Around South-East Asia in 120 Days

After riding across the country for over 150 days, I decided I wanted to ride across other countries, specifically in south east Asia. I flew to Singapore and then went to other countries, viz., Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It took me 120 days to complete this journey — renting and buying motorbikes at different places. I chose south east Asia not only because it’s close to India, but also because I wanted to visit countries that were steeped in culture and history.

Being Vegetarian
I stuck to being a vegetarian throughout the journey, even though it was extremely difficult. But I liked the challenge because I did see other vegans who got by. The food otherwise was crazy, from snakes to frogs to other reptiles, everything was on offer on the streets. Besides, I had a lot of lovely vegetarian food wherever I went. My personal favourites were the Thai and Indonesian meals I had. In Indonesia, food that is cooked in the morning is what will be served for the next two meals of the day!

Nature’s Bounty
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos had really great mountains that I rode through. I managed to do a lot of off-roading as well, which was an amazing experience for me. I tried to avoid the typical tourist destinations as much as I could.

Vietnam and Cambodia had some of the best mountains, beaches and islands I’ve experienced. Northern Vietnam also had many great loops and routes for bikers, including the Sapa-Sin Ho loop and Ha Giang.

Enjoying the Travel Sans Planning
The best thing about travel is that different people enjoy different kinds of travel. I tried avoiding tourist hotspots and discovering alternate routes to reach locations. I covered the entire length and breadth of all these countries, and that required a lot of time.

If you do have time, explore these countries on a bike. Go out and live in the moment, don’t plan your entire trip meticulously.

One of the interesting spots that stood out to me besides the loops was, of course, Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Then there’s Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba Island and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam that are worth visiting.

The locals are extremely sweet, helpful and had a lot of love to share in all the countries I went to. There were times when I didn’t have a place to sleep and would knock on people’s doors — they were kind enough to let me stay with them. The culture and traditions are extremely friendly. In Vietnam, there is a tradition to drink rice wine with the host every night, which shows how open they are to different people.

Memories and more
I can’t say there was just one experience that made an impact on me because every day was marvelous. I never thought I’d buy a bike in Vietnam and then end up selling it for a higher price! Apart from that, I love to make conversation despite language barriers, and I ended up teaching English for a couple of days to kids in Vietnam. I even tried my hand at cooking!

Once, I lost my bike keys while standing at Cambodia’s border getting my passport stamped. Finally, I ended up pushing the motorcycle into another country, while the officials looked on. It was a very funny incident that I will never forget. However, I think the entire journey was memorable.

Future Plans
Currently, I am on my way to Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar and will be ending the year with these three countries. I’m indeed very excited!

(As told to Kaavya Pillai)