After flying direct from Adelaide to Thailand, Geert left his bike box at a guesthouse and started riding the next day. West first, towards Kachanaburi and the Kwai river, then North, all the way up to Chiang Rai and into the Golden Triangle. He spent New Years Eve on the banks of the Mekong in Chiang Khong, with Laos on the other side of the river.

The green watercolour pans in Geerts’ palette, the yellows and blues too, were used up towards the end of his ride. It’s a good reflection of the lush greens he would encounter. This savannah climate which causes great humidity while riding, also made the place very green. These lush greens were found all over Thailand although Geert found some very arid places – particularly in the hills near the Myanmar border.