Crossing from Singapore into Malaysia was surprisingly easy: I just scanned my passport, the barrier lifted, and in an instant I was out of Singapore. On the other side, they stamped me into Malaysia and that was it. From the very beginning, this country amazed me. I was expecting something like India—chaos, traffic, broken roads—but instead I found a much more orderly place, with roads even better than in Australia (sorry Australia!). The only real issue here are the stray dogs, which are everywhere. They’re often aggressive and chased me more than once: it became my daily struggle throughout the month I spent in Malaysia. Despite that, I finally started riding at a good pace. The first weeks of travel had trained my legs, and now I can keep an average of 20 km/h on a bike that weighs over 50 kg. I’d say I’m in shape, and reaching Thailand feels like it will be a piece of cake. The only problem here is the heat: the sun is brutal, and it’s so easy to get burned. In fact, on the ride from the Singapore border to Malacca, I got completely sunburnt. In Malacca, at a hostel, I met Mattia, a guy from Trentino spending his last days in Asia. It’s incredible: I meet very few Italians while traveling, and when I do, most of them are from Trentino! It’s always nice to meet fellow Italians abroad, especially when you feel so similar in mentality. Malaysian people are fantastic—smiling, welcoming, always ready to help. The kids shouting “hellooo” while riding motorbikes (often with a 4- or 5-year-old sibling on the back, no helmets of course) crack me up. I had missed this kind of carefree spirit. Every time I stop at a petrol station to rest in the shade, pouring bottles of ice water over my head and eating ice cream, someone always comes up to give me something cold to drink. When I tell them I’m cycling across Malaysia, they laugh.

I get it—it does sound crazy—but honestly, apart from the heat, it’s not that hard. Their hospitality goes beyond anything I expected. In Kuala Lumpur, while stopped at a traffic light, a man pulled out his wallet and tried to hand me money to buy a drink. I managed to refuse, but I was deeply struck by this generosity. I don’t really understand why people feel such a strong need to help me: yes, I look dirty, sweaty, and sunburnt, but I come from a wealthier country. Logically, it should be the other way around. And yet, it never is. In Kuala Lumpur I also met several backpackers at the hostel, including Lukas, a German guy with a huge red mustache. We clicked right away. Our plans were pretty similar, although he was traveling by bus while I wanted to cycle all of Malaysia. Together we visited Ipoh, though I wasn’t feeling great there—air-conditioning that was way too strong in KL had given me a bit of a fever. So, I decided to leave the bike behind for a while and take a bus up to the Cameron Highlands in search of cooler air. The Cameron Highlands might just be the most beautiful place in all of Malaysia: rolling green hills full of tea plantations, hiking trails, and the chance to rent a motorbike to explore. After more than a month without riding one, getting back on a motorbike immediately made me forget about being sick. After four refreshing days, I returned to Ipoh to pick up my bike and continued riding up to Georgetown, where I met up with Lukas again. We spent a few more days together—mostly eating (a lot!). Then we said goodbye, and I stayed a few extra days on Penang Island. There, I rested, ate well, and finally did some bike maintenance, including changing the brakes. Now I’m just 200 km away from Thailand. Malaysia is officially behind me—time to do the same all over again in Thailand!