Yes, Thailand!

Thailand! Everything is sooo much easier here. So much more adapted for tourists. But the days dont include as much action as in India and Bangladesh. On the good side, I have had a looot of tail wind and the road quality is great. I could make 1250km in 9 days. I wanted to rush down to Koh Tao and spend Christmas with my friend Mattias there. Well, pictures follow.

Oh, here I even have my own lane - a huge margin at the side of the road. It was so pretty when I saw that they gave a thought to the two wheelers. That was long time ago.

I added this picture because of the story it contains. I stopped at some small place at the side of the road, a little frustrated after having made a long stage. I asked for an ice coffee and they didnt understand. I thought "oh my god, how can they not understand the word "coffee"". It is almost the same in Thai also. So I repeated "COFFEE please". Didnt understand. By frustration I took off in hope to find another place. But I cycled and cycled and no other place. I was very tired and really wanted something cold to drink. Then this truck driver stopped me and handed over a plastic bag...

...with this note and two ice coffee. It was from one of the customers at the place who heared me order a coffee. On the note it says: "I Mr. Phaiboon. I was see you looking for coffie 10 minit ago. I was sorry some one didnt know but I ask someone. I buy it for you. Good luck..." Sometimes people are very nice.

This is one of the funniest nights. I dont know, met these Thai people in some small town. They were also cyclists. We just connected and joked the whole night. But is it very hard to find Thai people who speaks English in non-touristic places.

Strange vehicles.

Field worker!

Noooooo! My first puncture. I really thought I would make it to Singapore without puncture. And it happens on a perfect road in Thailand. Anyway, I was very lucky, it happened just outside a repair shop for bicycles. Still I have never in my life repaired a puncture.

Cheer up?

Bastard. Sometimes you see elephants walking around on the streets. I still have no idea why they are there. Tried to find out but couldnt find anyone speaking English.

I thought I had seen the last packed vehicle when I left India and Bangladesh but they are really packed sometimes here also.

Oh, this picture is only here to symbolize when I was cycling with stomach illness. It was so horrible. I think it was the breakfast. I had saved some rice from the day before and bought some yoghurts which were stored in my hot room during the night. I had a mix of them both for breakfast. However, a couple of hours later my stomach started to get bad when I was cycling. Oh my god, I felt so bad and had to empty myself all the time. However, I wanted to reach my goal of the day. Sometimes I couldnt ride because I felt too bad and the place on the picture is where I lied down for a couple of hours. I finished my 120 odd kilometers, but when I reached the guesthouse of the night I could barely move. 0 energy. I feel asleep with all my cloths on and slept for more than 12 hours.

Hehe, I met an old Thai lady. She said she would like to marry a foreigner because she thought that foreigners "work, and after work they enjoy". Thai people "enjoy and work at the same time". The next day I understood what she was talking about. Some officials drinking away daytime.

I met my friend Mattias from Chalmers and Madrid at Koh Tao. Spent 3 days and Christmas there. Really good days. Just relaxing. Very different to what I have been doing.

I am such an artist! And almost as tall as Mattias when I stand on a stone.

Many and many hours were spent like that. At the sea shore with a couple of beers and just talking and talking about everything.

Chang.

Fireshows as always on the Thai islands.

And that's it. Now I am cycling alone again after the days on Koh Tao, and I thought it was gonna be tough to come back on the bicycle but it is actually quite nice. Cycle for two more days and then make a short break for New Years! Malaysia is only 300km away and Singapore 800km more, so it is really getting closer. In Malaysia there are a lot more couchsurfers than in Thailand which I am really looking forward to cause it can get a bit lonely stopping at all those towns were nobody speaks English. That is it for now!

Viktor

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A map the route I have been taking can be found here

Bangladesh!

I have just arrived to Thailand and I am writing this from Chiang Mai. Last week I spent in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is crazy. It is like India, but more of everything. More people, more traffic, more poverty, more attention. However I met some really nice people who really helped me out with different things. Thanks to all of you if you are reading this.

This is from a club - Toastmasters - in Calcutta. People from the club gather every tuesday and holds prepared and improvised speeches. Then the other members give feedback to the presentor. It is all about improving presentation skills. I was introduced to this group by an entrepreneur that I stayed with, held a speech about my trip and recieved some great feedback. This thing is really a great idea and Toastmasters is an international club.

One of the guys from the clubs owned an ice cream shop, so we went there to stuff us a little.

For a newspaper in Calcutta.

Complicated story. I had to cross the border to Bangladesh with my two bicycles - the Indian and the Swedish. Fortunately I got some help. It was amazing, normally I am quite restrictive with giving money away, but one of these guys that helped me carrying was deaf and mute, so I gave him 100 taka, which is around 1 euro, for helping me. He got so unbelievably happy. He tried to hide his happiness but he just couldnt.

My two bicycles at the room in a guesthouse.

The ferries in Bangladesh are crowded. Accidents happen all the time.

Random brother.

Totally squint-eyed guy.

I found a place by the road where people could leave me in peace. Normally they crowd up just some seconds after I stop. This was a library and the children went to school. I tried to help them a little with their English. They were so happy that I could understand what they had written.

This is what happens when I stop somewhere. People come from everywhere. It is quite insane. It was hard to get this picture.

Village where i stopped.

Roads in Bangladesh are very beautiful. Very green and lively landscape.

Niceee cycling.

There is a lot of water in Bangladesh. Rivers and ponds and lakes everywhere.

Ok, in Bangladesh I was done with my Indian bicycle. After Bangladesh came Thailand and here I will repair and go with my Swedish bicycle again. But I went 2500km on my 30 euro Indian bicycle without gears and I thought that was worth celebrating.

So by accident I met this man, must have been a cause of the law of attracion. He took me to his office and there we had a preparty. Bangladesh is a muslim country and alcohol is not really available but I was lucky.

We listened to old English music on his LP-player.

And then we went to buy flowers and decoration for my bicycle. I planned to decorate it on the street and let people join in. Not every day I have the chance to create such a party so I thought I might as well just take the opportunity.

And this was the result, a huge crowd helping me decorate the bicycle. I gave a man some money and told him to make a banner. It says "Bombay to Barisal" - which is more or less the stage I made with the bicycle. And I like how they got my name "Viktov Predan".

My bicycle with the crowd.

How pretty.

I gave the roses and the other flowers from the decoration to some of the people around.

Here I am arriving to Dhaka. The traffic was totally insane. I have never seen so many cycle taxis or "Rikschas".

Couchsurfer meeting in Dhaka! Many of them were cyclists also.

And in a couple of hours I will start my first day of cycling here i Thailand. Weehoo.

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A map of the trip can be found here.