Note to readers: this was first published on the CG website in 2016 and now here in 2021.

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I travel, from time to time.

Every now and then I get the urge to immerse myself in new places/countries and experiences. It started when I was a kid, aged 16 and I had the urge to hitch-hike across the American western states. It was easier to do when I was younger, and it kind of grew from that point on. You got on a plane with your passport and some travellers cheques, landed somewhere "exotic" and wandered around. I did that for several years in my 20's, doing one lap of the planet and then some. Originally, I had intended to do it all by bike, but somehow ended up doing almost all of it by hitch-hiking, public transport and flying.

Travel is good for my soul. Mark Twain's oft quoted truism on travel can be found here on the Crazyguy site more than once, but here it is again:

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime."

I need it sorely. As I grow older I have a worrisome tendency to be a grumpy old bastard. I would rather fill my head with a wholesome charitable view of humanity. Travel is a good antidote and like castor oil should be taken regularly if one is to avoid the constipation of prejudice/bigotry. And the best travel is done by bicycle.

I ended up living in New Zealand & Australia. I may not have made many wise decisions in my life, but that was certainly one of the better ones. The other was marrying an Aussie (for you Americans out there, you pronounce that Auz-zee).

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I live in Perth, Western Australia; another very wise decision. It's so close to SE Asia, only a short and inexpensive flight to Bangkok, which is where this story begins.

These are all good antidotes against narrow mindedness, but occasionally you require a bit more... And after 20+ years in Perth, it's time to get out there and do a bit more serious travel - by bike.