Bali | Malaysia | Thailand South Pt. | Thailand Notrh Pt. | Laos

The flight had to be interrupted in Denpasar/Bali because something was wrong with the connection. I had to get off including my big box. At the checkout I was quite unusually welcomed by the military with loaded weapons. It was only a few days ago that the horrible bombing had taken place. Appropriate to that my hotel was empty. Anyway, I enjoyed the luxury of the place including pool and good food for my first day in Asia.

At 29. November 2002 I reached the city of Singapore in the heat of the night. Once again I wasn't particularly impressed with the atmosphere of the metropolis and preferred to escape to Malaysia on the shortest way - still 50 km across the city. The heat and humidity of the tropics meant a big change for me and left me very slow-going in the beginning. As for food I was also a bit lost - not talking about communication. The road to the east coast of Western Malaysia took me through tropical rainforests, past small villages and wooden bamboo huts. Every now and then I saw cute little monkeys jumping from tree to tree and my enthusiasm for that country grew. On the way north I met Jan, a cyclist from Berlin. Together we explored the most beautiful spots on the east coast with all its culinary advantages. As the end of feast time was just being celebrated in Islam we experienced a moving hospitality all over the whole country. Altogether I was surprised with Malaysia and how tolerant everyone acted concerning ethnic and religious groups. Seeing Malays with Chinese, Indians and Thais (...) just naturally living together and Moslems with Hindus, Christians and Buddhists celebrating made me think and should be an example for all of us.

Jan just couldn't leave the tropical islands of Malaysia. So I crossed the border to Thailand on 11. December 2002 by myself again. Slowly culture changed from Islam to Buddhism - fewer mosques, more temples. It couldn't change my enthusiasm and I got lost a little along the way in between coconut palm trees and white beaches on the way to Bangkok. At 29. December I came to the capital of Thailand, to the bombastic monster of smog and traffic. It seemed like all South Asian economics grows here and the majority of tourists enter the country here, too. New Years Eve was a big party, although it's not traditional with many Thais. However, I was relieved having left the city. Not only for the smog, but also for the cooler climate in the mountains of northern Thailand. Especially for that reason Chiang Mai is a favourite refuge for many overseas tourists not being used to the tropics. I was planning to cross the border to Myanmar north of that point. Unfortunately it was impossible as it was closed for eight months already due to fights on the Burmese side. So I went for plan B and cycled further east to the crossing at Mae Sai/Tachliek. After long discussions I made it to Burma rather accidentally - without having paid those 200 US$. But I shouldn't get further than to the next road block the following day. My individual transport and the missing stamp in my passport gave them a good reason to dismiss me back to Thailand. So my originally planned route wasn't realistic anymore. I decided to travel on to Laos and perhaps to China as well. Cycling in the "Golden Triangle" along the border of Laos enchanted me with its mystical mountains and sacret culture. Eventually I reached the Mekong River and the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane. At 23. January 2003 I left Thailand to Laos.

Riding on the right hand side of the road was the most obvious change in Laos. On the second view I saw the bitter poverty of that country. Outside the city were no more houses from stone to be seen, kids were wearing rags if they had any at all. After having spent a few unforgettable beautiful days in the capital Vientiane, I went north with the Visa for China in my pocket. The further away from the city, the poorer were the locals and the less food was available. Soup and sticky rice couldn't quite cover my needs for energy, in contrast to the tasty baguettes I had in Vientiane - a left over from the French colonial times. On the way to Luang Phrabang the mountain passes already exceeded 1,400m. The small town on the Mekong is famous for its beautiful temples. I boarded a boat which was supposed to take me further north to Pakbeng. After a few technical problems I reached the place one day later and cycled on towards China. Day by day I realized that my physical condition was getting worse until I had to stop in a little guesthouse because I wasn't able to hold my bike straight anymore. Without doctor I was forced to climb on the "bus" the following day to Louang Namtha, which is close to the Chinese border. After a blood test I received the feared diagnosis: Malaria Tropica. Not until 10 days in bed I was able to move on. On the final kilometres in Laos I came across Scott, an Australian who is living in Tokyo. After a few words he made up his mind to cycle with me to China instead of northern Laos. So we entered China together at 19. February 2003.

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