8/29/07
Still in Kanchanburi. Judee’s bleeding eye is almost healed and her sciatica is also improving – slowly. We figure the Thai masseuse inflicted both injuries. So much for assurance of professionals by booking through a hotel.
We have stayed close to town, venturing each day by walking, by motor scooter and today on bicycle into the countryside to see a few sights. We met interesting travelers: Shane and a couple Kevin and Chris, all who shared their Asian adventures with us. We will be cutting short our current bicycle travels northward until we return November 26. We have about 12 days until we return to Bangkok for Art’s dental appointment and to get Bici ready to send back to Co-Motion for needed repairs. We still have a day more here to enjoy the pool and relax a bit more. Not a bad idea before two months of America, which we figure will be anything but relaxing!!
A note on our changing weather: Each day the Bangkok Post’s weather report is the same: 24-34 degrees Celsius with widely scattered thunder showers. By showers they mean down pours where for about an hour the skies turn black, thunder rolls in and huge drops of rain pour out of the heavens. You don’t just get wet, you are beaten to death! Traffic stops and everyone runs for cover. Shop owners offer those standing out of the deluge stools and chairs to wait out the passing storm. It is quite a sight to watch the water falls off the roof tops, filling gutters and downspouts, shooting fire hose streams of water over the sidewalks way out into the streets. The winds always accompany these daily storms blowing the rain and mist far into our covered hiding places. It does cool things down a bit until the sun once again comes out to boil things dry.
What fun the motor scooter is. We have rented an automatic, bright pink one to zoom around the highways and byways, concrete and gravel. Judee sits side saddle for awhile, then front, then on the other side trying to get comfortable with her sciatica angered bottom. We stop every few kilometers to let her stretch and walk off the pain, then roll off down the farm lanes, never going very fast since you don’t know what is around the corner: a herd of cows, goats blocking the road or the road just ended. The limestone hills look like a green blanket has been plopped down on them: steep cliff faces surrounded by green mantles. The countryside is filled with caves: water through limestone. The caves are filled with Buddhist statues and shrines. How interesting to see the flowstone, stalagtites and stalagmites, even a bit of box work. These are living caves. We are continuously surprised by the number of Buddhist temples and shrines that seem to be around every bend in the road.
The follow up visit to the public hospital to see the eye doctor for Judee’s bloody eye was very much different from our first hospital encounter. We were directed from pillar to post finally getting a piece of paper with a number on it: Room 22. Up stairs into a large waiting area with numbers over the office door areas. The area was full of waiting people. We don’t know what to do so Judee goes to the nurse’s desk to let them know we were here for our 8am appointment. Ho Ho Ho. The nurse waved us to take a seat in the crowd. Names called in the local language so who knows. Nine o’clock passes by. People are coming and going from the examination rooms. Judee goes back to the desk to show her face to the nurse and is waved back into the hoard. I go out to get us something to eat and drink. By 9:30 Judee has had her blood pressure and eye pressure checked and is back waiting. Close to 10am Judee sees the doctor and is given the “thumbs up”. Nothing to worry about: just keep using the eye drops, no need for the patch. A breath of relief now we are working on the sciatica problem: rest and relaxing with lots of good Thai food mixed with a few beers.
[Note from WebGuy Gary: what follows, unlike earlier pages is a long series of photos, 15 in all]
9-1
We finally got out of Kanchanaburi after 12 days of recuperation. We were both ready to ride on. At this point, we’re not too sure to where. North: the wind is blowing in that direction. So for the past two days we have ridden over 90 kilometers per day in order to find accommodations. Judee has learned to recognize the Thai word for hotel and is pleased that is useful. Nothing in non-farang land is in English! We’ve had two pretty comfy hotels, several good meals and have enjoyed these prosperous mid-sized towns for sights and good internet connections, too.
9-2
An act of kindness: while riding up a large divided freeway, parched and sweaty, looking for our 10:30am morning drink and snack break, we decided to stop across from a large gas station and skip across the median wall. We looked for a safe place to stash Bici and saw a highway patrol office was just up ahead. When we rolled in, an officer wearing a traditional yellow polo shirt with the king’s emblem came out to greet us and invited us into the station for water. So rather than sprint to the gas station, we followed the policeman. To our great surprise we were escorted into their kitchen and given soft drinks and bottles of water to take with us on the road. The policeman’s wife brought out glasses of ice and a hand fan with which she proceeded to fan each of us. Through smiles and giggles, we all tried to answer questions and get road information. Checking maps on the walls we were able to find out how far different cities were and see hotel locations at the destination for the day. Said our goodbyes after offering to pay for our drinks and water. No way would they accept!
1.Preparing for rice
2.takin an elephant to market
3.Bici ready to board the bus |
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9-3
Today we did not want to get out of our comfortable bed. After yesterday’s only 44 miles we collapsed in this bed, sleeping off painful bottoms, feet and hands from riding. Next move? Bus! Into Chaing Mai. Why beat ourselves to death for 400 more kilometers, past more rice, sugar cane and corn fields on dusty roads in hot sun when we can get into Northern Thailand on an air conditioned VIP bus 6 hour ride for $350 baht p/p and $200 for Bici (less than $30 US total).
1. Feet to Chang Mai
2.Chang Mai moat 7 wall
3.wood carver & tools |
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9-11
Today we are leaving Chaing Mai after seven days of sight seeing and exploring. The sprawling city of over 150,000 population sits on the flat banks of the River Ping but just to the west are the highest mountain peaks in Thailand. One fine day we rented a motor scooter and rode out of the city and up the 10 km climb to the top of Doi Suthep. On the way up, we passed lots of cyclists on mountain bikes working their way to the top. We learned later that there are many riders who do this strenuous climb two or three times per week. The views out over the city cloaked in the morning haze reminded us of similar views in South America.
When we reached the Doi Suthep Temple we found it crowded with tourists and the usual vendor market and shops lining the steps up to the temple itself. We decided to run the gauntlet up the steep steps only to be greeted at the top with a sign: “Foreigner purchase ticket: 30 B”. We passed this opportunity to see another temple and descended to the vendors where Judee bargained for some bright and unusual wax string bracelets we thought friends and family might like. Next we puttered on past the Royal Palace to visit a native Hmong village 7 km off down a single lane track out into the rain forest. As we progressed, the lane became narrower and eventually turned into a muddy wrent. We parked the scooter and walked the last kilometer into the village perched on top of a mountain ridge. The village had one main street with two or three shops selling supplies to the locals and snacks for the visiting tourists. All of the structures in the village were constructed of wood. Houses were one story rectangles, few or no windows, ventilation through openings under the over hanging eves. All the houses had a solar panel outside on a pole with a line running into the house. As we strolled through the village, the inhabitants paid little attention to us. The residents in this hamlet do not wear their native dress but wear western garb. These mountain villages have been receivng much attention from Thailand’s beloved His Majesty (HM) the King to help move them to a level of self sufficiency and to stop their slash and burn farming. Yes, poppy cultivation continues and we have read in the Bangkok Post that opium production is up 25% from previous levels.
We decided to have lunch on the way down the mountain, so stopped off at the Doi Suthep vendor area for a bowl of soup, soft drinks and a potty break. Falling down the winding, curvy pavement, passing waterfalls and overlooks: what a joy!
Back in the city, off we go down a side road, sliding through the shop house canyons, out into the quiet residential area, making a turn to stop at a weaving and textile gallery. The owner was an English woman (Thai husband was a cyclist) who had developed an interest in Lao weaving of textiles and written a book covering the process. While Judee looked over the fabrics, I had a chance to speak with the woman and her husband. They graciously told me we could explore their compound and pointed out across the way, a traditional wooden, thatched roof Lao house they had constructed in their back garden. These houses are built up on stilts: sleeping and living up, cooking and bath down in the open area below.
On Sunday, we joined the Chaing Mai Sunday Bicycle Club. The large group of about 50 people gave us a warm welcome and introduced us and asked us a few questions about our journey. The club leader translated because, other than Toivo, we were the only farangs there! We started by riding a circuit around the old city, stopping at a special temple. Always we were given a complete explanation of the importance of special sights by an English-speaking member of the club. We doubled back to the beginning to pick up any tardy riders and then took off down the highway. It was fun to be in the middle of the chattering cyclists as we made our way to yet another temple. Upon arriving, everyone took off their shoes and padded inside, laughing and continuing to socialize. Toivo told us that even at weddings the conversation never slows or quiets. One of the members prepared a meal and everyone lined up to get soup bowls, rice, veggies, hot spices, and fruit plus ice cold water. After much socializing, eating and lounging we all remounted our bikes and headed home down a very small lane winding through the rice fields. We bought club jerseys for about $7 each and will proudly wear them as we remember the warm and friendly welcome these cyclists extended to us.
The next day we had paid for a tour in a bus to the highest peak in Thailand in Doi Inthanon National Park. Art really did not want to go, and after a night in the bathroom, he wasn’t feeling like going anywhere. Judee filled the room with Cipro and Gatorade and left skipping out to the bus. Hours spent in a bus did bring a fun group of people into the jungle forests at the edge of the Himalayas and up into the mists to see forever across to Myanmar (Burma). It was harder for Judee to sit in the bus for hours than to ride a bike! So much for tour groups. One fun aspect was meeting a couple of young German travelers who had spent the night at a Buddhist temple. They had their own private monk who taught them some about monk-life, leading them through long meditations and prayer. When I asked what the most surprising thing they learned about monks, they related that the monks pray with one hand and text-message on their cell phones with the other, that is, if they are not nodding off.
We returned to Bangkok via the overnight sleeper train. We showed up around 4pm, Bici was loaded into the baggage car and we sat ourselves in the wide seats assigned to us. Everyone left the train to get food at the local 7/11 before we pulled out of the station. It was said the food on the train was VERY expensive and not very good. We pulled out of the station on time at 6pm. By 9 pm the train staffers had everyone’s bed made up and tucked us all in. Cozily nestled into the sheets, blankets and pillows we fell asleep to the clack, clack tempo and the gentle swaying of the train. After midnight, Judee began to shiver with the cold air conditioning blowing into her curtained loft, so she crept into the lower bunk and snuggled in with Art. What a delight to awaken in our comfortable nest watching Bangkok pass by our window.
We rode Bici through Bangkok’s morning commuter traffic to Mike and Karen’s apartment where we will stay and stash our bike gear while in America for the next couple of months. This is the last post on our bike travels until December. Please check back!
