didn't offer wifi, TV or any entertainment so we were glad we arrived there only in the late afternoon. We found ourselves some mediocre Thai food in a small food stall nearby and spent the rest of the day listening to an audio book.
Crossing the border was a matter of 15 minutes and soon we found ourselves in the 25th country of this journey. Many borders seem to be no more than a random line on the map. When you cross them there is no real change in people's appearance, language and generally the 'vibe'. This border was a bit different. The traffic did not only change from left-hand (Thailand) to right-hand (Myanmar), it also changed from considerate drivers to madness. While Thailand is a comparably rich country there were dozens of beggars on the Burmese side. We hadn't ever seen Thais chewing betel nut but the roadsides in Myanmar were covered in orange betel nut stains. It almost felt like a throwback to India. And that is just to name a few differences!
There was no reason to spend much time at the border and we pushed on as soon as we had dispensed some Kyat from one of the ATMs. We had heard some stories about the roads in Myanmar but we cycled on smooth new surface and had ample shoulder all the way to Kawkareik. There was some uphill to be ridden, though. After the arduous ride yesterday we couldn't be bothered taking the old and scenic highway that would've led higher up into the mountains. Instead we stuck with the new Thai-built highway.
Kawkareik is a pretty boring place and our basic guesthouse didn't offer wifi, TV or any entertainment so we were glad we arrived there only in the late afternoon. We found ourselves some mediocre Thai food in a small food stall nearby and spent the rest of the day listening to an audio book.
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| More uphill after the border |
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| Proof - We made it to Myanmar |
After the smooth new road from the border to Kawkareik we had been optimistic about the road conditions further on to Hpa An.
We. Were. So. Wrong!
At Kawkareik the new road ended and there were 70 kilometres with abundant dust, construction works and bumpy, cracked tarmac. Until fairly recently the road between Hpa An and the border crossing had been a one way street, changing the direction daily. So even where there were pieces of the old road left they were only one lane wide. The way to Hpa An was only about 90 kilometres but it took us about 7 hours to ride with only one lunch break. When we arrived we were covered in sticky red dust.
We stayed in Hpa An for 2 days. There wasn't a whole lot to see. We could have explored some caves in the surrounding but we just couldn't be bothered with cycling there. Apart from visiting some random temples and the market we did mostly nothing.
We. Were. So. Wrong!
At Kawkareik the new road ended and there were 70 kilometres with abundant dust, construction works and bumpy, cracked tarmac. Until fairly recently the road between Hpa An and the border crossing had been a one way street, changing the direction daily. So even where there were pieces of the old road left they were only one lane wide. The way to Hpa An was only about 90 kilometres but it took us about 7 hours to ride with only one lunch break. When we arrived we were covered in sticky red dust.
We stayed in Hpa An for 2 days. There wasn't a whole lot to see. We could have explored some caves in the surrounding but we just couldn't be bothered with cycling there. Apart from visiting some random temples and the market we did mostly nothing.
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| Market in Hpa An |
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| Random temple |
From Hpa An we continued to Kyaikto. Fortunately the road improved after Hpa An. There were one, sometimes even two lanes in each direction, ample shoulder and the surface was as smooth as it could possibly get in Myanmar. We had bashed out the 120 kilometres by early afternoon. Even though Kyaikto itself is a rather lacklustre place we had been looking forward to getting there. Nearby is the famous Golden Rock. Literally a golden (gilded) rock in a gravity-defying position on the ridge of a hill. The rock is believed to be held in place by one of Buddha's hairs and is thus considered one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Myanmar.
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| On the 'bus' from Kinpun to the Golden Rock |
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| Glad we didn't have to cycle! |
The Golden Rock is about 25 mountainous kilometres off the highway and so we decided to go by bus the next morning rather than cycling there. After breakfast we found a pick-up truck that gave us a lift to Kinpun halfway to the Golden Rock. From Kinpun there is a 'bus' service up the hill. Essentially those buses are pick-up trucks with a sunroof and some wooden benches on the back. We were the only western tourists among dozens of Burmese waiting to be taken up the hill to the Golden Rock. Eventually we found ourselves in a truck full with about 30 pilgrims. The road up was super steep and super winding and we were glad we didn't attempt to cycle up! We spent the entire afternoon in the massive compound around the Golden Rock. While the rock itself wasn't even that impressive it was fascinating to watch the thousands of pilgrims performing various rituals.
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| Pilgrims on their way to the Golden Rock |
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| Crowds around the Golden Rock |
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| This lady performs a water ritual just next to the Golden Rock |
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| It undoubtedly is a special place! |
The next day we cycled on to Bago. Even though we had an early start it got oppressively hot before we were even close to our destination. When we finally made it there Bago also turned out to be rather disappointing. It featured Myanmar's highest stupa and a couple more Buddhist monuments. Probably we would have found them amazing if we would have been SEA newbies. But as things stood we felt those reclining Buddhas and stupas were just another variation of the numerous monuments we had seen before.
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| Myanmar's tallest stupa in Bago |
From Bago we continued to Yangon the next morning. The first bit of riding was okay. Ample shoulder and smooth surface. 50 kilometres short of Yangon our navigation system suggested a shortcut via a road labelled 'Main Road 2'. Long story short – it wasn't anything like a main road and resulted in cycling 50 kilometres of bumpy, cracked tarmac in a bid to save 10 kilometres of way compared to the smooth Asia Highway.
We spent 3 days in Yangon and it certainly was an interesting experience. The city is a weird mixture of past and present, of colonial architecture and crumbling concrete, of British, Chinese and Burmese culture. One of the highlights was the Shwedagon Pagoda. This giant gilded stupa is allegedly covered in more than 20 tons of pure gold and is supposed to house relics of Buddha. We pretty much spent a whole day wandering around the stupa and exploring the numerous shrines around it.
We spent 3 days in Yangon and it certainly was an interesting experience. The city is a weird mixture of past and present, of colonial architecture and crumbling concrete, of British, Chinese and Burmese culture. One of the highlights was the Shwedagon Pagoda. This giant gilded stupa is allegedly covered in more than 20 tons of pure gold and is supposed to house relics of Buddha. We pretty much spent a whole day wandering around the stupa and exploring the numerous shrines around it.
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| Sule Pagoda in Yangon |
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| Bon Appetit! |
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| Yangon railway station |
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| Writing postcards in Yangon's main post office |
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| Escalator to the Shwedagon Pagoda |
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| Shwedagon Pagoda |
We had decided that Yangon would be the finish line of our Myanmar visit. We would have to leave via the Myawaddy – Mae Sot border crossing so basically this would have meant cycling back the very same way. To avoid that we elected for taking a train from Yangon to Mawlamyine, continuing by slow boat to Hpa An and cycling back to Mae Sot from there. That way we would only have to backtrack the roughly 140 kilometres between Hpa An and Mae Sot.
We had booked the train ticket to Mawlamyine the day before departure. At 5.30 am we cycled the short way to the train station and went searching for the luggage office. It took a while but eventually we found the guy in charge and checked in our bikes for transport in the luggage car of the train. The train ride was supposed to take about 9 hours but we already left 30 minutes late and the prehistoric diesel engine didn't allow for a speed of much more than 50kph. Despite the lush green landscape and the rural villages along the way our excitement quickly diminished.
We had booked the train ticket to Mawlamyine the day before departure. At 5.30 am we cycled the short way to the train station and went searching for the luggage office. It took a while but eventually we found the guy in charge and checked in our bikes for transport in the luggage car of the train. The train ride was supposed to take about 9 hours but we already left 30 minutes late and the prehistoric diesel engine didn't allow for a speed of much more than 50kph. Despite the lush green landscape and the rural villages along the way our excitement quickly diminished.
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| Train from Yangon to Mawlamyine |
We couldn't have been happier when we eventually arrived in Mawlamyine after 11.5 hours on the train. We cycled from the station to our guesthouse and then indulged in some delicious food at the nearby night market.
After a rather disappointing breakfast at a riverside café we spent the remainder of the next day exploring the temples, shrines and stupas that Mawlamyine is famous for.
After a rather disappointing breakfast at a riverside café we spent the remainder of the next day exploring the temples, shrines and stupas that Mawlamyine is famous for.
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| Mawlamyine night market |
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| Stairway to the Kyaikthanlan pagoda in Mawlamyine |
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| Kyaikthanlan Pagoda |
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| Shrines around Kyaikthanlan Pagoda |
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| Chinese New Year in Mawlamyine |
The next morning we got up early. We had booked tickets for the slow boat to Hpa An and it was supposed to leave around 8am. We had asked for directions to get to the jetty but were told we would be picked up by a motor rickshaw and couldn't cycle there on our own. Actually a rickshaw turned up and naturally there was no space for our bikes. We agreed to just follow the rickshaw and instructed the driver to go slowly. Unexpectedly all went well and we made it to the makeshift jetty without too much trouble. The boat was waiting already. It had space for 10 passengers and there were the two of us plus 8 backpackers – all with big backpacks. We were convinced there would be no way to fit all passengers, their luggage plus our bikes into the small boat but surprisingly it worked!
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| Slow Boat to Hpa An |
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| A rather boring boat ride! |
The boat ride quickly became boring and we were pretty thankful when we stopped at a small village to visit a nearby monastery. Apart from the inevitable stupa there were some outstanding wood carvings which actually made the visit worthwhile.
On we went and by early afternoon we reached Hpa An. We stayed at the same guesthouse where we stayed on the way to Yangon. Coincidently we met a French couple there who had been on the boat and we had dinner together.
On we went and by early afternoon we reached Hpa An. We stayed at the same guesthouse where we stayed on the way to Yangon. Coincidently we met a French couple there who had been on the boat and we had dinner together.
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| Kawhnat Monastery on the way to Hpa An |
The next morning we left Hpa An with the first light of day. There were 140 kilometres to Mae Sot including 70 kilometres of construction work as well as a mountain pass just before the border. If we would be too slow we could still stop in Kawkareik in between but we were hoping to avoid that.
In fact we had bashed out the first awfully dusty and bumpy 90 kilometres to Kawkareik by 11.30 and decided to push on. That was when things started to go wrong. We made it up the first hills and stopped for a cold soda. While we sat in the shade Dominik's bike suddenly leaned to the side and fell over. He had seemingly rolled over a nasty piece of scrap metal at a construction site just next to where we sat. While we drank our soda his rear tyre deflated causing the bike to fall over. The bike fell on the rear view mirror ripping off a large chunk of bartape - and the mirror of course. While Dominik fixed the puncture he also noticed a beginning crack on the flange of the rear hub. Over the course of the next kilometres the crack got bigger and bigger and the riding became concerningly wobbly. Totally shattered we reached the border in the last daylight. The Thai immigration officer looked sceptically at our sweaty and dust-covered clothes but ultimately stamped us in. Around 8pm we arrived at our hotel in Mae Sot, took a well-needed shower and then went for some excellent Thai food on the night market.
The Thai food was probably okay but the Burmese food before that not so much. The next day Simon was struggling with a travel tummy and we decided to stay in the hotel.
In fact we had bashed out the first awfully dusty and bumpy 90 kilometres to Kawkareik by 11.30 and decided to push on. That was when things started to go wrong. We made it up the first hills and stopped for a cold soda. While we sat in the shade Dominik's bike suddenly leaned to the side and fell over. He had seemingly rolled over a nasty piece of scrap metal at a construction site just next to where we sat. While we drank our soda his rear tyre deflated causing the bike to fall over. The bike fell on the rear view mirror ripping off a large chunk of bartape - and the mirror of course. While Dominik fixed the puncture he also noticed a beginning crack on the flange of the rear hub. Over the course of the next kilometres the crack got bigger and bigger and the riding became concerningly wobbly. Totally shattered we reached the border in the last daylight. The Thai immigration officer looked sceptically at our sweaty and dust-covered clothes but ultimately stamped us in. Around 8pm we arrived at our hotel in Mae Sot, took a well-needed shower and then went for some excellent Thai food on the night market.
The Thai food was probably okay but the Burmese food before that not so much. The next day Simon was struggling with a travel tummy and we decided to stay in the hotel.
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| Construction work for 70 kilometres |
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| Cracked hub |
After a day off Simon felt much better and we set off to check out Mae Sot's bike shops. No need to mention that none of them was able to help with Dominik's cracked rear hub. Our friend Im from Spinning Bear Bike Shop in Bangkok suggested getting in touch with Triple Cat Cycles in Chiang Mai and actually they were able to help. So we left the bikes in Mae Sot and took a bus to Chiang Mai the next morning. We arrived at Triple Cat Cycles at 2pm and left Dominik's rear wheel there. When we returned to the bike shop at 8pm Nu, the owner, had built a new wheel with Dominik's old rim and a new Shimano Deore hub. It was too late to return to Mae Sot the same day and so we took the first bus the next morning. On the bus back to Mae Sot Dominik felt unwell and by the time we arrived it was obvious there would be another break day.
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| Waiting for a new wheel! |
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| Bus to Chiang Mai |
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| Nu from Triple Cat Cycles built a new rear wheel for Dominik |
While Dominik stayed in the hotel that day Simon unexpectedly ran into two American cyclists and had dinner with them. The next day Dominik felt much better and we all met for dinner again. While we were chatting to Steve and Tim, we were joined by Ton, a Dutch guy who had lived in Mae Sot for the last 18 years. Later that evening British cyclist Duncan coincidently arrived at the same restaurant with his touring bike and we invited him to join us.
Tim and Steven would head to the Burmese border the day after while Duncan had just arrived from Myanmar and was headed to Chiang Mai just like ourselves. It was a random but fun evening with a lot of cycling stories.
Tim and Steven would head to the Burmese border the day after while Duncan had just arrived from Myanmar and was headed to Chiang Mai just like ourselves. It was a random but fun evening with a lot of cycling stories.
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| Random cyclists' meeting in Mae Sot (Courtesy of Tim Norman / Steve Carnes) |
The next morning we set off early and followed a secondary road along the Burmese border for 120 kilometres to Mae Salid. Two hours into the day we were overtaken by Duncan who travelled with an ultra lightweight set up. The day mostly went by uneventfully. Occasionally we could glance across the border into Myanmar. Near Mae La we cycled a while along one of the Burmese refugee camps in Thailand. A surprisingly well-organized and clean collection of huts. Wouldn’t there have been barbed wire we might have mistaken the camp for an ordinary village.
After a bit of a struggle we ended up in the same guesthouse in Mae Salid where Duncan had already checked in. We had a fun evening exchanging cycling stories and went to bed way too late.
After a bit of a struggle we ended up in the same guesthouse in Mae Salid where Duncan had already checked in. We had a fun evening exchanging cycling stories and went to bed way too late.
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| Mae La refugee camp |
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| The river forms the border between Thailand and Myanmar |
We aimed for an early start the next morning but didn't leave until 8. The first 25 kilometres went by quickly but then we reached the foot of the mountains. Duncan sped off and we huffed and puffed our way up. The road was in good condition but the gradients were impossibly steep, the sun was scorching down and there wasn't even a wee bit of shade. We never had trouble finding food and cold drinks in Thailand but that stretch of road had a total lack of infrastructure. After the first bit of climbing we found a small stall where they sold beer, soda and roasted broad beans. We hadn't stocked up on supplies before so we bought heaps of broad beans to keep us going. Eventually we found another stall where we got some ramen noodles for lunch. While we ate another British cyclist arrived. Alex had also stayed in Mae Salid last night and was headed the same direction. He left before us but he planned to stay in the national park 40 kilometres short of Mae Sariang as well. It was 5pm when we eventually arrived there, the most arduous and painful 85 kilometres of the journey behind us.
Alex had arrived shortly before us and we all set up camp on a designated camp ground. There wasn't a lot of talking. We all were too shattered for conversation.
Alex had arrived shortly before us and we all set up camp on a designated camp ground. There wasn't a lot of talking. We all were too shattered for conversation.
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| Cycling with Duncan |
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| Totally shattered |
The next day Alex again left before us but we still managed to get an early start to do the last bit of climbing before the heat would set in. We finished the uphill stretch easily and would have probably made it to Mae Sariang before noon. But then about 15 kilometres short of Mae Sariang we ran into Tanja, Uli and their daughter Emma, all on their bikes. It was so good talking to them and in the end we incredibly kept chatting for 5 hours.
After all we still managed to get to Mae Sariang by 4pm. We checked in at a guesthouse and went out for dinner. On our way back to the guesthouse we ran into Alex who stayed nearby. We exchanged phone numbers and will likely meet him again in Chiang Mai.
After all we still managed to get to Mae Sariang by 4pm. We checked in at a guesthouse and went out for dinner. On our way back to the guesthouse we ran into Alex who stayed nearby. We exchanged phone numbers and will likely meet him again in Chiang Mai.
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| Views on the way to Mae Sariang |
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| Early start from Mae Sariang to Hod |
The next morning we had another early start. 110 kilometres to Hod, two 1,100m passes to climb. It was arduous and it was a slog. At least the gradients were much gentler than the days before. By 5pm we finally reached Hod, 10 hours after leaving Mae Sariang.
From Hod it's another 90 kilometres to Chiang Mai but that will be a story for the March update :-)
From Hod it's another 90 kilometres to Chiang Mai but that will be a story for the March update :-)
