Rider On The Wheel

 A change of country has meant a change of gear and, indeed, a change of bike.  My last day in Bangkok involved taking a walk through the park where I met this stork… 🐦  …dim sum for breakfast… 🥢  …then a 20 mile ride across town… 🏍️  …and a ferry crossing to the suburbs near Don Mueang airport. While away in Taiwan/Hong Kong, I’m storing Bertha and some gear at the home of a Warm Showers host, Margie. 🏡  I thought it might be a quick drop-off then on to the airport but Margie cracked open the beers, provided a wonderful Thai banquet and a bed for a much needed power nap!💤  This set me up well for a night at the airport but, with my flight taking off at 6:30am, there wasn’t too much time to kill through the night.  And, before I knew it, I was in Taiwan! 🇹🇼  I’m incredibly, this is my first time in East Asia for over 15 years. Having taught in Japan for two years, the region was once ‘home’, a place I felt very connected to.  Not ...

I write this post from Bangkok where, 85 days and just over 3000 miles after starting, I’ve come full circle. It sounds like a cliche but it feels like just yesterday that my journey began here. And, with another 35 days or so, there’s still much more to be done! I noticed this sign while drinking my final coffee in Phnom Penh. Fittingly, a few minutes later, I was back on the road, feeling balanced in many ways. 🚴‍♂️ I knew that shops and services would thin out as I got further and further away from Phnom Penh so I made sure to rehydrate whenever I could. 🥤  Lots of lovely interactions with young Cambodians on this day. This bunch all told me their names… …while the girl on the left in this picture, a confident English speaker, told me she hoped to become a police officer when she leaves school. 🏫  As my plans have changed and I’m now Taiwan-bound, I sought the most efficient route back to Bangkok so I’d be able to connect with my flight in good time. ✈️  Which meant...