Myanmar 2016

Myanmar was very similar to Laos in that I was there for a month, only cycled  about 1,500 k and didn't buy a sim card for my Nokia  They were also the only two countries where the police raided my campsite, took selfies with me, and then drove me kicking-and-screaming to the nearest town with a 'foreigner authorized' guesthouse.  It happened 3 times in Myanmar, but only once in Laos.  I attribute this to the fact that they have only recently opened their doors to foreign travelers, especially Myanmar which didn't permit tourism until the 1990s.  Since then the few tourists who do come rarely have a chance to get off of the backpacker trail. Thus a foreigner stringing up a tent in rural areas will receive a lot of unwanted attention.

Back in Thailand I had to get a sim card as I knew Ý wanted to come visit; but Myanmar was another 30 days without ANY long-distance contact with anyone: no phone, and of course, no internet. Traveling like this is extremely interesting, to say the least.  Take a moment and try to imagine yourself in that situation.  You haven't been on the internet for the last 9 months; before crossing the border you call your partner and your parents because you're about to disappear for a month; you can't speak a word of Burmese and you have no google translate or google maps (luckily your Thai map strays far enough into Burma that you can find your way to Yangon, which will definitely have a bookshop).

Here are some of my thoughts about traveling completely off the grid:

-There is definitely a feeling of camaraderie with travelers in the past.  Before telegraph cables everyone who traveled the world did it this way, except more so:  if we really wanted to get online and contact someone we could whereas travelers in the past didn't have that assurance.  The fact that we might find this kind of travel interesting or noteworthy really goes to show how much technology has domesticated our species.

-Without technology you are forced to communicate, find your way and learn to speak some of the language.  I cycled for a couple days with 2 older guys and, as they had smartphones and internet, it was obvious how different our experiences and impressions of Myanmar were (it should be said that this isn't only because of technology, it also has a lot to do with traveling alone).

-Traveling off the grid gives the journey meaning and a sense of importance.  When online, we are subliminally comparing our lives with those people we see on facebook or youtube or whatever. But offline all of those people cease to exist, not only in our conscious minds but - after a while - through all the strata of thought, including dreams; the present moment right here as we perceive it becomes, quite literally, the most important thing in the universe. 

In general, Myanmar seemed to have more in common with Malaysia, Indonesia and India than with everywhere else I'd been in East/Southeast Asia - sarongs, paan, eating with hands, etc. Below is a map of my route and some clips from the video logs I made every few days.

Thailand - March-April 2016

Crossing the Mekong river into Thailand, I was quite excited - I knew Ý (my girlfriend) was planning on coming to Bangkok and I immediately bought a sim card to call her and my family - I had been without phone for 2 months.  So I got a room in what turned out to be a seedy brothel, and spent a few days reading, route planning and reconnecting with people...

First meal in Thailand - salted eggs, fish sauce, sticky rice

I traded my Laos map for this Thai one with a cyclist I met in Vientiane and it turned out to be a great map with National Parks clearly marked 

Road to Bangkok

It was a pleasant 2 or 3 weeks working my way south to the capital.  Thailand is full of beautiful national parks which are usually free to enter and camp; the ones that you have to pay are cheap and have hot showers so they're still nice.

As was the case cycling across Thailand in 2011, PB&J was my go-to

A Month with Ý

We met in Bangkok and spent time in Ayutthaya and on an island called Koh Chang.  Ý is a devout Buddhist and she was a bit put off by the seemingly more laid-back Buddhism in Thailand.  Some of the more touristy temples in Bangkok charge an entrance fee and Ý refused to enter on principle, then we saw a monk eating meat and she couldn't believe her eyes.  Also, monks often have watches and smartphones, things like that don't fly in Vientam where monks stick to the more traditional, ascetic path...

This guy helped me out tremendously by looking after my bike for a month while Ý was there

Chasing Sunsets to Burma

After my girlfriend left I reunited with my bike and began heading west towards the border with Myanmar - I was very excited as every country from here on out would be completely new to me.  

Red ant nest, quickly learned to spot these and NOT tie my tent to that tree

Last night in Thailand camping at a police post near the border

Laos - February 2016

I had been to Laos once before, but only for a visa-run while my sister was visiting me in Hanoi.  Some key things about my situation and mindset as I crossed from Cambodia into Laos: I had not used internet for 11 months; I had not used a phone or contacted anyone (including my family or my girlfriend in Saigon) for over a month - I was truly alone and loving it.

A guy on the side of the road selling freshly dead rats 'n squirrels

Laos Food

I was pretty critical of Cambodian food because I was accustomed to wonderful feeds in Vietnam for about $1 / meal.  Laos was better than Cambodia, but also much more expensive.  The main difference between Laos food and other southeast Asian countries is that in Laos the staple is not regular rice, but sticky rice eaten with your hands - this may seem trivial, but I found it to be quite a big cultural difference.

Seamed sticky rice is always served in these baskets, usually with some spicy mince meat, but at around $3 for a feed it is no bargain

I'm not trying to compare everything to my beloved Vietnam, but at twice the price and half as delicious Laos "phở" didn't do it for me

Sticky rice and soy sauce is like the nectar of the Gods after a full day cycling dirt roads

Curry with rice noodles was cheap and delicious

Food got better (but not cheaper) upon reaching the capital

I have no idea what these raw edible roots are, but they were my go to all month

Laos Roads

I thought the dirt roads were behind me when I left Cambodia, but I was very wrong.  I could've taken the paved highway north along the Mekong river, but that wouldn't be much fun...

Cycling with Sven

Sven is a guy from Germany who has spent more than 10 years cycling, mostly in Africa.  We met on the road in a mountainous region and cycled and camped together for 4 or 5 days.  He was an interesting, reclusive character and obviously someone who loathed social norms and common ways of thinking or looking at the world.  Once, while crossing a bridge, we decided to go down to the river and swim to cool down.  When we got down to the river, I used my sarong to change shorts and Sven just got completely naked and made his way into the water.  Later, when he came out of the water, he was standing on the river bank stark naked and some children crossing the bridge were staring at him.  He looked at them as though he pitied their brainwashing - he was 100% sure that a naked human was no different than any other naked creature and anyone who didn't see it that way had some psychological issues.

The bike of a couple who cycled from England

Being invited to - and getting drunk at - an afternoon party is very normal in Laos.  This is a homemade liquor made from honey 

Humanized condoms mingle with the Laotians

Sleeping - Pondoks Galore

One really great thing in Laos is that there are empty Pondoks (huts built on stilts) everywhere.  I have a lot to say about sleeping alone with no people nearby or access to phone/internet and the effects this has on one's mentality - or rather the mental fortitude one needs to build up in order to be able to enjoy traveling in this fashion.  However, I will keep this for another post because I could easily write 10k words about this and the various branches that this tree has.