Tag: Female Cycle Tourist

Posted on

How to use fear to your advantage

Does this image fill you with fear? What does it say to you?

It’s a photo taken in Bangladesh with complete strangers – men. These men were curious; wondering how I’d got there and why I was there – they were happy to have a photo with me. They were not there to hurt or attack me, they were just existing, in the same place I was, at the same time, surprised to see me…

Cycling 10,000kms throughout Asia as a woman alone raised many questions, the most common one being, “Aren’t you scared?!”

My response was always, “Of what…You?”

And the person would be horrified that I’d asked such a daft question as they were always only approaching with genuine interest, fascination and curiosity – they had no intention to cause me any harm.

The question was so open-ended, how could I possibly respond? Of course there are moments of fear, that’s an everyday reality. Fear pops up everywhere in the world whether you’ve got a random person who seems to be staring at you strangely at the bus stop or a car that drove past you that little bit too closely… What one person considers ‘scary’ will differ to the next person.

Some types of fear come from what we have experienced in the past, often centred around our own traumas and other fears will come from the stories we’ve heard from other people. Either way, it’s a defence response from our bodies to protect us from what we perceive as a threat.

That’s the key word there, perceive. Fear comes from the narrative that we are telling inside our own minds. That narrative is derived from what ‘evidence’ we choose to focus on to help us subconsciously determine the risk.

Many people think I’m crazy for camping or cycling alone as a woman but I like to challenge people on what they think I should be scared of exactly? Being attacked or raped by a malicious stranger is the most common origin of that question in this context. Well, let’s think about this… The vast majority of humans internationally are decent people – they want to help when they can and they certainly don’t want to hurt you. So what would the chances be that a psychopathic rapist would just happen to be in the exact remote place that I unexpectedly decided to camp at sunset? And that that person would know that I was female inside my tent? Unlikely.

Sometimes, feeling fearful can distract us from consciously assessing the risk of an action/event/experience and it can prevent us from taking part. Other times, it can prevent us from making dangerous or irresponsible decisions. As we continue to navigate life, the presence of fear will always have some impact on our choices – for some, fear spurs them on and other fear holds them back…

So when someone asks me, “Aren’t you scared?” I try to explain that fear of anything doesn’t serve as a barrier to me. And to be honest, I am not scared. I recognise moments of fear and use them to help me work through challenging situations whilst simultaneously working on myself, using fear to highlight where I need to do more shadow-work to become stronger and more resilient.

Just like all other emotions, we should not suppress fear but instead witness it and use it to understand ourselves better. With that, comes personal development and overall progress.

This is not an article to help you remove fear from your life, it’s about how to conquer using fear as a positive signal; to help you engage with yourself in a more challenging way and utilise fear as a drive for personal progress.

1. Radical Acceptance

What is coming up for me?

Plucking your rawest emotions from being held tightly inside you is your first step to emotional ownership. Drawing your most challenging feelings out allows you to acknowledge them, take responsibility for them and actively work through them. Whilst fear tends to be highlighted by inaction, guilt and shame may also come up following an emotionally driven action and can contribute to the development of fear later on. Rather than regretting what has or hasn’t happened, taking responsibility of what IS will be the only way to make effective progress as you give yourself the chance to un-work emotional blockages which not only clears your path but also builds resilience within and empowers you as you come to realise your ability to tackle adversity.

Techniques to help with this can include writing them down on a piece of paper to actually visualise them or perhaps talking them through to hear them out loud with a friend, loved one or therapist. This approach helps us to take accountability of our emotions in order to listen to the message within them. As we remove resistance, we allow them to pass and are free to witness and absorb the lessons in the process.

TIP: Identify your problem by answering WHAT is coming up for you emotionally.

2. Honest Reflection

Why do I feel this way?

Working through the roots of your feelings you will begin to understand which traumas you need to pay more attention to unravelling in order to have better internal balance and stability. Identifying these traumas with openness and honesty is the only way to tackle them; maintaining a narrative of denial will keep your triggers buried until they’re inevitably called to resurface again at a later point.

TIP: Approach yourself with an honest WHY… WHY did this happen? WHY do you feel this way – WHY were you triggered? WHY did you lose control? These questions will help to identify what’s getting in your way so that you can work around them in step 3.

3. Pragmatic Approach

How can I improve this situation?

Now you have identified the cause of your rising emotions, you can work out how best to navigate around them. Knowing your obstacles can be more important than knowing your path as identifying what is blocking you will prepare you to find necessary solutions. First establish which of your blockages come from a basis of fear and which come from real risk. Fear is a projection whereas risk is calculated based on facts. Working out what the actual risks are will help you to mitigate them and through honest reflection, dissecting your fears as mere projections will mean that neither fear nor risk remain as obstacles. Make sure you take some time to think about where you want to be and what you want to achieve. With this clarity, build yourself a realistic and manageable route around your problem(s).

TIP: Approach with HOW: ‘HOW can I improve this situation?’ When dealing with fear, guilt or shame we must use our accountability to drive us forward into positive resolve. Write all your ideas as a list so that you can easily work your way through until you find the best and most effective approach.

4. Positive Progress

I have and I am…

After coming to terms with your emotions and seeing opportunities to excel past your blockages, the final step is to put your intentions into action. Implement the lessons you’ve learned from the previous steps into your reality by taking your list of your intentions that you wrote in step 3 and tackling them one at a time. I recommend making a detailed to-do list so your tasks seem more manageable and less overwhelming – cross each item off as you complete it for satisfaction and recognition that helps to keep you motivated.

TIP: Partner this practice with positive affirmations which keep you focused, learning and help to build self-confidence. Here are some examples: ‘I HAVE ALL THE TOOLS I NEED TO ….’ or ‘I AM IMPROVING ON … EVERYDAY’

So there you have it, a short and easy step-by-step guide to help you understand, rationalise and overcome your fears so that you can use them to your advantage. I hope it helps!

Love, Han x

Posted on

Mountains and Magic: Cycling Mystical Meghalaya

I have travelled extensively across the last 8 years including more than one year on my bicycle and have seen some of the most mind blowing, remote and beautiful places but there was something about Meghalaya that touched my heart in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I hope this blog post gives you a tiny idea of how much this wonderful place touched my heart and inspires you to go and visit yourself because it is truly special.

More blogs to come soon with more info on specific places in Meghalaya 🙂

A fun adventure with my partner in (slow-motion) crime

I travelled the whole state with Yesenia, a Spanish woman (and fellow feminist) that had reached out to me via Instagram when I was in Assam. We’d met up and shared Christmas and New Year together in Guwahati whilst waiting for Queenie to get fixed after our little accident when I was run over by a drunk driver. As we were both cycling towards Bangladesh, we decided to see what it would be like travelling together and opted for the scenic route rather than the primary road to Shillong.

Little did we know that it would end up being more than a two week trip because we fell so in love with the nature, the people and each other’s company. That and, well, the hills were massive and we were going S U P E R S L O W . . . haha. In my defence, I had serious gear problems following my accident when I was run over by a drunk driver in Assam!

Anyway… here are some of our highlights:

Amkyrbai Lake

The first place that sole our hearts was Amkyrbai Lake. An undiscovered local tourist attraction located on the main road. We were struggling with the constant uphill climb on our first afternoon crossing the border from Assam and the sun was setting rapidly. Taking a break and a breath, I noticed a bamboo built archway. We didn’t have food or water but I just had a feeling it might be somewhere nice to camp. As we went to have a look around inside, we couldn’t believe our luck to find this beautiful and abandoned outdoor abyss; a lake surrounded by bamboo forests and what looked like an old market that was maybe active during high season.

We went on a mission to find a clean water source and made friends with the lady who worked there selling snacks, tea and rice. She spoke no English but the local priest from the next village helped to translate. They warned us against the wild elephants but we explained we knew the risks and were very happy here as it was just so beautiful. She gave us tea, rice and potatoes for the evening and they agreed to not tell anyone we were staying there.

It was perfect; we had toilets, a mini kitchen, a whole lake and a gorgeous bamboo forest with no one to disturb us! There was even shelter under one of the bamboo huts, obviously used during high season. We ended up staying 3 nights there and the few locals that visited didn’t bother us too much at all.

One woman, a lovely lady named Lily-Mary from a neighbouring town, even drove me 9kms to the next village to pick up supplies so we could camp there for longer. This meant we had three nights of almost private bliss where we cooked gourmet camp meals, played music and swam naked in the lake mostly undisturbed.

The beautiful Lily-Mary

On the road in the East Kasi Hills

When we finally brought ourselves to leave our beloved new home, we stopped by at Lily-Mary’s house in Patharkhmah to rest the next night. The family welcomed us warmly and cooked a huge spread of the most delicious food – YUM!

Continuing up the challenging and never-ending inclines of the East Kasi Hills definitely paid off because there was an abundance of charming tiny villages, friendly locals, incredible camp spots and breathtaking mountain scenery in every direction. The roads are in great condition which make life much more palatable when you’re constantly climbing and had hardly any traffic – a biker’s dream!

Married Village to Mairang

We stumbled across another outstanding camping spot in a pine forest alongside a pristine secluded river near Maroid Village. After an extremely tough day of climbing steep mountains and hungry bellies after a dissatisfying meal of rice and salt, we helped each other to carry our bikes over a small river and up onto a glorious forest path. It was just wonderful, nobody disturbed us and we stayed two nights and three days. Time flew by, washing laundry in the river, reading books, drawing, cooking, hiking – L I V I N G – it was bliss.

From Maroid Village, we cycled towards Shillong and passed through Mairang. It was a larger town on higher ground with almost no shelter from the wind making it chilly to travel in January! When we arrived, we decided to go back 15kms or so and detour to Kyllang Rock, the second highest rock and viewpoint in the whole state and camped just opposite, it was beautiful and the journey through the local villages was special, too. After ticking that off the list, it was finally time to move onto Shillong.

  • Waking up by the river
  • Cooking over open fire
  • At Kyllang Rock

Shillong

I had high hopes for Shillong after hearing such wonderful things but after our wonderful small-village escapades, cycling into the city was disappointing. We looked forward to the final stretch of our journey from Guwahati being a very long descent after all the challenging climbing, but that was utterly ruined by heavy traffic forcing us to hold our brakes the whole way into town. Shillong city itself is insanely crowded and not an ideal place for bicycle travel. We did coincidentally meet up with 4 other cycle tourists, (including Xavier, who was the first ever cycle tourist I’d met back in February 2019 in Vietnam! Small world!) which was a nice surprise.

We’d heard that Elephant Falls was overrated, so we gave that one a miss, but we did get to visit Laitlum Grand Canyon with local friends, Diana and MickeyDee, which was beautiful. If you’re cycling, it’s about 22kms from the centre with some healthy rolling hills and gravel roads. At the canyon, you walk down lots of steps to get a better view. You can walk all the way down to the village (we didn’t do this) but apparently that takes a good few hours down and of course, much longer up. It was hard enough climbing back up the steps from the viewpoint! A nice day out.

When two became three

Arriving into Shillong meant we finally managed to reconnect with Jestin, who I’d met at Hornbill Festival and had decided to cycle with for some time. We all headed to Cherrapunji (locally known as Sohra) together which was where I was blown away beyond words. Honestly, I knew it was going to be beautiful there but I could not have anticipated just how spectacular it was. Picturesque and smooth mountain roads delicately winding into the valley felt even more sensational than usual as my muscles smiled to have a break from climbing in this majestic setting. We didn’t get to cycle together for too long, as Jestin headed back to meet friends in Dawki, but it was a nice experience while it lasted! 🙂

The road from Shillong to Cherrapunji (Sohra)

The bone crushing factory

Throughout Meghalaya we took shelter in many places including people’s homes, at a convent and of course, outside in the most spectacular nature. Although it was never usually a challenge to seek refuge with the friendly locals, we did get caught out one night when it was dark, freezing cold and we had nowhere to go, so we slept inside a bone crushing factory to keep warm – yes, me, the vegan sleeping inside the bone crushing factory – EW! But there was beauty in abundance throughout Meghalaya and within 5 minutes from wherever you find yourself, you’re guaranteed an epic nature view.

Cherrapunji (Sohra)

Renowned as the wettest place on Earth, it was inevitable that it would be home to breathtaking natural scenes but this region exceeded all my expectations and overtook as possibly the best place I’ve ever been. Cycling into Cherrapunji was an absolute dream! From Shillong, you climb steadily for the first 30kms or so then you have a loooong, windy, gradual downhill overlooking the most beautiful mountains and valleys – you feel like you’re flying! This place is home to spectacularly huge cliffs, rich, dense jungle and the most incredible waterfalls, even during dry season, which left me speechless and humbled. What magnified the whole experience was that no one told us!! We just didn’t expect it to be so stunningly phenomenal and were left entirely blown away. Blog post coming soon on my adventures in Nongriat, highlight of my time in Meghalaya. Keep your eyes peeled!

Me and Yemeni at one of the many breathtaking natural pools at Rainbow Falls, Nongriat

Dawki

So Dawki was a place I’d massively built up in my head because of Jestin and all the wonderful things he’d said which had left me with expectations. For Yese and I, we found it another typical border town. Yes, there is ‘the cleanest river in Asia’ but honestly, I was more more blown away by other places in Meghalaya. Saying that, we arrived in the dark, on a Saturday night, so there were drunken men everywhere and we struggled to find a place.

The place Jestin had for us was too exposed and therefore unsafe (highlighting the struggles we face as travelling and camping as women in comparison to him) and we ended up staying inside an old church building after searching for hours at half past ten PM. We wanted to visit Shnongpdeng the next day which is a quieter (and supposedly more beautiful) town just 7kms uphill from Dawki, but Yese was violently ill and I’d severely hurt my knee so we couldn’t move anywhere. In a rush to cross the border, we had to miss it in the end. We weren’t too fussed.

Food

One down side to the state was the food – it was not vegan friendly at all and there were quite a few occasions where I ate rice with salt when nothing else was available. Meat and fermented fish (locals call it katung) are a huge part of their diet and culture because Meghalaya is a Christian state and therefore the vegetarian culture associated with Hinduism is not prominent.

I found myself having a lot of plain, boiled veg accompanied by dal which is common in the Northeast. A wide variety of fruit was not as readily available in the rural towns but we could usually find oranges and bananas at frequent enough intervals.

NOTE: Anywhere throughout Meghalaya, but especially in remote villages, it can be particularly challenging to get food on a Sunday as everything shuts down super early.

TOP TIP: If you’re looking to cycle through Meghalaya, take opportunities at (usually weekly) market days and stock up on easy protein-rich snacks like cooked chickpeas or nuts if you’re veggie/vegan.

Click here to read more about my experience being vegan in Northeast India.

Culture

There are two prominent cultures in Meghalaya: Kasi and Garo. I travelled through the Kasi Hills and I have to say that they have such a calm and loving aura around their communities. Simple living, family orientated, and what was particularly interesting is that they live in a matrilineal society.

This means that the bloodline is traced through the Mother and the family property, inheritance and responsibility falls to the youngest daughter to take care of. She stays in the family home with the parents to look after them as they age and become more dependent.

Despite this being seen as giving better rights to women, they are nowhere near equal and the ultimate decision making always comes down to the fathers, grandfathers and uncles. Women still have the responsibility of looking after the home, husband and children, and in some places even work in the fields as well. Women are still restricted with their decision making, ability to pursue careers, freedom to travel and right of public expression in society. I’m telling you, the deeper I get into this journey, the more I realise that the real superheroes of this world are the working class women of Asia.

Something else we couldn’t help but notice was the little little size of the people! We’re not sure why, but Kasi people were tiny and Yesenia and I are both quite tall so everyone found it equally amusing that we were so tall and they were so small!

Us posing as giants…

Kasi people and culture are incredibly friendly and far less invasive than other Indians in regular interactions (on the whole) and we felt that shift dramatically as we crossed the border from Assam to Meghalaya which was a welcomed and nice relief. That’s not to say that we were free of hassle throughout our journey as we still suffered unbearable attention at times and frequent selfies. The worst case was when we were invited in to stay at someone’s home after we couldn’t find a place to sleep and it had already gotten dark. There were about 50 children that all swarmed inside the house, touching and grabbing our bikes and the bags on it. They were fascinated and had never met foreigners so there were definitely no personal space boundaries but they were harmless and just excited so we didn’t mind too much!

A few shout outs/thank yous!

Ian at Pro Cycling was an absolute gem – he fixed all my ongoing problems from my accident before Christmas and I can very strongly recommend his shop if you’re visiting Shillong and your bike needs some TLC.

Diana went over and above to look after us in her beautiful and comfortable home in Shillong and we also had the privilege of hanging out with MickeyDee, two incredible connections and inspiring strong women made through Couchsurfing!

Orange Roots Restaurant was a delicious ‘pure veg’ restaurant (vegetarian but uses dairy products) that sponsored our meals on the way into Cherrapunji. Honestly, it was beyond exceptional – top quality food and eat as much as you like! Fantastic.

Posted on

What a welcome! Riding from Kawkareik to Hpa-An

My first full day in Myanmar was certainly that – FULL. 104kms of an emotional, beautiful and bumpy-as-hell journey. I finally got my early start in with a 4:45am alarm that I snoozed until 5:30. Up, ready and out to the morning market for fruit stocking and breakfast before my (expected to be) 90km day. Had a spectacular breakfast of a handful of everything a lady had in front of her, mushed and mixed together with an onion bhaji type of thing and a miniature orange sweet curry bowl. My vegan note from Su Su had worked a charm and everyone around me was fascinated and amused with my food ordering encounter. This got me even more excited for all the food I’d be continuing to eat! 

Stopped less than a kilometre out of the town, an immigration officer took down my details. He said he liked the premier league and laughed at my reaction when I told him that Arsenal were ‘no good’! The road was horrendous. Like giant moon craters covered in jagged rocks and the occasional bit of mud. This lasted for the first 50kms of the journey. Luckily, I was still experiencing a sensory overload of Burmese magic and digesting the dramatic changes from what seemed to be futuristic Thailand in comparison. 

People here are so friendly and everything is beautiful. Overgrown and raw. Even the trees have untamed life growing all over their roots and bark – it’s amazing. 

The hills together with the road conditions made the journey tough but my excitement for being here and because I actually managed to leave early this morning meant that I didn’t feel pressured or rushed to move at super-speed! I took a rest and ate my pomelo in the shade followed by a brief friendly encounter with a local I couldn’t communicate with. Burmese is HARD. People told me they speak English – they don’t! 

I passed a man leading up to a tough hill…he was on a bike too. He overtook me then walked his bike when he couldn’t pedal anymore. When I reached the top we smiled a celebrated together. I shared a spare dragonfruit with him and we took a moment to rest whilst appreciating each other. He let me take a photo of us and our bikes. He was a cool guy – grey and black hair, longer than mine, and fabulous multicoloured clothes. I really enjoyed that moment. 

After that I went up to the monastery that Su Su had recommended for lunch. The hill was crazily steep and I cycled half then walked up the stairs for the rest. Cycling would have probably been easier! A monk showed me around up to the pagoda where the view was incredible. Green land for miles. He seemed so proud which was also really humbling to see. I felt overwhelmed with love and joy. 

Back to the bike to pedal the other 50kms to Hpa-An and I hoped the road improved which thank God, it did. And so did the scenery. Wow, the afternoon was to die for! Passing by giant limestone cliffs lined with countless plants all beautifully overgrown…even the tree trunks were bursting with life from every angle! Stunning. 

I made it just in time to my last recommended stop, the pagoda on a lake, for sunset, which was beautiful. Enjoying the sunset there meant I cycled the last 12kms in the dark to the town but it was worth it and I arrived proud, exhausted and delighted with my crazy and fun-filled day getting just one tiny insight into what the next weeks had in store for me.  

Posted on

Onto country number four: Myanmar!

Entering Myanmar was the easiest process imaginable. In fact, it didn’t feel like a border crossing at all. Normally it’s all serious faces and no photography signs but the Burmese border officers were cheesing more than me(!) and snapping photos like I was a celebrity. A refreshing change. 

Anyone who has done it before will tell you that crossing any land border is an interesting experience, and despite whatever efforts you give, you’ll always end up comparing the country you’ve just left with the new one you’ve entered. 

As far as comparisons go, you can’t really get more different than Thailand to Myanmar. Leaving behind perfectly paved, civilised roads with your wide (false sense of security) ‘cycle lane’ comfortably marked along the left hand side, you arrive into a space that cars, trucks, motorbikes, cows, chickens, dust, bicycles and just about anything else that can be moved, all share a space. Oh, and flip reverse back to riding on the right side of the road. But after three months of ease and familiarity, it was a refreshing change that I was ready for and I suddenly felt like a proper explorer again. 

I got straight to the first jobs – sim card and money exchange. Being the only white face, people seem to want to help in any way they can. I’d already learnt how to say you’re beautiful so I made people smile as soon as I arrived and fumbled my way through a conversation to get some data for maps and communication. 

My first real impression of this wonderful country was with Su Su. I met her through Warmshowers and had pre-arranged to meet her for lunch once I’d crossed the border in the local town, Myawaddy. She took me to an awesome local place where I got to try my first tea leaf salad (one of the most known traditional dishes) as well as an epic curry. A fantastic start. She also helped me to learn some key terms, wrote down how to say that I’m vegan, educated me on some important cultural points to be aware of (like how you only bow when greeting a monk or that camping and being hosted by locals is strictly illegal) and mapped out the first part of my journey with loads of hot-spots to visit along the way. She did all this just to help welcome me to her country and she even bought me lunch. In fact, she was upset she couldn’t spend more time with me as she had to return to work! Her spectacular hospitality certainly gave me a good insight into the warmth and loving nature of the Burmese people and sent me on my way to Kawkareik, where I spent my first night, with a big, fat smile.

Following Su Su’s advice, I took the new road which was surprisingly modern and ventured over some mountains. I didn’t really know what I had in mind for Myanmar, but even this slight introduction was beating it. As tough as I found it to be climbing again, it reaffirmed my love for mountains and I was happy to be just taking my time and soaking in all directions of my wonderful surroundings. Varying shades of magnificent greens in all directions, coupled with the rawness of Burmese living, my senses were overwhelmed with joy and fascination. It’s incredible how such a small distance can present such huge differences. 

Once I’d reached the peak of the mountain, I felt a huge wave of gratitude and emotion sweep through me. The land flattened out into large expanses of brightly coloured rice paddies glimmering in the delicately setting sun. Tears spilled over my eyelids as I realised that my dream of visiting Myanmar was actually happening right now. And it was already better than I could have ever imagined.

When I arrived into Kawkareik I headed straight for the guesthouse that Su Su had suggested but it was full. They sent me to another – also full. Unbelievable – what were the chances?! These were the only two licensed guesthouses for foreigners in town so a local negotiated on the phone for me to stay at a local’s guesthouse as long as I didn’t report them to the police (I know, why would I?!). It cost me 7,000 Kyatts (about £3.50) and my room was a single bed inside a tiny, dirty, green box. There was a fan and a washing line, a pillow and a sheet. Further down the corridor was a row of squatter toilets which smelt like they operated under the rule of ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down’. Next door to those were the showers, a plastic blue hose pipe with giant red lever opening or closing the flow of water to the rusty shower head. There was no hot water but that was the last thing I needed so no concerns there. Simple but fine, I settled in and was happy to have a place to rest my head for the night. 

Next was my first independent food seeking experience. I ventured out, armed with my Burmese note and language list to ask around for some vegan food and it really wasn’t so hard. I ended up with some kind of fried bread with curried cabbage, pickled cucumber and rice – delicious first attempt and I was satisfied. 

Day one in Myanmar had not disappointed and I was excited to reach Hpa-An, the first major town and place I could actually get a chance to rest my incredibly sore bum after a consistent and long stretch from Bangkok. 

Posted on

The perfect ending to my time in Thailand

When I left Bangkok 9 days ago, I saw my journey to Mae Sot purely as my route to Myanmar. The reality was that it became my favourite part of cycling Thailand; not only because the views and roads were beyond stunning, but because I was fully integrated in Thai culture, hosted, fed and thoroughly looked after every single day. 

I started the trip with a strong 112km stretch to stay with Aurelio, a lovely Swiss Warmshowers host that I’d organised staying with before leaving the city. He lived in a small country town called Tha Muang in Kanchanaburi. Even though it was all flat, going straight back into a 112km day after a long break can be tough, especially when you’re tackling strong headwinds for 45km of your journey. I arrived late (obviously, because I’m useless at ever leaving early!!) following a loving goodbye to Jodie. Despite feeling tired and beaten from the relentless wind, I was rewarded with a spectacular sunset when arriving into Aurelio’s charming rural village. Relieved to have finally made it and welcomed with open arms, my journey towards Myanmar had officially begun and that felt amazing. 

I showered and changed then we shared wonderful cycle stories over dinner. Years ago, Aurelio cycled from Thailand to Switzerland so needless to say, we had lots to talk about. When morning arrived, he helped me clean my bike, tighten my bearings and made sure I was well fed and rested before wishing me well on my way north. In fact, saying goodbye to Aurelio late (again, haha) meant that I missed my next target of an organic farmstay campsite about 115km away which overlooked a beautiful lake. Although I was momentarily disappointed, I trusted that I was where I needed to be. This led to a perfect new sequence of events that made this journey as epic as it revealed itself to be… 

  • A beautiful reservoir en route to Kanchanaburi
  • My wonderful Warmshowers host, Aurelio
  • Sunset arriving into Tha Muang, Kanchanaburi

I took the tiny dirt track roads through the sugar cane plantations which honestly blew my mind. Being surrounded by thriving nature on rustic, bumpy trails with not a soul around made it impossible to not feel deep love for life and gratitude for every moment. I started to search for a camping spot down the back roads where I asked locals if they knew of anywhere. Instead, I was invited to a loving family home where I was made the feast of a lifetime with my favourite vegetable – pumpkin! I really loved my time with this family because they were all so present – no phones and fully engaged with me and each other. This might seem like a strange comment, but really, phones and technology have taken over the world so much, even in rural Asia, people are still spending hours upon hours scrolling through Facebook. 

My wonderful hosts in Nong Plong, Kanchanaburi

The next day I was bursting with joy and enthusiasm having recharged from my heart warming encounter the night before and full of delicious and nutritious vegan food. Winding through the never-ending green-lands, the day passed quickly and I started thinking about where I would find somewhere to sleep down the small country lane. 

It was about 5pm when I passed a school. I rolled in and asked a lady if she knew of somewhere I could put my tent. They opened the old medical room which had a bed, fans and a bathroom. I offered to guest teach a fun and interactive lesson in the morning as a thank you. Little did I know that they’d organise an assembly to the entire school of 600 children followed by a lesson for two grades of children (aged about 7-10)! It was brilliant and I had the best time helping such smart, respectful and sweet children. 

Late on the road following the class (again!), I cycled with pure glee all day just basking in the perfection of every direction I turned. Cycling through rolling hills gave new dynamics to the already outstanding scenery. Layers upon layers of deep greens lined in the distance with majestic mountains along the Thai-Burmese border. 

Cruising along to the slowly setting sun, my mood was sky high as I passed a town called Khlong Chani. I heard a friendly “Hello!” from a group of people and thought I’d ask about where I could camp as the area was so beautiful. 

I spoke with a friendly couple, Aor and Mangkhol, who spoke some English and they invited me to stay with them. The whole family and village welcomed me and I went to bed with a huge smile on my face! 

I offered a melon and a pineapple as a thank you but ended up leaving the next day with a lucky buddha charm, three bunches of bananas, a bunch of longans, a watermelon, some sweet potato fries and a (paper) bag of caramelised peanuts! We also shared a very special morning where we ate breakfast together following prayers at their local temple as it was ‘Buddha Day’. 

  • Arriving in Khlong Chani
  • Making offerings
  • Breakfast at the temple
  • Aor, Mangkhol and family, my hosts in Khlong Chani, Uthai Thani

Onwards and upwards from there as I needed to cover some ground to reach Mae Sot in time before my visa expired. It rained a little bit that day which literally dampened my mood and together with severe bum chafing (I know, ew, gross!) was distracting to say the least! Just as I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, the beaming sun broke through the clouds just as I reached the most incredible stretch of road. I reminded myself how lucky I was speeding down the country lanes to the heart warming sounds of magical natural life all around me. 

Bumping along the rocky side roads had caused me to break a spoke which I stopped to take a look at. A woman on a motorbike pulled up alongside me and asked if I was okay. Her name was Ploy and she was visiting her home town from Bangkok. She invited me to stay at her home and even though I’d wanted to cover another 20km or so, it felt like a sign so I agreed with a smile and I followed her  down the road to her beautiful house. 

  • Blessing & building the new Buddha
  • Ploy, her mother and her beautiful daughter Nessa, my hosts in Baan Tha Magood

That evening was also a special one as they were holding a ceremony that evening to start building the base of a new Buddha at the local temple. So I visited two temples in one day and got to witness and take part in the prayers and blessings that meant so much to this loving and friendly community. 

Another lovely host meant another late start but oh my God was I rewarded when I ventured (struggled!) down an impossible sandy track which brought me to a gorgeous rubber plantation. 

I hadn’t been riding long but I just had to stop. There was a mesh hammock set up with my name on it and the shade summoned me away from the heat of the glaring sun. I cracked open the watermelon and basked in my moment of bliss. 

Tougher spots to have a watermelon break…

My next stop was in search for food when I was given heaps of barbecued bananas for free. It kept me going and the break made me realise how much time was getting on and that I needed to make progress fast. I picked up the pace and transitioned into fat-burning-workout-mode. Arriving into a small village at a beautiful sunset gave me incentive to find somewhere to sleep fast. 

A policeman offered to take me to a beautiful spot he knew by the river with some friends who owned a lodge on the outskirts of the national park. He said it was 1km away but we ended up going on a 45 minute detour into the dark down a rocky and sandy single track. I remember thinking, ‘where the hell was he taking me?!’

But it was worth it. It was pitch black when I got there and the family helped me to get set up fast. By the time I was done and showered, food was on the table waiting. An amazing beansprout and tomato dish and… wait for it… VEGAN BANANA CAKES! I had hit the jackpot! 

We spent some time together whilst I helped the son practice his English then I went to bed more than content and full of gratitude. 

Waking up next to the river was amazing. So many forms of life buzzing around you and the young sun glimmering off the water. Having breakfast with that view would be an incentive for anyone to get up and seize the day. 

  • My lovely hosts next to Khlong Wang Chao National Park

After our photoshoot and loving goodbyes, the daughter gave me a pair of trousers as a gift which I graciously accepted. Back on the road and my early start saw me cover good ground before the heat slowed me down. Stopping to fill up some water around 11am, I was convinced into staying for lunch by some friendly local farmers. They bought me lunch and gave me some custard apples to take on my way. 

Scenes changed to bight green rice fields and even though I’d planned to stay at the campsite at the top of the mountain on the way to Mae Sot, I took a wrong turn down an awful road which made me too late. Trusting the process, I didn’t get mad and stopped the near side of the mountain where yet another kind family took me in. 

Not only that, but they provided me with the most outstanding view I could have ever wished for! Porn, the mother, led me down to a wooden platform at the bottom of their garden which overlooked about 10 stunning rice fields. 

I showered and shared dinner with charming daughters, both glowing with their cute smiles, bubbly personalities and heavily pregnant bellies. I felt like the crazy, foreign auntie to be. 

  • Porn’s lovely family, hosting me in Tak Province, before I tackled the mountain to Mae Sot!

Sunrise was beautiful and started my day perfectly. Getting on the road early was a must because I knew I needed to take my time being a little out of practice with significant climbs. 

I remembered the struggle of battling sweat dripping uncontrollably into my eyes as I slowly climbed the (what felt like) giant task ahead of me. 

Somehow, in the middle of the mountain, there was an ice cream man (which felt like a mirage lol). Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an option that had no milk and no plastic so after a moment of feeling sorry for myself, I pulled my chin up and got back to the task of conquering the peak. 

I reached the top around lunchtime and it was insanely hot. A well deserved lunch which was bought for me by a friendly lady at the top after she took a keen interest in my trip. I was becoming a magnet for kindness and it was genuinely overwhelming. Overwhelming and simply beautiful. 

  • From my tent at sunrise
  • The final leg!
  • My lunch company 🙂
  • Mountain views…

The second and smaller peak of the day felt more challenging. Passing through noisy, dusty and inconvenient construction works left me with an inevitable flat tyre. I got to changing it whilst hiding in the small amount of shade provided by a worker truck and got back to the task. I wanted to make it to Mae Sot to get to a bike shop as I seemed to have a small issue with my wheel which I wanted to check before crossing to Myanmar. 

The final incline pushed me and my enthusiasm but the spectacular decline at sunset quickly reminded me why I love mountains so much. I flew. Soaring at 65km/h and really feeling every bit of emotion I was capable of; grateful for my physical ability and grateful for my presence in such a breathtaking setting. Descending into Mae Sot made me emotional as I reflected thankfully on what the past eight days had brought me.

Picking all the sharp bits out of my tyre earlier in the day had slowed me down, meaning I arrived late by the time I reached the hostel. Luckily, Tua, the owner of Sleep Nest Hostel, was there and drove me all over town trying to find a place as I had to leave the next morning when my visa expired. 

We didn’t find anywhere that night but after speaking for a while, he sponsored my accommodation, made dinner for me with his friend, Chai, and instantly became a friend. 

I fell in love with the guys and their kind hearts which made me want to help them, too. So I overstayed my visa by a day (this costs 500 Baht by the way) to share some art and help Tua with the hostel. It was special because everyone staying there got involved with some drawing, too, and we ended up having a bit of a creative social for my last night in Thailand. 

The perfect end of my time in a fantastic country. A chapter full of love, epic food, unforgettable experiences and unparalleled hospitality. 

Until next time.