Food poisoning or Dengue?

Well, I was warned about the Southeast of Thailand being somewhat "unstable" and therefore unsafe to ride my bicycle through. Spent three days in the area and didn't feel uncomfortable at all. There a many many military all carrying automatic rifles (there is something comical about two guys in military camo, bulletproof vests with automatic rifles...on a scooter). But as they say, everything always seems calm until a bomb goes off. Anyways I have arrived in the "safe" province of Satun but not without incident.
Last night I found a wonderful campsite by a waterfall in the jungle. Got to take a dip in a surprisingly cool jungle stream and wash some clothes. Watching the full moon rise over the jungle was a nice way to spend the evening. The jungle was much quieter than I expected and would have made for a good night's rest except for one thing. I settled into the hammock for some reading about 9 and before long started to feel nauseous. The famaliar feelings of food poisoning had settled in by 10. I was feverish, sore all over, stomach churning. I don't know what happened because I didn't recall eating or drinking anything sketchy. Who knows...maybe my water filter missed something or I had some bad ice or I accidentally ingested some bug repellent...the list goes on and on in my head. I struggled to get in about 40km today and found a good guesthouse. Spent the rest of the afternoon laying in bed trying to keep my stomach in control until about 6 when I felt like it was cool enough that I could tolerate walking to get some food. Things seems to be improving but I still feel pretty wrecked. I just hope the symptoms clear up soon (they are almost the same symptoms as Dengue...but I'm pretty sure I'd know if that was hitting me).
Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can orchestrate boat rides to some islands rather than riding up the coast. It will cost me a bit more but I can see Ko Bulon Lae, Ko Lanta, Krabi and Ko Phi Phi before meeting Dan over in Phuket next week. I hate breaking my budget but I really don't want to miss out on these amazing islands because I was unwilling to be a bit flexible. Just means more peanut butter and ramen in the future...
New pics are up in the Thailand gallery. Will try to give you folks another update relatively soon but not sure about the internet situation on these islands. Until then, enjoy the snow (if you're joining me from NC)...I'll be thinking of it as I roast on the white sand!

Slight delays to departure

Well...I thought I would leave on Monday. Then Sunday evening Khaos (my savior saint of music-providing) introduced me to his friend Louis. Louis was off work on Monday so offered to show me around some of the nearby temples. We were joined by his girlfriend and sister. What a great time we had! Saw 3 different kinds of Buddha (sleeping, sitting, standing) and the Dragon Boat Temple. All very impressive. Along with that we also sampled some different local dishes. On top of all this they invited me out and treated me to an amazing dinner. I think I've been ruined for Asian food forever...nothing stateside can hold a flame to this. Especially enjoyed the fried bees.
Woke up this morning to torrential downpour but felt compelled to make my exit nonetheless. Packed up all my belongings and hit the road in a (relative) lull in the rain. By the time I got a couple hundred meters down the road the onslaught continued and I ducked into my preferred internet hideout, a neat combination of salon and internet cafe run by Betty and Cham. I've been posted up here for the last 2 hours looking for a gap in the rain but it just won't stop. It seems to finally have paused so I must make my decision now. I can ride on and almost certainly catch a dousing or I can wait one more day and see if the odds look any better tomorrow. Rain is in the forecast again but only 40% instead of the guaranteed thunderstorm of today. Its about 30km to the Thai border and another 40 or so beyond that to the town I hoped to be near tonight. That is probably 3 or 4 hours of riding.
Geesh, life is hard when faced with such grandiose decisions...

Whilin' away the days

So I finally (after consulting other travelers, locals and the police) decided to avoid riding through the mountains and jungles (fear not, I will get plenty of that in northern Thailand and Laos) and instead head directly into Thailand at this border. The major problem with this plan is that reaching Phuket, where Dan and I are tentatively meeting, will probably only take me about 10 days. He doesn't arrive for about 14 days. That leaves me with a little too much time on my hands.
In order to dispose of some of these spare days I will be searching out a nice camping spot on the beach. The only spots I've found near Kota Bharu are in a coconut grove behind a soccer pitch and some kind of weird miniature town place which has been abandoned north of town. Its like Mr. Rogers neighborhood or something, with little mini roads and gas station and buildings. But there are some trees in there, so I could camp there. In any case I much prefer to find something actually on the beach with the breeze and all. I know...its a rough life, having to tough it out on a tropical beach for 4 days, but somebody has got to do it folks. And thus your humble hobo steps forward!
Let's see....other than that, not much to report. Just eating, reading, sleeping. Going to do some laundry and tweak the bike a bit today. Found some copies of my favorite bike magazine in a local store so Im considering splurging and buying those. Maybe go back to the bookstore and get the fattest novel I can find. Saw something from the "Eragon" series which was really thick. Don't know how much I want to read fantasy about dwarves and elves at this point but at least it would occupy me. I plan to leave here tomorrow morning but who knows. If things change I'll drop in and post another note. Otherwise I would expect the next time you hear from me to be in Thailand!

White Guy on a Bicycle

There must be something seriously awesome about a white guy on a bicycle because the Malaysians seem to love it. The little kids are absolutely adorable when they yell "HELLO!" at the top of their lungs then giggle and squeal when I yell back with a big wave. School kids get a similar thrill although something makes me suspect the laughs may be at my expense (not a whole lot of spandex in Muslim Malaysia). Older folks seem eager to practice English but I've learned the extent is usually "Hello, Where are you going?". If I stop to answer their question they usually end up not being able to say much more. Sometimes they know much more and I've had some interesting conversations over the last few nights (but its admittedly very hard to keep focus when the mosquitoes are eating me alive).
So tonight I'm in Kota Bahru which is the capitol of the state of Kelantan. I opted to pass on going out to the Perhentian Islands even though they are supposedly some of the best in Malaysia. A mix of not wanting to spend 2 days' worth of budget on the ferry and being apprehensive about putting the ol' bike through another saltwater ordeal. I figure there will be plenty more island opportunities down the road and any diving would probably be more enjoyable if I can do it with a friend.
That leaves me wondering what to do next. I basically have two options. I can ride the 35km over the border tomorrow and enter Thailand. Or I can do a pretty grueling 200+km jungle mountain road to arrive on the western Malaysian coast and then ride a bit north and enter Thailand there. An incredibly difficult decision for a number of factors:

• Going into Thailand tomorrow means that I start whittling away on my 60-day tourist visa. I have a 90-day Malaysian visa, of which I've used roughly 2 weeks.
• Going into Thailand tomorrow also means I arrive in an area that travel books and advisory warnings say is unstable. Every traveller or local I've spoken to say this is all hype and the area is fine.
• Going across Malaysia means I subject myself to punishing heat, humidity and all-day climbs. Stack on lack of services, loads of mosquitoes and the possibilty of an elephant or tiger trumbling through my camp at night. Compare this to the nice flat, green fields of Thailand.

I have roughly 20 days until I'm supposed to meet Dan around Phuket. The Thai route takes about 9 and the Malaysian route about 11. Also, if I go the Thai way, I have a chance at making one of the infamous "Full Moon" parties on Ko Phi Phi. Decisions, decisions.
I guess I will go mull this over while I peruse the tasty treats on offer at the night market. Once I decide I'll drop another post. Meanwhile I added a few photos, so you can check those out!

Malaysian Burgers

I'm not sure I should have just eaten that. It tasted good enough, and was so cheap I couldn't resist finding out but the color was quite unsettling. Guess we'll see in a couple hours. Im absolutely starving even though I've eaten 2 meals in the last hour so I might go get something else, but then I dont have much of a control to tell what it is that will finally make me sick. A risk I'm willing to take. Good news is the supermarkets here in Malaysia are not shy on the peanut butter, so I always have that as a backup.
Managed to get a fairly early start today, hitting the road by 730am. Even so the sun still tortured me. It was mostly overcast but this equatorial sun doesn't care one bit. I was literally watching my skin blister as sweat tried to escape from under the scorched bits. No amount of sunscreen seems to be able to stay put in this hot, humid sweatfest either. The REI stuff I have works but Ill be running out of that soon. Maybe I should write to Coppertone and offer my test subject services.
Anyways, I HAD to get the early start since I had such a distance to cover. What I thought would be 140 km turned out to be 160. A couple gentle hills in the morn followed by flat coastal jungle cruising the rest of the day. Finally arrived in Pekan and searched out a hotel. It is one of the most frightening places I've ever stayed but I absolutely could not fathom sleeping out in the woods without a shower after sweating so much today. The shower was the oh-so-wonderful Malaysian bucket and scoop variety.
One thing Ive noticed lately is that Im starting to run out of brain fodder for all this alone time. I basically rehash the same topics over and over in my head. How much I can't wait to build a new bicycle when I get home. What kind of employment I should seek out. Where I want to live. Who/what I miss the most. How long I can afford to keep riding. But beyond these things, I can't seem to come up with anything creative. Shouldn't I be able to solve some of life's deep mysteries? Maybe gain some telekinesis or Professor X powers? Im a bit frustrated at this point.
Well, tomorrow is another long day...maybe I'll discover something up in the old noggin. Going to ride the *98* or so km to Cherating which is touted to be some sort of traveller's/backpacker's hangout village on the beach. From what I've seen of the mainland beaches so far I doubt much swimming will be happening. Regardless I'm looking forward to seeing how accurate Rough Guide's claims are (so far their map is not impressive). Let's just home I can cram enough food in my piehole to recharge the legs...they feel like two sacks of lead at the moment. Can't upload to this stupid computer, so the pics will come next time. Cheers!

Island Living

Just arrived back in Mersing after spending 4 days on Pulau Tioman. Very nice island with amazing water and a laid back atmosphere (especially this time of the year). Met some excellent company while over there and wasted the days away snorkeling, catching some rays and swapping stories. Very tempted to just move in but since I've already told Dan I will meet him in Thailand, I'd better stick to my plan. Tomorrow will be a really long day because I'd like to make it all the way to Pekan, 140km away. Not sure that there would be any places to stay before that. After Pekan its up to the traveller's hangout town of Cherating. If I like it there, I will hang out for a couple of days before continuing my northward trek. Pretty drained right now, so don't think I will write much more. Sorry! Check out the pics though.

The Malaysian Rollercoaster

Rolled out of Singapore by about 9am on Friday (I suck at early morning starts). It was kind of overcast so I had no idea that I was getting burned to a crisp as I headed towards Kota Tinggi. Finally arrived at the "waterfall" on my map to find that it had been surrounded by a tourist waterpark. It was still pretty cool...for 20 Malaysian ringgit I got a campsite and use of the facilities. The waterfall itself was still relatively untouched and emptied out into a nice big sandy pool. Cooled my furiously hot shoulders for awhile before riding back to the next small village for some mee goreng (big noodles with mystery meat and sauce). Get a huge plate and a soda for less than 2 dollars US!! I like Malaysia already, hahaha.
Today I woke up in the jungle campsite, packed up and rolled on down the road. Pretty stifling hot ride about 100km to Mersing where I found out I was too late to catch the ferry for the day. Rollercoaster hills the whole way. I really didn't know if I would survive it, I think I drank about 4 or 5 liters of water and maybe 5 sodas. Get another chance for the ferry tomorrow at 1:30. It will take me to an island called Palau Tioman for 35 ringgit (about 10 bucks). Once there I can stay indefinately, but I'm planning on maybe 3 days or so. Might splash out and get some lodging, might try to rough it if I can find a remote beach. There should be some good snorkeling and scuba diving to be had, as well as unloading the bike and doing some extreme island biking.
I've got a whole month to cover the 1500 km between me and Phuket where I plan to meet Daniel. The only trick is sticking to my budget (which shouldn't be too hard).
When I get back onto the mainland I'll let you know how its going and should have some purty pics for you. Wonder how I can get some underwater ones...

Off to Malaysia

Wowsers. Singapore is a crazy city. Had a really ummm, interesting night last night with Gabriel, Bryant and Mikiko. I feel like I've had the full Singapore experience now. Which is good, because its about time I get back in the saddle.
Tomorrow I will head over the causeway into Malaysia. My plan is to work up the east coast, which supposedly has nicer islands. If the monsoon is keeping me from visiting those islands I will attempt to ride through the interior over to the west coast. Assuming the weather is nice and I arrive at the top of the east coast I plan to ride across on highway 4 to enter Thailand on its southwest border since the southeast is rumored to be a little unsafe. Dan is planning on meeting me in Phuket around Feb. 10 so I have about 1 month to ride about 1500 km. Its hotter than hell out there and Im fully expecting to lose about 1000 pounds. Should be interesting!
Going to go ahead and hit the hay and try to get an early start to avoid the midday heat. Hopefully Ill update soon with some cool pics of Malaysia. Until then, keep the cranks spinning!

Settle in...long one here

Let's see....the last time I gave you folks a decent update I was in Patra planning to tour the Peloponesse for its historic sites. Well, I made it about 120 km up into the mountains that day and around 4 PM found myself in the mountain ski village of Kalavryta. It was only 4 PM, but I could already see my breath hanging in the air, which was alarming. I stopped for a coffee and asked the waiter if he knew where I could camp. He told me there was a place just outside of town which had campers and such, so I could ask there. I headed down there and arrived only to find it was closed for the season (I pretty much expected this). Finally getting back into town about 630 I had the choice of looking for a hobo-camping spot in the dark and cold or just getting a hotel. I opted for the latter, even though it set me back a pretty penny. The next morning I began my climb further into the mountains but as I got into the first couple kilometers I was thinking "Do I really want to deal with this cold weather every night for the next week so I can see some ruins?". I'm not a very historic guy, so I had to admit that I wasnt willing to do it. I found a new heading and after a long climb finally could see the coast about 20km ahead of me. Epic downhill and then smooth coastal riding and I arrived in Korinthos about 6PM. I knew it would be rather unsafe to try and get into Athens in the dark, but didn't like the prospects for camping around Korinthos and certainly couldn't afford another hotel. What I COULD afford was the 6 euro train into Athens, so I did that and called my savior, Chris the Couchsurfer. He met me at the station and we walked the bike back to his apartment.
I spent the next week hanging around Athens- exploring, bothering Chris, being a general lout. I have mixed feelings about Athens. Sure...the food is excellent, the girls are gorgeous, the nightlife is kickin' and if you are a classics person, the gravity of the Acropolis cannot be denied. For me though the city was generally an eyesore and the prices were too high (7 euros for a heineken!). Overall Im glad I visited, but I certainly don't believe the place is nearly as noteworthy as Paris, Florence, Amsterdam or Dubrovnik (or many other cities...my list is long!). In any case, Athens was a great recuperation opportunity for me. We spent Christmas in a beer garden of sorts (good, but feeble in comparison to what lined the Rhine) and I was graced with the good company of Chris and the Alex brothers from Russia.
Athens also gave me time to plan my next steps. After some discussion with Richard of shiftingears.net we came to the conclusion that riding together southwards wasn't really in the cards. He had to be at work in Beirut too soon and the weather wasn't looking like it would be worth it. Sure, cold and rainy riding would be a challenge and I'm confident I would have tolerated/survived it, but what's the point of that? I also calculated that if I rode on to Beirut or Egypt I would possibly be sacrificing my financial ability to visit Southeast Asia, which is one area I was not willing to miss on this trip.
So I booked a flight to Singapore...which is where Im writing to you from now! The flight went smooth....which is to say long and exhausting and far pricier than expected (thanks to stupid baggage rules and fees). But I am here in one piece and bike appears to be in all the pieces I left it in, so I'm happy. Jenelle's awesome mother Kathy picked me up to the airport and I'm comfortably setup here in the heart of the city.
So how does it feel to be in Singapore? Pretty crazy...I am 13 hours ahead of anyone reading on the East coast US. Ive had friends over here before and knew they were that far ahead of me in timezones, but its a really strange thing to wrap my mind around. Im here writing a blog entry at 10 at night and most of you haven't even eaten lunch yet (or gotten out of bed if you're like me). I really really like Singapore though. It is pricey like everyone says. And there are lots of strange rules like everyone says. But you can't deny that its working. The city is spotless, the crime is low, the metro system is impeccable and the food- OH MY GOODNESS- the food is so awesome. It's like I've died and gone to culinary heaven. The hawker stands are delicious and cheap. If you don't want that, name your American fastfood poison and its here too. And alongside this are plenty of French, Italian and other Western cuisine options. On top of this, if I feel like I'd rather go back to my bikehobo ways and cook rather than buy my food, the supermarket is topnotch. It has ramen galore, all kinds of neat asian quick sauce and soup packets and REAL BIG JARS of peanut butter! PEANUT BUTTER! Hell yes. This is bike touring heaven. The weather will take some adjustment, since I went from about 10-15 degrees and all-day drizzle to 25-30 and thundershowers. I think I may need to send some cold weather gear home...but Im hesitant to do so until I figure out a few more things.
So what is next? Well, Im in no rush to leave Singapore but, not wanting to wear out my welcome with Bill and Kathy, Im planning on clearing out of here in the next 3 or 4 days. I will probably head for the Malaysian peninsula, but Im toying with the idea of a quick loop through Borneo and Indonesia. The only goal in sight is to meet up with my new riding partner, Daniel, in Thailand at the beginning of Feburary. I will be thinking it all over, reading and planning the next couple days and let you know before I head out.
Big thanks go out to all the folks with encouragment and gifts over the holidays. Special thanks go to Wes and Jen, Uncle Rick and Aunt D, Nana and Pap, Mom and Dad. These kind folks are a big reason for how I was able to pay the airline to get my bicycle over here and thanks to them the stories should keep coming for a bit longer. I fully expect some really exciting tales and photos to be coming soon, so stay tuned! Okay....enough rambling for now. I wandered around the city last night in a sleep-deprived New Year's Eve dreamworld, so Im considering a bit more indepth exploration tonight. Or maybe some Zzzz's are in order and tomorrow night Ill explore. Either way I will check back in soon, hopefully with some neat pics of the city. Hobo over and out.

P.S. Athens photos are up now!