Life in Pai...

As usual sorry for the late post, I feel that when I'm not cycling this blog might become a bit stale...

Just a quick note.

For the last two weeks or so I have been in lovely mountain setting of Pai (North-West Thailand). All in all, made good friends there in Pai, quite a nice town, it's a place where people go for two days and end up staying for 3 years, not kidding so many people get stuck in there. It has to be one of the most laidback places in Thailand where foreigners gather. Quite a small town, but the number of restaurants and bars is quite sizeable.
I also extended my Thai visa by another month by heading into Burma for about 40 minutes. The trip there and back was quite painful, about 13h in a minubus with 12 other people on massive hangovers (some of them came strait from a bar, hehehe). Heading into the Burnamese border you are ambushed by people trying to sell you anything under the sun. Including fake Marlboros and Camel cigarettes and fake brand name products of every king. The whole visa extension process is like a McDonalds drive-thru, go from one window pay $5 usd, head into Burma, buys some CDs or VCD, back to Thailand, get a stamp and you are free for 1 month. So many expats in Pai absolutely despise the whole process and I can see why.

I'm getting desperate to get back on the bike due to health and financial reasons. But I will have to wait probable for another two weeks or so until we head to Cambodia. I'm really hoping to spend xmas in Angkor Wat, everybody you meet here can not say enough about Angkor, some older travelers even see it as the most impressive men made structure in the world.

All the best and stay warm. I wonder how many people right now called me a bloody bastard.

P.S. I'm sorry for all spelling and grammar mistakes, I just can't be bothered with that.
Cheers. Rob

Cycling Thailand... Done - well almost!!!

First of all, sorry for a rather late posting.

Well, cycling in Thailand is done, well except for rolling into Chiang Mai which is only 25km, so I won't really consider it a cycling day. I'm currently in Chiang Mai, arrived on a train as my bike is in Lamphun (25km south of here).

The last 3 days of cycling have been the most interesting. The mountain passes which I was dreading from the beginning were not as bad as I have anticipated. Thanks to a fellow cyclist and pretty good Thai military maps, I was able to get over two mountain passes with relative ease. Well except for the first one, which I had to conquer after riding 115km in the worst heat of the day.

The strategy to initially cycle the flats of Thailand proved to be a good one. The legs became strong as iron and powering through hills at about 22km heading up was quite a surprise. On a loaded bike, ok, not all that loaded, I'm down to about 8-10 kg of luggage, from which about 4 is bike gear.

Needless to say, one pair of shorts, two pair of cycling shorts, two t-shirts, one towel, pair of socks, have to buy underwear. But you learn to live with just some basic essentials and it is really quite fun after a while. Hand washing clothes everyday becomes a daily routine, as well as afternoon naps.

Some of the best experiences have been the Thai people along the way. It is really quite fascinating to fall on the other side of the world and meet total stranger, who without any real reason other than kindness and goodwill are willing to go out of their way to help a 'Farang' on a bicycle. Within this travelogue I have tried to capture some incidents and experience which have happened along the way, however to fully explain the feeling you get, it would take a book to describe such people. From small children curious about a bike to old ladies willing to give you money, to free food and drinking beer with locals at some remote villages, to thousands of smiles you get along the way.

The scenary consisting most of rice paddies, quiet villages around the coast to glorious mountains in the north. One day I cycled for about 80km between two moutain ranges, quite spectacular!

It is worth mentioning is the food here, I have never been too much in culinary pleasures (unlike some people at work , A.R. hahaha!). Eating in Thailand is a delight to the senses, the number of spices and herbs being used in everyday dishes is really beyond ordinary. The combinations of flavour 'playing music on your taste palette' and the cost is an extraordinary combination.
Favorite foods:
Red Curry with Grilled fish, pineapple, veggies in coconut sauce.
Tom Yum Coon - very spicy clear soup with shrimp, lemon grass, ginger, (many other spices)
Pad Thai - traditional thai noodles with egg and veggies
Anything with sticky rice.
... and of course my friend Cow Pot Gai - rice and chicken

There's some much more to write about Thailand , however I feel that this post will get too long to read.

Recap of the ride.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ko Lanta - Nua Khlong 77 km
Nua Khlong - Phra Saeng 74 km
Phra Saeng - Surat Thrani 68 km
Surat Thrani - Lamae 114 km
Lamae - Chumphon 103 km
Chumphon - F**k Knows - 107 km
F**k Knows - Phan Saghan 73 km
Phan Saghan - Khiri Khan - 96 km
Khiri Khan - Hua Hin - 100 km
Hua Hin - Pheteburi - 68 km
Pheteburi - Ban Pong - 103 km
Ban Pong - Kanchanaburi - 58 km
Kanchanaburi - Don Chedi - 110 km
Don Chedi - Chai Nat - 88 km
Chai Nat - Khanu Woralaksaburi - 134 km
Khanu Woralaksaburi - Kamphaeng Phet - 75 km
Kamphaeng Phet - Sukhothai - 83 km
Sukhothai - Thoen - 127 km
Thoen - Li - 54 km
Li - Lamphun - 108 km
Lamphun - Chian Mai (not completed - approx. 25 km - excluded from average)

Total: 1820 km
Daily Average: 91 km
Daily Computer Speeds: Between 22km - 24.9 (best average)
Best day on the road: 134 km with computer speed of 24.9
Best Moutain Ride: Thoen to Li: 28km mountain pass with little traffic and not so steep grades
Toughest Day: Sukhothai to Thoen: 127 km with a grueling 8km mountain after 115km
Rain Days: about 10 minutes on one day
Punctures: 0 (yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Dog bites: 0 Dog chases: too many
Number of navigational screw ups: 2 (one for the good, one for the bad)
Number of 'Hellos': 1,222,244,211 - or some thing like that
Number of smiles : Number of 'Hellos' * 1,000,000
Tigirrrl Bites: Confidential
Overall cycling satisfaction rate scale: 10 out of 10!


Cheers for now and all the best!

Robert a.k.a. Hooked on Thailand!

The good, the smiley and the Thai

There are so many surprises everyday within this wonderful country. For example, while riding today, I stopped at a roadside place which appeared to be a restaurant. As it turned out it was a day of mourning after a head of the village has passed away recently. I had no idea at the time since there was 'happy' music blasting out of gigantic speakers and everybody appeared to have a good time. Old ladies invited me inside and set me a table full of traditional Thai dishes. Needles to say my usual Cow Pot breakfast routine was substituted with great food. After being offered beer at about 9 am and not really sure as to what the celebration was about, I asked one guy and he explained the situation to me. I did feel kind of awkward, interrupting their affairs, however, they seemed more than happy to have me there. The generosity and warmth being offer by Thai people to complete strangers is quite overwhelming sometimes.

Another thing about death. Thai people and Buddhist in general I assume treat death very lightly, unlike us in NA.
For example, while sitting at a bar with some Thai people, an English guy asks:
-How is Joe Doe doing?
-Maybe he's dead. - A Thai person answers, completely serious.

Example 2.
An English teacher was waiting for her class to begin and one boy was present in class. So she asks:
-Where is the rest of the class?
-They're all dead. - Answers the boy
-All of them?
-Yes, all of them.

After a tough day yesterday, 134 km and being offered accommodations by a Thai policeman at the 'Love Inn Motel', hmm I wonder what that place was all about (I was too tired to engage in any extra curricular activities) ... Well I stayed at some other cheesy in with brothel like lighting inside. It is very difficult to find decent accommodations in those little towns.

On on upside, today I'm staying in a wonderful garden setting guest house in Kamphaeng Phet. I had the pleasure off seeing old temples and ruins within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ALL TO MYSELF ON A BIKE!!! No tourists around, amazing. More sightseeing tomorrow as another heritage site will be at my disposal. One more day on a bike and then a rest day. Wee!

Life after River Kwai

Yeah, I'm still alive for those of you who were placing bets back at the office. lol.
I bet that Allan Ross is the bookie, god that felt good, I have not taken a shot at Allan for such a long time. I do miss work sometimes, well not the actual 'working' part. By the way, to all of you Arsenal fans out there, yeah in your face everybody! Man U rocks, well not last weekend, but it felt very good to watch the game with Arsenal fans around me and seeing them suffer.

After spending 6 nights and fighting my own battles on beautiful river Kwai in Kanchanaburi, it was time to get moving and start riding again. I do love to have the luxury to stay in towns for no particular reason other than being drawn to it for one reason or another.

Made a few friends while staying there and was offered a job as an English teacher. Actually I got to know the 'culture' of English teachers in foreign countries. If there's such a thing as an alternative lifestyle, their would fall under the criteria. Quite a few of them travel from country to country with the sole purpose to explore and learn about different cultures, sometimes it is difficult and the money is not the greatest. However the experience is sure worth the sacrifice. They get paid about 700cdn a month, which for Thailand is quite high. A price of renting an entire house is about 70cnd a month. You spend more on food and beer a month. Speaking of which, after a few nights of staying up until 6 or 8 am, getting up at 5:30 am right now is a bit of a problem.

Cycling is going well, on my way to Chiang Mai, about 500-600km away. I made a navigation mistake yesterday but it turned out for the best as I found myself on back country roads with little traffic and rice paddies all around. Ended up in a small town Don Chian (I think) and stayed up drinking with the locals until 11pm, Thai whiskey is quite strong... A couple of people spoke a little English so there was some communication. I really enjoy spending time outside of the tourist circles as you can really get to know the local customs as well as their sense of humor, I'm still working on getting their jokes but it is a lot of fun. Stuck today at some god forsaken town, yeay! I do need a quiet night or two.

Cheers for now!