Kawthaung heading north

[lowprofile]

Hi,

I had the idea of cycling north from Kawthaug but reading various reports pointed me to getting the boat from Kawthaung to Myeik and then cycling. Unfortunately the boat service seems to have been cancelled. Now I'm thinking of a bus, does anyone know if it is possible to get my bicycle onboard for a bus trip?

Getting from Kawthaung to Tachileik via Yangon,Old Bagan and Mandalay with points between will be a struggle on a 28 day visa.

Cheers,

LP

[phuketrichard]

u wont make it in  28 days cycling, very poor roads and very hilly,  I did meet one cyclist in Dawei heading south  he was really fit and was averaging 100kms /day   10-12 hour days!!  he started in  Yangon

i did it Yangon-south by boats, trains, bus's in dec,  http://phuket.zenfolio.com/p592181362 

Boats cancelled Jan, I heard bus from Kwathoung -Myeik is like 17 hours or more,am sure u can throw ur bike on top

YOU CAN NOT ride to Tachileik, as you cant travel overland to Kentung. You will need fly from Mandalay

 

[lowprofile]

Thanks Richard,

are you sure about Tachileik, though? It is one of the new land crossing points open for tourists.

Not looking good for a south to north trip on a bicycle. I fancied covering as much ground in the 28 days as I could, using the odd bus, train or boat where it made sense but even that seems like wishful thinking.

I'm based in Phuket. I had also planned on cycling back down through Thailand from the far north using "B" roads where possible, taking my time and avoiding the main #4 highway.

If I enter at Mae Sot and head to Mawlamyine it looks like 3 days on a bike and 4 more days to Yangon, plus days for looking around at points of interest. Riding north to Old Bagan on the old highway is 8 days. 2 days to look around and a 3 day ride to Mandalay. That is 3 weeks. A couple of days for side trips and a bus to Inle Lake for 2 more then ??? Tachileik or??????

 

The idea of cycling is to see the countryside at leisure, you miss that on a bus.

 

Do you have any suggestions? :))

Cheers!

 

[phuketrichard]

u can enter at Tachileik  and travel ONLY as far as Kentung, at which point u need fly, that area is having troubles and is closed to Farangs for overland travel. Its VERY hard riding in Myanmar with lots of hills and  distances are deceiving. 

Mawlamyine   forget; Just head Mae Sot to Hpa-an and than up to golden rock to Yangon,  ( stay 3 nights) at least 8 days, overnight sleeper train to Bagan, hang around 2 days and proceed on ur bike to Inle and than Mandalay and fly home or fly from Mandalay to Kentung ( if u still have time left) and than cycle out thru Tachiliek. I just drove up northern thailand  a few months ago , figure at least 2 weeks on a cycle to get back home

i am not new to cycling as spent 18 months covering most of Nepal, India, sri lanka and than Chiang Mai, via thailand, Malaysia, Singapore,Java, Bali to Sydney by bike back in 82/83

 

[lowprofile]

Thanks Richard,

I'll have to do a bit more research, I think. Not sure about bike on plane requirements. I just brought one from The UK and had it in a proper cardboard box, partially dismantled, I think it will be difficult trying to source something similar in Burma. They may just need cardboard wrapping around it, though, depends on the airline. I took a bike from Tasmania to NZ years ago and only needed cardboard around the chain!

Appreciate the info.

[lowprofile]

Flying out with a bike seems to be out of the question due to weight and size.Do you think putting the bike on a bus or truck  and me flying to Tachileik could be an option?

I'm beginning to think I might be better off just backpacking, using some buses and trying the trains for the scenic trips. I'll miss out on the cycle ride back south through Thailand then, though. Maybe I'll have to do a second trip and do a loop through Cambodia / Vietnam and Laos.

Motorbike would be best but I believe that might not be entirely legal in Myanmar:(

[phuketrichard]

i am heading up next month to do a 12 day motorcycle trip thru the chin state,  although difficult/costly  to take ur own bike in,easy enough to rent them there , especially in Mandalay

I far prefer trains to bus's

[lowprofile]

Sounds like fun.

I think I might have to do trains and motorbikes, too. I can cover a lot more ground in the 28 days. Go back again later if I find an area to explore more on a MTB.

I plan on going late Nov or so, should still be green and the burning won't have started (I hope).

Thanks again.