It’s weird when you connect the dots. Air travel creates a set of places you have been, disjoint from each-other. Bangkok – my favourite Asian city – was always a short stop after a long-haul flight. Bangkok is no longer separated. It is connected to Eindhoven through my 24326km journey here. The whole world is connected, and I am happy to live on it!
Dripping in sweat, I arrive in my lovely apartment in Bangkok
I saw the sea for the first time since Greece – at Bangpoo Recreation.
Bangpoo Recreation
Bangpoo Recreation
I sit here in my lovely air-conditioned room in the middle of this enormous mega-city feeling pretty proud of myself. I have finished cycling for 2015. I’ll spend the rest of the year here and with a friend in Assam, India.
What a year 2015 has been. In this year, I have studied Chinese in Taiwan, becoming moderately fluent while in China. I have cycled through rain, snow, muddy roadworks, blistering sun and hurricane winds. I have cycled through deserts, high altitude plateaus and tropical rainforests. I have had heatstroke, altitude sickness and lots of diahorrea. But, most importantly, I have met the most beautiful people. The people I share this world with – in far-away places people are just like at home. Caring, loving people – they laugh, they play, they work, they live.
With this I sign off for 2015. There will still be daily (3 month delayed) posts of my trip through China. Have a great new year, and I’ll see you in 2016!
My route up to Bangkok
The approach into Bangkok
P.S. For those looking for a good cycle route into Bangkok, I can recommend the one I took. Approaching from the south is a good idea. The roads were mostly (relatively) small, with not too much traffic. Of course, it is all relative – given that you are approaching Bangkok, the roads were quite quiet.. 🙂 The route can be downloaded from Google maps.
arctic-cycler.com 
Thomas, thanks so much for taking the trouble to blog, after long and sometimes troublesome days, weather and people. I really look forward to reading about your adventures. Happy Christmas, and here’s to the new year which will see you in Australia.
Thanks, Wendy! 🙂
Thanks for all the great posts and wonderful photos throughout 2015. It’s a privilege to follow your incredible journey this way. Looking forward to reading about your arrival here in Oz.
Cheers and Merry Christmas
Michael
Thanks! I’m looking forward to arriving in Australia. 🙂
Hello Matthew,
Good to read that your “little bike ride” has come to the intended destination for this year. Following your progress became a much anticipated part of my daily routine.
I hope that sooner of later you will be cycling in this part of the world again – or that one day I might visit your country and stop by to say hello.
In the meantime: Merry Christmas and CONGRATULATIONS for your accomplished adventure.
Thanks, Alessandro! Please do drop by if you are in Australia. You made my time in Italy very memorable!
Thanks for the wonderful journey through this blog. Have a nice rest and enjoy, hope to read your new adventures soon! 🙂
Marko
Thanks, Marko! 🙂
Thanks for writing an account of your amazing journey. I looked forward to reading about it every day. What a great achievement! I hope your time in Bangkok and India.
Hey, thanks! You too, have a great Christmas and new year!
*I hope you have a good time in Bangkok and India 🙂 haha
Thank you for great article this is a wonderful inspiration ^_^ have no chance to do like this but happy to read it and keep in in my dream ^_^…
Thanks! All the best!
You are so amazing ! and during this year you made me dreaming more and more of my own one year sabathical PanAmericana trip. If you will travel through Phucket, I know a good address, my doughter and his friend lives in the city of Phucket (they speek Dutch 🙂 haha).
Good luck with following your dream! Thanks for the offer. I’ll let you know if i go near Phuket. 🙂
You did it! And how….! Congratulations, Matthew and thanks for all your blogs. Wish you a good time the coming weeks. Many greetings from Riethoven.
Heeeey! Great to hear from you! Yes, I made it all the way to Bangkok.
I wish you a great Christmas and new year. Many greetings from Bangkok!
Thanks for all of the wonderful posts. Great year! Enjoy the holiday.
so rad had a chance to ride around bangkok through the flower district at midnight seeing all the booths setting up and all the produce and flowers such a great experience, theres a really cool bike themed hostel called Bangkok bed and bike
Sounds good. My bike is going to its final place of rest this year – the bike shop for a big check-up.. 🙂
Hi, thanks for sharing your picts and stories!
A welcoming piece of text every day after boring days at the office 😉
(Waiting for the day to start my south american bike ride) Have a good time and relaxx!
Thanks, and good luck with your trip! 🙂
When are you planning to be in Perth Regards Michael van der Zanden
Sent from my iPad
>
I probably won’t be going to Perth. I’ll be cycling through the centre from Darwin to Adelaide.
Hi Mathew,
Wat een bijzonder jaar heb jij gehad! Je droom verwezenlijken, bijzonder en dapper. Bedankt voor je blog en fijne kerstdagen en alvast een fantastisch 2016!! Lieve groeten, Samira Hoeboer, Delft
Hey. Dankjewel! Jullie ook een erg fijne kerst! 2016 wordt ook een fantastisch jaar. 🙂
This is indeed more then amazing. Yes, your distance. And the way you meet people on the road. And you embracing what come on your road: good and the difficult.
And then your story writing: you take us with you along on your journey; we feel the muscle ache; our eyes are opening wide when new sceneries appear; we feel the heat and the cold; we feel welcome in so many places with such kind people.
And if this is not enough: even if I couldn’t read a word, we can follow your most beautiful journey by just looking at the pictures on our screen at home – and after a while, we forget it is a screen and we are in Asia, in the mountains, the dessert, …
You Robinson Cruseo, you Marco Polo, you Matthew Harris: amazing! Thank you for sharing this gift of showing us the side of the world that is not on TV, but can only be viewed as a humble 21st century traveler.
Wow! Thanks Rufus for your kind words. I am glad you like my blog. I don’t feel like Robinson Cruseo or Marco Polo, but just little ol’ me. What I am doing anyone can do. I’m glad I am able to share a bit of what I experience through the blog.
Have a very merry Christmas, and all the best for 2016!
Congratulations on your mega-achievement! Sit back, relax and rejuvenate!
Thanks. Will do!