by Keith Craig of http://cycling-the-world.blogspot.com

Introduction

ACTA member Keith Craig has explored South East Asia with a group he met originally through the UK Cyclists' Touring Club. Here's his account of their trip from Singapore to Hong Kong.

Singapore was the start point. Our route would take us approximately 7000 km, up the east coast of West Malaysia and peninsular Thailand to Bangkok, across Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City and then would follow the coast in Vietnam and China to Hong Kong.

Mid October was an ideal time, as we wanted to be out of Malaysia before the arrival of the monsoon. More importantly, we knew that we could get across Cambodia only during the dry season and winter is a good time for southern China.

Singapore

So on the first morning we set off bright and early, despite having spent the evening in Harry’s Bar on the river, listening to Denise Mininfield, a delightful black jazz singer. We had toasted our absent friends, Maree and Jan. Maree couldn’t make this trip, but Jan would join us in Vietnam. We had all met on a CTC exploratory trip, on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, in 1999.

But first came the dipping. There had been considerable debate as to whether it should be the rear wheel in the sea at the start and the front at the finish, or vice versa, or the front in both places, etc etc. In the end, we opted for both in both places, as we didn’t want to get it wrong and have to do the trip again.

The five of us looked resplendent in our brand new ‘Singers to Honkers’ T-shirts, as we set off through the streets of Singapore.

Our first challenge of the trip was to cross the causeway to Malaysia. Bicycles had to use the motor cycle lane and motor cycles can approach the checkpoint only from the BKE expressway. Bicycles are not allowed on the expressways, and motor cycles cannot approach the checkpoint from the only other entry, Woodlands Road. We decided to use Woodlands Road, not the expressway, but stood there scratching our heads when we got to the checkpoint. Ray (our pace maker and bike technician) then spotted the motor cycle lane and we quickly crossed over several lanes and around a few barriers, to get to the right place.

Malaysia

After swapping our money for ringgit and having lunch in Johore Bharu, we turned right towards the east coast of West Malaysia.

On the second day we had left the heavy traffic behind and were soon enjoying typical Malaysian scenery - jungle, rubber or palm plantations, with the odd monkey, snake, colourful bird, or giant lizard, to fascinate us. That morning, there had been a bit of confusion, as Gavin (our medico, map reader and hotel inspector) and Peter (our 72 year old hyperactive, teenager) left earlier than the rest. I had told them to take the same road, but in the opposite direction, meaning not the direction we had come from, but the direction we were going in.

We had come in from the left on a loop road, and I wanted them to turn right, but they turned left again, not realising it was a loop road. Rhona (our steady, uncomplaining, thoroughly nice cyclist), Ray and I, spent the whole day trying to catch them, when they were actually behind us. Anyhow, the police stopped us to pass on a message from them. Being the only Kiwi in the group, I took a fair ribbing for that.

We came across a Shimano factory and were given a guided tour. Everything was highly organised and spotless. There was a list of edicts on the wall, which included, ‘Cleanliness clears the mind’ and ‘Anything not used in one year throw out’.

Mersing was the departure point for a boat trip to Tioman Island. A visit to one of the islands is a highlight of a Malaysian cycling trip. It was really too early for a holiday, but we had chosen Tioman, as most of us hadn’t been there before. The Perhentian Islands are equally as good and a few days’ cycling further north. Tioman was everything we expected, with excellent snorkelling, jungle walks and friendly staff.

Back on the mainland, we collected our bikes and headed north. One night we stayed at a 1920s rest house. We had enormous rooms, with the typical ceiling fans and wide verandahs. You almost expect to bump into Somerset Maugham.
We reached Cherating, which has retained its backpacker feel - the Club Med is around a headland and out of sight. Accommodation, right on the beach, is in simple chalets and there is a good choice of restaurants.

We met a cyclist who was travelling down from Korea, whose strategy was to cadge a bed and a meal in fire stations. He was one of a number of long distance cyclists we would meet.

Our first day of over 100 km was to Rantau Abang, where the giant leatherback turtles come ashore. We chose a nice seaside bungalow, had a swim and then ordered the usual daily beers, forgetting that we were in the heart of Muslim territory. Normally, getting a beer in this area is not too much of a problem, as you just find the nearest Chinese restaurant, but after exhaustive enquires we discovered there weren’t any. Somebody mentioned they had seen a sign offering one litre mugs of beer, several kilometres back. We decided to walk, seeing we were a bit saddle sore. We eventually arrived, only to find it was not beer, but very cold and refreshing fruit juice.

At Merang, not to be confused with the nearby Marang, we stayed in a Chinese-run place and spent a very interesting evening with the proprietor, who gave us a full account of Malaysia’s underlying issues.

I was thoroughly enjoying the local food and one of my favourites for breakfast was roti canai, a fried pancake served with curry. We were passing through fishing villages, so fresh fish was often on the menu. There are numerous roadside stalls, selling tropical fruit and drinks, along most of the roads in South East Asia.

We headed for Kota Bharu, near the Thai border. It’s a fascinating place and the night food stalls would have to be among the best anywhere, with the most amazing array of delicacies imaginable.

There is a ten minute vehicular ferry ride from Malaysia, across the river, to Thailand. We sat by the river and had our first rules committee meeting. Our options were to use the ferry, or cycle a long way inland and cross by bridge. We ended up having one of these meetings for each of the seven boat crossings to come. In most cases, there was no alternative. We decided every time that if there wasn’t a bridge on our road, that was not our fault and we couldn’t be accused of cheating.

Thailand

We had no problems entering Thailand. A few more cyclists must be passing through this, off the beaten track, entry point, as I had come with a bike several years ago and, that time, the officials just stood there in amazement and then burst into prolonged laughter.

We used an ATM to get our baht and then cycled north, through the grounds of a royal palace and into Narathiwat.
The main road stretches 1187 km, from this corner of Thailand to Bangkok and is four lanes wide, with a good cycle lane on each side. The trouble is, the cycle lane is shared with motor cyclists, who come at you from the wrong direction, so you have to be alert. It’s especially bad at night, because you can’t see any wide loads that they may be carrying.

The coast here is very undeveloped, with miles of beautiful, deserted beaches. We tried to follow the coast as much as possible and keep off the busy roads.

We were reminded that we were in the Muslim dominated south, by the arrows on the bedroom ceilings pointing towards Mecca and the early morning calls of the muezzin to prayer. At Pattani, we debated whether to stay in the My Garden Hotel. We decided on a cheaper one and read later in the Bangkok Post that the My Garden had been bombed by terrorists that night. Fortunately there were no casualties.

The weather was perfect, with tail winds and our rides over the next few days were all over 100 km. We were now seeing more prawn farms than the usual rice paddies.

It was time for more r&r and we caught the ferry from Don Sac to Ko Samui Island. This time, we took our bikes, as there are roads on Ko Samui and Ko Phangan. Ko Samui is totally developed and extremely touristy. We thoroughly enjoyed it though, despite the monsoonal rain. I rode through a flood and ruined the front bearings, so had a wobbly wheel all the way to Bangkok. We caught the ferry to Ko Phangan, which broke down in stormy seas, but it was soon repaired. Ko Phangan was relatively quiet, as it only livens up for the notorious full moon parties. To avoid disqualification, we made sure we got a ferry that would take us back to Don Sac and not further up the coast.

Navigation was quite difficult at times on the minor roads and the compass got plenty of use. The locals often gave us conflicting directions. The scenery was superb, with lots of coconut trees and lovely beaches. We had got into the habit of departing soon after daybreak each day, to get as far as possible before the midday heat. Most days, the temperature was up in the mid-30s.

We passed the narrowest point of Thailand, which is only 10.96 km. One night we stayed on an air force base next to a beach, where we were saluted on entry. Then it was the Dolphin Bay Resort, in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, where we were lucky enough to see a pod of the pink dolphins passing by. To give an example of how cheap things can be, this is a five star resort and a room costs $US23.

It was soon time to say goodbye to the Gulf of Thailand. We had enjoyed our daily swims and curries on the beaches, with the warm water lapping at our feet. We wouldn’t see the sea again for another three weeks.

Gavin and Peter bought face masks in preparation for the pollution to come, but they also became very useful against the dust in Cambodia. We crossed the Chao Praya river and were in the heart of Bangkok. We had cycled in Bangkok before, so didn’t find it too daunting. The other road users are amazingly obliging, you just do what you want to do and they all pause and let you go. You never hear any aggressive honking. We had been told about an excellent bike shop in Bangkok, so we were able to get all our repairs and servicing done.

The shortest way to Hong Kong is through Laos, but we had cycled Laos a couple of years before, so had decided on Cambodia this time. We headed out of Bangkok in the early morning peak traffic. The best way for us was along one way streets the wrong way, which was no problem. We could hear the intersection police radioing ahead that farangs (foreigners) were coming. This was one of our three days over 150 km and we didn’t find any accommodation until after dark.

The next day was to the border town of Aranyaprathet. Thailand is a great country for cycle touring. We had particularly enjoyed parts of the peninsular coast, with the superb beaches, accommodation, eating establishments, weather and, as yet, it’s undiscovered by the masses.

Cambodia

We had read all the information on entry to Cambodia at Poipet, but the contrast from Thailand still came as a bit of a shock.

Getting our Cambodia visas at the border was quite easy and cheaper than elsewhere, even with the officials on the take. Poipet was under mortar attack from the Khmer Rouge as recently as 1996. We had gone from the nice smooth roads in Thailand to a rock surface on the main street of the town.

It’s advisable to get out of Poipet, as quickly as possible, but we paused for some photos. Gavin’s wallet mysteriously disappeared and I caught a guy in the act of removing my passport and currency etc. The crowd thought it was a bit of a joke and I could hear the word ‘bandit’. From then on, we always put the rain covers on our panniers to make rapid unzipping more difficult. Incidents like these and the bombing at Pattani are very unusual for South East Asia, and we all still feel safer cycling in these parts than we do at home.

The road beyond Poipet was full of the biggest potholes I have ever seen and we were pleased we had suitable bikes - you could never cross Cambodia on a racer. We arrived safely in Sisophon, and that night we arranged for a restaurant to open early the next morning, to serve us baguettes and coffee.

The first part of the road to Siem Reap was amazing. After a while, we were covered in red dust, but my hair improved, going from grey to red. We could now appreciate why Cambodia can only be cycled in the dry season. The bridges often had the steel deck plates missing, leaving gaping holes. Despite all this, the countryside was very picturesque, with green fields. The people were very friendly and, as always in Asia, called out to us as we went by.

Siem Reap is the tourist town for the temples of Angkor and we spent a very pleasant three days here. It was interesting to compare the Angkor ruins with those in Bagan, Myanmar, which we had explored the year before. These ruins cover large areas and exploring by bike is a real advantage.

It was to be a four day ride to Phnom Penh, on the route that takes you north of the Tonle Sap lake. The holes in the road were well over a metre deep in places. Trucks, buses and cars had great difficulty, so we were often faster than them. Probably, being on a bike is one of the most comfortable ways to travel this road. We saw all manner of things being carried on bikes and motor bikes. The SPCA would have a busy time here, as the pigs, chickens and ducks are all transported alive and always upside down. One day, Gavin had a run in with a water buffalo, but both came out of it unscathed.

People would gather to watch us at every stop. During a drink stop, an old man tried to pluck the hairs from my arms and legs. It could well be that he hadn’t been that close to hairy aliens before. The night before Phnom Penh, we stayed at Skoun, famous for its edible giant spiders. We weren’t brave enough to eat them, but did have them crawling all over us for photo purposes.

It was good to see the Mekong again, as we entered Phnom Penh. We found a reasonably priced hotel, near the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and the club became our base for eating, drinking and relaxing. We visited the school that became a torture centre during the Khmer Rouge time and saw the killing fields. I read the book ‘First They Killed My Father’ on our ride through Cambodia and it was a very poignant reminder of the events of the 70s. Some of the people we got talking to had interesting but sad stories to tell.

It was a two-day ride to the Vietnam border and, once again, the roads were appalling in places. We had enjoyed Cambodia. It’s a ‘Wild West’ country, with very little infrastructure for tourism outside of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, has dreadful poverty and a terrible history, but the people are always smiling.

Vietnam

Our arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is one of my most memorable cycling experiences. We had arrived from Svai Rieng, in Cambodia, so it was a long day’s ride and early evening. The city has a population of eight million and it seemed like they were all out on their motor bikes, bikes and cyclos.

The intersections were not for the faint hearted. It was a matter of joining the surge and those on the street making the biggest surge forward, won. At roundabouts, you aimed straight for your exit point and kept going regardless. I thought at the time it would be a good idea to wear horse blinkers, so you wouldn’t see what’s happening around you. The roads were so tightly packed you could feel other vehicles brushing up against the panniers.

We were now halfway to Hong Kong and we had a week in Ho Chi Minh, doing all the tourist things, including a two-day bus trip south to the Mekong Delta and getting our China visas. There are ATM machines here and we were able to withdraw two million at a time - dong not dollars. That’s about NZ$200.

On 12 December we set off for the coast. We were joined by Jan (our laid back, very fit and fast cyclist, who enjoys a smoke at rest stops), who had flown in from England the night before. We had heard about a very quiet route out of Ho Chi Minh and were soon among rubber, coconut and casuarina trees. We passed through Ba Ria, where the New Zealanders were based during the war.

We encountered our first head winds and these were to stay with us for nearly 2000 km, but we had expected them. The South China Sea was a welcome sight and we had a swim on arrival at Long Hai. It was here that I noticed some hairline cracks on my rear rim, around the spokes.

At Ho Coc Beach, we talked to an interesting Vietnamese family who were visiting from the USA. He had been one of the boat people and told us of his experiences.

We were eating a lot of seafood for dinners and always baguettes for breakfast, if they were available. We were staying at beautiful beaches every night and making the most of the warm weather, as we knew it would be cooler further north.

Our quiet coastal road linked up with Highway 1, which we would follow to Hanoi. A sign said ‘Hanoi 1570 km’. Highway 1 is busy, but we thought it was safe enough. You get plenty of warning of vehicles coming up from behind. The air horns became so tiresome, that Gavin took to using my earplugs when cycling (carried in the event of any snoring problems).

As in other Asian countries, we saw the most amazing things being transported on bikes and motor bikes, including such items as large sheets of glass for building sites and even a cow.

I found many of the Vietnamese to be a bit too inquisitive and forward, but they were always friendly and helpful. Locals on bicycles and motor bikes would pull alongside to chat. When we had had enough, we could usually lose the cyclists, but the motor cyclists were a problem. If we gave up responding to them, we would sometimes get a friendly poke in the arm, or a slap on the back, or have our clothes pulled, as we were cycling along.

The Vietnamese seemed to have no concept of privacy. When we sat down for a meal, they would often sit at the same table and stare, or follow us into hotels, or push in to get a better look at our guide books or maps. They would want to wear our helmets, but we tried not to let them ride our bikes. The school children often wanted to race us, or show off by weaving in and out, which was a bit hazardous. Some of them were amazingly fast, considering the bikes they had.

At Nha Trang, I tried to get a new rim as mine was getting worse, but the local ones all have 36 spoke holes, whereas I needed one with 32. We did the harbour tour and enjoyed the floating bar. It was an inner tube, attached to the boat by a long rope, with a Vietnamese guy in the middle of the tube, serving copious quantities of free wine. Fortunately, they provided tubes to keep us afloat.

It was another five days’ cycling to Hoi An, where we had chosen to spend Christmas. We were enjoying the impressive coastal scenery, but there was a drop in the temperature and it was a bit wet at times.

My rim finally packed up a couple of days out of Hoi An, but I was able to limp in, minus a few spokes. The hotel receptionist was ever so helpful and found a man who transferred the front rim to the rear and adapted a Chinese made rim for the front. For parts and one and a half days’ labour, the charge was $US15. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, at the French run, Tam Tam Café. Hoi An really is the most enchanting place on the coast. This was as far as Rhona and Ray were going, and we said farewell to them.

We visited China Beach and crossed the Hai Van Pass, which was the one of the few climbs on the entire trip. In Malaysia and Thailand it was so flat we had moaned about the man-made hills up to the bridges.

We stayed in the ancient city of Hue and headed up to the former demilitarised zone. After crossing into what was once North Vietnam, Gavin and I took a side diversion, to explore the Vinh Moc tunnels. We had already visited the Cu Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh, and I was beginning to appreciate how the communists had won the war.

Peter and Jan had gone ahead and Gavin and I spent New Year’s Eve in a miserable place, where we were the only guests. We managed to get some rice and had some warm beers, but were asleep by 10pm.

It was another three days to Ninh Binh, which is becoming a tourist centre, with its breathtaking scenery. One day, Gavin was cycling on his own and came across an unconscious motor cyclist with a gaping head wound. He attended to him, but couldn’t get anyone to understand the word ‘ambulance’ and wasn’t even sure if they existed in this part of the world. The locals propped him, still unconscious, between two on a motor bike and they rode off. Gavin, who is a locum in between cycling tours, said he could have had a fractured skull and brain damage.

The final 30 km into Hanoi was along a motorway, with hardly any traffic. I’m not sure whether we were allowed on this motorway, but it was great cycling. Hanoi is the Paris of the east. We stayed in the Old Quarter and enjoyed the fine restaurants. I went to see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. He is looking rather pale these days, but goes to Russia every year for maintenance.

Jan had to get back to work and he flew home from Hanoi. It was still 350 km to the Chinese border and the three of us set off, across the Red River. The bridge had been bombed many times by the Americans, but was always re-erected in a few days.

Halong Bay is famous for its spectacular limestone formations, and we joined the tourists for a splendid sightseeing trip by boat.

Our last night in Vietnam was at Mong Cai, right up in the north-east corner on the Chinese border. It had been a pleasant ride through tea plantations that day. Our hotel was typical of the many we had used in Vietnam, a mini hotel, privately owned, virtually new and very reasonably priced. There is generally no need to book ahead in South East Asia, as there is always somewhere available and camping gear is not necessary.
Into China

China

We had the latest version of Lonely Planet and it said that this crossing to China was open to foreigners, but they had yet to meet someone who had entered or exited here. We entered China with no worries, except Peter produced a large wad of Vietnamese dong and the money changing girls got into a frenzy and literally swamped him.

We knew that the next 1000 km would be more difficult, as there would be even more language problems, the guide books did not cover these parts and we had been able to get very little information from the internet. We had maps, but we knew that with the intense development going on they would be out of date.

Our first day was along quiet country roads, with thatched dwellings. It was a perfect day for cycling. In fact, we had had no rain since Hanoi and it would be fine all the way to Hong Kong.

We found our way to Qinzhou and must have looked a bit lost, as some girls on a motor bike indicated that we should follow them and they took us to a good hotel. It was a big city and we found a McDonald’s type restaurant, bakeries, chocolate shops and even went ten pin bowling.

The next day we cycled to Beihai, which was purported to have the best beach in China, but it was fenced off, with a fairly steep entry fee.

One thing we did learn in China was to disconnect the telephone before going to bed, otherwise the ladies of the night would be phoning at all hours. We got into the habit of finding a bookshop in every city to get a local map. Even though they were in Chinese, we learnt to compare the characters with those on the road signs.

I was very impressed with the new motorways, which we could see in the distance. They were on a grand scale compared with here, with tunnels through the hills and very high suspension bridges. Throughout southern China, we were amazed by the scale and pace of development taking place. At Zhanjiang, I came across a dog butcher’s shop, with rows of skinned dogs ready for the pot. Jan had tried dog in Vietnam, but the rest of us, hopefully, hadn’t unknowingly been given any. Large crowds would often gather when we stopped in the cities, and we caused a few traffic jams.

On 19 January we entered the former Portuguese colony of Macau, now a Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong. We were directed into the truck lane. We thought it was a bit odd that they just waved us on and we didn’t have to go through immigration. I hadn’t been to Macau for 30 years and it’s still one of my favourite places. The Macanese food is hard to beat, especially when it is washed down with good Portuguese wine. We went to leave Macau and reenter China, but weren’t allowed to leave, as we hadn’t officially entered. They couldn’t understand how we had managed to enter Macau without getting our passports stamped. They eventually yielded, but not until we had signed a statement, detailing how we had got in. Probably, not too many Westerners arrive in Macau by bike.

We had a good ride out of the adjacent city of Zhuhai, as it was along a waterfront bike path that lasted for about 30 km. We crossed the Pearl River and arrived in Humen. We were checking into a hotel when the manager arrived and told us to leave, as he said the hotel wasn’t licensed for foreigners. It was the only place in China where this rule had been applied and he probably just didn’t like the look of us.

The ride the next day, from Humen to Shenzhen, was the worst of the trip. The traffic and pollution were unbelievable. Shenzhen was a tiny village, in a rural area, when I lived in Hong Kong in the early 70s. Now it’s a massive city rivalling Hong Kong with its skyscrapers.

Hong Kong

We chose a three star hotel, close to the entry point for Hong Kong, but the resident rat couldn’t resist Gavin’s snacks and chewed a hole through his bar bag.

We had tried, for several months, to get permission to ride across the closed area into Hong Kong, but no such luck. So on day 100, January 23, we exited Shenzhen and entered Hong Kong at the Lo Wu railway station.

We took the short train ride, across the closed area, to Sheung Shui, the first stop. We had opted for Route Twisk, up Tai Mo Shan, which is a very steep climb, but a quiet road. We dropped down into Kowloon, but got onto a motorway by mistake. It was a good half hour before we could leave our perilous position and get across a couple of lanes, to escape to the madness of Nathan Road.

Once again, we had tried to get permission to go through one of the under harbour tunnels, but the Hong Kong authorities don’t seem to understand the requirements of fanatical foreign cycle tourists. The Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui only takes folding bikes, so we had to carry on to Hung Hom to get the ferry. We crossed over to the Hong Kong side and cycled up the rather steep hill to the Peak area and down to the beautiful Repulse Bay.

We pushed our bikes across the sand and with cameras clicking, dipped our wheels into the sea. The port that we had carried from Macau went down very well, and no doubt assisted with our speeches of self congratulation. We had cycled the 6,905 km in 100 days as planned, and were oblivious to the emerging SARS problem.

It was getting dark now and we still had to go back up the hill to our hotel. Peter asked if he could get a lift to the top, and as the ride was officially over, Gavin and I agreed. After all, he is 72, has had two hip replacements and had actually cycled from Hanoi with a broken elbow. He had fallen down the hotel stairs, but didn’t have it confirmed it was broken until he was back in England.

Gavin and I rejoined Peter at the top. We asked a couple of police motor cyclists for directions and they gave us a motor cycle escort, complete with blue flashing lights, to our hotel. This was quite a dramatic end to a wonderful trip and epitomised the good nature and helpfulness of the people of Asia.

Route/Distances

• 16 October 2002, Singapore - Kota Tinggi, 75 km, 3 h 56 m, 19.1 av
• 17 October 2002, Kota Tinggi - Mersing, 94 km, 4 h 34 m, 20.7 av
• 18 & 19 October 2002, Rest Days, Tioman Island
• 20 October 2002, Mersing - Kuala Rompin, 70 km, 3 h 14 m, 21.7 av
• 21 October 2002, Kuala Rompin - Pekan, 91 km, 4 h 7 m, 22.2 av
• 22 October 2002, Pekan - Cherating, 93 km, 4 h 22 m, 21.3 av
• 23 October 2002, Rest Day
• 24 October 2002, Cherating - Rantau Abang, 103 km, 4 h 54 m, 21.2 av
• 25 October 2002, Rantau Abang - Merang, 107 km, 5 h 38 m, 19.1 av
• 26 October 2002, Merang - Khota Bharu, 139 km, 6 h 20 m, 22.0 av
• 27 October 2002, Rest Day
• 28 October 2002, Khota Bharu - Narathiwat, 73 km, 3 h 43 m, 19.7 av
• 29 October 2002, Narathiwat - Pattani, 111 km, 5 h 15 m, 21.2 av
• 30 October 2002, Pattani - Songkla, 111 km, 5 h 15 m, 21.3 av
• 31 October 2002, Rest Day
• 1 November 2002, Songkla - Hua Sai, 105 km, 4 h 28 m, 23.5 av
• 2 November 2002, Hua Sai - Sichon, 150 km, 6 h 26 m, 23.3 av
• 3 November 2002, Rest Day
• 4 November 2002, Sichon - Ko Samui, 90 km, 4 h 25 m, 20.3 av
• 5 & 6 November 2002, Rest Days
• 7 November 2002, Ko Samui - Ko Phangan, 7 km, 42 m, 10.6 av
• 8 November 2002, Ko Phangan - Surathani, 84 km, 3 h 56 m, 21.5 av
• 9 November 2002, Surathani - Chaiya, 56 km, 2 h 45 m, 20.6 av
• 10 November 2002, Chaiya - Hat Arun Thai, 108 km, 4 h 48 m, 22.6 av
• 11 November 2002, Hat Arun Thai - Thung Wua Laen, 94 km, 4 h 25 m, 21.3 av
• 12 November 2002, Thung Wua Laen - Bang Saphon Yai, 96 km, 4 h 56 m, 19.6 av
• 13 November 2002, Rest Day
• 14 November 2002, Bang Saphon Yai - Ao Manao, 113 km, 5 h 41 m, 19.8 av
• 15 November 2002, Ao Manao - Dolphin Bay, 85 km, 4 h 22 m, 19.6 av
• 16 November 2002, Rest Day
• 17 November 2002, Dolphin Bay - Hua Hin, 51 km, 2 h 31 m, 20.3 av
• 18 November 2002, Hua Hin - Samet Songkram, 131 km, 5 h 51 m, 22.4 av
• 19 November 2002, Samet Songkram - Bangkok, 82 km, 3 h 53 m, 21.2 av
• 20 November 2002, Rest Day
• 21 November 2002, Bangkok - Tawa Ravadee Resort, 150 km, 7 h 16 m, 20.6 av
• 22 November 2002, Tawa Ravadee Resort - Araya Prathet, 125 km, 5 h 46 m, 21.7 av
• 23 November 2002, Araya Prathet - Sisophon, 57 km, 3 h 47 m, 15.2 av
• 24 November 2002, Sisophon - Siem Reap, 110 km, 7 h 8 m, 15.5 av
• 25, 26 & 27 November 2002, Rest Days, 59 km, 4 h 21 m, 13.5 av
• 28 November 2002, Siem Reap - Kampong Kdei, 64 km, 3 h 50 m, 16.8 av
• 29 November 2002, Kampong Kdei - Kampong Thom, 87 km, 4 h 17 m, 20.4 av
• 30 November 2002, Kampong Thom - Skoun, 95 km, 5 h 2 m, 18.8 av
• 1 December 2002, Skoun - Phnom Penh, 81 km, 4 h, 20.2 av
• 2 & 3 December 2002, Rest Days
• 4 December 2002, Phonm Penh - Svai Rieng, 128 km, 6 h 26 m, 19.8 av
• 5 December 2002, Svai Rieng - Ho Chi Minh, 117 km, 6 h 48 m, 17.2 av
• 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 December 2002, Rest Days, Ho Chi Minh & Mekong Delta
• 12 December 2002, Ho Chi Minh - Lang Hai, 96 km, 4 h 40 m, 20.5 av
• 13 December 2002, Lang Hai - Ho Coc, 54 km, 3 h 1 m, 18.0 av
• 14 December 2002, Ho Coc - Mui Ne, 122 km, 5 h 48 m, 21.1 av
• 15 December 2002, Rest Day
• 16 December 2002, Mui Ne - Ca Nah, 131 km, 6 h 21 m, 20.6 av
• 17 December 2002, Ca Nah - Nha Trang, 136 km, 6 h 40 m, 20.4 av
• 18 & 19 December 2002, Rest Days, 27 km, 2 h 9 m, 12.8 av
• 20 December 2002, Nha Trang - Dai Lanh, 85 km, 3 h 36 m, 23.7 av
• 21 December 2002, Dai Lanh - Song Cau, 106 km, 4 h 37 m, 23.0 av
• 22 December 2002, Song Cau - Sa Huyah, 139 km, 6 h 39 m, 21.0 av
• 23 December 2002, Sa Huyah - Quang Ngai, 68 km, 4 h 23 m, 15.6 av
• 24 December 2002, Quang Ngai - Hoi An, 120 km, 5 h 42 m, 21.1 av
• 25 & 26 December 2002, Rest Days, 8 km, 35 m, 13.8 av
• 27 December 2002, Hoi An - Lang Co, 75 km, 4 h 6 m, 18.5 av
• 28 December 2002, Lang Co - Hue, 84 km, 5 h 3 m, 16.6 av
• 29 December 2002, Hue - Dong Ha, 71 km, 3 h 24 m, 21.0 av
• 30 December 2002, Dong Ha - Dong Hoi, 129 km, 6 h 36 m, 19.6 av
• 31 December 2002, Dong Hoi - De Ngang Pass, 75 km, 3 h 46 m, 20.0 av
• 1 January 2003, De Ngang Pass - Vinh, 132 km, 6 h 28 m, 20.4 av
• 2 January 2003, Vinh - Thanh Hoa, 141 km, 6 h 26 m, 22.0 av
• 3 January 2003, Thanh Hoa - Ninh Bin, 62 km, 2 h 51 m, 22.1 av
• 4 January 2003, Ninh Bin - Hanoi, 94 km, 3 h 57 m, 23.8 av
• 5 & 6 January 2003, Rest Days
• 7 January 2003, Hanoi - Bai Chay, 152 km, 7 h 5 m, 21.4 av
• 8 January 2003, Rest Day, Halong Bay
• 9 January 2003, Bai Chay - Cai Rong, 48 km, 2 h 40 m, 18.1 av
• 10 January 2003, Cai Rong - Mong Cai, 144 km, 6 h 44 m, 21.5 av
• 11 January 2003, Mong Cai - Qinzhou, 100 km, 5 h 24 m, 18.5 av
• 12 January 2003, Qinzhou - Beihai, 128 km, 6 h 10 m, 20.8 av
• 13 January 2003, Rest Day
• 14 January 2003, Beihai - Shankou, 124 km, 6 h 5 m, 20.4 av
• 15 January 2003, Shankou - Zhanjiang, 99 km, 4 h 53 m, 20.4 av
• 16 January 2003, Zhanjiang - Diancheng, 134 km, 6 h 12 m, 21.6 av
• 17 January 2003, Diancheng - Yangjiang, 100 km, 4 h 43 m, 21.1 av
• 18 January 2003, Yangjiang - Duhu, 133 km, 6 h 31 m, 20.4 av
• 19 January 2003, Duhu - Macau, 92 km, 4 h 35 m, 20.2 av
• 20 January 2003, Rest Day
• 21 January 2003, Macau - Humen, 120 km, 6 h 7 m, 19.6 av
• 22 January 2003, Humen - Shenzhen, 82 km, 4 h 17 m, 19.1 av
• 23 January 2003, Shenzhen - Hong Kong, 67 km, 4 h 54 m, 13.8 av