Category Archives: .Thailand

Lots of Bicycling this weekend

Posted on by

IMG_0662In the States we have Bike Rodeo’s that promote safe cycling, and rules of the road for youngsters, oftentimes with a model roadway with lanes, signage and education.  Here in Trang it’s been a feature event during National Children’s Day, along with major performances by all the local school groups taking the stages with dance and song. Hundreds and hundreds of school-age children and families (mostly mothers) come to the Sports Arena complex for the all-morning events.

IMG_0656kid foodThe Trang Cycling club gathers traffic cones, goodies (packaged snacks donated by City, Toyota Dealership and other businesses), sets up a tent, tables and chairs and arranges for City Hall-owned bikes and tandems to be delivered to an asphalt playground within the Sports Arena complex.

Not sure what to expect, especially since the plan to inaugurate an educational layout fell though, we set up eight cones, strung Toyota flagging around an oval circuit and waited next to the tables bedecked with hundreds of bags of snacks, pencil packs, and notebooks.  Five shaky but serviceable tandems and five more equally tired regular bikes sat by waiting for riders, while throngs filed by to the big top, a permanent cavernous shed that covers at least a soccer field or more of playing fields.

IMG_0661As it was, we soon became swamped with hundreds of kids vying for a chance to ride a bike round and round and round the simple track.  There is no way they could handle an “education-type” venue in that melee of kids and parents taking their families, sometimes four, on a tandem round the loop.  Kids too small or without a parent got behind Club members on the tandems for a spin.

IMG_5542That snack table became enlarged and overwhelmed when the ice cream cone cylinder and Popsicle cooler showed up just before noon. My job was to turn the bikes around and set kids off clockwise (left side of the road).  Being a Farang (foreigner) was a novelty and sometimes intimidating for the kids, but it helped with my Thai to say the same thing over and over, and it must have been okay because I posed for a lot of family photos.

Culturally the difference is that we’d want order, education and no liability.  For the Thai, they don’t worry about liability (National Insurance, few tort lawyers and a “kids fall” attitude).  They just want to promote the fun of cycling even if it’s just round and round on clunky bikes.  Works for me, I had a great time. We probably got 300-500 folks round that tiny tiny loop.

Weekend continues with a Rally over the mountain.

Fun-employed

Posted on by

I’ll have to admit right up front, I just heard the term “fun-employed” from Stanna’s blog sources.  Can we really use this for a job description or status? It sure fits for many of us and I’d prefer it to “retired”.  Wonder if I should change my Rotary classification to that? Probably shouldn’t use that term when filling out those entry visa’s, as I’m not sure that transliterates real well and could get one denied entry, thinking you were unemployed. This is certainly the first “meme”* that I’ve truly understood.

IMG_0618Bird Song Competition. This form of strictly male sport is unknown to us in the states. At least it is to me. It doesn’t quite rival bull fighting, the kind where it’s bull against bull, but it does appeal to a lot of men in these rural Thai communities.  Contests take place several times a week in most communities, and it costs Nok contestabout 200 Baht ($6.50 – 2/3 a day’s minimum wage) to enter your bird.  Prizes for local competitions run about 3,000 baht ($100 – well over a weeks pay).  Birds are judged on how many times they chirp in 20 seconds and on the quality and tone of the song.  Four Judges mark scorecards under the cages of each bird and owners have to stand back 5 meters, but can flap their arms or squawk in encouragement. It’s quite common to see these birdsong competitors transporting their aviary contestants in covered cages, one on each side of their scooter passenger’s extended knees. I’d guess these guys are also fun-employed, as long as they don’t lose too much on the side betting.

Enjoying reading your blog again today and was very interested in the bird-singing contests because when I was a young lad my dad bred singing canaries and entered into weekly competitions in the local “big” town. The birds were judged on several types of trills, chirps, warbles and one special one was from Germany that had a guttural sound. Just a couple of days ago I was explaining the hobby to Jill and how my dad had this shed in the back yard that was about 15′ by 8′ and had cages all along the long wall. He kept a log book on the birds with their lineage and contest results so that he could determine the pairs that he would breed. Captain Al

IMG_0609Once again I got in another longer Sunday Ride and this one challenged me with a significant highway climb, closely akin to Coal Bank hill north of Purgatory.  Wish I could say I was first up the hill, but I got bested by one of the Fahsung guys by about 10 meters. I’ve ordered a replacement dropout for my Trek road bike and that will give me that lowest gear again.  Right now it pings the spokes so I’m reluctant to go down that low.

Mileage, (do they say “kilometerage”?) for the week was 430 km, so the weather has allowed more consistent riding, albeit a couple days were totally wet ones.  Strange to ride in the rain and not be cold.  Photo is from one of the many waterfalls in close proximity to Trang.

strava logPictured is the Health App Dashboard from the iPhone. Using it in conjunction with Strava, another App for tracking rides, runs, steps etc., helps me keep better track of the mileage, calories and distances.  I like the automatic syncing that transpires.  If I add a bluetooth heart rate monitor I could have that data as well. Never thought to use it while hiking, that will have to be incorporated next Spring.  (It’s just another part of Younger Next Year – making yourself get out everyday).

For those curious, or compulsive like myself, you can also see how you’re doing on repeated intervals (same sections of road or track).  What I didn’t realize was your interval time goes out into the cloud and ranks you on the climb or stretch.  I now have some local wanting to “friend” me because of my ranking on the morning hill.

Very soon Apple will be ratcheting up it’s HealthKit App development partners, so the world (and security services) will soon be tracking much more than mileage. They’ve had Bluetooth scales that graph your weight but I want one that syncs with the Health App and doesn’t cost as much as a Nest thermostat.  FWIW I’m not planing on an Apple Watch, but never say never.

Stanna supping

Another visit to Mai Muang, our favorite restaurant, with another round of Panang curry and shrimp tempura. And yes, the photo on the wall to Stanna’s right is the Beatles pre-Ringo.  And they put on the English-language music when we show up.

We’d say eat your heart(s) out, but that’s what we’re doing.

Trying to be helpful

Posted on by

IMG_5456As all cruisers know, water pumps are the same all around the world, they just vary in size, voltage and application.  This one was on a plank suspended over a well.  Termites preferred the underside of the plank until they gnawed too much and the pump went all the way to the bottom.  All it took was drying out, a little buffing the armature and sanding the contacts to get her running again.  Bearings are noisy, but she’s working.  With 220v you have to get the polarity correct or the impeller turns backwards.  Fun to get my hands dirty again.

IMG_0530

We’re promoting Colorado and Janet’s ScenicSacks here in Thailand, a place where the plastic bags outnumber dogs lying in the streets.  These are better gifts than “dustable” tchotchkes and it’s fun to see them being used in the land of the ubiquitous plastic bag.  Good news is one of these sacks will hold about 6 of their bags so you don’t have to festoon the scooter with little baggies swinging down the road.  Wish we’d brought more than 8 with us, we have enjoyed giving them as gifts to our friends.

IMG_0531Continuing on the helpful theme, we arranged to borrow a road bike for our Belgian friend who will be returning to Ban Wassana mid-January.  This vintage road bike has an interesting story, it turns out. 30 years ago this was the first road bike for sale in Trang and was listed for 40,000 baht ($1,250) which was more than a local had to pay for a motorcycle (scooter).  Evidently it IMG_0539never sold as mountain bikes were more popular and affordable, as they still are today in Thailand, so the owner donated this bike to the Trang Cycling Club and it’s been loaned out and around for most of it’s life.  I’ve gone back to our favorite bike “shed” and gotten the cables replaced and the bike tuned for $12.50.  When we tried to raise the seat for me and our Belgian friend, the clamp IMG_0557stripped requiring us to fabricate, “cruiser-style”, a replacement bolt for the aluminum fitting.  Believe it or not just behind us in the photo was a new 70,000 Baht ($2,750) Giant carbon mountain bike in for a tune up as well.  Always something to work on where ever we go, however I kept away from the Giant bike on the stand.

 

More riding, more seafood

Posted on by

IMG_5496It’s probably not fair to say we’ve been suffering thru the tail-end of the rainy season, because the temperatures are still in the mid-80’s and most of you are in the below freezing regions (except Deja Vu – where Helen and Joe are probably having similar temps but no rain).  However, this is the first of four trips to Thailand that we’ve seen more than a couple days rain in the entire visit and it’s probably rained 9 out of the last 12 days, albeit not all day but we’ve gotten soaked quite a number of times and I’ve ridden the loop more than once in the rain.  We’ve adapted to the wet weather, donned 60-cent rain ponchos and motored along, not quite as casual as the locals who ride their scooters with an umbrella (and note that like many motorcyclists she’s riding the wrong way down the street).

Rain at WassanaI’ve managed to ratchet up my mileage because most days it hasn’t started the deluges until after the pre-dawn rides. I did manage to bugger my deluxe LED strobing taillight with water and grit flushing up the USB charging port, but outside of stashing my iPhone in my frame pack the water isn’t that much of a bother.

IMG_0525

 

Several of you know there’s been a big push to get me to speak Thai with my local friends now that I’ve come back for the fourth year.  Could be the hardest challenge ever for a dyslexic, phonetically-challenged 68-year-old who can’t remember a simple song or carry a tune.  To exacerbate the task I’m teaching my primary teacher, SunSurn, German for equal time.  So now when I’m muddled, can’t think and get tongue tied with a basic Thai alphabetic letter, what comes out is either a Spanish or German transliteration (more like bastardization) of the sound.  Begging to postpone the German until at least the 44 consonant alphabet sounds and glyphs are rooted falls on deaf ears.  Something about “leveling the playing fields” in the logic.

Finally got in a Sunday ride (previous Sunday was the Trang Mountain Bike Races where I only opted to ride VIP course and photobombed the Governor’s wife).  This Sunday’s adventure started out only by acting as a cycling marshall to a half-marathon running race.  The Cycling Club always rides forward, flanking and behind the runners on their road races IMG_0498since they always start in the dark when it’s cool running.  After about 4 km with the lead runners, I tried to shift into my lowest gear (larger rear sprocket) and my cable housing at the handle bars parted allowing four inches of raw shift cable to be exposed and consequently the rear derailleur to slide all the way into the spokes.  Fortunately the speed was minimal and no runners or cyclists were harmed in this fiasco.  I had to pull my headlight off to see the damage and unwind chain and derailleur from the spokes and between the gear cluster and hub.  It took removing the wheel and that’s when it became obvious that the dropout hanger was tweaked as well.  Good thing Strider riding for toddlers had come to Durango a couple years back, as that was the way I got back to the starting line.  Just like all my other good fortune here in Thailand, my cycling friends knew where to take the bike on a Sunday morning before 9 AM and get all the parts and tools for repair.  Of course it being Sunday I had to do the repairs myself.  The hardest part was getting the “noodled” aluminum hanger in a straight plane.

IMG_0512Even before I finished installing a new chain, other club members had called to say they were already on their way to Pak Meng at the beach and I should “catch-up”.  The beach is 24 miles from Trang so I guessed at some of the intersections and found them about 2/3’s of the way there.

Song2Unaware that they had longer plans than just the beach ride and back, I should have known that riding the half-marathon was only a warm-up.  We ended up doing the whole coastal loop after lunch and a stop at the National Park Beach. These are the rides I enjoy the most because they always take us to places we never expect, and even the mileage comes easily because we stop so often to eat.

IMG_0514After pointing to a cluster of ladies huddled under a shed roof along the coast, Tigersong signaled to turn around and we toured a shrimp sorting site.  20 ladies at two stainless counter-height tables were picking out smallest and largest shrimp and sliding the medium ones into laundry baskets.  Each basket was weighed and charted before being dumped into blue plastic 50-gallon drums with crushed ice.  Destination was 900 kilometers north at a Bangkok market place.

LoopThis “loop” ride was just over 70 miles and is a favorite because the middle leg is all along the Andaman coast IMG_0519line, ending in Kantang river port where we have to take a car ferry across before heading north back to Trang.

Of course, we had to knock down another meal, this time at the famous “soft noodle” seafood soup place, where they serve one of the more expensive soups we’ve encountered.  soup70 Baht ($2.10) gets you a very large bowl of soup with just about one of every sea creature available along the coast.  I could only identify two of the tasty marine life swimming in my bowl, but I’m sure I’ve now tried (or should say swallowed) all those available, regarded as delicacies and most likely featured in some of those highly popular reality TV shows.

 

When it rains….we eat

Posted on by

On a positive note, we’ve managed to get in every other day on the bikes, but the rainy season still persists.  Thankfully when we do ride it’s still 72° and only wet and gritty on the chains, and since we wash our lycra every day it doesn’t matter that it’s already wet when we get home.

LoopI discovered Stava on the iPhone tracks various segments of the route I generally ride each morning and now I’ve got a goal to beat.  Evidently I’m only 4th in the posted times on the big climb in the loop.  I never realized just how long (or short) the effort was when pumping up the 3-tiered roller.  9:05 is my time but I now need to work toward 8:01 posted by some unpronounceable local Thai. Nephew Christopher cautions me that Stava is responsible for a number of down-hill record breaking attempts. Good reminder.

IMG_0477The Fahsung (pre-dawn riders) have found out I like Grilled Pork Neck (Ko Mu Yang คอหมูย่าง) which is the specialty of the restaurant where we normally sup on our morning Dim Sum.

Now IMG_0479they’re stepping up the taste treats with hand stuffing the Mu Yang into Thai donuts and topping it off with chlli sauce.  All I can say is A Roi – delicious.IMG_0480

It’s a good thing I’m riding 20 miles to and 20 miles from this treat because it could probably give you a coronary just looking at the plate. IMG_0487

And just in case you worried we’re not eating right, here’s a typical dinner out in front of our hovel.

Soon we’ll be venturing a little farther afield, if the rains would stop.

tg photobombTrang had it’s first ever large scale mountain bike race, with 12 categories and over 300  riders last Sunday. I’m choosing NOT to compete so I can enjoy riding the entire winter rather than walking around with a sling or worse.  Fahsung rides are enough testosterone for me.  I did manage to PhotoBomb the Governor’s wife when she was riding the back of the VIP course.

 

 

Back on the bikes

Posted on by

IMG_0411We’re finally back on our bikes. It took a bit of time to get my old Trek road bike set up with a new handlebar and stem. I’d brought the new, stronger stem from the States but forgot that the original bars were thinner then the 31.8 millimeter bars the new stem required. Fortunately I was able to find a set of bars that were 44 mm by 31.8 mm thick and only had to pay 800 baht, about $24. Trek Stem It was really fun actually acquiring the bars. Sunsurn, my Thai friend, took me on the back of his scooter around to a number of local bike shops, trying to find a new set of bars. It was difficult because Thai folks are smaller and they use the 42 mm-width bars and I needed a 44. One tiny shop got on the phone and ordered a set of 44’s and they were courier’d over from another town in about two hours. Unbelievable.

Setting up the Trek was far easier than getting back in shape. I hadn’t really ridden a road bike since I finished Great Divide ride. I’d been spinning regularly but not on a road bike. IMG_0418The Thai guys that I ride with before dawn are a strong set of riders and they helped put me straight quickly. As I’ve said in the past Thai riders don’t rotate the lead, just wait till the front man dies and then they just carry on. And besides that they don’t wait at the top of the hill and regroup like we do in the States; it’s a sign of weakness.

I’m never able to get a photograph of the “Fahsung” predawn riding group because we start 5 AM and we finish at a local restaurant just as the light is coming up. I did take a panoramic photograph of the group at our Dim Sum style breakfast.  One ancedote from that dim sum breakfast that’s kind of amusing, is that once I had learned that they have hard-boiled eggs I’d been eating quite a number of those last year. Since I’ve been gone the group has now taking up eating hard-boiled eggs themselves in order to be stronger and keep up with me, they say.

IMG_0419Another funny anecdote about my Thai Fahsung guys is that they don’t pump their road bike tires up above 80 psi.  Mostly because they don’t have hand pumps that will go that high.  The guy in the photo, Go Rung, flatted and I gave him my extra tube (they often don’t carry tubes or pumps) and he set off with us again.  I never noticed him drop off once again, then he showed up in the back of a TukTuk at the restaurant with a second flat. I’ll have to get that TukTuk’s phone number for pre-dawn flats.  (The driver actually rides with us many days, fortunately for Go Rung, that day he was at home.)

Because we’ve come to Thailand several weeks earlier then in the past, we have hit a later then normal tail-end of the rainy season. So I have not been able to get as much cycling in as I would normally do in a week. This is beneficial because it’s given me a couple of one-day breaks between riding with the Fahsung group. To give you an idea what that ride is like: on Saturday, in the 36-mile ride I burned 1,904 calories according to my Garmin. In a 50-minute spin class I burn 525.

We also “borrowed” my Cannonade and Stanna’s Specialized mountain bikes back for the winter.  So we have three bikes now.  Three years ago Stanna gave her road bike to the Trang Cycling club.  She now wants to find a “lighter” road bike to use while we’re here since she’s noticing the heavier weight of the 25-year-old StumpJumper she brought over last year.

 

Eat, Nest, Sleep

Posted on by

IMG_0409Not quite the same theme as the best-seller Eat, Pray, Love, but we’ve modified the theme to our first week back in Thailand.  It’s taken us seven days to sample all the good foods we remember at the restaurants and markets we normally frequent, and nothing has changed.  Best of all, the Panang Curry is better than ever.  Hard to believe it took us 4 days to get to the Forest restaurant but nesting, rain and sleeping got in the way.  Nesting back in the exact same studio apartment was a welcome treat (there are only 8 units in our ground floor building and we’ve been in three different ones in four years).  IMG_0385We collected some of our meager household items (and bikes) from friend Sunsurn and set up the place just like we like it. [First photo is before we unpack.  Panorama is after.] Having a proper desk has always been a bonus for me since I spend considerable time at the computer studying, programing and writing.  Our 300 sqft tiled room with with bathroom and shower, plus 5’x7′ back porch (kitchen and laundry sink) and 13′ x 6′ front porch makes for a really nice set-up.  Big enough for all the necessities inside, like three bikes, yoga space and study area.  Great deal at $165 a month plus electricity, which runs us about $10 a month.

pano room

But I’ve already jumped too many meals ahead.  As many of you are familiar with that Rio Dulce tradition established by one of the cruisers as soon as she arrived in that famous watering hole, “The galley is closed.” So we’ve readily adapted to the Thai lifestyle of eating out (or at least not cooking for ourselves every day), for lunch and dinners. Thai’s generally eat a soup or soupy rice meal for breakfast and we’ve remained more western in the mornings, preferring Muesli and yogurt on our front porch.  In fact, any meals eaten at home are outside as the temps are always in the low 80’s and there are very few bugs until just after the sun goes down.

IMG_0406We’ll post way too many food photos over the next four months, however just a couple shots to remind you of some of our favorites like Panang Curry, Cashew Chicken, Green Papaya Salad, Pad Thai and we even sampled fresh Grouper caught by a Trang Cycle club member (3rd prize at 17 kilos [154′ depth on a hand line – for those curious].  Mu ping (from the market place), Gai Tang and Mu Tang (from the Chicken Lady) are three more favorites IMG_0429we’ve already enjoyed but don’t have photos yet. And popcorn and ice cream, plus a number of things we don’t even know the names of like Mr. Wat’s yellow noodle soup with pork balls.  I guess you’re getting the idea of why we like Thailand!

As we’ve explained before, most Thai pick up their meals from street vendors or market places and carry prepared foods home to serve.  We do the same for most our dinners, preferring to grab something on our way home from shopping or visiting our friends, and eating luxuriously on our own front porch.  Unfortunately for us, good for the venders, the prices have gone up; we’re now spending almost $9 a day for food for two, however these are still super values everywhere we eat.

IMG_0426It seemed to take us a little longer to adjust to the jet lag and 14-hour time difference.  First several days we kept waking at 2 AM and nodding off by 7 PM.

This is also the first time we’ve experienced the tail end of the rainy season.  It’s rained four of the first 7 days, but the temps still aren’t below 72°.  Happy to be here and warm.

Pre-departure Hustle

Posted on by

IMG_0295Busy times this last week trying to get in a couple more hikes, dinners and good-byes, not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas cooking and gifting. We often brag about “just having to turn the key in the condo lock” and we’re gone, but since we haven’t really thought about what we plan to do in Thailand, this last week has been a little more than just packing. Our time at home is always packed with things to do, repair, build, consult, and most importantly recreation and exercise, so we’ve not allowed much time to think about the winter plan.  Therefore we’re heading out for the winter with only Trang as a base location in mind.  Not to worry, we’ve got bikes and friends there already.

IMG_0319IMG_0337 - Version 2The 39th Thanksgiving at the St Paul Ski Lodge (unfortunately we’ve been absent more than a few these occasions during our cruising years) was just as wonderful as always.  IMG_0341The family has done some serious aging and expanding over those years and the younger majority is almost the same vintage as when Chris first started the tradition, however a few of us are still standing (albeit not necessarily skiing the “backyard” any longer).  Great to catch up with the ol’ guard and see the next generation taking over all the Turkey Ski traditions and adding a few of their own.

IMG_0301

 

 

 

 

IMG_0352I always start early on packing because once friends realize we’re out-a-here sooner than later, there are a couple last-minute requests for tech support or project completions, which I can never turn down and am eager to resolve.  All summer Mike Taylor has been building a Man Cave, inspired in part by our sewing/equipment room. Thanks to IKEA and an online source for a Murphy Bed he was able to furnish it for half the price we did. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get around to adding the springs to the Murphy Bed, but he’s now finally finished, save a few picture hangings.  He and Ryler are now comfortably situated.

IMG_0357

IMG_4682Mesa Verde Luminaria night is another early winter tradition we’ve come to enjoy.  No visit there has ever been the same.  The weather, atmosphere, temperatures or crowds always seem different and this was no exception.  Four couples ventured out IMG_0355in two vehicles and we supped from our tailgate, listened to music, and walked the luminaria pathways to once again see Spruce Tree House lit as it might have been in the 1100’s.

 

Not sure if we were the only people, standing around a tailgate dressed in layers upon layers of down, eating hors d’oeuvres, but we most definitely were the fullest and needed that hike down into the canyon to walk-off the feast of meats, cheeses, salads and deviled eggs.

We’ve heard many say “how can packing take so much time, you take very little”.  It’s just that we need to take the right “very little”, it’s a long way to get something you forgot. 2014 Thailand gear

 

Last year’s Excel worksheet makes the job much easier selecting clothing and gear.  Taking a photo each time is another technique I fall back on when the notes are unclear.  In addition to the cycling gear – saddle, pedals, pump, tools, gloves and helmet- I’m taking Packstwo new Gatorskin 700xc25 tires as they aren’t available in Trang.  Electronics are the biggest concern and at 6 1/2 pounds, weigh almost as much as my base weight of 8 3/4 pounds.  4 B+ shirts, 3 shorts and cycling lycra don’t weigh much, so it all fits into my Revelate seat bag and the tires, saddle and pump will go in the day pack with the electronics.

Two Last Suppers and a Ruin

Posted on by

IMG_6218Both factions of the Trang Cycling Club wanted to have me to dinner before I left. The Fahsang Group got to me first and féte’d me with a very fancy 8-course Thai meal served in private room in a white tablecloth restaurant with a four-foot lazy-susan to share the plates. Since I’d never been cultured at that level I took too much off the first plate that was served, not realizing there would be 7 more and custom dictates that the diners only take small portions many times from each individual dish. I soon got the picture and couldn’t understand them talking about my manners anyway.  Great food and good times.  They all enjoyed seeing photos of cycling and hiking in Durango and environs.  Always interesting to see these fellows in the light without their lycra, jerseys and helmets. One interesting fact came out at dinner was that one fellow’s daughter was working at the Grand Canyon right now in a foreign work/study program.  I invited them all to Durango, including the daughter.

IMG_6229Still full from the night before, the Trang Touring Cyclists booked a restaurant that featured our favorite Thai dish, Panang Curry, for a good-bye luncheon.  At this meal I got to meet some wives and daughters of the cyclists for the first time.  Also really good food and fun stories.  By the time I boarded the late afternoon train I was sure I’d gained 10 pounds.

I really like taking the train north to Bangkok as it’s a coach with a sleeper bunk, and you sleep most the way there.  Stanna was at the train station to meet me (and her cycling bags ) for our last two days still further north of the big city in a place we often wait for our departure flights, Ayutthaya.  I should iPhonemention that we took one short side trip from the railway station in Bangkok to get my iPhone screen repaired.  I’d researched where and how much on the Internet and found that I could get it done for $67 rather than the Apple Store price of $260.  One hour later the iPhone looked and worked as good as new.

Ayutthaya is famous because it was the capital of all Siam for over 400 years and many of the historic ruins are still

IMG_6252

standing and show exquisitely at night.  One year when we visited they staged a pageant on one of the temple grounds in full historic dress, elephants and all.

IMG_6247

We always enjoy walking around this ancient inland island city, especially at night.

The flight home was easy this time because we flew direct from Tokyo to Denver.  Five movies on one of those new Boeing 787 Dreamliners and we were home in Colorado. If we don’t come up with a better plan for next winter, we’ll be back in Thailand next year. Maybe you’ll meet us there!
.

Bi-Lateral Home Stretch

Posted on by

StannaTempleYou may not have know but we’ve been on two different trips these past weeks.  Stanna in India, Bhutan and Nepal while I’ve been hanging in Trang.  And as usual we’re totally occupied right up to the last minutes.  It’s especially hard here in Trang as the exit isn’t ever easy.  Stanna’s last nights on her tour have been filled with dinner’s, demonstrations and even costume photos.

I’d planned some big rides, but recuperation from my handlebar malfunction allowed me to take on several other things on that long list you plan to get done while you’re away. I’m getting further and further from nerdland which each passing software and app update and in an effort to struggle back to SS Coding 2014Apr03the pack, I’ve had on my list to learn app coding.  I’m here to tell you it’s no joy and not easy until you see that simple tutorial project come up on the simulator screen.  Then it’s okay let’s learn some more, and it’s what I’ve heard kids do when they are learning to get to the next level in a computer game.  You’ve got to hit a wall, get destroyed or annihilated, proverbially

“tilt” the game (or in my case get error messages) and start over, many times from scratch.  Don’t get excited and send in any app ideas I’m only 30% thru a 420 video tutorial and my level of understanding is mostly focusing on learning the vocabulary.  Not to mention trying to overcome an aging dyslexic disfunction, which in coding makes it tantamount to impossible.

MockUp - Version 2

You’ll have to trust the photoshopped image on the left, because Stanna actually did feed and ride a real live elephant, but unfortunately she now has the fingerprint of the photographer directly over the models head.  We’re hoping someone in her group got an untainted version of the pachyderm’s placidity as well as her reticence.  She used that quote from my dad, I mentioned earlier;  “I now ridden an elephant twice!”

Back on the Trang front, I finally got back on the bike for real and have been doing the 5 am morning rides with the Fahsang guys.  I was worried I’d lost my training level, but I IMG_6174think they must have taken the same 4 weeks off I did, because they still want me in front pulling them up the hills.  They are, however, very courteous and encouraging, shouting, “Pai Tom, Pai” directly behind me. Getting back in shape has allowed the ice cream fetish to resume and SunSern and I celebrated after lunch with an entire container the first day back on the bike.

IMG_3574

Meanwhile, Stanna’s been taking in culture and exotic lands rather than the local gluttony going on in southern Thailand.  I’ve managed to view quite a number of her photos thru the iOS Photo Stream capability and between the iMessages and the photos enjoyed much of her trip so far.  Broadband is available in all but one of her hotels albeit some fairly slow and generator dependent.

sitting

And I’ve been sitting around shooting the shit with the riders at their day jobs.  Just like with Durango cyclists, where I hardly recognize anyone once they’ve removed their helmet, I’m amazed when we go around to see what each does for a living.  Real fun to go inside their shops, workshops, and businesses to see what’s on the other side of the counter.  It’s comes in handy when I had my wreck tattered jersey repaired, needed a IMG_6194scooter tire repaired, or even getting the defective Trek Stem repaired.  They all love “taking care” of the Fahrang.  Just yesterday I watched the entire process of making sweet treats at a small wholesale bakery.  Unbelievably simple process and quick assembly from raw materials to sealed package, probably took 30 minutes for a complete batch start to bagged and labelled in 10-packs.  They’d like me to import the sweet IMG_6182treats to the states, but I’m not sure they’d pass the FDA tests for salt ingredients.  They were so tasty I had to push the scrap bowl away after only 5 or 7 pieces.

You’d probably rather see more Nepal photos and so would I.  We’ll try and get a Trekking blog out as soon as we meet back up.  Hopefully this one will hold you at bay until then.  The Durango Ladies Hiking contingent dressed up to the “nines”.  (Can you say that for women?)  Soon we’ll be in Durango.

IMG_0531

So How’s it going…

Posted on by

So how’s it going, one might ask – the shoulder, the trip(s), the rehab, the separation, the benching, the touring. Great! As with early retirement, “how did I ever have time for work”. Loving it actually.  The freedom to chase any rabbit that scampers across the ADHD landscape of the idol mind.  The ability to focus deeper than casual-ality allows.  Being one that could only read, when all the other distractions and chores were stowed, it’s great to follow a thread without reaching an early snag. Not that those threads come from any great fabric, more like following early childhood wonderment. Why not look that up!  Could it be that difficult to master Thai tones? Could I actually learn Objective C+? Now, if I was bandwidth-less, it might be another story, but right now it’s just great. Great!

What’s probably the most fun is not being on any schedule, save sustenance. This isn’t any monkish pursuit, just an opportunity presented by a manufactures defect, a spouses retreat, involuntary immobility and isolated comfort with broadband.  I have been making the rounds with my Thai friends, not a clue what most the conversation’s about. sittingWonder if there’s an app for detecting “trite prose” or for translating it into impressive trivia?  No Joy!

I’m smiling, just now, thinking about a friend who commented that he was waiting for a translation of an email. Perhaps he’ll be asking for one of this. So I should get on with “How’s it going”, besides the supercilious, great.

IMG_6104The shoulder was (emphasis was) 95% on Saturday when I consented to join as cycling marshal to a running race with the Trang Cycling Club (TCC). It was a 7 km race not far from the couch, and a good chance to test out the recovery.  All’s well, home by 9 AM more rest, and then an evening visit to the Thai version of a Baby Shower (on the anniversary of the first month – much more practical as you get to see the child babyand men are invited).  At the shower the TCC members offered to drive us to yet another short “fun run” out in the country a waterfall we’ve often cycled to.  Okay, 9 km to the pick-up point, a 6 km run up a paved road and then back home.

Unfortunately I felt sooooo good that I decided to say yes to riding back home, maybe 35 km. Not to worry it was still early in the day, I was on the mountain bike, no pain, it had been 15 days since the accident. The ride was fun, I did just fine, strong in fact, but the guys decided since this was their normal Sunday ride it should stretch out some.  I knew we were taking a different way home but it never occurred to me it would be almost 90 km by the time I hit the shower.  Felt good the whole way, only when I got out of the shower did I slip back to 70% healed. So I’m back in rehab for another week or at least until memory or swelling fades, whichever comes first.

TajStanna is enjoying her Wednesday Ladies Hiking group outing, for at least another 3 Wednesdays.  Been to India, currently in Bhutan and soon to be in Nepal. The best thing I heard was, “I’m sure you would not be happy on this trip”, but “we probably need to come back to Bhutan by ourselves”.  India and even Bhutan hotels all have wifi so we’ve “talked”/texted each day. I wasn’t sure any photo log of the adventure was ensuing, because none to the messages or emails had a single shot.  It was when I bhutanweavingswitched the MB Air over to Stanna’s user side that I saw her iPhone Photo Stream was in high gear and had uploaded almost 600 photos thru the Cloud and back to the MBAir I’m typing on.  Little did this tech savvy guy know, she had it totally under control and was worried the 1,000 iCloud limit would lose the earliest photos. (It doesn’t, if you have a computer with iPhoto pulling each photo off the cloud.  Done automatically in the Mac world.)

With my spouse away the Thai mice want to play, more. My friend SunSern has seen to it that I’m not excluded from anything interesting going on, not to mention lunches where he wanted to let me experience those Thai treats most farangs/westerners wouldn’t conscience.  You know, foods hyped on those reality shows.  I’ve now tried just about every part of the pig, except that one featured on the Planet Money show about calamari (don’t ask).  As my dad used to say, “I’ve had it twice, my first and last time!”.

Most interesting this week was the search for a foundry that would melt a metal specimen  that TigerSong got from his son’t metallurgy program. Said to be super special, he wanted

furnace

to see if they could forge it into a knife – while we wait I might add.  An old master was found at the second foundry and they fired up a forge and blower, and within minutes the egg-sized cube was welded to a piece of rebar and glowing that iridescent orange.
IMG_6129Assigned to photograph the process I jumped when the glowing cube came quickly out of the blast furnace and dropped onto a steel stump. Bang, bang, bang and it was over.  Stopped.  It wasn’t until 15 minutes later I learn why they had search for a more suitable scrap of metal in the “bone pile” and began forging another knife.  The first premium select pilfered cube had cracked on the IMG_6135second swing of the sledge.  Not good, it wouldn’t flow and therefore was unsuitable for sledging into a blade.  Interesting process, this rural shed-style foundry specializes in making Rubber Tree knives.  Crude knives with a centimeter hooked blade for scarring the tree such that the liquid runs into it’s cup everyday for 30 years.

IMG_6113

As for the other exercises: the Thai tones are near impossible for an aging tone deaf guy, the book on Shame by Brenè Brown outstanding, and I’m now a struggling dyslexic coder.

Plus I have another week till blog-a-sition 101 homework again.

Next Visa…

Posted on by

IMG_5942

Most tourists don’t have to consider visa renewal as a part of their travels. And for foreigners visiting the US they can easily see most of the US in their 90-day visa allowance.  In many countries US citizens are allowed 30 days automatic visa with no prior approval (other than TSA, the airlines and all those other secret agencies).

Thailand is one of those countries that automatically give the US tourist a 30-day visa on entry.  Since we like to be considered a traveller rather than a tourist by lingering longer in a country, we have to consider longer visas or visa renewals. Throughout our sailing adventures we faced this same requirement, so it’s common and easy to deal with in Thailand.  In our case this year we purchased, thru the Thai consulate in the States, two 60-day renewable visas so that we only had to leave the country one time during our 100+ day stay.

IMG_5940

Most of the younger tourists do a “visa run” every 30 days, and almost every city has a travel agent that can book your “visa run” to the nearest border.  A van ride with 13 other “farangs” costs between  $20 and $30 to zip you to the border and back in a long but fast day.  I say “fast” because these vans travel at light-speed, and their license evidently allows them to drive with impunity.

You check out of Thailand, walk across the no-mans-land a hundred yards to Malaysia where you check-in at one window and check-out at the next window (if you don’t want to wander around their boarder kiosks).  Then back the same distance and check-in to Thailand for your automatic 30 days or in our case the second 60-day pre-approved allowance.  (It used to be only 15 days at a border crossing, but in November 2013 they changed it to 30 days, same as arriving by air.)  Stanna wouldn’t have needed the extra 60 days had we known, because she only needed 10 days before her next adventure.

IMG_0501

She also didn’t count on my injuring my right shoulder and squelching her chance for a hair trim.  Our Belgian friend Louisa gladly filled in after doing her husband Rik’s hair.  I’d visited the local Thai barber earlier in the week which is an amazing experience for 70 baht ($2).  No waiting, takes 5 minutes (when you want it all off) and he even shaves you with a straight razor blade. He did miss one thing, because Louisa gave me an eyebrow trim which I’d never had before. Wonder how oftenIMG_0505 I’ll have to add that to my list at home when I run the #1 blade over my head. Something tells me I probably need to choose the #3 instead.

Other than visas and personal grooming, the week has been subdued by shoulder recovery.  The expectation that it would heal in 4 or 5 days has been dashed and searching the Web narrows the prospect down to a tear or contusion in the right

rotator

rotator cuff region.  Thanks to a couple of internet consults with friends in the know, and a visit to a local highly regarded Thai physician, I should avoid the call for surgery and concentrate on stabilization, medication and rest – with a little mild personal PT as pain allows. Photo credit to NYTimes and ADAM, Inc. Every day it’s incrementally better and the sling is still in use.

Buddha

Last on Stanna’s list of Trang highlights, besides one final trip to our favorite Panang Curry restaurant (sparing you the photo), was visiting the Buddha we watched being cast two years ago just adjacent to a Temple addition here in Trang.  One of our past blogs featured that process and the fact that we wrote our names on metal foil that was added to the boiling metal before it was poured into the inverted molds. The temple now gilded
has walls which are in the process of being painted with various Buddhist stories and symbology. Some of the painting is gilded with gold as you can see in the photo above. All IMG_5984the filigreed plaster trim and tiny glass mosaic for the temple is produced on site inside the cavernous temple.  Thailand has over 37,000 temples and most are added on to and finished as contributions allow. Perhaps next year, if we visit Trang, they might have the interior and exterior completed.  I’m including a couple of photos from the casting process we watched in 2012. They melted the bronze, and for the top-knot gold, right on site and then in an elaborate ceremony in the evening, ritually poured the molten metal contributions into heated casts.  The sculpture was cast in three parts plus the top-knot. We learned that in this day-and-age the castings were transported back to Bangkok where they were brazed together and finished, before shipment back to Trang.

IMG_2195IMG_2224