When my friend Aleix suggested joining him on his trip to Southeast Asia (specifically Thailand and Laos), I didn't think twice. In my almost 27 years of life, I had never left Europe, which wouldn't be alarming if it weren't for the fact that, for as long as I can remember, traveling far, discovering new places, and exploring the world have been some of my biggest dreams.
Now, having experienced it for the first time, I can confidently say that my expectations have been exceeded, and I'm sure this won't be the last time I participate in a project like this. Want to know why I say that? Then keep reading and discover the full adventure below, with images, tips, advice, routes, and much more!
Day 1 - From Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Jet lag, temperatures over 40°C, 90% humidity, and bikes fully loaded to the brim. Thankfully, at least our spirits and eagerness to start our adventure were soaring. The day began early, precisely at 6:24 in the morning. As I mentioned, jet lag was hitting us hard due to the -6-hour time difference with Spain. We had barely spent a day in Thailand before hopping on our bikes, far from being acclimatized or rested. Despite that, it was day 1 of our adventure, so you can imagine how eager we were to kick off this crazy journey. Muzcali had organized a group to accompany us through the chaotic traffic of Bangkok to around kilometer 80. We really appreciated those kilometers in a group, where we cruised at an average speed of 30 km/h almost effortlessly, helping us progress quickly. After a stop at a café for breakfast and another at a 7-Eleven to replenish liquids and buy some mineral salts recommended by Charlie –which would prove to be lifesavers on more than one occasion– we bid farewell to everyone. The real (and extremely hot) adventure was about to start.
I don't know if you've ever cycled in over 40°C heat, but I assure you it's not pleasant. Moreover, in this case, it was compounded by travel fatigue, the weight of the bikes, and lack of acclimatization. There were moments when I felt delirious, and we had to stop every 30 minutes (at most) to replenish water and catch our breath in the shade. Fortunately, on the first day, we realized that Thailand is very convenient in that regard, with plenty of places to buy drinks and food (Note: 7-Eleven will be your best ally if you plan to visit the country at any time; they are everywhere. Although, if you have the chance, buy from the small shops in local houses. At least that's what we tried to do to support small businesses rather than a large chain controlled by who knows who).
After an emergency stop in the shade (of which I barely remember anything), we covered the last kilometers to Kanchanaburi, where we would spend the first night. It's curious that after all the heat and discomfort of the day, the clearest memory I have is arriving at that beautiful town and seeing Aleix coming out of a store with a cold beer in hand while Alina and I waited seated on a bench in the shade, marveling at the beauty of the river in front of us. I guess, as Rocky Marciano (the boxer) said:
"Pain is temporary, but glory is eternal."
As we shared that beer that tasted like glory, we found a hotel to spend the night: An incredible and affordable place, as would be customary (the affordable part more than the beautiful). And when we gathered enough courage to face the scorching sun again, we rode to the hotel, which was just 2 km away. Upon arrival, and after negotiating the price with the owner, we headed straight to the shower. Although the water wasn't as cold as we would have liked, it felt like heaven (Recommendation: In this country, don't book anything online. As a general rule, prices tend to be cheaper if you pay with their currency (Thai Baht), and bargaining is quite common; so don't hesitate to propose a lower price, as long as you do it respectfully).
When the sun went down, we went out to find a place for dinner. Another thing I remember from that day is the curry that Aleix and I devoured and the Pad Thai we shared. I think, of the 14 days we spent traveling there, it's one of the top 3 meals of the trip, without a doubt. After dinner, we returned to the room, and while I tried to edit some photos to post on Instagram stories, I fell asleep with the computer on my lap (Aleix has a pretty funny video of that moment).
Day 2 - From Kanchanaburi to Ban Ton Lang
I wanted to die when my phone alarm went off at 4:30 in the morning. Even though I had fallen asleep without realizing it, I definitely didn't feel like I'd gotten enough rest. We dressed, packed up, and had breakfast on autopilot. Since it was still one of our first days, we didn't start our GPS until 5:27; there was definitely room for improvement. The feeling of not knowing where we were disappeared as soon as we got on our bikes. After almost passing out from the heat the previous day, you can't even imagine the boost of energy we got from starting the day with "fresh" air on our faces. I say "fresh" because by that time, it was already about 30°C, but at least we didn't have the scorching sun hitting us.
At around 6:15 in the morning, the first signs of natural light began to appear in the sky. If you've ever witnessed this, you'll know what I mean when I say that no matter how exhausted you are, when the light starts breaking through the darkness, nothing else matters. A new day begins, and the beauty of seeing life creeping in through the shadows... it's inexplicably beautiful. At that moment, you forget everything, and, for some reason, you find yourself smiling from ear to ear: We're the luckiest people in the world to witness this event, and that's all that matters in that instant.
That day, 165 km separated us from our destination. Why did we cover so much distance? Because, as you'll see and understand in the next post on my blog, our intention was to reach Laos as soon as possible; but I won't get ahead of myself, so let's take it one step at a time. Looking back at the route on Komoot now, I see that we stopped to replenish every 30 km or so, or about every 1.5 hours. As I mentioned before, Thailand is a country that makes things very easy in that regard, and (I'll tell you now) we never had any problems finding a store on someone's porch. That day, I remember one especially —the first one once it was daylight, if I'm not mistaken— at km 61. We arrived at that place, 2 guys and 1 girl with our bikes loaded to the brim, dressed strangely, and covered in dust. Looking back now, I'm not surprised by the amazed looks on people's faces when they saw us. I mean... how many people like us had they seen in their lives in those remote villages? I'll tell you now: Not many, if any. Despite that, wherever we went, we were welcomed with a kindness and hospitality like I'd never seen before. That family even cut and gave us half a watermelon. And that's something that I found incredible: They have nothing, but despite that, they give you everything. You'll hear me say this very often: How much we have to learn.
That day felt quite long for us. Due to a logistical error in the group, we stopped to eat separately and spent more time than necessary not moving; something completely unfeasible given the temperatures we reached after 10:30 in the morning. As you'll see over these 6 days it took us to cover the distance to Chiang Mai, this will be a recurring theme. Despite that, and as we had no other choice, we kept pedaling (that's the only thing that's certain on these trips and that is, no matter what happens, you have to pedal). Before reaching our destination, Aleix and I, tired of the roads (no matter how secondary and cool they were), decided to get a bit adventurous and explore a shortcut on a gravel path. The surprise? The surprise was finding ourselves in the middle of fields riding the best gravel we've ever set foot on. I assure you they had nothing to envy any track in Girona (a city known, in part, for its incredible gravel).
After finishing that section and happy as children, we headed to our hotel for the night. On the way, we found a stop where two girls were selling pineapples, and we decided to treat ourselves. We paid 60 Baht, or €1.50, for what was going to be one of the best pineapples I had ever eaten. After showering, washing our kit, and leaving them to dry (which was going to be our routine for the next two weeks), Aleix and I decided to ride our bikes to Ban Ton Lang for dinner. The 2 km we had to ride to get there felt inexplicably good to me: Not going fast, without weight in the bags, and without the sun scorching our skin. We found a 7-Eleven in a dirt parking lot and a couple of street food stalls around it (ideal), we had dinner, a couple of beers, bought breakfast, and went to sleep after chatting for a while. I was happy, very happy.
Day 3 - From Ban Ton Lang to Kamphaeng Phet
Alarm, breakfast, and riding by 5:25. I guess you're starting to see how the dynamic of the remaining days would work. We started on the road as usual, but Aleix and I had already developed a taste for "shortcuts" from the experience of the previous day. The first one of that day led us to witness a magical sunrise, amidst fields where ash was falling from the sky (yes, ash). Apparently, locals burn the weeds along the roads to keep them clean, which caused ash to rain down that morning. The scene was like something out of a movie due to that phenomenon. Moreover, the sunlight there has a different hue. I wouldn't know how to describe it exactly in words, but it's just different, almost magical. We were so amazed that we even decided to stop for 10 minutes to admire the beauty of the scene before us, without saying anything, without making any noise that would disturb that calmness.
The day itself had a special aura, I suppose because it was Saturday. Children had no school, and there was more life in the streets. We crossed paths with some on bicycles, others in villages and shops, and they all marveled at our appearance. However, unlike in other countries like Africa or Morocco e.g. (as Aleix told me), these children were very respectful. We piqued their curiosity, and they called out to other children as we rode by, but they never approached to touch the bikes or ask for anything. During the route, we diverted onto every gravel road we saw viable on the GPS without encountering any unpleasant surprises (like the ones you usually find when you get too brave investigating) on any of them. As I said: a great day indeed.
At approximately kilometer 106, Aleix decided to step on the gas, and we covered the next 40 at an average of 26 km/h. Nothing spectacular under normal circumstances, of course, but it's worth noting that we were riding on 45 mm knobby tires and carrying loaded bags that increased the bike's weight to around 20 kg, more or less. We got so overheated that, to cover the last 13 kilometers, we had to make an emergency stop where we devoured 3 ice creams each and a few bottles of water, electrolytes, and soft drinks. The good thing about going at that pace (steady but without rushing –not at all time, I mean–) is that we arrived early at our destination for the night (unlike the first two days), and that gave us time for Aleix to plan the route for the next day, for me to edit some pictures calmly, and for both to go out early to find a place for dinner and go to bed at a decent hour.
Note: This was the last day we rode together with Alina. Let me provide you with a brief summary: Before the trip, none of the three of us were friends. We knew each other from a couple of rides, but not much else. In these kinds of adventures, everything is experienced much more intensely than in everyday life (due to the extraordinary conditions you're subjected to), and we were all aware that, as much as this “relationship” could work, it might not. In this case, we didn't see eye to eye on some (basic) aspects related to how we wanted to experience this journey, and we decided it would be best not to continue together to avoid unnecessary tensions. There's no need to speculate further; I've told you what happened, and it's nothing more than this. So now, let's continue with the adventure, shall we?
Day 4 - From Kamphaeng Phet to Thoen
On Day 4, Aleix and I started with a clear goal in mind: to reach our overnight stop by lunchtime. The route didn't promise much excitement after its midpoint, where the only viable option seemed to be traversing the second half on fairly major roads. That's precisely why we decided, since the route itself wouldn't be the highlight of the day, to hurry up and arrive early to take a dip in the pool at the campsite we had found the previous night while planning our route and enjoy a couple of beers.
True to our plan, the first part of the journey was spectacular, consistent with the past few days. After witnessing another incredible sunrise amidst fields, we ended up in Tak, fortunate to stumble upon a daytime market (something that would become a regular occurrence until the end of our adventure). We bought two bags of watermelon and two of pineapple: fresh, sweet, and delicious for the modest price of 140 Baht (€3.50), and enjoyed them while taking in the hustle and bustle of the place. Afterwards, we stopped to replenish water at a small shop inside someone's house, where we were greeted by a kitten that, if we hadn't been unsure where to put it, would have come with us (Note: Don't ask me why, but cats in that country were like dogs, and dogs were like cats. It's true that dogs don't do much more than barking, but they do mark their territory when you ride by their home (something to keep in mind if you're a bit wary). In contrast, cats are docile, playful, and affectionate. I found it quite curious). After saying goodbye to the kitten and with our bellies and bottles full, we set off to cover the remaining 80km. As I mentioned, these weren't the most pleasant of the day. Fatigue was beginning to accumulate, the terrain was slightly uphill, and the road was far from scenic. As I said, it was a fairly major road, with those endless straight stretches, cars, trucks... To liven up the journey, Aleix and I decided to take turns every minute (Tip: More than a travel tip, it's a general one. On these types of roads, taking turns every minute (without pushing!) will help you cover miles without even noticing and avoid wasting energy unnecessarily. However, it's ideal for everyone to be at a similar level). After covering 40km, we decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream to motivate us for the remaining 40.
And so we did. After the final push, we arrived at our destination by lunchtime. The place was a campsite consisting of bungalows and a pool; a rather curious setup in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere. We showered, washed the only kit we were going to use throughout the trip, and went for a recovery bike ride to find some food. We ended up eating what had become customary: a delicious noodle soup from a local "restaurant" for the modest price of €1. With our bellies full, we explored the surroundings until we found a couple of small shops inside the houses of some villagers. Just to give you some context, it was Sunday afternoon, and even in a remote and small village like that, we had no trouble finding something open. This underscores what I've mentioned several times: Thailand is an easy country for bikepacking.
Upon returning to the bungalow, all we wanted to do was stretch out on the bed and rest; at that point, we really hadn't rested in days. In the end, we decided to abandon the beer and pool mission and stayed inside, enjoying the simple pleasure of being horizontal and letting our legs relax a bit. Another thing that didn't help us move from there was the heat. Yes, it was so hot that we didn't even feel like moving to go to the pool. Seems a bit illogical, right? Well, believe me, it was that extreme. As soon as the sun went down a bit, the pool filled up with local children, but Aleix and I were so tired that we decided it was best to go to bed early. You can imagine how tired we were that we didn't even have dinner! And believe me, it wasn't for lack of hunger.
Day 5 - From Thoen to Ban Hong
This day started off with excitement for two main reasons: Firstly, the night before, we had decided to split the remaining distance to Chiang Mai into two. That meant it was going to be a short day of "only" 118 km :). Secondly, we were going to climb a mountain. Some of you might be thinking: What is this guy talking about? How can he be looking forward to climbing a pass with a fully loaded bike and those extreme temperatures? Well, look at it from our perspective: By this point, we had covered about 630 km with hardly any elevation gain, and while on paper that might sound ideal, the downside is that, just as there are no ascents, there are no descents either, so you're constantly pedalling without even the terrain giving you a break.
The climb was long, over 20 km, but we enjoyed it like little kids. I know there will be some reading this who don't enjoy climbs at all, and hey, each to their own. But Aleix and I love them, because climbing a mountain... it's got something magical about it. In my opinion, things that are hard to achieve have added value, and I think that's partly why I love climbing so much: Reaching the summit of a mountain is not easy, of course, but there's always a reward, one way or another. In this case, the reward (besides the incredible road we rode) came in the form of a temple.
We spent over half an hour exploring that temple peacefully, and the experience was beyond amazing. I can assure you that few (very few) tourists had set foot in that place. It wasn't an attraction; it was a building lost at the top of a mountain that you can only reach by your own means, and that made it truly special. And if for some reason you don't quite believe me, go check it out for yourselves. The name of the temple is Wat Thung Khao Hang. But what made it more special than the temples we were going to find in Chiang Mai, the city of temples? Well, let me fast forward a bit to tell you that the first temple (of the hundreds in the city) was selling merchandise and pizzas inside its parcel. I guess that speaks for itself, right?
When we decided it was time to move on, we got back on our bikes and started the first "descent" of the trip. Like I said... what a pleasure to cover kilometres without having to pedal. Besides, Aleix got a bit adventurous, and we covered a few miles on a dreamy gravel track in what could be a jungle. From there, the rest of the route wasn't anything spectacular, or rather, nothing we hadn't seen by that point. The most exciting thing was almost seeing a pickup truck loaded with onions (yes, they grew onions in that area) clearly beyond its capabilities, almost tip over. Aleix and I found it hilarious to see the onions wobbling from side to side and the driver almost losing control; not because he could have had an accident, but because of how reckless they still are there in terms of safety (Note: On the other hand, it's the country where I've felt the most respected and safe as a cyclist (and in general, really). The motorcycles there drive close to the left (they drive on the left side), as if by an unwritten rule. And I suppose, since cars are used to giving space to them, they do the same with bikes).
We found a (super) hotel on the outskirts of a village called Ban Hong. That was something that surprised us a lot because almost all the places we slept in were great (not forgetting that you're in Asia, of course), but they were completely empty: not a single tourist in 4 days. However, they're still operating, so - as mentioned earlier - we had no problem finding accommodation. After showering, washing the kit, Aleix finishing detailing the route for the next day, and me editing a couple of photos (the daily routine, by now), we went out to explore with the bikes to find somewhere to eat, have a couple of beers, and buy something for breakfast the next morning. We stumbled upon the "restaurant" of a lady who cooked us the best (and cheapest) noodle soup we had tried so far. Back at the hotel, knowing that the next day we "only" had to cover half the kilometres we were accustomed to, we allowed ourselves to go a little wild with the beers, leading to some deep conversations and lots of laughter. And that, that's something I love about these kind of trips, where everything is experienced more intensely. As much as things can go wrong, they can also go right, and in this particular case, they did. That night, I realized the bond of friendship that was being forged between Aleix and me, a bond that, in any other situation, would take years to reach that level of intensity.
Day 6 - From Ban Hong to Chiang Mai
Last day of bikepacking in Thailand. I'd be lying if I said we weren't eager to reach Chiang Mai and treat ourselves to a rest day: a well-deserved one, in my opinion. As I mentioned before, this promised to be a quiet day, and it was. We woke up leisurely and hit the road at 7:38, a couple of hours later than usual. We enjoyed the sunrise as we rode through some small villages where they cultivated onions (remember yesterday's pickup incident?), stopped to play around with the drone on a bridge we stumbled upon, and... that was about it. When we saw we were getting closer to the city, we picked up the pace. At that moment, all we could think about was finding a hotel with a pool and simply unwinding.
As we approached Chiang Mai, we started to notice the hustle and bustle. You might find it strange what I'm about to say, but we both had a weird feeling. So many cars, so many people, so many tourists... We had been riding for 4 days on lonely roads, encountering few locals, let alone outsiders. And now, within 80 km, we were back to "reality". After navigating through traffic for a while (something I have to admit I find extremely thrilling), we stopped at a local joint (where we would return to eat the next day) to grab a refreshing soda and search for that dream hotel with a pool we'd been fantasizing about (Note: Be very careful with cold drinks. Yes, I know, they're very tempting in the heat, but something as simple as ice can ruin your trip. By then, Aleix and I had been in Thailand for a week and had gradually acclimated our stomachs to the local bacteria - to which our European bodies aren't accustomed - bit by bit. Despite that, if you have a sensitive stomach, don't drink anything that's not bottled).
We found a surprisingly affordable hotel. Naturally, prices had gone up compared to the places we had come from (the effects of tourism), but it wasn't outrageous. Nothing fancy: a room, a bathroom, and a small pool on the premises, what more could you ask for? After the shower ritual, kit cleanup, etc., we spent the whole afternoon lying down, just resting. When the sun went down and it was feasible to go out, we decided to explore the city's nightlife. Very close to where we were staying, we found a market (Asia is full of them): the Chiang Mai Gate Market. We indulged in everything that caught our eye, sat on the ground, and enjoyed the local cuisine while observing the clamor of the night. When we couldn't eat anymore, we decided to call it a night early and go to bed: we were exhausted. I found it interesting how our bodies knew tomorrow was a rest day because we hadn't felt so tired throughout the entire journey, even though we had faced some tough days. They say the body is wise, so we figured it was best to listen to it and head straight to bed.
And that's it for the first part of the adventure, but don't worry if you've enjoyed it, because it doesn't end here. As I mentioned, we had a rest day ahead to prepare for what was going to be the most extreme and crazy part of the trip: LAOS.
The blog post won't be ready for a few more days, but I assure you the wait will be worth it. Take this opportunity to thank you for your time if you've made it this far. And if you have any questions, doubts, inquiries, or just want to say hello, feel free to leave me a message: I'll be happy to connect.
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