Tips for being safe on a bike in Bangkok

Here are my top tips for how to Cycle Safely in Bangkok:

• Wear bright colors to make sure you are seen
• Wear a helmet (of course)
• Always signal when you turn (or, for busy intersections, go straight)
• Always stay to the left (this is the driving side in Thailand)
• If you are turning right at a busy intersection, stay on the left until the red light, then move to the right lane once traffic has stopped. This will avoid the need to cross several lanes of moving traffic and have you in the perfect spot for the next green light.
• Riding in the bike lanes can be tricky due to food carts, parked cars and other obstacles. It’s often much easier, and safer, to ride with the traffic and there is a natural flow to it.
• If caught behind a bus stopping bus let the passengers finish getting on and off first before passing.
• When riding alongside parked cars be alert to someone opening a door.
• When riding narrow elevated paths, dismount and walk if you feel unsure of your balance.

A fun thing to do in Bangkok

If you would like to cycle on your own and explore Bangkok, download this handy app, Punmaung,  for a map of cycling routes in Bangkok. If you don’t feel confident to rent a bike and explore by yourself, then joining a guided bike tour is a great option to experience cycling in Bangkok in a safe way. If you are exploring by bike with our team in Thailand you can also discover more of the city on our 2-day Bangkok Explorer trip extension

Just remember, with good preparation and some planning, cycling in Bangkok is not more dangerous than cycling in any other place in the world and a hell of a lot of fun!

Not sure how to spend your time off? Take a look at our recommendations for cycling tours during public holidays.

Get away for a few days to the countryside for country rides along rivers and through gently rolling hills. With a tickle of a breeze on your skin take in a lung full of fresh air. This is what long weekends are for – to get on a bike and pedal your cares away. After a couple of days of cycling you will feel refreshed, relaxed, focused and revitalized.

Where you go doesn’t matter—as the kilometers roll on, the landscape changes and you always discover something new.

Our tailor-made a long weekend escapes include a ride along the River Kwai in Thailand, cycling the Angkor Temples in Cambodia, exploring the ruins of Bagan in Myanmar, or cruising the bike paths of the Mekong Delta. To make planning your long weekend easier we have prepared a list of Thailand’s long weekends in 2019 & 2020 as well as a list of tours to fit your long weekend.

Thailand’s long weekends in 2019

In 2019 Thailand has 8 long weekends

1. Chakri Day – 3 days

• 5 – 8 April 2019
• Friday to Monday

2. Songkran Festival – 4 days

• 13 – 16 April 2019
• Saturday – Tuesday

3. Coronation of Vajiralongkorn – 3 days

• 4- 6 May 2019
• Saturday to Monday

4. Visakha Bucha Day – 3 days

• 18 – 20 May 2019
• Saturday to Monday

5. King Vajiralongkorn’s Birthday – 3 days

• 27 – 29 July 2019
• Saturday to Monday

6. The Queen’s Birthday/Mother’s Day – 3 days

• 10 – 12 August 2019
• Saturday to Monday

7. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Death Day – 3 days

• 10 – 14 October 2019
• Saturday to Monday

Did you know that you could take a 6-day holiday if you take two leave days on Friday, Dec 6th and Monday, Dec 9th combining two holidays?

8. King Bhumibol Adulyadej Birthday/Father’s Day and Constitution Day – 3 days

• 5 – 10 December 2019
• Thursday to Tuesday

Thailand’s long weekends in 2020

In 2020, these are the 4 Thailand public holidays creating long weekends:

1. Maha Bucha Day – 3 days

• 8 – 10 February 2020
• Saturday – Monday

2. Chakri Day – 3 days

• 4 – 6 April 2020
• Friday to Monday

3. Songkran Festival – 5 days

• 11 – 15 April 2020
• Saturday – Wednesday

4. Chulalongkorn Memorial Day – 3 days

• 23 – 25 October 2020
• Friday – Sunday

In 2020 with 7 days off you can have 4 more long weekends:

5. New Year’s – 6 days

• 31 Dec 2019 – 5 January 2020
• Thursday to Sunday

6. King Vajiralongkorn’s Birthday- 4 days

• 27 – 29 July 2020
• Saturday to Tuesday

7. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Death Day – 4 days

• 10 – 13 October 2020
• Saturday to Tuesday

8. Constitution Day – 4 Days

• 10 -13 December 2020
• Thursday to Sunday

The Cycling Escapes

Grasshopper Adventures operates exceptional short cycling tours in Thailand and 5 more amazing destinations a short flight away from Bangkok.

Cambodia – the home of Angkor Wat

Angkor & The Villages – 2 days cycling

Spend two unforgettable days exploring the sacred temples of Angkor Wat and the surrounding countryside.

West Tonle Sap Trail: Angkor to Phnom Penh – 3 days cycling

On this tour, get off the beaten path to discover the hidden gems of the countryside between Siem Reap, Battambang and Phnom Penh.

Direct flight to Siem Reap on Bangkok Airways and Asia Air from Thailand are about 1 hour. If you want to return from Phnom Penh to Bangkok, Thai Smile has a direct service.

Myanmar – experience the mystique of Asia

Bagan to Salay – Off The Beaten Path – 2 days cycling

Cycle the ancient ruins of Bagan and then discover little-visited countryside near Bagan.

Cycle Mandalay to Bagan – 3 days cycling

Starting in Mandalay, cycle across the plains of the Irrawaddy visiting Mount Popa before finishing off in the ancient ruins of Bagan.

Flying from Bangkok or Chiang Mai you can fly direct to Mandalay on Air Asia or Bangkok Airways. If you are flying to Bagan you will need to transfer either in Yangon. You can find good connections on Thai.

Sri Lanka – Cultural Ceylon

Sri Lanka Heritage Cycle – 4 days cycling

This 4-day cycling tour of Sri Lanka is an escape into the rich cultural history of this island nation. There are daily direct flights from Bangkok to Colombo on Thai Lion Air or Sri Lankan Airlines.

Thailand – the Land of Siam

Bridge Over the River Kwai – 3 days cycling

Spend three days cycling along the River Kwai. Visit Hell Fire Pass and take a ride on the historic railway. This tour starts and ends in Bangkok.

Just let us know where you are staying in Bangkok and we will come pick you up.

Taiwan – the Isle of Formosa

Ride Kaohsiung to Kenting – 5 days cycling

This is a tour in gorgeous tropical southern Taiwan. Taiwan’s deep south is a land of banana palms, pineapple fields and fringing coral reefs. Take a stunningly diverse cycling tour through Taiwan’s indigenous heartlands, from highland hot springs to the beautiful beaches of Kenting.

Its a quick 3.5-hour flight from Bangkok to Kaohsiung on China Airlines or Thai Lion Air before you have your bum on the seat of a bike.

Vietnam – The Land of Blue Dragon

Mekong Delta in Style – 3 days cycling

This unforgettable bicycle tour combines delicious food, lively local scenery and the gentle bike paths in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. This tour starts and ends in Ho Chi Minh City.

Direct flights from Thailand to Saigon are about 1.5 hours. Have a look at Vietnam Airlines for convenient schedules and VietJet for budget fares.

If you do not see exactly the tour would like, let us know and we can design a custom tour for you.

First, I sent Laura and Mike a laundry list of questions that would help me craft their ideal excursion: their preferred duration and pace of the tour, hotel standards, cycling distances, off-bike activities, and more. I discovered that Mike and Laura had about 2 weeks in the region total and would appreciate the convenience of a full-package program for the duration of their stay. While they do enjoy biking, they were happy with just a few days of light cycling combined with other activities and even some free time to explore and relax independently.

Part 1: Siem Reap

• Day 1: Arrive at Siem Reap; Phare Circus
• Day 2: Angkor at Sunrise; Cycle the Temples
• Day 3: Cycle the Siem Reap Countryside; Kayak the Floating Villages
• Day 4: Cooking Class; Visit the Landmine-sniffing Rats Center
• Day 5: Free Day

Upon arrival to Cambodia, Laura and Mike were met at the airport and driven to their comfortable & centrally located hotel, Riversoul Residence. There is no better cultural introduction to the country than an acrobatic, artistic, and musical performance — so we got them front row tickets to Phare Circus. (Phare first started as a creative arts training center for vulnerable children living in poverty and is now a must-see attraction in Siem Reap!)

I knew Laura and Mike would be eager to visit the famous Angkor Wat straight away, so we arranged for them to join our group ride with up to 4 other like-minded travelers who had booked this day tour. They visited a few of the extraordinary temples in the area by foot and bike, all while avoiding the large tourist crowds.

The next day was a real treat as the couple joined a group of up to 6 other cyclists to pedal through charming countryside communities in the morning. After a tasty local lunch, they had the chance to kayak through the unique floating villages on the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia. I figured that after a couple of days of riding, Laura and Mike would appreciate a bit of time off the bikes – but I didn’t want them to miss out on a couple of my favorite things to do in Siem Reap, so still a full day of activities was ahead!

In the morning I arranged for them to enjoy a group cooking class where they could learn to cook authentic Cambodian cuisine then devour it for lunch. I also scheduled a visit to a humanitarian demining organization which uses the innovative procedure of training rats to sniff out landmines and save lives.

I thought by now Laura and Mike might be ready for a bit of downtime, so the last day in Siem Reap was left free to do as they wished, whether it was shopping at the local markets, exploring the various dining options in town, or simply relaxing by their hotel pool.

Part 2: Saigon

• Day 6: Fly to Saigon; Vespa Food Tour
• Day 7: Cycle the Mekong Delta & Cu Chi Tunnels
• Day 8: Free morning / optional museum visit; Fly to Hoi An

As much as I love Cambodia, I knew there would be so much to explore in Vietnam that we had better get Laura and Mike moving! We booked them a flight from Siem Reap to Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City) and arranged all the airport transfers so they wouldn’t have to worry about the logistics. Laura had mentioned that food was a passion of theirs, so I knew that they would especially enjoy the food tour in Saigon on the back of a vintage Vespa with a skilled driver zooming them around to excellent restaurants and lively local bars.

The next day, I knew it would be ideal to travel outside of the city – first by van, then speedboat, and then bikes – to the Mekong Delta, known for its lush scenery and friendly locals. With a group of up to 10 others, they’d stop at various points of interest including the Cu Chi Tunnels which offers powerful insight into the war history of the area. Anticipating that Laura & Mike may want to spend their last morning in the city wandering the fascinating streets of Saigon, or maybe just resting up before their next adventure, their final morning was left free before we had them on an afternoon flight to the country’s central coast.

Part 3: Hoi An

• Days 9-10: Free Beach Days
• Day 11: Cycle the Hoi An Countryside
• Day 12: Hike Bach Ma National Park; Explore Hue; Fly to Hanoi

If there’s anywhere to enjoy a free day, it’s Hoi An: a photogenic UNESCO world heritage listed town. The beach is an easy 7km bike ride away, the town is packed with eating options, and there are lots of beautiful souvenirs available to take home for loved ones. I could be sure that Laura and Mike’s stay at MGallery Royal Hoi An would be a nice one.

After a couple of free days to relax, Laure and Mike would enjoy a final morning on the bikes with a group of up to 8 other Grasshoppers riding through lovely village communities. I got excited just thinking about how much these two would enjoy their time in the Hoi An countryside — memories of my first time in the region still fill me with joy. I knew the couple would certainly be enjoying all the sightseeing thus far, but by now might be wondering if Southeast Asian landscapes are nothing but flat!

Well, time to prove them wrong and show them just how diverse Vietnam’s scenery can be by bringing them a little way by car up north for an ecological hike through the atmospheric forest and to the Rhododendron waterfalls. Here they’d have a chance to observe interesting flora & fauna, peer out over spectacular views of the coastal beaches, and even swim in the jungle. In the afternoon, we arranged a transfer a couple of hours north to Hue, a city that does not get anywhere near the tourist attention it deserves. The city center and its stunning Citadel is a historic showcase of culture and architecture and so I budgeted them a couple of hours to explore before catching a quick late evening flight to Hanoi and being delivered to The Lapis Hotel.

Part 4: Hanoi & Lan Ha Bay

• Day 13: Hanoi City Sightseeing
• Days 14-15: Lan Ha Bay Overnight Cruise
• Day 16: Depart

Laura and Mike had always heard that there are great contrasts between the two major cities in Vietnam (Saigon and Hanoi) and by exploring the capital city with their guide – by taxi, rickshaw, motor-scooter, and foot – it’s finally time for them discover that for themselves. To top off an amazing adventure, a visit to a regional highlight is in order. Neighboring the famous Halong Bay with the same spectacular scenery of but a less touristic environment, Lan Ha Bay provides a serene environment surrounded by breathtaking limestone towers. Kayaking, Tai Chi, swimming, and sampan rides are all included on this overnight cruise.

After their fun-packed 2-week active adventure, Laura and Mike will deserve some pampering, so I hope they’ll treat themselves to the massage/spa treatments on board!

Laura and Mike’s itinerary didn’t end up resembling anything we offer on our website — but sometimes all you have to do is ask, and you’ll find yourself with a perfectly-tailored journey that offers a chance to explore beautiful landscapes, meet other travelers from around the world, discover a region’s vibrant culture & powerful history, and indulge in its delicious cuisine. So come on, make my job a little more fun today and let me know what your ideal adventure would look like!

Our cycling tours in Inle are full day adventures: We ride off the beaten path, through forest, between rice paddies, across narrow bamboo bridges and up and down the picturesque Shan Hills.

The scenery is amazing and our guides are great storytellers, but how could you have those experiences without well-maintained bikes? Most of the time we talk about our amazing tours and our great guides, but this time I want to show you who is working behind the scenes and has an important role in our success: our bike mechanics!

Let me introduce you to Phyo – our mechanic from Inle Lake.

Before joining Grasshopper Adventure shop in 2016, Phyo worked as a painter. Although this job gave Phyo the opportunity to provide for his mother and sister, he was also eager to learn something new.

Even though he’d never known anything about bikes and never been in contact with tourists before, through his hard work and dedication, Phyo became the go-to mechanic in town. Now, not only does he take great care of our bikes, but even members of the local cycling community frequently pass by the shop to ask for advice or help with their bikes.

When you come to our shop in Nyaung Shwe, you will very likely see Phyo somewhere around: in the back repairing or maintaining bikes or in the front lovingly cleaning the bikes, freeing them from the heavy mud that sticks to the frame and tires like glue. He gives all our visitors a shy but very warm smile, preferring to stay in the background while the guide or the shop team takes over the show.

Since the beginning of this year, Phyo started with English conversation classes. Before, he never really had the opportunity to practice his English and was too shy to try. Since this class, Phyo has gained the courage to speak with our customers and even got named in reviews along with our guides which is a rare occurrence!

There are many people just like Phyo in all our shops, so whenever you join a Grasshopper Adventures tour, do not forget to have a look into the mechanic room and give all these incredible people who make sure your bikes are running smoothly a big smile.

Meet Tien and Yen, two lovely staff of Grasshopper Adventures Hoi An, who have just completed their first solo cycling trip in a spectacular way…

On the occasion of Vietnam’s traditional lunar new year, the girls decided to visit their home town on a bike trip. Tien, an operations staff member, rode 120km from Hoi An to her hometown Hue, conquering the Hai Van Pass along the way. Meanwhile, Yen, one of our tour guides, traveled over 100km from Hoi An to Tam Ky along the coastline.

If you were to tell any Vietnamese person about these cycling journeys, they would surely ask “are they insane?”. This feat is shocking to them for two reasons.

In a country where the majority of people travel by motorbike, you’d be hard pressed to find someone on a bicycle – and riding over a hundred kilometers at that!

Also, according to a WHO report, over one-third of Vietnam’s population doesn’t get sufficient exercise weekly, and typical Vietnamese girls prefer to stay in and preserve light skin rather than cycling under the sun.

But our girls are far from typical. Tien said before joining Grasshopper Adventures, she barely exercised and rode a motorbike to work. Now, she proudly owns a bicycle and rides it to work every day. Going on bicycle trips with guests inspired Yen to cycle daily and now she thoroughly enjoys it.

If you visit the Grasshopper Adventures Vietnam office, you won’t find high heels but sneakers, you won’t see skirts but sportswear. The whole team is passionate about staying active and doing sports together like cycling or running after work. Guides and technical staff often cycle to work every day and love it so much that leading a trip with guests feels more like a fun outing with friends rather than work.

This is the contagious Grasshopper Adventures’ spirit that we want to spread to everyone. On tours, we encourage our guests when they need it most, cheering them on as they pedal farther than they thought they could. This spirit even spreads to our staff and their friends and family so they enjoy cycling as much as we do and stay active.

“Healthy life, healthy mind” as Thang, our Product Leader always says. Give it a shot, climb on a bicycle and pedal around the old town of Hoi An or through the canal ways of the Mekong Delta. Immerse yourself in your surroundings and you just might find yourself falling in love with cycling as we have.

China is a huge country, so when you want to go bike touring in China where do you go?
Quick answer, Yunnan.

I saw this map during the week:

The Heihe-Tengchong line (or the Hu Line) is an imaginary line that divides China diagonally into two parts, cutting across the country from Tengchong city in Yunnan to Heihe city in Heilongjiang. East of the line is 43 per cent of the country’s land and 94 percent of the total population. West of the line is 57 percent of the land but only 6 percent of the people.

What bearing does this information have on bike touring in China? Well, it shows you where you wouldn’t want to ride, right?

I mean you wouldn’t want to be cycling too far to the east/red side of that map. That would be factories, busy roads, densely populated areas and quite possibly, pollution. The flipside to that of course, is that where there is population, there are lots of roads and also, where there are people, there is culture, visual activity and stories.

So where in China do we go to find a satisfying ride on well made roads, through scenic landscapes, where we can connect with locals and hear their stories, and learn about their cultures? Yunnan.

Yunnan is a province with a medium to low density of population, with great roads through a mountainous landscape, stunning scenery and a diverse mix of ethnic groups who all have their own unique cultures. It also has a very agreeable climate for cycling. Kunming, the provincial capital is known as the city of eternal spring due to it’s agreeable, year round temperate climate. The mountainous areas outside of Kunming feature a much more varied climate, but through the spring and fall months, this area is perfect for cycle touring.

The weather in Yunnan is just so nice. The provinces further east, tend to be more humid and subject to more rain through spring. Sure, it rains in Yunnan too, but the crisp clear air and blue skies that you can experience here are less frequent in the provinces towards the coast. It makes for the perfect backdrop when riding for several days from Zhongdian, through Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang and onto Dali.

There are actually 25 ethnic minority groups in Yunnan, so while you might have an expectation that China is somewhat homogenous, Yunnan is far from it. It is one thing to see some sort of cultural performance in Lijiang or to see people dressed up in their traditional clothing for show, but it is entirely another thing to be riding down the road and be regularly passing people dressed in brightly colored, ornate costumes, not because you are there, but because that is basically how they dress every day. You can only really experience this on a bike trip, because you are passing through these communities instead of seeing staged examples being imported into a city location for your gawking pleasure.

The food is terrific. I mean food throughout China is really great, but with the tribal elements of Yunnan and the availability of fresh ingredients, and especially an abundance of vegetables, you can expect a great variety of dishes during a trip in Yunnan. This is important when you are on a bike ride as you are usually eating more than you would be at home.

History. China as a country has a long long history obviously, and Yunnan is no exception. The difference is though, that until the mid 20th century Yunnan was essentially a patchwork of semi-autonomous zones, mostly identifying along tribal lines. The communities had probably more in common and more interaction with neighboring southeast Asia, Tibet and Sichuan than with Peking/Beijing.

The Tea Horse Trail which refers to a network of trade routes connecting the Indian sub-continent with Myanmar, Sichuan and Tibet is often referred to as the Southern Silk Route. The cultural exchanges that this route facilitated, shaped much of the cultural identity of the region and was instrumental in the interchange of Buddhism between China and South Asia. Today, you can actually cross sections of the route in Yunnan, in fact two sections of the route, converge in the city of Dali, an incredibly atmospheric place to visit with its stone paved streets and its auspicious positioning according to the Feng Shui principles.

A cycling tour in Yunnan is a true adventure! You won’t be seeing many other foreigners most days, crossing paths with tourists only a couple of times as we pass through the cities of Lijiang and Dali. There are some great hotels waiting for us in these cities and also in Zhongdian (known often as Shangri-la) where the tour starts. In between it’s a somewhat rustic experience. The kind where you’ll sleep well because you are tired and you’ll eat well because your hosts eat well and you’ll feel like a guest more than a customer. These are the places you will likely remember the most though. The city hotels are for comfort, and the in between places are for adventure.

Don’t let all this talk of mountains and rustic accommodation deter you. Sure, it is a challenging ride, but if you have time to prepare for the trip, you will find it achievable. The gradients on the long climbs are not exceedingly steep, as these roads were built when vehicles had far less powerful engines than they do now. You’ll just find a rhythm and spin along most of the time, only every now and then needing to put your head down for that final grind it up an accent. There will be lots of times when the stunning views and the locals will distract you so much that you won’t even have time to think about your burning muscles.
So just remember:

Bike touring in China? Bike Yunnan!

The most memorable aspects of travel are not always the sights you see or the towns you visit, but often the things you learn along the way. These sometimes go beyond fleeting light-bulb moments and really sink in, becoming a part of your day-to-day routine or shaping a unique perspective. On a train rolling through rural Australia, Adam reflects on how travel has entwined itself into his everyday life…

I’m sitting on a train in my native country, Australia. It’s the first time in a little over a year I’ve been here and there is always a period of adjustment when one arrives in a different country, even one’s native country, especially after 12 years living abroad. One thing I have noticed is that each visit, I adjust a little less, and feel less inclined to try to revive my Australian accent and expressions.

This journey is to visit my father at our family property, a shack in the forest, acquired when the last of us left Australian shores on a fairly permanent basis. It is our little piece of Australia, although we don’t spend as much time there as we’d like to. A sister in Oregon, one in London, Dad in Sumatra and me in Cambodia. We speak of convening there often, but it is aspirational more than realistic.

So back to this train. I need to make a phone call, but I haven’t made it yet. I walked to the buffet car for a cup of brownish liquid masquerading as coffee, thinking I might find an appropriate place to call, but between the carriages is too loud and inside the carriages, there are… people.

So what? Other passengers in my carriage clearly have no qualms about talking on their phone at a volume that suggests they are actually using a megaphone. So why am I reluctant to call my grandmother and speak in hushed tones to tell her what time I will see her Saturday? I think it’s because I have travelled in Japan.

Traveling by train in Japan you would never speak on your phone, even in hushed tones. I have taken many trains there, some commuter, some regional, some long distance and not in one of those did I encounter anyone speaking on a phone.

Why? Because it is just not done. Japanese people appreciate quietness and feel it inappropriate to disturb the peace of another’s train journey for their own needs or impulses. So they don’t make phone calls on trains and have all alerts on silent, necessary communication is kept purely to text. In fact, there is usually a sign (they love signs with rules in Japan), to remind people not to speak on the phone.

So sitting on this train, I’m thinking about how through our travels, we sometimes pick up the habits and customs of the people in the places through which we travel.

I almost always take off my shoes when I enter someone’s home. I learned the importance of this from Hla Myint Oo in Mandalay, Myanmar, but it is also a custom of all Asian cultures. This goes hand in hand (or foot in foot) with the habit of keeping spotlessly clean floors and almost always a hard surface (typically tiled or wood) rather than carpet. My hosts outside Asia often find my tendency to remove my shoes, bothersome, but likewise, I find it hard to look past an even slightly unclean floor these days.

From my dear friend and colleague Thang Quyet, I acquired the habit of using chopsticks turned around when helping myself to a communal dish on the dining table. I also learned to place my chopsticks flat on the top of my noodle bowl rather than to place it like incense sticks, sticking up in the bowl.

Again on the subject of food, from the first Thai person with whom I worked, Mr. Nithi Subhongsang, I learned that when eating shared dishes over rice, it is polite, enjoyable and less wasteful to place one dish at a time on top of the rice instead of piling up an estimated total meal. To finish that dish, and then have the next one. This way you are less likely to end up with surplus food that you either do not like, or cannot eat. In Thailand where you will often find a dish so laden with chili that you may not be able to eat it without winding up in an ICU, it is important not to pile up such a dish on your rice!

My Lao colleague, Thong Kien, many years ago taught me the value of remaining silent for a long time when confronted unfairly about matters beyond my control. He found that often the accuser comes full circle when given the opportunity to reflect and consider their own actions.

My Chinese friends taught me that it is good form to pay the bill on a shared meal discreetly, on a trip to the bathroom and also about the value of giving face to one’s hosts, through allowing them to demonstrate their concern for my well being, even though the offers and actions may be unnecessary.

A driver named Hermasiri in Sri Lanka showed me that it is important to be open to the possibilities of change, because nothing is permanent. He also taught me that sometimes when eating curry and rice off a banana leaf, using your hand instead of cutlery can achieve better outcomes.

My Cambodian friends taught me that it is polite to hand an item to another person with only your right hand. That handing an item with the left would not show sufficient respect.

My American friends reinforced the importance of speaking up when things are not right. When someone is neglecting their communal duty. When someone is being inconsiderate to those around them or when they are accepting a situation short of what they deserve or are owed.

But most importantly my wife Marie (Khmer National) has transferred to me so many interesting habits that the list would be too long, but she has ultimately impressed upon me the value of patience. Often things will fall into place if you just give them adequate time to do so.

I hope that soon, things will fall into place and this train will reach its destination so that I can call my grandmother. Until then, I’ll sit patiently here on this train, trying not to eavesdrop on the other passengers babbling away on their phones.

Considering travelling to Japan? Is it for you? Here are a few good questions to ask yourself before you plan a trip to this amazing country.

Ask yourself, do you like…

True quiet – the kind of quiet that allows you to devour books or let your imagination run wild and think clearly with the absence of noise, of phone chatter and obnoxious narcissism.

Immersive culture – Japan is where traditions and modernity coexist in a harmony. It’s easy to find a temple that is hundreds of years old within the heart of Kyoto city.

Exquisite cuisine – fresh food with light ingredients, balanced flavours, served in a deliberate manner where you can enjoy each stage of your meal with anticipation for what the next stage will bring.

The natural environment – where the built environment has boundaries over which it won’t cross, within which it will be contained. Where there is no rubbish or visual pollution. Where you can escape the daily workload and truly soak in nature, be it a short ride, a hike or a stroll down a park.

Politeness and manners – Appreciate the joy of warm formality and courteous, considerate service? You will surely enjoy Japan.

Punctuality – the sort of punctuality that means every element of your day can be planned to precision, to maximize your time, avoid frustration and get the most out of an enjoyable day. Forget the dissapointment of missed connections and less time to enjoy the things you like to enjoy.

Good public transport – Do you like clean, efficient and abundant trains and transport that does not require you to catch a taxi everywhere or operate a car? Japan is definitely for you.

Cycling heaven – For those that love bike rides on quiet roads with minimal traffic, lots of trees, along rivers and through small towns, make sure you don’t overlook Japan!

A few common questions I get asked…

Is it expensive? No, not compared to other developed countries, but you have to learn how it works and that means research (or exploring it with an expert 😉

Is it crowded? Only in the major cities and it is the kind of crowded that is manageable, because the Japanese are highly considerate of others and have impeccable manners.

Is it all fish? No, there are other things to eat, but yes you should enjoy fish if you come to Japan. Fish for breakfast? It’s fantastic! If you prefer no fish for breakfast, you’ll still have plenty of options.

Do I have to bathe naked with other people? You don’t HAVE TO, but you should give it a try. A Japanese Onsen is a unique experience that you should at least try once on a visit. It will all make sense when you are there, the traditional bathing is very natural thing there and nobody is embarrassed.

Do I need to learn to speak Japanese? No, but you need to be prepared to be creative to get your communication across and arguably that is what makes it so satisfying. Anyway, you could learn just a few words and people will be impressed.

When should I go? You should go in late March through to June if you like the smells and visual excitement of spring and early summer. Go in October and early November if you like the colours of autumn/fall and even clearer skies than spring. You should go in January and February if you like snow, skiing and winter fun.

The only times you should maybe think twice about a visit is June to September because early it is hot and later there are Typhoons. But really, Japan deals with around 3 Typhoons a year on average and infrastructure handles it well with little impact on day-to-day life, typically they blow over quickly without major damage.

With its peaceful, punctual, polite organisation, beautiful landscapes and thousands of years of history, does Japan sound like your kind of place?… Yes… Then perhaps you should take a look at the wonderful bike tours that are available there. It is my guess that Japan will truly appeal to almost everyone!