We bought plane tickets last Thursday and are leaving at midnight tonight for Southeast Asia. The big change from previous trips is that we are bringing our bicycles, loaded up with touring gear, reflective tape, spare parts, and warm-weather clothing, with the idea being to somehow circumnavigate Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia on our bikes. Before you start asking for details, we don't have too many yet, besides a few detailed trip reports from people who have done this before, including a good friend we went to Berkeley with. But all sources indicate that it is not really as crazy an idea as it seems, as the roads are well sealed, the people friendly, the traffic not too bad (although on the left side of the road in places!) and the roadside noodle stands endless.
We are excited to return to Southeast Asia, especially when it is our primary destination and not a month-long break from the chaos of India. We are also excited to travel the country by bike for many reasons. First, when flying through the countryside on a bus or train, one eventually just starts connecting major tourist hubs and getting a snapshot of cities when they disembark for a few seconds here and there. On our bikes we will truly be off the tourist path and able to explore much less traveled areas at ease. Secondly, while riding a bike around Asia might seem like a crazy idea to us in the USA, it is the primary mode of daily transportation for billions of people around the world. We will definitely stick out like foreigners, but at least we will be getting around on the greatest invention in the world, using power derived from our legs, mystery meat, and local fish sauces. Riding bikes is fun!!
After some crazy dateline shenanigans we'll land in BKK on Valentine's day, just in time to also celebrate Mo's bday. We'll try to be better about updating our blog as we'll probably have all kinds of interesting adventures to write about soon!
