South East Asia, something completely out of my comfort zone. Busy, warm, humid and overal not a part of the world best known for it’s cycling conditions. Best way to find out though is to experience is it yourself. So with my trusty Kona in a cardboard box and a general idea of my route I set off to cycle in the far east.
A Quick route overview
I start in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Avoiding the monsoon season in the east ill head north towards Georgetown and then the Thai border. Following the west coast first before crossing over to the east. Cycling next to beaches till Bangkok for some street chaos. I’ll continue heading south towards the Cambodian border so I can ride the Cardamon mountains before heading to Siem Reap for Ankor Watt. After that I’ll probably head towards Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and ride along the country, crossing to Laos at some moment. Ending in north Vietnam again towards Hanoi.
Getting into Kuala Lumpur
I’ve never flown with my bike and after reading some experiences on the internet I was feeling a little nervous. The last thing you want is to start with a broken spoke or something. But I had a strong box and my bike was all wrapped up with bubble wrap so we went on our way. Mum and dad drove me to the airport in a rented van and helped with getting my bike to the check-in desk. Is it too heavy? Too big? What if I need to open the box again? A lot of questions but luckily the crew was super helpful and nice and before I knew it my bike was out of sight and I was enjoying my ‘’beginning of a trip beer’’.
After landing in KL it didn’t take long before I picked up a familiar looking box with my bike. A small struggle to get in on a cart and through the door, it was slightly too wide and I bumped into a border officer but everything else went well. I set up my bike near the exit, under watchful eyes of another security officer, and left the airport.
From the airport it’s 60km to Kuala Lumpur and I had landed at night. In the tropics this means pitch black, and the road would be a busy highway. Luckily I had a hostel 12km away but it was still a challenge to get there. In Malaysia they drive on the left side, which is tricky in the beginning, I was tired from the 16h flight, had to cycle on a busy road and it was dark. Obviously I took a wrong turn which lead me directly onto the main 6 lane highway, but after a bit I could deviate and make it to my first hostel. What a start.
Next day was even more intense. With 40 degrees Celsius and a GPS that only showed a line and nothing else it took me awhile to find a rhythm. Getting closer to KL the roads got busier. A lot busier. Trucks, cars, scooters, motorcycles all raced besides me and didn’t really care for the lonely cyclist. I ended up closely following the scooters and immediately diving to the left to get a little bit of free space. But after a tiring and warm ride I made it to my hostel where I had booked a few nights to get used to the heat and ambiance.
Kuala Lumpur and Hulu Yam
Adjusting to the busy streets of Kualu Lumpur took a little longer than expected. I felt overwhelmed with noise, smells and not being able to communicate really well. To make things worse I didn’t have the correct maps on my Garmin to navigate so I had to go and fix that too.
To help me conquer the start I took it super slow and easy, strolling in some foodcourts to get food was excitement enough at first. You just don’t know what you’ll get, or even how to order sometimes.
(Fishsoup with noodles in the morning someone?)
Whilst in KL I also visited some of the main sights: The Batu caves, Petronas towers, Jalan Alor food street and an aquarium. After a while I became a little more comfortable and ready to leave the city! Via Warmshowers, a cycling app, I contacted Ley Soon and he invited me in his village to stay for a night.
Immediately after leaving the city the vibe changed. People were friendlier and cycling was a lot more enjoyable. (Still on 2 lane roads but that’s okay) and I rolled in Hulu Yam around midday were I was greeted by a very happy fellow cyclist. Ley Soon took me around to a farm to eat lunch surrounded by orchids, we had dinner in his family’s restaraunt, which has the tastiest noodles ever, and showed me what true hospitality looks like. It’s only an hour ride from Kuala Lumpur, following an incredible road. I highly recommend visiting the village and see a different side of Malaysia.
That one midday and night gave me a lot more enthusiasm for this trip and any doubts about if I had made the correct decision coming here were now gone. This is gonna be an epic trip.
To the highlands
After a great day it was time for me to get going again. A must visit place in Malaysia are the Cameron Highlands. As the name suggests, they are high. A 60km ride and 1600 meters of elevation was ahead of me. My first real climb in South East Asia, definitely a milestone but I was nervous.
The climb ended up being really doable, with a 3-4% incline on average it was not the most grueling climb. Only on a few moments it got to 12%, but I managed. The effort was well worth it seeing the famous tea plantations and drinking a nice cup of tea with a slice of strawberry cheesecake at one of the tea houses.
Thoughts so far
With the first 300 kilometers done it’s already an incredible experience. After the initial culture shock I’m slowly adjusting and enjoying each day more. The food is incredible and the landscape views are really something else.
I’m happy I got over my moment of anxiety in KL and went to visit my warmshower host, this really made all the difference. For now I’m saying goodbye to the jungle and heading towards the coast! Curious to taste the food in Malaysian’s best place for food: Georgetown.
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