Going south

Hello my friends!

I try to update the blog in English too but as you know it's not so easy for me. The biggest problem is for sure the laziness.

After my four weeks cycle trip through parts of Burma I flew back to Bangkok, Thailand. There I spent the next 2,5 weeks to get things sorted out for my next trip.

Because I spent almost the last 9 month in Southeast Asia I thought about a new trip and a new challenge. I don't want to say that I have seen enough of that beautiful part of the world but I would say that it's enough for this time and that I'm ready for something new.

A long time ago I had the idea to spend the last time of my travels in Africa. So I had the idea to fly to South Africa from where I'm cycling back home to Austria. I will try to avoid another flight then the neccessary one to Cape Town but I'm not sure yet if I can enter or cross every country of my route and how that will happen. All that I will see when I'm there and I think it's the best to work on the spot on the problems.

My flight is going on the 28th of June from Kuala Lumpur to Cape Town. From Cape Town I search my way through the inland of South Africa. After I cross to Swaziland and continue through Mozambique to Malawi and after to Tanzania. The route is mainly heading up north on the east coast because traveling there is much easier and the central countries are restricted because of civil wars and so on. When I arrive in Egypt I want to cross west to Morocco and head through Europe back home to my family and friends.

In the moment I'm cycling from Thailand south to Kuala Lumpur. This trip started last sunday with a train ride from Bangkok to Surat Thani because time is running short. I had a pleasant ride in the 3rd class and enough space to stretch my length. Because I arrived in the early morning I continued on the bike in the direction of Nakhon Sri ..... . I didn't reach my destination because I was to lazy on this day. I escaped two heavy rainfalls and camped overnight under a nice bridge. The day after I cycled further south and ended up shopping for longtime necessary T-shirts. I would say there is nothing better then a 2-nd-handshop on the way. In the afternoon I reached the sea and after a short swim and some washing I called it a day. Some boys of a small fishing village played football on the beach and so I joined them and got later invited for food and stay the night. I had a good night and continued my journey in the direction of Hat Yai which I neither got to because I met another nice girl which invited me to her restaurand and later to stay the night in her place. I got the following day to Sadao, which is close to the border, where I spent my last night in the Thai forest and crossed the day after to Malaysia. I got the stamp and the customs took me to the doctor to check the H1N1 Pig-Flu. After they had the confidence that I'm ok I continued to Alor Setar where I had some problems to change my Thai Baht in cash. By 2.30 o'clock I left the shopping-centre without cash because the moneychanger hadn't returned yet from his lunch break. I cycled to the 90 k's distant Butterworth and called a man, which should host my for my first night. Because he is living out of town and I didn't want to leave the town without any cash I bought myself food with the credit card and ate the first day in Malaysia for sure no local food. I fed myself with bread and chocolate cream and so on. The night I spent in the forest near a small dirty lake and changed the next day finally my money. With some cash in my pockets I cycled to David, my host and had a relaxing day there. On Monday I'm touring south together with David.

In KL I will get the last things sorted that I'm ready for my new trip to the African continent.

I hope you are all well and you send me some news of your daily life and adventours!!!

Have a good time and all the best

Stefan