Just returned from riding in the north of Vietnam, nice to have seen but will never go back. The traffic and continual horn honking really ruined it for me.

Perhaps a bit of advance notice next time?

Not sure in BKK but online from Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca) or Performance Bike. Can wear under regular board shorts as the underwear has built in padding.

Why not come a few days earlier and catch up with the tour for a day (or at least an evening) ? It is exactly the route you are thinking of.

I recently bought a copy of "Lollipop Fury" hoping to read and enjoy, as the cover states "Two Wheeled Tales From South East Asia".
I was disappointed. My $$ would have been far better spent on beer. 

Khun Wantipa,

I use a bike shop run by a guy named Mon. I have known him for 10+ years- he is a very good rider and very much into the mountain biking scene in Phuket. I spoke with him yesterday and he has decent bikes for rent. His phone # 081-535-1231. They often have organized rides on Sunday mornings, but are usually on road.

Best regards,

Mike

Team Phuket on Wheels has recently completed another really fun trip, this time 15 days in Cambodia. Glen and Mike, relatively fresh from their Golden Triangle ride met up in Phnom Penh with Katherine, just off the plane from Calgary with memories of Tibet. This was the first visit for Mike and Katherine while SE Asia Old Hand Glen first visited in 1991. Our plan was to participate in a supported trip through the boonies north of PP to the Thai border then ride down to Siem Reap and the wonders of  the Angkor civilization.

The trip was set up by Scotty of Offbeat Roads and we were joined by Mark and Claudia, two refugees from the CIBC in Toronto. This was TPoW's first sojourn with Scotty, a self-confessed throwback to the best of the sixties and expedition cycling impresario and we are very pleased (lightweight pizza-eating ability and girlie drinks notwithstanding!). In-country logistics were very capably handled by Dancing Roads of Phnom Penh
This was the first cycle trip run by Sonia and Paeng who have extensive experience running dirt bike trips and was handled in a competent and professional manner with the very minimum of hiccups.

Preliminary research brought to light how Cambodia has been ?A Mouse Between Two Elephants? for most of the last millennium and a ?Pawn Between the Superpowers? battling for world ideological and military supremacy for the past 5 decades. We were anticipating with delight the opportunity to experience the present condition of this home to one of the world's greatest past civilizations. 

The first two days were spent coordinating with Dancing Roads, checking out the riverfront area of PP, a bit of shopping and generally chilling out. Bright and early on Monday morning and we were off. The first day and a half we rode along the fertile bank of the mighty Mekong River finally turning west and away at three-beer town. As sunset was approaching we  discovered a convenient school yard to pitch camp and wind down a great day.

The next four days we rode north through very poor countryside consisting of occasional old rubber plantations under rehabilitation, new rubber as well as cassava, but the vast majority was scrub forest often recently burnt-over or even still smoldering. Thousands and thousands of remaining land mines certainly renders land virtually worthless. These days were really fun, passing by friendly villagers and the many children with their ?hellos?. To see all the young girls dressed so happily and fashionably in filthy rags really struck a chord in my heart. We also passed a few Khmer sites of varying condition, our first tastes of what was on the way.

This leg of the trip ended in an epic climb to the mountain top temple of Preah Vihear and my personal single highlight of the trip- Scotty and I exploring this great monument under the full moon unrestricted by fences or guards was special - like we were the only people in the universe.
Down the mountain and two more days of cycling and we rolled into Siem Reap, home of world renowned Angkor Wat. The next two days were spent touring the awe inspiring structures and personally learning about Hindu theology. We also really enjoyed the funky nightlife of Siem Reap - Patong Beach could pick up a few ideas here! Thank you Scotty for a great dinner of ?Dead fish?. Be warned - visit this area as soon as you possibly can as it is being crushed under the weight of mass tourism. 

An early morning departure and the craziest taxi ride of my life got us the the ?boat terminal? and a 45 minute wait for departure. The boat trip across the Tonle Sap down to PP was a little long but fun. We rolled into our posh hotel feeling a bit out of place, but Sonia soon arrived and five minutes later the pick up truck rolled in with our bikes and bags - very impressive coordination!

We all enjoyed a great dinner and de-briefing session with Sonia and Paeng at a favourite Khmer restaurant followed by a more serious de-briefing, beer and tequila (no need to mention the girlie drinks) session at a fun, laid back club.

Next morning Glen and Mike were back to the beaches|of Phuket while Katherine went back to shoveling snow in Calgary - an equitable division of duties from this perspective.

Future trips for  TPoW: Bhutan,Chiang Rai hill country, south-west corner of Cambodia and Peru/ Bolivia. All other suggestions welcome.

ROLL ON!!

After three years of scheming and dreaming with my dive buddy Glen the time was finally right- we were leaving the beaches and diving of Phuket and heading off to Chiang Rai in the hills of Northern Thailand. Our mission was to pedal our bicycles in the Chiang Rai area and then to head off to the Mekong River and follow upstream to the Golden Triangle. This was all new territory for me, but a sort of homecoming for Glen. He was a teacher in Chiang Rai province for three years in the early 70?s when it was very much the wild frontier between Thailand and Laos. Throughout our trip we were being hosted by Glen?s former students and friends and even met a few completely unplanned.
The first five days of the tour consisted of day trip out of Chiang Rai. We were lucky to hook up and ride with Joseph, a Belgian cycling enthusiast who conducts tours in the region. www.chiangraicycling.com We rode with other local cyclists over some great countryside, both on and off road. Some of the prettiest sights were along the Kok River and up past a hill tribe village to the Huay Mai Sai waterfalls. The local knowledge was much appreciated in finding the best noodle shops, hot springs and great Thai massage. One of the highlights of the trip was to be included in Joseph?s No. 1 Hamburger bike team for the annual race 18 km up Doi Tung Mountain to commemorate our King?s Mother?s 106th birthday anniversary. Riding up the mountain with 650 other riders to the palace and associated gardens was special. If that wasn?t enough exercise for the day we went all out and joined the local Hash House Harriers for their monthly run. This was more fun as it is a small hash with plenty of good conversation. kennedyhb@hotmail.com
Day six saw us head out on a 4 day 3 night loop up to the Golden Triangle area. The trip to Chiang Kong was a flat 118 km grind well rewarded by cold beers at our guest house overlooking the fabled Mekong River. We then headed upriver through some beautiful, quiet terrain to the ancient town of Chiang Saen. Our resort was located beside the old town wall and the ride around town viewing the old stupas and temples fascinating. Eight more kilometres upriver brought us to the inspiration of the tour, the Golden Triangle. We then headed south away from the river picking our way along back roads through placid farming country towards Mae Chan. We arrived at our overnight stop early enough to get a couple more hours of exploring in. Following a steep track up a nearby hill and whammo a ?real? hill tribe village (no tourism here). This was an unexpected bonus for me as this is the first that I had seen while further along was another surprise- the ?Horse Temple? locally renowned for the Cowboy Monk. What a day so far and we still had a BIG party ahead with some of Glen?s former students and associates.
Day 9 saw a slower start with an easy ride into Mae Chan to look for the house Glen lived in for two years while he was teaching at the local high school. Two hours down the highway and we were back in Chiang Rai; our tour was winding down. Glen hopped the afternoon bus for Chiang Mai to participate in the Interhash (6,000 crazy beer drinkers with a running problem) while I pedaled over to No.1 for a burger and plan my final day?s ride with Joseph. Day 10, 80 km of beautiful riding in the hills north west of Chiang Rai then hop the big silver bird and back to Phuket.

On reflection I am so happy to live in Thailand. Our ride was truly ?civilized?: great scenery, great food and great new friends. After spending two weeks pedaling in Tibet last year we didn?t mind at all being pampered this time.

Glen is now off working in Indonesia (South Sulewesi) and we are looking forward to new adventures there as well.