Final Wrap Up - Stats and Superlatives

I can't believe it but the trip is over! After 83 days of riding, I pulled into Singapore a couple days ago and have reunited with Ginny who's been staying with her brother for the past 12 days. It's actually kind of a relief as the final days were dragging and I was really getting tired of the heat. It does feel like a good accomplishment though to have ridden so far while dealing with a fair amount of adversity along the way.

As a recap of the trip, we thought it appropriate to do a stats and superlatives summary of the trip. So here goes:

Days: 83 (Sam) of which 54 were riding days, 60 (Ginny) of which 42 were riding days
Miles of riding: 2821 (Sam), 2178 (Ginny)
Days per country:
Vietnam: 28
Laos: 19
Cambodia: 6
Thailand: 16
Malaysia: 15 (Sam), 5 (Ginny)

Countries competition:
Overall favorite: Vietnam (probably would've been Thailand had we spent more time there)
Friendliest people: Malaysia/Thailand
Best food: Thailand (Sam), Singapore (Ginny)
Best riding: Thailand
Cheapest: Vietnam
Most expensive: Singapore
Favorite currency: Malaysia (see photo below)

Number of bus/train trips: 3 bus (Lao, Cambodia and Thailand) and 3 train (Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia)
Total mileage by bus/train: 1361
Amount of stress reduced by taking bus/train trips: immeasurable

# of flat tires: 11 (Sam), 2 (Ginny)
# new tires: 3 (Sam)
# new chains: 1 (Sam), 1 (Ginny)
# new wheels: 1 (Ginny)
# broken spokes: 2 (Sam)
# broken pedals: 1 (Sam), 1 (Ginny)
# stolen items: 4 (bike helmet, bike light, sunscreen, bike tool)
# vehicular accidents: 1 (on bus on way back to Hanoi from Sapa)
# days in hospital: 6 (Ginny)
# of overturned vehicles seen on the road: 4 (2 pickup trucks and 2 semis)
# of massages: 17 (Sam) - the best was Lek's Thai massage in Prachuap Khiri Khan for $5! I got two massages there but I should have gone every day!
# lbs lost: 25
Most riders seen on a single scooter: 5 (family in Vietnam) - honorable mention to the 4 skinny guys!
# of other bike tourists seen: 20
# of Sabaidees heard from the side of the road: countless, but easily in the thousands!
Hours of GoPro video footage: not sure, but probably way too much! Not sure what I'll do with it but I'll try to make a short video at some point.

Favorite on-the-bike drink: fresh coconut water - so refreshing!!!!!!!
Favorite on-the-bike snack: tie between fresh mango/dragon fruit and Bahn Mi Op La (that's egg, cucumber, carrot, cilantro and chili sauce in a Bahn Mi sandwich, available in Vietnam only)
Best riding day: riding the Ho Chi Minh Highway to Phong Nha National Park - amazing karst mountains and super green rice fields all around and very little traffic on the road - the dream riding day!
Worst riding day: tie between ride into KL and Ha Tien (Vietnam) - both were very busy with lots of traffic and poor quality roads. The ride into Ha Tien was with half of Vietnam as it was a public holiday and Ha Tien is a beach town.
Hardest riding day: Day #2 riding into Pu Luong Scenic Reserve - didn't have our riding legs yet and we rode the steepest roads of the entire trip (>20% grades!!!)
Best meal: our Anniversary meal in George Town, Malaysia - delicious!!!!!
Worst meal: bland fried rice for lunch on way to Cam Lo, Vietnam, and they ripped us off.
Favorite restaurant: vegetarian restaurant in Hue, Vietnam - went there three times in two days.
Favorite beer: BeerLao - a decent lager at 10,000 kip (US$1.20) for a large bottle.
Best purchase: tailored suits for Sam and jumpers for Ginny in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Biggest rip off: coffee and coke at Hai Van pass.
Best accommodation: Hoi An, Vietnam - enclosed shower, swimming pool, cruiser bikes, breakfast.
Worst accommodation: Vieng Xai, Laos - all GROSS.
Craziest thing we saw on the road: fish hopping across the street in Malaysia - no idea what the fish was doing but he was certainly out of his element.
Best thing we brought on the trip: our bandanas - so versatile!
Most indispensable item: Google Maps on our iPhone.
Biggest challenge: Ginny's viral infection/severe dehydration and ensuing hospital stay in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Worst mishap: Ginny's bike accident while being chased by a dog in Thailand.
Weirdest experience: having Vietnamese women want to take selfies with Sam.
Most incredible site: Kuang Si waterfalls, Luang Prabang, Laos.
Most unbelievable moment: pushing bikes through a major road construction site in Laos
Biggest "I told you so" moment: running out of gas on scooter coming down Bokor Mountain in Cambodia after Ginny told Sam to get gas up on the mountain.
Score of SE Asia Cribbage Olympics: Ginny 11 wins, Sam 7 wins.

All in all, it was a great trip that has left us with many unforgettable memories!  But it was also a hard trip that didn't always feel like a holiday. I think our next bike trip will be in a cooler climate!

We have learned a lot about different cultures and people and are very grateful to have had the privilege of cycling through these beautiful countries. While materially they have much less than us in the Western world, they seem to have so much more than us in so many other ways - sense of community and family, happiness and fulfillment, and a strong connection to their food and the earth. We feel as though we've only scratched the surface in exploring these countries and hope to return again someday although I think we'll leave the bikes at home next time.

Thank you very much for reading this blog the past three months. I've had a blast writing it and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Happy travels!!!!!