{"id":5315,"date":"2017-04-03T04:05:15","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T08:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=5315"},"modified":"2020-01-04T16:06:52","modified_gmt":"2020-01-04T21:06:52","slug":"5-common-myths-about-cycling-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2017\/04\/5-common-myths-about-cycling-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Common Myths about Cycling Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"guide<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s too touristy\u2014you\u2019ll be surrounded by hordes of \u00a0cyclists and swarms of backpackers.<\/h2>\n

100% not true.<\/b> Of course if you\u2019re hungry for company, there\u2019ll be no shortage of places to connect with fellow tourists.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re in search of an \u2018authentic\u2019 experience, you\u2019ll find it as soon as you slip of the banana pancake trail.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, most cyclists stick to a few well-worn paths.\u00a0 Even a popular destination such as Thailand has plenty of undiscovered corners.\u00a0 Spend some time with Google maps and you can get as remote as you want in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

Communication will be impossible\u2014hardly anyone speaks English.<\/h2>\n

That depends on you.\u00a0 <\/b>If you stick to the more travelled routes, you\u2019ll probably come across locals who speak at least a little English.\u00a0 Of course if you head out to the really remote places, English speakers will be about as common as a decent pizza in Cambodia.<\/p>\n

The thing is, not sharing a common language doesn\u2019t stop communication.<\/p>\n

These days there are lots of tools out there to help you get your message across.\u00a0 \u00a0Tech-savvy cyclists use their smart phones as translating tools.\u00a0 If you\u2019re luddites like us, \u00a0you can rely on a simple picture dictionaries<\/a>.\u00a0 This will probably take care of 95% of your communication needs.<\/p>\n

Lastly, there\u2019s always the charades method.\u00a0 Hunger, thirst, illness, a need to find a place to sleep, basic directions\u2026these are all easily communicated without words.<\/p>\n

The traffic is horrendous\u2014you\u2019ll be lucky to make it out alive.<\/h2>\n

Highway death rates are shockingly high in Southeast Asia, there\u2019s no denying that.\u00a0 But by spending most of your time on quiet back roads, you can significantly reduce your chances of being involved in an accident.<\/p>\n

Some cyclists report actually feeling safer on roads in the developing world.\u00a0 Here\u2019s why:\u00a0 drivers in developing countries are used to slow moving vehicles, they\u2019re not surprised to see cyclists on the road.<\/p>\n

Once cyclists get used to how traffic flows in developing countries, most feel pretty comfortable with the organized chaos on the roads.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not safe\u2014these are poor countries and locals will rip you off and rob you.<\/h2>\n

Not true<\/b>.\u00a0 OK, keep your wits about you in big cities.\u00a0 That goes without saying anywhere in the world.\u00a0 But in smaller towns and cities your bike and belongings are probably just as safe (or safer) than in Western Europe or North America.\u00a0\u00a0 Bicycles are not seen as particularly valuable and therefore less likely to be targeted for theft.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, road banditry is far less common in Asia than in Central and South America.\u00a0 The only place in Southeast Asia where we\u2019ve ever really felt threatened was in some rough parts of Manila<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thieves who target foreigners hang out at bus stations, bars and tourist attractions\u2014not in the remote villages and towns where cyclists turn up.<\/p>\n

The climate sucks for cycling\u2014you\u2019ll be hot and sweaty all the time.<\/h2>\n

This is only partly true<\/b>.\u00a0 In lowland areas you will have to suffer sauna-like conditions for much of the day.\u00a0 Cycling between 10-2 when the sun is at its most intense can be exhausting and miserable.<\/p>\n

But early morning cycling in Southeast Asia is always delightful.\u00a0 The light is soft and gentle and there\u2019s a sense of serenity and calm.\u00a0 After around 3 PM, the heat of the day starts to recede and it\u2019s again a nice time to be on a bike. \u00a0Also, coastal routes generally benefit from a pleasant breeze.<\/p>\n

If you really can\u2019t deal with hot and humid, then it\u2019s time for some climbing.\u00a0 Throughout Southeast Asia, you\u2019ll many opportunities to cool off in the highlands.<\/p>\n

Here are some of our favorite Southeast Asia Cycling Routes:<\/h2>\n

Northern Vietnam<\/a>:\u00a0 We cycled here in the month of January and it was downright chilly.\u00a0 Hanoi is 1,700 kilometers north of tropical Ho Chi Minh City, so maybe that\u2019s not surprising.\u00a0 There\u2019s a challenging and spectacular\u00a0 500+ kilometer ride up to the Laos border at Dien Ben Phu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Laos<\/a>: \u00a0Most Cyclists in Laos stick to the main Highway 13.\u00a0 For a quiet and cool alternative we recommend Highway 1C towards Phou Loei National Park<\/a> and then a ride on Highway 6 to Phonsavan (where you\u2019ll hit the heat again).\u00a0 You\u2019ll be in for some long, steep climbs, but up at 1,500 the temperature is perfect for cycling.<\/p>\n

Philippines:<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0The Central Highlands of Northern Luzon<\/a> (known as the Cordillera) has a great climate and some of the best scenery in Southeast Asia.\u00a0 Plus there\u2019s hardly a tourist in sight.<\/p>\n

So there it is folks.\u00a0 You won\u2019t be forced to spend your days surrounded by annoying tourists and encounters with armed thugs are slim.\u00a0 You can bike through Southeast Asia without suffering from a case of heat exhaustion or getting flattened by a mini-van.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So go ahead, start planning your tour.<\/p>\n

Download our FREE Guide to Cycling Southeast Asia:<\/h2>\n

\"Free<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

More Southeast Asia bicycle touring stories and information from the archives:<\/h2>\n

Thailand<\/a><\/p>\n

Laos<\/a><\/p>\n

Cambodia<\/a><\/p>\n

Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n

Malaysia<\/a><\/p>\n

Indoneisa<\/a><\/p>\n

Philippines<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s too touristy\u2014you\u2019ll be surrounded by hordes of \u00a0cyclists and swarms of backpackers. 100% not true. Of course if you\u2019re hungry for company, there\u2019ll be no shortage of places to connect with fellow tourists.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re in search of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[115,311,26],"tags":[137,78],"yoast_head":"\n5 Common Myths about Cycling Southeast Asia - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2017\/04\/5-common-myths-about-cycling-southeast-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Common Myths about Cycling Southeast Asia - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s too touristy\u2014you\u2019ll be surrounded by hordes of \u00a0cyclists and swarms of backpackers. 100% not true. 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