The(mini)BikeAdventure

Back at it again!

It’s now been about 3 years since I flew back to Sweden after cycling 3700 km to Malaysia. And for different reasons I’ve never gotten back out on a shorter bike trip since. But now I couldn’t wait any longer and decided to head out to Norway for the remaining 10 days of my vacation.

The planned route was from Sandefjord in the east to Stavanger in the west, from there a ferry to Denmark and onwards to Gothenburg.

And I have to say it was such a great feeling to back up the bike again and just ride. Even though the first morning ride was just to the train station in Gothenburg it was just great. After a train ride up to Strömstad I got on a ferry heading for Sandefjord and the start of the trip. I got there in the afternoon and thought I would push on for a while to get a good start. And the famous Norwegian hills started immediately and I started to regret I had rested myself in shape the weeks before =)

I got a good start of 50 km that day and crawled into my lovely little tent again where ive spent so many nights before. The next day I woke up to a rainy morning, but since its Norway that was expected. I got in just over 100 km that day and ended up camping by a lovely little lake in the mountains. And if it hadn’t been for the mosquitoes it would have been just perfect.

The advantage of camping at that spot in the mountain was that the next day started with a wonderful downhill to the valley. The ride along the lake close to Vrådal was great, but I knew more challenging hills was coming up later that day. Those hills just kept coming and around every bend there was more uphill. My legs were literally screaming at me to stop, but since it was mostly wet lands there was no good place to stop for the night. So I pushed on op the hill and then down the hill to a great camp spot in a nice and calm valley by Flateland.

The next day would be the toughest uphills with a peak at 1050 m.a.s.l. I was very lucky with the weather and got to enjoy the mountain pass in mostly sunshine. It was a lot of hard work but so rewarding and cycling up on the mountain was amazing.

After going down one more valley I continued on the next day up on the last mountain pass heading for the little village of Lysebotn. With only 35 km left I could really enjoy a lovely ride up the mountain and later on down the winding Lysevegen down to the start of Lysefjord.

Since I was early in I took advantage of that and rented a kayak for a wonderful trip in the beautiful fjord.

The next day I left my bags at the campsite and cycled the road  up the mountain again with an elevation of 630 meters. From there I hiked up the mountain to the amazing Kjerag and the famous Kjeregbolten. So with and amazing view of the fjord and mountains I took the step out onto the bolder that is jammed in between two mountain sides.

The next morning The little speed ferry left Lysebotn and headed into Stavanger where I later that night got on a night ferry to Hirtshals, Denmark. And after riding the hills of Norway the flat roads of Denmark was a nice change. But it didn’t take too long before I started dreaming myself back to the mountains and fjords again..

Throwback

Just got an email from my German friend Julius whom I cycled with in the Balkan along with Millou from France. Had such a great time with you guys and I can't believe its now two years ago!!

Miss you guys and hope our paths cross again soon!!

Start of a new chapter

I just want to start by apologizing for not updating this blog for quite a while.

I got back to Sweden two months ago now and a lot have happened since. One pf the reasons I flew home was to attend my sister’s wedding witch was a great event and I’m very glad I came home for it.

At the end of my trip through South East Asia the motivation to keep on cycling most days was getting less and less. I still loved travelling but to force you’re self to get on the bike and cycle through rain or burning heat you need to be very motivated. I knew when I got on that plane back home that I might not get back on the road again, at least not at this extent. I was okay with that and started to forward to other things in life except travelling. But the biggest reason why I now have decided to not continue my trip is for a reason probably many of you have made changes in life for; A girl.

Things have happened fast the last month and right now I’m sitting in my new apartment in Gothenburg to which I just got the keys to this Friday. It’s time for me to get back to a “normal” life, whatever that may be.

And I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been so lucky to be able to experience everything that has happened these last two years. Setting out on this trip has been the best decision of my life and something I will never ever forget. I have seen so much and met so many amazing people along the way. It feels like such a long time ago that I got on my bike back home in Skellefteå and rolled down the driveway of my childhood home. I have learned so much along the way and really grown as a person. I’ve overcome so many obstacles, cycled through storms and over mountains. But when I think back at the trip what I remember most is the people I met and friends I made. Travelling would be nothing if there weren’t all these amazing people to share it with. I would like to thank every one of you face to face again but that might not be possible. But I hope you know how thankful I am and I hope and think I’ll see many of you again.

And finally I would just like to thank you Julia for being who you are, for coming into my life and making it so much better!! :-)

Final destination

After almost two weeks of laziness on Langkawi I got up early in the morning and rode to the other side of the island to catch the ferry over Penang. Luckily there were no problem bringing a bike on the speed boat, just had to pay an extra 10 RM for it that no one ever checked.

It had been a while since I did couchsurfing so I was excited to do that again in Penang with a guy named Rohan. He was really nice and made me feel at home at his place with one of the best view in town.

I stayed there over the weekend and on Friday we went into Georgetown for the weekly couchsurf meeting which had a good turnout that night and it was really nice to meet other travelers and hosts in a cozy café in the center.

The next day Rohan and I decided to go up the Penang Hill witch you can access by a steep railway up to the top at 735 meter. The hill felt like walking around in a park with many old colonial villas on the hills. And with a smoggy view it wasn’t amazing, most fun was the ride up and down on the train.

After Penang I began cycling south towards Kuala Lumpur witch is my last destination before flying back home. Because I hadn’t done that much cycling the last days I took it a little slower and never pushed more than 100 km per day. I stayed in small hotels along the way and there was nothing really amazing to see along the way. I just felt like I really wanted to get to KL when I now was so close, and mentally I was already on my way back to Sweden.

The last day ended up being the longest and I got up at 6 in the morning to be able to make the 130 km into KL. It’s not easy getting up at that time but it’s worth it once you’re on the bike and can ride for a while with some cooler temperature and without the burning sun.

I was surprised that the road into KL was so good for cyclists. Maybe it wasn’t meant for cyclists but almost all the way into town next to a bigger road there was a separate road for motorbikes, and me. I didn’t get too lost in the city and made it to my host’s place at 4 in the evening. Here in KL I stayed with Felicia and Adam who was amazing hosts and I really felt at home there. I’m not much of a big city guy but enjoyed my time there, did some sightseeing, hung out with Felicia and Adam and tried to stay up at night to watch football (failed many times).

It feels very strange to be heading back home again after being away for so long. It’s mixed feelings but I’m really looking forward to go home and for my sister’s wedding. Cycling in Asia has been an experience of a lifetime and I’ve met so many amazing people that made the trip what it is.

Thanks everyone for the great memories..  

Packed up

Stuck on Langkawi

Last Sunday I left Thailand and got on the ferry to the island Langkawi in Malaysia. I didn’t know much about this place and thought I would only stay for a few days. But somehow I ended up staying here for 12 days all because of the nice people I met here.

The second day here a group from the guesthouse rented a minivan and went around the island. At first we stopped for a nice Malaysian breakfast eating Roti witch is kind of a pancake.

After that we continued to the cable car witch is the world’s steepest and a nice ride up to the top of a mountain. We continued the day with waterfall and later a tour around the mangrove forest. A nice day ended with another small waterfall where we could jump off a cliff into the cold refreshing water. It was a great start in Langkawi and a good way to get to know some more people staying at the guesthouse.

The next week passed by with some fun parties at the guesthouse, some motorbike trips around the island and some lazy days on the beach. My plan was to leave much earlier but extended a couple of time just because of the people here. And once I really was about to leave a Swedish guy that I met two months earlier on Ko Chang, Thailand came here and I again decided to stay for a few more days.

But tomorrow I’m really leaving this place and heading down to Georgetown for a few days before cycling the last bit down to Kuala Lumpur.  

Bye Bye Thailand

Just before 10 pm and curfew time I left Hard Road Café Hostel and rode down to the harbor to catch the night boat to Surat Thani. The night boat I was on from Chumphon to Ko Tao was really comfortable with a bed in an air-conditioned room.  But this time I wasn’t as lucky, the boat was a smaller wooden boat with just mattresses on the floor and fans to cool down.

I didn’t have a great night sleep and got off the boat just as the sun came up. But it was really nice to start riding that early in the morning before it was too hot. So even if I was a bit tired I still managed to push on 120 km to a small town where I found a little hotel for the night. I was coming into Krabi province and could see the beautiful rocks along the road.

Next stop was Ao Nang, a place I visited with my family five years ago. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go back since I had seen it already, but since I still had some time left on my visa and got a really good recommendation for a hostel there I decided to go. And that hostel made the stay really worth it, it was a very nice and social place. After arriving I went with some people to a hill for a climb up to a temple. I didn’t know about it and definitely didn’t know how hard it would be going up those 1272 steps to the top. But it was absolutely worth it and the view from the top was amazing.

The next day a group from the hostel went on a full day island tour around the amazing islands in Krabi. The highlight of the day was BBQ on the beach on an island with one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. And to finish off a great day we stopped in the dark for one last swim with glowing plankton witch was something I’ve never seen before.

Another highlight of Ao Nang’s beautiful nature was a trip to a hidden lagoon close to Railay beach. Me and three other guys rented kayaks and paddled around some islands and then decided to make the climb to the lagoon.  It was a really difficult climb, especially the last part down to the lagoon with three steep drops where we free climbed barefoot on slippery rocks holding on to a wet rope. With some cuts and bruises we finally made it down to the lagoon and the reward was absolutely worth the effort. It was so quiet and peaceful as I just floated on my back out into the water and looked up to the sky.

I ended up staying in Ao Nang for one week and could probably have gotten stuck there for longer. But the visa was running out and it was time to head south to Malaysia. It took me three days to get down to the most southern point of Thailand. The last night I ended up in a small town and had some problem finding a place to stay for the night. I was directed to a little guesthouse but once there I couldn’t find anyone there. But one door was open and I knocked on the door and was greeted by a nice Pilipino guy who was teaching English at the local high school. He didn’t know of any place nearby and the guesthouse he was in was full. Marcial was really nice to me and offered me to stay at his place for the night. We had an nice evening eating Pilipino food with another teacher and a young guy from Germany who was going to work in a national park on an island just off the cost.

The next morning I cycled the rest of the way down to Satun where I got on the ferry over to the Malaysian island Langkawi. I had such a great time in Thailand, met great people and really got to experience the country during two months. But it also felt really good to again cross a border and to see something new. I now only got a couple of weeks more left until I reach Kuala Lumpur and from there fly back home to Sweden. It feels good but also strange when it’s coming close to that day. But until then I will enjoy this last time here in Malaysia..