Wednesday, 26 March 2014
The title of this blog is a nod to some of the kids we cycled past on the final weeks of our journey through Cambodia. They had learned the words "hello" and "bye bye" but seemed to be confused about the order in which to use them. We would often hear "bye bye! Hello" as we rode past homes and fields. And it seems to be appropriate now that we have said bye bye to Bangkok, Thailand and South East Asia and hello again to Europe.
After having had the past few weeks off the bikes to reflect, here's a little list of some of the highlights and more memorable moments along the way.
Favourite places:
N: Battambang, Cambodia; Hanoi, Vietnam; Laem Sing, Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos.
P: Hanoi,Vietnam; Hue, Vietnam; Luang Prabang, Laos; Battambang, Cambodia; Laem Sing, Thailand.
Favourite moments:
N: Writing on a roof tile at a temple in Chiang Mai and then being offered to sit and eat lunch with some locals in the grounds of the temple.
Being handed a bottle of water by a stranger through a car window as we cycled into Bangkok at the end of the trip.
Descending the hills in Laos.
P: Seeing the Phare Ponleu Selpak performance in Battambang and sampling each new type of food.
Biggest challenge:
N: Setting out on the bikes on the days when we were unsure if we would find accommodation at the other end. But we always did find somewhere.
P: Navigating through big cities and concern about the bikes holding up.
Biggest surprise:
N&P: The kindness of the people we encountered and the friends we made along the way.
One place we would return to:
N: Cambodia
P: Laem Sing, Thailand
We loved our experience cycling through the four countries. Despite their proximity to each other, every country was unique and we feel very lucky to have had the time to really absorb those differences.
One of our concerns before setting out was the dangers we might face, specifically the risk of encountering people with bad intentions. What if the bikes were stolen or if we were mislead somehow? It turned out to be the complete opposite. We met so many kind people who went out of their way to help us and make us feel welcome.
Another learning for us was to make up our own minds. We encountered a few fellow travelers and cycle-tourists along the way, many of whom gave us useful advice or information which helped us on the trip. We did occasionally get some negative feedback about certain places we were heading for which often left us feeling a bit apprehensive. But we soon realised that each person's experience is unique - circumstances are never exactly the same and your own perspective will largely dictate how you feel about a situation. So we learned not to be deterred but to go ahead with an open mind.
Traveling by bike was a real revelation too. Being out in the elements and traveling at a gentle pace really allowed us to absorb the sights, sounds and smells of the areas we were passing through. Most importantly, it gave us time to interact with the people we were passing by - to give them a wave and a smile and to greet them in their native language - "Sawa-dee-kah", "Sa-bai-dee", "Sin-jow" or "Seus-day"!
Naturally there were some difficult moments on the trip but all of those pale in comparison to the overall experience of fun and the great adventure that we had.
And yes, we are already scheming our next cycling trip...
The title of this blog is a nod to some of the kids we cycled past on the final weeks of our journey through Cambodia. They had learned the words "hello" and "bye bye" but seemed to be confused about the order in which to use them. We would often hear "bye bye! Hello" as we rode past homes and fields. And it seems to be appropriate now that we have said bye bye to Bangkok, Thailand and South East Asia and hello again to Europe.
After having had the past few weeks off the bikes to reflect, here's a little list of some of the highlights and more memorable moments along the way.
Favourite places:
N: Battambang, Cambodia; Hanoi, Vietnam; Laem Sing, Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos.
P: Hanoi,Vietnam; Hue, Vietnam; Luang Prabang, Laos; Battambang, Cambodia; Laem Sing, Thailand.
(Hue, Vietnam)
(Luang Prabang, Laos)
Favourite moments:
N: Writing on a roof tile at a temple in Chiang Mai and then being offered to sit and eat lunch with some locals in the grounds of the temple.
Being handed a bottle of water by a stranger through a car window as we cycled into Bangkok at the end of the trip.
Descending the hills in Laos.
P: Seeing the Phare Ponleu Selpak performance in Battambang and sampling each new type of food.
(Descending in Laos)
(Roof tile for Chiang Mai temple)
(Phare Ponleu Selpak performers)
N: Setting out on the bikes on the days when we were unsure if we would find accommodation at the other end. But we always did find somewhere.
P: Navigating through big cities and concern about the bikes holding up.
(It wasn't always perfect but we were never without accommodation)
(Puncture after puncture after puncture)
Biggest surprise:
N&P: The kindness of the people we encountered and the friends we made along the way.
(We met Ngoc who acted as a translator for us in Vu Ban)
(And met people like Mai who simply wanted to chat)
(People who proved the impossible can be done)
(And others who wouldn't let us go without a photo)
(And we were lucky enough to meet Tim and Tina too!)
One place we would return to:
N: Cambodia
P: Laem Sing, Thailand
(Cambodia)
(Laem Sing, Thailand)
One of our concerns before setting out was the dangers we might face, specifically the risk of encountering people with bad intentions. What if the bikes were stolen or if we were mislead somehow? It turned out to be the complete opposite. We met so many kind people who went out of their way to help us and make us feel welcome.
(Kids in Dong Le)
(A lovely Vietnamese lady who wanted to feed us more, more and then some more)
Another learning for us was to make up our own minds. We encountered a few fellow travelers and cycle-tourists along the way, many of whom gave us useful advice or information which helped us on the trip. We did occasionally get some negative feedback about certain places we were heading for which often left us feeling a bit apprehensive. But we soon realised that each person's experience is unique - circumstances are never exactly the same and your own perspective will largely dictate how you feel about a situation. So we learned not to be deterred but to go ahead with an open mind.
Traveling by bike was a real revelation too. Being out in the elements and traveling at a gentle pace really allowed us to absorb the sights, sounds and smells of the areas we were passing through. Most importantly, it gave us time to interact with the people we were passing by - to give them a wave and a smile and to greet them in their native language - "Sawa-dee-kah", "Sa-bai-dee", "Sin-jow" or "Seus-day"!
Naturally there were some difficult moments on the trip but all of those pale in comparison to the overall experience of fun and the great adventure that we had.
And yes, we are already scheming our next cycling trip...
