So this January/February I plan on riding my bike from somewhere in Burma (Yangon or Mandalay) to Ho Chi Mihn City, via various countries in SE Asia.
This thread will be a diary for my adventure, and also a place where hopefully some RBers can lend some advice.
I've traveled in the region previously (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), and spent five years living in Indonesia when I was much younger. But this will be my first time doing any serious bike touring, or travelling overseas somewhere very remote.
Currently my possible (very rough) routes are:
Yangon to HCMC via the more remote Myanmar-Thai crossing, Bangkok, along the coast to Cambodia and onto HCMC. Roughly 1800kms, and apart from the remote section around the Myanmar-Thai crossing it is a pretty easy ride.
Mandalay to HCMC via the same route as above. This is my preferred route as I'll be able to see more of Myanmar especially the new capital and some of the more friendly tourist areas. Though Myanmar has opened up to tourism/the western world a lot more, tourist still face a bit of difficulty get around. Lots of military checkpoints and tourists must stay in approved hostels. Regardless, I'm mainly coming on this trip for Burma - so would like to see a bit more of the country by taking this route. This will be roughly 2,200kms.
Finally, the most epic route of the three I've outlined. Mandalay to HCMC via Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia Starting from Mandalay, I'd travel directly west across Thailand to Laos, where I'd then progress down the border to Cambodia. Linking up to finish as I plan on the other routes.
It's a long trip (2,600kms) but still an enjoyable distance for the time I have (~40 days). There are some security concerns regarding bandits in southern Laos. But I can catch a train or bus to skip this part. There's good riding in the region otherwise. Having said that, I think there is more interesting things to see and do, and the weather should be a bit more friendly on the other two routes.
Would love to hear advice regarding bike touring or travelling in the region. Good places to visit or stay, things to see, things to avoid, etc.
Next chapter will be bike set up!
This thread will be a diary for my adventure, and also a place where hopefully some RBers can lend some advice.
I've traveled in the region previously (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), and spent five years living in Indonesia when I was much younger. But this will be my first time doing any serious bike touring, or travelling overseas somewhere very remote.
Currently my possible (very rough) routes are:
Yangon to HCMC via the more remote Myanmar-Thai crossing, Bangkok, along the coast to Cambodia and onto HCMC. Roughly 1800kms, and apart from the remote section around the Myanmar-Thai crossing it is a pretty easy ride.
Mandalay to HCMC via the same route as above. This is my preferred route as I'll be able to see more of Myanmar especially the new capital and some of the more friendly tourist areas. Though Myanmar has opened up to tourism/the western world a lot more, tourist still face a bit of difficulty get around. Lots of military checkpoints and tourists must stay in approved hostels. Regardless, I'm mainly coming on this trip for Burma - so would like to see a bit more of the country by taking this route. This will be roughly 2,200kms.
Finally, the most epic route of the three I've outlined. Mandalay to HCMC via Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia Starting from Mandalay, I'd travel directly west across Thailand to Laos, where I'd then progress down the border to Cambodia. Linking up to finish as I plan on the other routes.
It's a long trip (2,600kms) but still an enjoyable distance for the time I have (~40 days). There are some security concerns regarding bandits in southern Laos. But I can catch a train or bus to skip this part. There's good riding in the region otherwise. Having said that, I think there is more interesting things to see and do, and the weather should be a bit more friendly on the other two routes.
Would love to hear advice regarding bike touring or travelling in the region. Good places to visit or stay, things to see, things to avoid, etc.
Next chapter will be bike set up!
