What are important facts to know about South-east asia for travelling?
What is specific for each country or for bike travelling through theme?
We will periodically post our findings to keep you informed!
First of all we keep track of these facts:
1) Our spendings: download our "Budget Asia Trip" spreadsheet
2) Where we sleep: download the "Overnights" spreadsheet
Flight Travel
1) DO NOT book a flight through Joker (www.joker.be) to BKK in case you carry bikes with you.
=>We did & landed without them in BKK because of wrong packaging information we had recieved from the travel agent. We had to arra-nge cargo shipment ourselves to get them.
2) DO NOT use a 2 airliner flight when travelling by bike. Our Bxl-Bkk flight was Bxl-London by BA & London-Bkk by Qantas. Totally different bike carrying specifications. Impossible to figure out & manage!
3) DO take a Air Asia flight with your bike. If you get it packed in a box (or bike bag) & give them 10USD they will make sure it flies together woth you. No questions, no hassle, bikes perfect at arrival (KL to PHN in our case). Some already managed to even just give them the bikes 'bare' after riding to the airport, although I do think this might take some discussion & goodwill from the checkin responsible...
Thailand
1) When people tell you some 'must-sees' aren't open, don't believe them. They are probably working together with tuk tuk drivers and want you to take a tuk tuk to something else.
2) Always ask the taxi driver to put on his meter otherwise he will overcharge you. Also always keep looking where you're going otherwise you could end up somewhere else.
3) Walking around in Khao san road in Bangkok in the evening you can count on it that they will ask you the following: 'ping pong show?'.
4) Thai will burn what-ever they have that they do not need anymore. Kyoto? I don't think so. Honestly, we could smell & see small bonfires alongside every road we biked on.
5) 7-11's & roadside stalls are everywhere. Cold drinks & food are very to find while biking the roads.
Malaysia
1) They burn everything as wel, we think it is a asia thing. Our prediction is Cambodja, Vietnam & Laos are going to be exactly the same.
2) Malaysia is a muslim democracy with 1 democratic party...we haven't met anybody who seems to be happy with their government. Note: We have met most people in the part of the country that elected the opposition last elections and are now being disadvantaged by all public/government initiatieves/urban developments etc. Because for some reason the losers didn't agree with losing and kept power anyway...1 party democracy...right...
3) Malaysia seems to have a Malay, Chinese & Indian population mix. They get along just fine. Everybody strictly minds his own business, speaks his own language and communicates as little and in english with eachother. Benefit for tourists = most know some english.
4) Petronas gas station shops fuel us up on most of our bike days. (vs the 7-11 & numerous road side stalls in thailand)
5) Public loudness (laughing, burping, calling, listening music,...) is 100% OK. Actually it seems the louder the better. However it isn't malay specific. Thai, Malay & singapore is all the same.
Singapore
1) Yes, it's expensive. A lot of things are comparable to EU, but food/drinks at food centers are comparable cheap. The numbers for products are the same as in malaysia, but the curreny sign is different = a 2.5x increase basically.
2) If you want to train back to KL or whatever, take the train from Johor Bahru, NOT singapor station. This ticket is 3x more expensive!! (and you waste a lot of time)
3) We met a lot of very friendly, helpfull people. You need/look for something, just ask around. If you look lost, they'll even start talking to you!
4) Super efficient public transport. You can go everywhere from anywhere with MRT, LRT, busses. You can get a unlimited rides tourist pass. It's not advertised, but it's there.
5) Some will call it 'sterile', but reality is that singapore is a clean, well organised city with a lot of things to do. We didn't spot any beggar in 5 days....makes you wonder what the government does with them...?
Cambodia
1) You will get a lot of "Hello's!"...No, seriously...A LOT. We started & stopped counting one day when we reached over 300 "hello's" on a 50km stretch! (Only 1 "I love you" btw ;-))
2) Women all wear their pyjama's during the day & they all seem to have the one with teddy's on it. Not too sure what they use to sleep in then...??
3) Cambodians are really friendly. All the guidebooks seem to emphasize it dramatically, but it is all true! (I guess you could find a **** for sure, but I think you'll have to do your best/most unlucky)
4) Fruit, fruit & more fruits. Taste is superb, you can buy it nearly everywhere. Super bike snack is the readily available fried banana. Mmmmm.
Vietnam
1) Vietnamese have a clearly different mentality/impression as the rest of south east asia. Traffic is all about ME, ME & I (& also in a lot of other things btw). You do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Even if it means causing an accident (without you getting hurt obviously) it is just fine. Maybe there communist past has made them ultra aware of there self being??
2) Moto's everywhere. Not too many cars & busses (luckily cause they honk like crazy, really CRAZY!) making the roads feel like an ants nest with some strange sense of chaotic order.
3) Biggest on the road wins. Remember that if you're biking. YOU LOSE ALWAYS. Move, or they will run you over. If you put on your turn signals & have a dude waving out of the door while honking you ARE the king-of-the-road ;-) Actually fine for biking vietnam, just remember the above.
4) Off the beaten track people are surprised to see you, yet happy. They are welcoming, helpfull & generous. The more you approach bigger cities & the tourist trail, the more the contrast gets clear. At some times there you feel like an ATM machine. Most will charge you 2x the regular price (even when having a viet next to you just paying for the same thing you take) & no way you can get it at the true price. Double or nothing. In comparison to the other countries (where you also probably overpay sometimes) it feels like the Viet also want you to know that they are ATM'n you?? Why would we like this feeling? Strange.
