Northern Thailand

Bangkok to Phuket finished, the route is posted on the blog.  Chiang Mai down starts tomorrow.

Cycle Touring Thailand

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Final Thoughts

Final Thought on the Ride

Well it is a totally different place to ride than New Zealand that’s for sure!  The drivers are not bike friendly although most will at least try not to hit you.  The roads don’t have the scenery either as the coastal roads don’t seem to have views of the see as a rule but the ferry trips and the small beach towns are very special.  The trip is more about the stops than the cycling so give yourself plenty of time to make the trip. 

The cost of living and camping is quite high with some places around $40 for the night and $50+ in Byron.  Camp kitchens are rarely more the BBQs so you might need a stove if like me you need a coffee in the morning.  We had a cold and wet spell for the time of year during our trip but it was still too warm to wear waterproof trousers in the rain.  Our little tent could get mighty warm and a sleeping bag was used more to lie on rather than in.  On a hot day cycling was far better than standing still as the breeze took the edge off the heat until you had a slow steep climb to contend with.

So 1000km on a mix of dirt, quiet and main roads.  Plenty of wildlife and a little surfing.  I have enjoyed the ride even though it wasn’t the initial  plan as our trip to Oz was all about meeting up with my friends for Christmas.  Would I do it again, maybe not that ride but I would cycle in Australia again for sure.  Tasmania looks like a great spot and the south coast looks like another awesome area to ride, better start saving again!

Cycling Evans Head to Byron Bay

December 17^th Evans Head – Byron Bay 73km

Well this turned out to be our last days riding due to my buddy Adrian meeting us in Byron and taking us to his lovely house in Kooralbyn.  We left Evans Head early in the bright sunshine, the road were quiet  and although we had to go on the highway for a short distance most of the ride followed smaller roads and included our last ferry crossing taking us into Ballina.  From Ballina we headed towards Lennox Head where a detour changed the route slightly.  We were rolling into to the packed tourist town of Byron Bay before noon.  The beach here was beautiful but it was very busy, I guess we are in peak season now.  This is definitely a place where the young and beautiful hang out, as I am neither it was nice to see but not to stay as Evans Head is more my speed and $20 for a sandwich in a café is pushing my budget!

December 18^th – January 3^rd Kooralbyn

Chilling with Ade, Grace and Tom the cat was just great!  I hadn’t seen these guys in awhile yet they made both of us incredibly welcome even though they had never met Maria.  Their place is just so beautiful complete with great views from the infinity edged pool!

We did a nice mix of chilling out and visiting places like Surfers on Christmas day.  We even got involved with helping Santa dish out sweets from the fire engine!  Too much food and drink was the order of the stay.

A walk in the rain

Surfers Christmas Day

Maria Ade Grace

Me cooking!!! The wine helped alot!

The 2 weeks flew past and before we knew it Ade was dropping us off at Brisbane airport with the bikes in homemade boxes as we couldn’t get any from the local bike shops.  Mine was sporting 3 broken spokes in the rear wheel which had happened on the last ride into Beaudesert on New Years day so a job for Bangkok. The flight took us back to Sydney where we switched planes to head for Thailand.