South East Asia Bali - Hanoi October 2014 -

Hi Nick,

You can probably get a Pelni ferry from Java to Batam and then another one to Singapore, of which there are many. In Singapore try Tree In Lodge for accommodation - its run by a guy who cycled Finland to Singapore - he charges half rate for bikers, knows plenty about your route north and is your go-to man if you need anything bike-related.

One logistical point - you'll only get 15 days on your VISA if you travel over the land border into Thailand, so if heading north you need to go via Penang in Malaysia where you can quickly pick up your 60 day Thai VISA.

I take it you know what to expect from Java - lots of people, lots of traffic!

Good luck

Great route, you should have a wonderful ride.

A couple of points:

You my want to check out the security position in SE Thailand before you get there. It is not widely reported, but there are virtually daily bombings and regular gun attacks.

Personally I reckon the west coast of Thailand is better for cycling and this avoids the troubles. As you will probably be cycling up the East coast of Malaysia, you will need to cross over somewhere.

One other problem is that you will be heading into the prevailing NE Monsoon wind for a few thousand kms.

Agree with Simon w.r.t. the SE. See Frank Roettgen's Day in Ban Raman for his thoughts on cycling through that area.

thanks guys really appreciate the feedback.

i was researching about the visa for thailand, thanks for this re: penang and the ferry as well.

great read about Frank, unfortunately in the wrong place at wrong time, lucky he got through it, seems like a troubled area in the south. his journal is quite good, very informative.

I haven't read them all, but Frank's journals are some of the best for the area. Most are still quite relevant, as well, in terms of prices and such.

In case you haven't done it, the ride from Ratchaburi to Kanchanaburi on the west side of the Mae Khlong is wonderful, and a great way to get into the Bangkok area. I rode this stretch then took the train to Thonburi, which was fantastic. Slow and expensive compared to the bus, but worth it. You can go from the Thonburi station to the river where there are two piers with cross-river ferries that allow bikes. You'll get dropped off at the Chang Pier (Tha Chang) near Wat Phra Kaew.

If you want to approach from the SW without dealing with Bangkok traffic and the outlying industrial wastelands, you can throw your bike onto the commuter train that runs from Samut Songkhram to Ban Laem, then ferry over to Mahachai where you can get another train to Wong Wian Yai station in Thonburi. It's fun and interesting, and very inexpensive (total cost should be less than B100). Mahachai is a superb place to stop for a seafood meal overlooking the port area where the deep-sea trawlers come to unload.

Let me rephrase that - I haven't read all of the Asia-related journals on CGOAB, but I have read all of Frank's and they are some of the ... blah blah blah ...

I might be interested in joining for a bit. I too am planning a ride across Java, not sure if I would start in Bali or Surabaya. I don't have a firm date but I will be starting in October. If you wish to discuss this I am at tonywestisthebest@yahoo.com

As far as ferries from Indonesia, I ve been in Jambi on Sumatra and there is a ferry that goes from there to Batam, the port is a days ride out of Jambi. From Bantam its easy to get to Singapore or Malaysia. Further north you can take a ferry from Dumai to Malaysia. On a prior trip I flew from Jambi to Bantam as the price was about the same, but time and comfort were the deciders.

I might be interested in joining for a bit. I too am planning a ride across Java, not sure if I would start in Bali or Surabaya. I don't have a firm date but I will be starting in October. If you wish to discuss this I am at tonywestisthebest@yahoo.com

As far as ferries from Indonesia, I ve been in Jambi on Sumatra and there is a ferry that goes from there to Batam, the port is a days ride out of Jambi. From Bantam its easy to get to Singapore or Malaysia. Further north you can take a ferry from Dumai to Malaysia. On a prior trip I flew from Jambi to Bantam as the price was about the same, but time and comfort were the deciders.

The almost 48 hour Pelni ferry ride I did tennyears ago from Singapore to Jakartak via Batam andnBunka Islands was terribly uncomfortable, crowded, crap food, and jo redeeming faetures at all. The ferry froj Dumai to Melaka was quick 3hrs and comfortable.
There is also a ferry from northern Sumatera to Penang.
On Java, the reasonably flat nrth coast road is full of trucks, but ridable. There is an interesting route from Jogjakarta-Cilacap-Kalipucang ( 4 hr ferry)-Pangandaran-Banjar, then train to Bandung.

In Vietnam there aRe only two routes from Saigon to Hanoi: busy Highway 1, and the Ho Chi Minh Road (National Highway 14 nd 15). You can now keep off H1 on new coast roads between Baria and Nha Trang, and again from Tuy Hoa to Hinh Duong town in Binh Dinh Province. Most of these, but jot all are on Google maps. The HCM road takes you through the hihlands of central Vietnam, has less traffic, and ismore remote. Do some serious research on crazyguyonbike if you want to do HCMR. Some 200km are curently under repair or in poor condition in central VN, according to a cyclist who rode it last January.