Cycle from Bangkok to Saigon? Let’s give it a Thai!
Cycling through three countries in two weeks sounds like a Top Gear-style challenge but it’s what a lot of people now call a holiday. Bikepacking is a new phenomenon where holidaymakers see the world on two wheels, while staying at different locations along the route.
Even my fiancée Claire was keen, despite having ridden her new bike only six times. So how would she cope riding 50km a day on the back routes of Thailand, the temple roads of Cambodia, and the bustling streets of Vietnam?
We needn’t have worried. Arriving in Bangkok, we met our fellow cyclists, who ranged from retired couples to youngsters. We were capably led by our guide Is, who would oversee the journey from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon for those readers of a certain age.
Thankfully, the tour didn’t involve cycling the whole way or carrying our own luggage. A support bus took us through the more congested sections, while a van carried the bags. The bike team provided snacks and drinks at regular intervals and staff were even on hand to make that evening’s dinner reservations if we wished.
After taking two days to explore Bangkok (which was during the mourning period for the recently deceased king), we set off for our first day in the saddle.
The group assembled with our bikes (you supply your height measurement in advance to get the right size) and off we went.
Our guide managed to keep us safe by finding the quietest route and using a team of four cycle pros to marshal us.
The pros acted like outriders, closing off smaller roads and keeping the group together. If the US president ever decided to travel by bike, I’m sure this is how he would feel.
Our journey through Thailand was punctuated with stops to better understand the country. A familiar sight along the way for all three countries was rice fields, and during our first day in Thailand we got up close and personal with the crops and the workers in the fields.
Later, we would see the rice being sold at market together with other Thai staples such as tapioca and jack fruit. Along with the rice fields, Thailand is full of Buddhist temples.
The majority of Thais practise Buddhism and this is evident with beautiful shrines across the countryside. The orange-clothed monks who live there are welcoming to non-Buddhists, provided you cover your knees and shoulders. Moving into Cambodia, we were looking forward to seeing one of the highlights of the trip, the
world-renowned Angkor Wat. Described as the eighth wonder of the world, it is a breathtaking monument to human endeavour. Built roughly 1,000 years ago, the complex is vast and spectacular. Every brick is hand-crafted with precision that has to be seen to be believed. What makes it more astonishing is that the stone used isn’t local but was brought to the site from more than 80km away by rafts. Used as a backdrop in various films (notably Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider), the temples are holding up well despite their age. Having been under French rule for 90 years until the country’s independence in 1953, towns such as Siam Reap still show signs of the European influence, with boulangeries selling tasty baguettes and croissants.
Siam Reap is a lively town and one of the busiest stops on the route (aside from the capital, Phnom Penh).
The combination of seeing the temples by bike and visiting easily accessible towns with delicious food and night markets was truly memorable.
Entering Cambodia, we were reminded of its recent history from the moment that we crossed the border.
Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, who came to power in 1975, left an incomprehensible legacy, killing more than 1.9 million people in the infamous Killing Fields.
We visited a genocide centre (Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre) and the grim S21 (a school which was converted into a prisoner of war camp).
The horrors have left Cambodia with a very young population – 70% of people were born after 1979. But despite its sobering past, Phnom Penh is thriving as a city.
The final country on our tour was Vietnam. Like Cambodia, it’s still recovering from the trials of the 1970s, following the end of the long-running Vietnam War and the forced unification of the country by the North.
It’s a one-party state and the red flags of communism were present on every street corner. We cycled to the Mekong Delta and then to the largest city, Ho Chi Minh City. Thankfully the bus took us the last 50km to avoid the six million scooters used in the city.
Ho Chi Minh City is a delight to walk around – for me it was the best place we visited.
It still has a French influence in its architecture, with a scaleddown version of the Notre Dame Cathedral, sweeping boulevards and French-style bakeries. On our last day, we visited an important site from the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Vietnamese developed an elaborate network of tunnels to help fend off the French in the 1950s, and the Viet Cong reused them to do the same thing with the Americans in the 1970s.
While the historical account at the museum isn’t independent (for obvious reasons), the tunnels are fascinating and chilling in equal measure.
They are well preserved and you can explore a small section of them – if you can cope with the claustrophobia – and also look at the traps that were used by the Viet Cong.
On our final evening, we reflected on our cycling adventure as we said goodbye to the rest of our group. We had travelled a long way in two weeks and had enjoyed so many experiences.
As a novice, Claire was worried at the beginning but now she’s looking forward to her next cycling trip.
Why not? How else could we fit three holidays into one?