We land in Bangkok and it is 'Full On' from the start. We thought Istanbul was a busy and chaotic city but it pales in comparison to the mayhem of Bangkok. Luckily we quickly become rather good at dodging the numerous three wheeled tuk-tuk's and stray dogs.

It takes us a while to get used to Bangkok. We miss the Turks, their food and the calls for prayer from the muezzins. It's a bit of a culture shock to be walking around in the 'sin-city' of Bangkok after so much time in an Islamic country. The fact that the 'chador' is not at all fashionable in this city is definitely a plus though.

After a few days in Bangkok we receive bad news from home. Okke's father is seriously ill with pneumonia and is in hospital. We wait for several days in Bangkok. We want to be able to fly back to Amsterdam quickly should the situation get any worse. To our great relief Okke's father makes a speedy recovery and after two weeks we are able to start thinking about cycling again.

After having aborted our planned route to India we don't really have a plan where to go next. We study the map of south-east Asia. If we could cycle through Myanmar (Birma) we might still reach India. Unfortunately the powers that be in Myanmar are of the opinion that our little cycling trip could constitute a threat to their national security. Myanmar is therefore a no-go area for us. We hear the roads in Cambodia are very bad and that there are still a lot of mines and loose guns. On the other hand we hear a lot of positive stories about the people of Cambodia from fellow travelers. We put Cambodia down as a possibility, but finally decide that we would probably enjoy about 2000 kilometers of flat terrain. Bangkok to Singapore provides the ideal stretch.

We leave Bangkok by train - cycling through big cities really isn't our thing - and arrive at Phetchaburi, a bit to the south.. The Thai railways are very efficient and it's no problem at all to transport our bikes. The railway staff is a bit too enthusiastic about riding our strange bikes and soon the head train driver is trying to cycle a quick circle over the platform.

It takes us a while to get into a 'cycling-state-of-mind' again. The heat is much worse than in Turkey but luckily the terrain is flat, the roads are excellent and we are treated to a strong wind in our back that lasts for days. We make a lot of kilometers and we feel quite good about ourselves. Slowly though we are beginning to get worn out by a quite unexpected element. We discover that the roadsides in Thailand are very densely populated by people selling food, walking or just hanging about. Then there is the endless stream of motorbikes, usually transporting whole families. Not one of them has ever seen two white people on a recumbent. They think it is absolutely hilarious - it is - and are constantly waving and laughing at us. All of them are very friendly and we are putting a lot of extra broad smiles on peoples faces, but we are starting to feel like a circus act after a while.

Our good fortune with the wind remains and we are quickly pedaling south, down the east coast towards Malaysia. We note that there seems to be a retired Dutch, German, American or Scandinavian postal worker living in every town we stop. Invariably married to a very young Thai woman. And then they are all really into karaoke too. Such a strange country!

We reach the southern Thai town of Songkla and spend a week in the fabulous Amsterdam Guesthouse. The Dutch owner, Paula, has made it a very cozy place, and it's truly a home away from home for us. Heading further south after Songkla, Buddhist territory suddenly ends and we are back in the familiar Muslim world. Our Dutch friends from Songkla have warned us that the Muslims ('mozzies' to them) in southern Thailand and Malaysia are violent and that we should be especially careful as it is Ramadan. A little anxious we reach Kota Bahru, our first major city in Malaysia.

No crazed 'mozzies' are attacking us, our confidence levels are rising and we decide to head to the night market. The food is delicious - even better then in Thailand - and there are hundreds of people sitting at their tables with a big plate of food and several very large drinks. Nobody is touching their meal though. Then all of a sudden at the exact same time everybody takes a huge gulp from their drink and starts to eat. It's a very impressive sight. How people manage not to drink from sunrise to sunset in this extremely hot climate is beyond us. It takes a lot of dedication to be a Muslim.

The stretch from Kota Bahru to Singapore proves to be very difficult for us. The east coast of Malaysia is a hard-core Muslim region and Ramadan is taken very seriously. Everything basically closes down during the day and it is difficult to buy food and water. We are eating too much 'non-food' such as biscuits and candy bars. Luckily we are able to buy just enough Milo, our favorite local chocolate drink, to keep the pedals turning. It's getting hotter and more humid as we are approaching Singapore. When we finally reach Singapore we are worn out. It's been too hot, to humid and we have not been eating and drinking enough. We've had enough of cycling for a while and decide to surrender fully to the glitzy air-conditioned shopping malls that Singapore consists of. We are enjoying consumerism and are almost talked into buying a fully automatic massage chair. We realize that it's time to get out of Singapore and decide to head back into Thailand to celebrate Christmas on Ko Pha Ngan Island.

We train it all the way back and make a quick stop in Kuala Lumpur to visit a friend from Okke's old high school who has worked for several years in Malaysia promoting the Milo chocolate drink. He has become quite famous and is known throughout Malaysia as 'Mister Milo'. We spend two very nice days in Kuala Lumpur and leave with our bags filled with a much needed supply of instant Milo powder. This chocolate drink has become quite a big thing for us in Malaysia.

On the 23rd of December we arrive at Ko Phangan. Christmas, the full-moon rave and new-year celebrations await us. It's party time!