China update

Hi, I’m currently in Jinghong behind the great Chinese (not so succesful) firewall. I broke my rear wheel today during an ordinary ride in town and tore it at three different places. Awaiting repair, I will go on a trek for two days and stay at the countryside to avoid the high hotelprices during Chinese [...]

Laos in pictures

Laos: Beautiful, great people, great food, great beer. I should have stayed longer. Heading for China tomorrow…   jīng cháng lián xì a!  

A healthy sense of the absurd

About one hour later than planned, Hannelore and I hurried to get breakfast. In the guesthouse, a western man took a long look at my fully loaded bike. When I told him I was heading for China, he started telling about his own adventures. He cycled through Tibet in the mid nineties. Let me clear [...]

Laos – introduction

For most backpackers, Laos is a destination where you can still find the authentic South-East Asia. Usually, this means poverty and bad roads. Although there has been some improvement lately, Laos still has plenty of it to offer. You need to know a bit of history to understand the present situation. Laos is landlocked, contrary [...]

Thailand: entry and exit problems

After a very pleasant 7-day ride from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong, Hannelore and I were about to go our own way again. She would take the slow boat to Luang Prabang and I would continue to Luang Namtha. Things could not be easier. When we arrived in Chiang Khong, the Thai border town at [...]

The golden triangle

Ah, the golden triangle. This place is well known for the production and transport of opium. I’m always interested in new business opportunities and decided to take a look myself. Hannelore decided to get an early breakfast and so I headed to this mythical place on my own. Before 8 am, I started the 8 [...]

Thai markets

Doi Fha Hom Pok national park

In Chiang Mai, I was spotted by Hannelore, a Swedish cyclist with a lot of experience. I told her about my plans to head for the Laos border and since she was heading the same way, we agreed to join forces until we would get there. Her physical strength was impressive and on any climb, [...]

New Year in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai – Doi Suthep

On the last day of the year, I decided that I should suffer some pain before the year would end. A blind acupuncturist would have done the trick, but I took the easy way out, left the luggage at the guesthouse, mounted Penelope and headed for Doi Suthep, the nearest mountain. Amazingly, the peak of [...]