1

Just go SE Asia it is easy start in Chiang Mai and go North and get a boat to Laos this is a great country to tour a bit hilly in places but not as much traffic as other place you go

Look on crazyguyonabike website and search some Asia blogs there to get some ideas

Keep smiling

2

dude, you're NOT familiar with se asia!! you've seen the big cities, you've
traveled by plane or train, maybe even taken a bus once or twice. the "real"
se asia was on the other side of the glass.

get on your bike and ride thru the forests and jungles. stop for lunch at tiny
road-side stalls. spend the night in wooden huts. stop to pet a water buffalo.
pull over anywhere you feel like to watch the elephants and monkeys, while the
tour buses go whizzing by. ask directions from farmers using sing language
and pictograms. go "that way" just cause the road is narrower and potholed.

and it's affordable. you should be able to manage on a budget of around
$25/day. you can travel light, with no need to carry a tent or cooking gear.

are you encouraged yet?

3

to quote someone...Travelling on a bike is an amazing experience. In this "virtual" age, your experience is real. You are out there waving to farmers who are waving back. You are smelling the pine trees in mountain passes, and seeing the sun's glint on the breaking surf. An eagle, circling up high, watches you. A horse in a paddock runs alongside you.
Wherever you go, you are welcomed. Everyone knows that you can't do any harm.
You are so independent and free. Do a bit more every year and over a lifetime you stay fit and strong. You really do see the world. And you make memories you will cherish forever.

4

Agree with the above. I used to live and work in Thailand and have been visiting for a very long time and was beginning to tire of the place. Then I decided to take my bike over and felt like I was seeing the country for the first time, but with the advantage of being fairly familiar with some of the areas that I rode through.

SE Asia is a great destination for a first-time bike tour, and Thailand in particular. In most of the country distances between places are not huge, there is food everywhere as well as accommodation, the scenery is usually excellent, road surfaces are usually fantastic, drivers are courteous (at least this is what I've found), and it would fit your budget nicely if you avoid the more visited places, especially in the south. Also, having your own bike is fantastic for local transportation. No more renting rickety Chinese-built clunkers to tour around historical parks or through the countryside.

I haven't ridden the south yet, but have done the NE twice, and the central area once, and have found that both provide superb riding. The same was true for Southern Laos. I've even enjoyed a week, or so, of just riding in and around Bangkok. Loved it!

If you go you might want to take a handlebar-mounted GPS unit with a good map of SE Asia. Mine has guided me along pathways beside the Mekong that I never knew existed despite traveling that stretch of road numerous times. It's also taken me through miles upon miles of alleyways through Bangkok and Thonburi without ever guiding me wrong. They're fantastic for avoiding major traffic arteries as well as finding ATMs and places to sleep.

Good luck with your decision.