The Start -- Day 1 - Distance: 91km

Hi guys

I'm doing another bicycle trip. This time going to Springbok.

Essentially this group is to let peeps know where I am along the way. Generally I'll post my days events at the end of the day once I get to my accommodation or camp.

Apologies if I don't often chat in the group. I feel I'm often rushing until I hit the hay.

FAQs

Q: Where are you going?

A: To Springbok along the N14. Once there I have a choice to make. North, South or East? One stop I definitely want to make is the MeerKAT Telescope Array.

Q: How long will the trip take?

A: How long is a string? 😋 I don't really know.

Q: Why are you going on this trip?

A: Wouldn't you? SA is beautiful? Because I can? 😉. I think really because I have the time now and probably will never get the opportunity again. Cycle touring has been my hobby for a few years so I can't let this chance go by.

If you think I should add someone else to the group let me know.

If you don't want to be in the group no hard feelings if you leave

Day 1, yesterday

Distance: 91km

Heading out through Krugersdorp I was surprised how flat the landscape is. Much less hilly than the route I took to Natal through the Free State.

But then, there was the wind! OMG! It felt like I did the whole way uphill. So I didn't make it to my destination, Ventersdorp.

That wasn't so bad. I found a place that offers camping along the way. They insisted I sleep under a veranda next to the bar because they predicted it would be cold.

Along the way I met two fishermen from Carltonville. They were cool to chat with. They told me that they had been fishing in this dam since they were kids and how the area has changed. I asked about safety camping at the dam. Predictably they said "definitely no way" (I didn't plan to sleep there).

d80 Goodbye Thailand

It's time to leave. See ya next time... maybe.

d79 Issan Cyclin'

For the previous few days I had been cycling around Issan, the very flat north-western area of Thailand. It was an eye opener getting off the beaten track. The area is seen to be a poor region and under-developed. I disagree. As it is a money maker for Thailand from its agricultural production it has been heavily invested in and developed. It's not poor from the houses I saw.

d76 Merry Christmas and nature temples

Christmas day I found two strange temples.

The first was these huge boulders next to the Mekong River. As I was entering the temple grounds I met an elderly Norwegian. After 32 years of meditation he found out who he was. I could have saved him a lot of hassle. If he gave me his passport/id card/birth certificate I could have told him. At this point I'm not into the esoteric.

The second sat atop an outcrop. Nice views of the flats of Issan from there.

d75 What is that?

You see some strange things. Here is a giant lotus!

d71 Mekong trippin'

Finally made it back to the Mekong River. It's big!

d69 Friendly monk

At the temple I stayed this evening I met a very interesting monk. We are the same age. If it were another time and another place I'm sure we would have been good friends.

When I arrived at the Wat he was the first monk I approached to ask if I could stay on the temple grounds. He quickly helped get permission from the Abbot and spent the rest his free time with me.

He showed me around the extensive area that the temple covered. He had been a monk for 6 years but was an artist before donning the frock. With his practical skills he has been adding sculptures and other artworks to the temple.

There was a funny incident that happened that only I noticed. When I arrived there were some local youths getting instruction from the military, a bit like boy scouts stuff. The monk looked at the military dudes and rolled his eyes. After we walked past them he shooed them away with the back of his hand. He obviously doesn't think much of the military.

d68 Fight night at the monks place

After a long day of uphills I was really tired. I came across a temple an hour or so before the sun set. The first monk I found at the temple was a grumpy old man but interesting none the less. He let me camp a few meters from his hut, a typical Thai wooden dwelling that seems it'll fall over in a strong wind.

As I was cooking up my dinner the monk came to me very excited, out of character for him. The only words he exclaimed were "Boxing! Boxing!". At first I had no idea what he was on about, but then after a few exchanges I realised he was inviting me to watch the weekly Thai Boxing show that evening in his hut.

After eating and washing up I went to his hut just in time for the opening ceremony. The evening was very surreal watching Thai Boxing with an elderly grumpy monk in his spartan creaky room. But it was fun. I learned a lot about the rules of Thai Boxing.

It turns out that in his youth, this 65 year old monk was the number 3 ranked boxer in his province. At 5 foot flat I wasn't going to mess with this monk. He does know how to fight!

d67 Ibuprofen, my friend

Ok, so I'm not as strong as I think I am. After a week of cycling my knees could feel it on the climbs. You have to bear in mind these are countryside rolling hills where the roads generally go straight up.

I chanced my luck by stopping in at a local clinic to get some anti-inflammatory drugs. The staff were really surprised to see me and gave me 5 star service for free. Blood pressure 121/74, heart rate 55 bpm.... not that unfit though. And I got a gel thrown in too, good for aches, sprains, muscle pain and insect bites! My kinda gel.

That evening I stayed in a very isolated temple on the pinnacle of a lonely mound. The monks were friendly and interesting to chat with. All three had come from the same temple in Bangkok. The youngest seemed to be having a tough time adjusting to living in the countryside, even after four years of living there.

d66 Lunch with the ladies

Before heading on myself I stopped at the local store to get some snacks and water. The shop owners asked me to stay a while and share lunch with them.

Quite tasty... and spicy :-)

d65 Looked after by the kids

After a few days on the road I was getting into the swing of things. The bicycle was responding well and I was enjoying the sights. All along the way I met the friendly 'Thai Smile'. Most people couldn't believe what I was doing, cycling through the countryside for fun, but appreciated that I was doing it.

At the end of a somewhat tiresome day I found a small hamlet with a tiny Wat at the top of a hill. The village was so small they didn't have any resident monks. I would usually ask the Abbot if he didn't mind if I camped on the premises (in all the temples I asked to camp at in Thailand I was only rejected once). 

But there was a small gang of kids that took it upon themselves to look after me. In the evening they brought me some snack and a bottle of water. The next day they also came to say goodbye before going off for the day.

d61 On the road again

After completing the grueling DELTA course and exam I found out that my visa application to New Zealand was denied for the second time. Not wasting time I immediately bought a secondhand touring bike and prepared for the next leg.

It feels good to be on the road again :-)

A 430 day break from travel

After landing in Bangkok, for various reasons, I decided not to carry on the cycle trip. My options were:

• Cycle to Laos and get a Chinese tourist visa in Vientiane
• Cycle through Myanmar into India and go that route
• Find a job in Thailand and later do the DELTA course

I chose the last option. There were some factors that helped me make this decision: the coming winter, the state of the world at the time with the Syrian conflict, a desire to do the DELTA course for many years.

In the little more than a year a spent in Thailand I:

• Mooched around - 2 months
• Worked in Mae Sai in northern Thailand - 4 months
• Worked in Bangkok - 6 months
• Did the intensive DELTA course - 2 months 

I had a fantastic time with all the people I met in these places.

d39 to d60 - Atti, a wonderful host

I am most grateful to Atti for letting me stay at his home for a full 3 weeks. I had problems getting a replacement bank card for the one I lost in Shengen. I was only able to get the card a few months later. Eventually I made a plan to buy a flight ticket to Bangkok, from where I could carry on the bike ride.

In the time I spent at Atti's I walked almost the full circumference of Lantau Island. Hong Kong amazed me at the abundant nature it offeres and its accessibility. For the outdoors people, its good to know that the well maintained campsites are for free!

Atti was also the instigation for many many late night crab bbq's. Delicious!

d38 Arrive in paradise

I checked out of my hostel and cycled, trained and tried to bus but landed up cycling to Atti's place.

Atti lives in a part of Hong Kong that you wouldn't imagine existed. A small fishing village nestled in the corner of an island away from the robots, the hustle of the city. It is a peaceful place without much going on. The restaurants are never open. If they are they'll close by 6pm latest. Some restaurants are only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, maybe. The only shop close to a general store/convenience store closes at 9pm.

From here the days have melded into one as I wait for my bank card from the UK.

Hong Kong biltong

d37 Chillin' & shoppin' & exchanging goods

The day was taken up visiting the tourist information center, walking the Avenue of Stars, museum going and other admin.

d36 Chinese banking disaster... Hello Hong Kong!

One of the things foreigners have to adjust to in China is their wacky banking system. Let's just leave it that it took a lot of patience to get my money from my Chinese bank account. They kept insisting I return to Shanghai to order a new card or open a new account (as you do in China when you lose a card). I guess the phrase "my Chinese visa runs out tomorrow and I have to leave the country" didn't mean anything to them.

Once again Daniel came to the rescue. He helped me with my banking woes in time to get to the border. I cross into Hong Kong with my bicycle this time. Much easier than expected.

d35 Over before it began - Where the f&*@# is my bike?

Continuing the events as they unfolded...

- I wake up on a sofa in an underpass below a major road at around 10am
- My only possessions are my shirt, shorts, underwear, socks, shoes and a few hundred RMB in my top pocket (no bicycle anywhere)
- I find a metro station and go back to where I met Aston the night before
- I trail the route from the metro station to the restaurant where we ate the night before
- I ask Aston's hair salon if they have his contact details, but they don't
- I head back to the area that I know Aston's offices are
- In the area is an internet cafe. I tried contacting Aston via email hoping he would see my message. He did later in the day
- The cafe manager, Daniel, is able to track down where Aston works by doing a search on the net
- I find Aston at work. He doesn't have my bike and the money in my pocket it probably his.
- Daniel and I go on the hunt for my bike. We go back to the place where I woke up.
- Daniel asks a policeman stationed nearby if he is aware of anything. Policeman shakes his head in the negative and is very unhelpful.
- Daniel and I search around the sofa for any clues but can't find any
- Walking past the policeman Daniel overhears a street cleaner talking to the policeman about a bicycle
- On further inquiry we establish it is my bike. The street cleaner had locked the bike in his shed not far from the sofa. Apparently he had found it on the side of the road at 6 am that morning.
- I gave the street cleaner a RMB300 reward from Aston's cash in my pocket
- I stayed with Aston in his apartment this night

Missing items:
1 x wallet with Chinese & UK bank cards (all travel funds), aprox. RMB200 cash, HK travel card
1 x cell phone with all contacts
1 x really cool bicycle pump

Mystery questions:
- did I ever make it to Aston's apartment with my bike?
- how did I get Aston's money in my top pocket?
- why did I leave in the middle of the night?

Answer:
Drunk people are stupid!

Dinner with Aston

With Daniel after finding my bike

d34 Aston and Dex traditional piss-up

I arrived in Shenzhen early in the day. I decided to find the two Trek stores in Shenzhen. I was later to discover that they had both closed. It's ok, I got to cycle around one of the newest cities in the world. Shenzhen was rice fields and nothing 30 years ago. Today it is a technological hub to the world.

To pass the time I went to a Starbucks coffee to read the news on my phone. I was fortunate to befriend some locals and spent about four hours chatting to them and enjoying a delicious Dongbei dinner.

I finally met up with Aston. I hadn't seen the man for over five years. It was like those years had never been there and we picked up where we left off.

This is the events of the evening as I remember them:
- we go for dinner directly instead of taking my bike to Aston's apartment as it was late already
- I had eaten already so we didn't order a lot of food
- we drank 2 bottles of baijo (Chinese rice wine at 50% alcohol or more), I drank a few beers on top
- we both have absolute memory loss from the restaurant onward

To be continued...

d33 Night bus to Shenzhen

The service I'd received from the Trek stored I'd visited was excellent. The mechanics were friendly and knowledgeable. I wish I could say the same for Trek Xiamen. The guys were loose canons with my bike. After visiting them it took a few days to get things on my bike working smoothly.

As I wasn't able to cover the distance required in the alloted time to get to Shenzhen and Hong Kong I decided to take the night bus. This would give me enough time in Shenzhen to hangout with an old friend from my JET days, Aston.

To fill the time I visited the Trek store (a mistake) and cycled around the southern end of Xiamen island. It is a pretty city island.

d32 Gulang Yu explorer

A lot of people talk about Xiamen and it's beauty. It's mostly true. Xiamen the island and city doesn't look much different from China. Except it's far more clean and orderly. The main tourist attraction is a small island, Gulang Yu, only accessible by ferry. No cars or bicycles are permitted on the island (half of the appeal). It was one of the islands foreigners were permitted to live on in the Imperial days. The old colonial buildings are still there and being restored to their former glory. It is a paradise for colonial architecture.

It's also a great place to have your wedding photo's taken.

d31 Arrive in Xiamen

The urban buildup continued all the way to Xiamen.

I was relieved to reach my final destination. I had racked up some good mileage just before reaching the island. When I was a few kilometers away a strong headwind started blowing. I prefer uphills... at least they come to an end. 

It wasn't a problem finding Michael's place. He took me out to a great fusion type restaurant where I could protein and carbo load.

I instantly took a liking to Xiamen as they have sailing as an activity for people to take part in. I've always wanted to learn to sail.