Countries – Page 29 – Simply cycling around

Melaka, How to fix a damaged tyre

This is what has done Arjan when we were in Singapore. He has a done a great job! Using thicker thread make the tyre much stronger naturally. The one I’ve used (the grey one we can see underneath) did work for a little while but was going to collapse soon. I’ve been able to cycle until Melaka but I had another problem though. The thread being thicker, the protection I put inside the tyre was not strong enough so I had three punctures along the way between SIngapore and Melaka. The following images will explain better that my poor english ;-)

Melaka, more cyclists are coming!

Howard (the guy with the glasses) is the owner of the Ringo’s Foyer in Melaka (which is invite cyclist for free). He used to cycle himself and today he welcomes any cyclist who comes around. He started a collection of souvenir pictures that he puts on the wall behind us. The two guys on the right (They are actually 3 people) are coming from Latvia and have been cycling all the way down to Malaysia. They got their bike stolen in Poland only a month or two after they started. They had to work somewhere there to buy new bicycles. That was bad luck! They want to cycle until New Zealand and find a job there. After that, they think about splitting and continuing the adventure by themselves.

Melaka, Ringo’s Foyer, Rooftop tarp project

When we arrived at the hostel a week ago, I met Howard the owner. He is a nice guy, very relaxed. He showed us what other cyclists and backpackers have done on the roof and any other places. They obviously done that roof protection that is a bit damaged today, just a bit. I offered my help and said to Howard that I would be happy to fix this. I’ve been working through a week, doing this 2 hours per day maybe. It was pretty chaotic at the beginning so I’ve decided to pull everything down and restarted from zero.

Melaka, Jerome is leaving too

Jerome has been cycling from Belgium until Malaysia (where we met) in about 9 months. He wants to carry on until, at least, China where he will meet one of his friend with whom he will be cycling. During his trip, he has done most parts alone and some other with friends. He is carrying a lot of stuff and doesn’t necessary look for quality products. His bike is a simple Decathlon city bike that resisted all the way! His bike had some physical issues (a car rolled over one of his wheel after he felt down) but he made it!
Once upon a time, he did a few weeks trip through Italy where he bought a bike for 50€. Jerome knows how to travel very cheaply.

Melaka, Jerome have been cycling from Belgium

Few days later, another cyclist came in. His name is Jerome. He has done previous bicycle trips before this longer one. This time, he left Belgium 8 months ago and he is now on his way to Singapore. Then he will cycle back up to Malaysia (east coast), Thailand and all the way to China where he will meet his friend. They started cycling together until India where they split. His friend found a job in Australia and will join Jerome in China later. Jerome wanted to cycle through Myanmar but he did not obtain the visa in time and finally flew to Kuala Lumpur. Tonight we went to the famous Malacca’s night market where he got a Dragon fruit juice. I was more classic, apple and carrot :-)

Melaka, Arjan, Kate and Pee Ta continue their trip

Only one day of rest and The Thai team is already on the starting blocks. As I mentioned before, they don’t have much time and nearly know already where are they going to stop every night. They have friends on the way too. They wanted me to follow them again but this is not what I want. I want to rest, take the time, enjoy. I don’t need to rush. I will stay here as long as I need until I’ve uploaded all my website. Then I will decide where I go and when. Enjoy your trip guys and see you later in Thailand :-)

Melaka, bicycle tour

Today we didn’t do much things apart repairing our bicycles, bags, clothes. In that backpacker, I met Shen from California and Dang from Philippines. Both of them are working at the hostel. Shen is on his way to become a freelance developer. We have lots of things to exchange :-) Later tonight, we did a bicycle tour and went to… that mosk… again. I’ve been there 3 times now!