As media partner, Myanmar Mix provides the latest updates from the epic fundraiser. Support the new SONNE International children's centre here and read more about its work with Yangon street children here.
Day 28
Jochen and Kyaw Min Naing of tour operator Uncharted Horizons Myanmar as well as Markus completed their 3,000-kilometre cycle from Yangon to Singapore! They were reunited with Sanda Lynn Shein who took part in the first leg of the trip.
What’s more, an early estimate shows they’ve raised 15,000 euros for SONNE Social Organization’s new centre in South Dagon township—enough cash to provide about 40 street children with food and education. But donations are still open.
A final message to come soon from the team.
Day 27
The final full day and word of team’s effort to reach Singapore is being spread far and wide.
“At breakfast at a Chinese shop we were approached by a lady who actually recognized us, told us how much she liked the idea of a charity ride and asked us to have pictures taken with us and her son,” writes Jochen.
Today the team travelled from Batu Pahat to Johor Bahru, 110 kilometres in eight hours. After exploring an abandoned shop house, they cycled past palm oil plantations until they reached a friend’s home where they stayed the night.
Day 26
“The afternoon was monotonous again, 90 kilometers through the palm oil plantations, not much to see there besides the occasional monkeys,” writes Jochen.
Cycling the last 10 kilometres in the dark, the team covered 105 kilometres in eight hours.
“Early to bed again—tomorrow will be our last full day of cycling to the city of Johor Bahru, which is already directly adjacent to Singapore, our final destination, where we will reach on 21st September, around 1pm.”
Day 25
“The End is near, and our donation goal almost reached, which does not mean that we couldn't go over that goal, and help even more children, no cent will be wasted,” writes Jochen.
Travelling down Malaysia’s southwestern coast towards Singapore, the team were most impressed by the friendly and supportive locals—and hordes of wild monkeys who live in the palm oil plantations.
“I have never seen that many wild monkeys in my life,” writes Jochen. “Sadly you also see occassional dead monkeys on the road, who were overrun by trucks, next to pythons and monitor lizards.”
They arrived late at Melakka (Malacca), covering 155 kilometres in 14 hours.
Day 24
A rest day in Kuala Lumpur at a rooftop penthouse on invitation from Dr Rumi Al Ghazali, professor for tourism at the Malaya University. The team also went for bike repairs and visited the Austrian ambassador’s residence.
“...A highlight for sure was when we were served delicious Austrian apple strudel,” writes Jochen.
“The 50-plus kilometres to even get out of Kuala Lumpur would be the most time-consuming challenge. Kuala Lumpur is a true horror for every cyclist, Bangkok or Yangon feel like beginner level compared to this hostile maze of city highways—absolutely not a city for cyclists or pedestrians, and the (temporarily) really bad air on top of all that...But we made it.”
Day 23
“Travelling along Malaysia's (rather unattractive) Western coast,” writes Jochen. “290 kilometres in two days, mostly on highways and through palm oil plantations.”
The team made it to Kuala Lumpur!
Day 22
Ever closer to Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and 700 kilometres to go until Singapore, the team cycled 165 kilometres today from Taiping to Sungai Besar.
Day 21
After a rest day in George Town, the team battled through heavy traffic, bad roads, and terrible weather, reaching Potato Hotel in Taiping at 9pm. Bed immediately.
Day 20
The guys are reunited!
After a two-day odyssey through southern Thailand, Kyaw Min Naing arrived on an Air Asia flight from Phuket to Penang in Malaysia, where he met Jochen and Marcus at the airport.
“This time no trouble at the immigration,” says Jochen. “Everything went smooth, also with the bike! Thank you to all who were involved in this rescue mission! Very special thanks to Sanda Lynn Shein and Peter Richards!”
Day 19
Minus Kyaw Min Naing, who will catch a flight to Malaysia after being denied at the land border, the team headed from Kangar to Georgetown on Penang Island, a 170-kilometre cycle that took 14 hours.
Day 18
A flurry of emotions for the three cyclists—Jochen, Kyaw Min Naing and Markus—as they hit 2,000 kilometres, but only two of them made it through to Malaysia.
Cycling the last 80 kilometres from Thailand to Malaysia, they reached the Thale Ban/Wang Kelian based in a beautiful national park on the Thailand side.
Thai immigration officers sang them through and handed out water bottles. Though their Malaysian counterparts were also friendly, Kyaw Min Naing had his official visa denied.
“What a drama, we had clearly informed the Malaysia embassy that we'd come by bicycle,” says Jochen.
So began calls to the Malaysian embassy in Yangon, the Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the Austrian embassy in Kuala Lumpur; dusk was approaching and though the Austrian ambassador himself spoke to the immigration officer it became apparent Kyaw would not be allowed in.
“We were really disappointed, but no one here was to blame, we tried whatever we could, that were the laws and we had to accept it,” says Jochen.
Jochen and Markus continued into Malaysia, stopping near the town of Kangar in Perlis state. Meanwhile, Kyaw Min Naing cycled to Satun and took a bus to Phuket where he will fly to Malaysia.
Big challenges lay ahead for the guys tomorrow but they are determined to make it together to Singapore for the street children of Yangon.
Day 17
“Buckled wheels and broken spokes—pit stop at a motorbike repair shop somewhere along the highway in Thailand's deep south,” says Jochen. “The boss seems to know what he's doing. Spare spokes we carry with us, as we all have big 29" wheels and these spokes are usually hard to find outside the cities.”
Fortunately the bike repair would only accept some spare Myanmar kyat for his banknotes collection, and the team are still scheduled to reach Malaysia tomorrow.
Day 16
We had to fight against a lot of rain and sore butts, but you get used to both somehow - once you're completely wet, you can't get any wetter—and Markus decided to cycle the last hour yesterday standing,” says Jochen. “There's a solution for everything.”
Today the team travelled from Tha Rong Chang to Thung Song—135 kilometres over 10 hours.
Day 15
It was 11 hours, 160 kilometres and a new cycle record for the three men who are peddling to Singapore to raise money for Yangon’s street children. They’ve racked up 136 hours on the bikes so far, today making it from Chumpon to Tha Rong Chang.
Day 14
Setting off from Ban Krut beach, the team cycled along the coast (bereft of tourists now it’s the rainy season) until they reached the busy port town of Chumphon at sunset. A good bicycle shop supplied them with some needed equipment, such as puncture kits and lights, and they slept at a motel on the town’s outskirts. Overall they covered 140 kilometres in 12 hours—a new record for the challenge! And on day 14 of 28, they are halfway to Singapore.
“The longer we cycle, the more (obviously) we get used to it,” says Jochen. “None of us have any major problems, muscle aches get less and less by the day, and we can cycle longer and longer (and faster). It’s really fascinating—the daily legs we ride now would have been impossible in the beginning.
“What we are ‘suffering’ from now: sore butts from sitting all day in the saddle, and blisters on the feet from wet shoes, and minor muscle aches, which are treated with tiger balm ointment every evening!
But we have no problems to stick with the (very ambitious) itinerary and are all confident that we will reach our final destination, Singapore, in good health, and in time, on September 21.”
Day 13
The team finished a relatively short ride of 65 kilometres from Prachuap Khiri Khan to Ban Krut beach, where they enjoyed a warm welcome from friends.
Day 12
Today the cyclists made their way to Prachuap Khiri Khan in southern Thailand, with Markus discovering a shortcut on Google maps (see video). Jochen took a tumble but all is well. Tomorrow they will head for Ban Krut, taking a half day rest at the beach.
Day 11
Some monkeys gave their best wishes to the team as they made their way to Cha-Am, with 65 kilometres to go until Hua Hin. On the way they also passed fishing villages and huge salt fields.
Later that evening, they met with friends for a fundraiser, which turned out to be a big success.
Jochen wrote: "This was so far beyond awesome! A huge shout-out and THANK YOU to the fantastic Mr. Peter Richards, his amazing wife Premruethai, the incredible Mr. Bhumin - and everyone else involved in this fantastic evening!
Not only did they invite us to stay for free at their beautiful The Social Salad and The Family Tree House Guesthouse in Hua Hin, fed us dinner and breakfast—no, it's getting even much better.
They arranged a charity fundraiser dinner buffet with 34 guests and an amazing, traditional Thai-Likay performance by Mr. Bhumin—all the income and donations by the guests were donated to our cause - in total an amazing 23,000 THB—750 USD!!
Whenever you are in Hua Hin, make sure to stop by there: delicious healthy food and lovely people!!
And on top of all that, Christopher who runs the "Hua Hin bike tours" (Tour de Asia) had my broken rear wheel fixed overnight and delivered the next day to our doorstep—he and his staff refused to take any money, not even a tip...
Thank you so much! We came as strangers and left as family members, with tears in our eyes, as we were so overwhelmed by the warm-heartedness, generosity and kindness we experienced in HUA HIN!"
Day 10
The team took a well-deserved half day of rest in Bangkok before cycling to the Austrian embassy at 12pm where they received encouraging messages from officials. They set out past Samut Sakhon, sitting out a thunderstorm and then reaching a bungalow in the middle of a mangrove forest in Samut Songkhram after sunset.
After today’s 82-kilometre ride, the team have passed the 1000-kilometre mark! (Now at 1,050 kilometres). Tomorrow they head for Hua Hin where a fundraiser dinner for the trip—and ultimately to help Yangon’s street children—has been organised.
Day 9
The team ate pig intestine soup for breakfast and got in some sightseeing at the ancient city of Ayutthaya before heading to traffic-clogged Bangkok. After getting slightly lost in industrial zones and a construction site, they reached Lumphini Park where they joined a Zumba class and then checked into their hostel near the Austrian embassy.
Day 8
The team cycled 140 kilometres to the ancient Siam capital of Ayutthaya, about 80 kilometres north of Bangkok. Check out Jochen's report below.
Day 7
The team are making their way through central Thailand, stopping for the night in Phayuha. By Monday (September 2) evening they aim to reach Bangkok, where they have been invited to the Austrian embassy.
Day 6
Jochen: “We woke at 6.30am and enjoyed fried rice with eggs for breakfast while admiring the huge bamboo rats the bungalow owner kept in cages.
"We cycled 1-kilometre to see the “hill tribe market,” a community development project that seemed much more developed than similar projects in Myanmar, though quite modern and not much “hill tribe” spirit.
“Heading off at 8am, we had a short climb and then downhill—10-kilometres took us only 15 minutes. It was pure pleasure from the hardships of the previous day.
“Suddenly we were out of the mountains (we expected more climbs to come), and we cycled the whole day, relaxed, on almost completely flat roads.
“At the nearest biggest town, Khlong Khlung, we found a bungalow-style motel and ate some pizza toast from the local 7 Eleven. Overall, from Doi Muser to Khlong Khlung (133-kilometres) took us 10 hours.”
Day 5
The cyclists faced their most gruelling day as they tackled the misty mountains of western Thailand in a 15-hour, 114-kilometre ride. Cold and wet, they made it to their lodgings at 10pm. “Hardcore,” says Jochen. Markus and Hausl have said farewell; it’s Jochen and Kyaw Min Naing from here. Four days till Bangkok!
Day 4
The team gave their last report of the trip from Myanmar, on a muddy road near Kawkareik town, where they will sleep tonight. By 9am they had reached Eindu, a major crossroads for Mawlamyine and Myawaddy on the Thailand border. But poor road conditions and bad weather stumped their goal of reaching Myawaddy. A 6am start and 40 kilometres more will see they make it tomorrow. So far, they’ve covered about 370 kilometres!
Day 3
"We started our day with our first flat tyre, but all happy and motivated," says Jochen, who is travelling to Thaton and then Hpa-An today with the team.
Rainy season has its down sides, but at least it brings out the green in places such as Hpa-An. Before the team arrived at the Karen state capital, they managed to take a dip in hot springs and a short boat trip. Tomorrow, onwards to Myawaddy!
Day 2
After an 8am to 6pm cycle on the Asian Highway covering 120 kilometres, the team has made it to Bilin township. Expect lots of beautiful scenery tomorrow as they make their way to the next stop, Hpa-An in Karen state.
The team has enjoyed a big breakfast to fuel them for today's 120-kilometre ride from Bago to Mon state's Bilin township. "By 9am we reached Phayargyi junction and will cycle eastwards to Mon state now. Still all very fit and happy!" Stay tuned for more updates.
Day 1
Two cyclists left downtown Yangon in heavy rain on Sunday (August 25) to begin an epic journey to Singapore.
Jochen Meissner, 41, and Kyaw Min Naing, 31, of tour operator Uncharted Horizons Myanmar were joined by Markus Hausl, 34, and Sanda Lynn Shein, 40, for the first leg of their trip.
The pair hopes to raise enough money to provide 40 street children with food and education at SONNE Social Organisation’s new centre in South Dagon township.
Children at the new centre waved them off as they headed to Bago, stopping at Kyaik Pun Pagoda, home to the famous Four Seated Buddha shrine.
