27.02.07
Posted in
Cycling, Thailand, Travel
at
2:13 pm
by
Andy
It’s a reasonably steep dirt track. My confidence is up after 25 minutes or so on some rough downhill terrain. My weight is shifted over the rear wheel, as the instructor told me. My pedals are level, as the instructor told me. I’ve managed to limit my speed by starting slowly and using primarily the rear brake, as the instructor told me. There is a deep patch of sand like dusty mud approaching really rather quickly. I seem to remember the instructor saying something about this.
Bugger. I’m going too fast. No problem, keep off the front brake and keep the front wheel straight… or perhaps not. The front wheel digs into the sand, turns in the direction it wants to go. The bike goes down to the left, I go to the right in what turns out to be a spectacular stunt type roll along through the dust, over the embankment and down through the overgrowth, with huge dust cloud for added effect.
Everything feels ok, although I am upside down. My main worries lie with my camera in my rucksack and as to how badly smashed it must be.
The Danish chap behind me, as I found out afterwards, got really worried. He saw me go down. He saw the dust cloud, and his worst fear was realised (once the dust had settled), that I’d gone careering over the side of the mountain.
As it happens I was lucky. The overgrowth was so thick it stopped me within a couple of metres down the mountain. Furthermore, I had not a scratch on me, thanks in no small part to the knee & shin pads, elbow pads, shoulder & back protection, gloves and crash helmet. The only problem was disentangling myself from the thorns and bushes and scrambling back up to the track (covered in dust and fauna). I’d never imagined that falling off a mountain bike would be so much fun…
When I signed up for the trip I was concerned about it being a bit tame. I imagined a slow ride through the forest, following ten other bikers going at the pace of the slowest. As it happens, it was one of the best organised packages I’ve been on. The bikes were very good and well maintained. The staff were extremely skilled, not only at riding, but by judging peoples abilities and separating them into smaller groups accordingly. It was a tough day. Both physically and technically. In fact, some of my favorite parts were the slow single track sections that zig zaged down steep slopes with drops of a foot or so over roots and boulders.
In short, I can’t recommend Chiang Mai Mountain Biking enough.
26.02.07
Posted in
Food, Thailand, Travel
at
1:21 pm
by
Andy
I mentioned that I loved the food in India. All the cheap curries, tasty samosas and wonderful breakfasts. Well, now in Thailand I’m in Heaven. Thai food, along side Italian, is my favorite. Pad Thai, Green Curries, Spring Rolls, Tom Yam soup… It’s all good.
Finally, three days before leaving Thailand I got round to doing a Thai cookery course. There are hundreds to choose from in Chang Mai, but I was so impressed by the professionalism of the Eagle Guesthouse that I signed up for their Chili Club course with little further thought. I was not disappointed.
After selecting the 5 dishes each from the excellent cook book that comes with the course, we set off with our somewhat eccentric but wonderful tutor to the local market where we bought our ingredients. Each different herb and vegetable was explained to us along with some of the weird and wonderful fruits found here.
The rest of the day was spent creating wonderful dishes and eating them. We even did a bit of plate decoration creating a rose out of a tomato! Now I’ve dabbled a fair bit with Thai cooking before, but I could not believe how good my tom yam gam soup and green curry tasted. The correct fresh ingredients and the expert instruction were what made them so good. Who knows, some day maybe you’ll sample the goodness when I cook for you… Mr Fish, I believe you will have the pleasure first.
That night we wandered off to the weekend market. A huge expanse of street stalls stretching off in most directions within the old town. The usual tourist tat, along with some wonderfully creative items for sale. Unfortunately I was unable to buy the things I wanted for my home, firstly due to space and weight constraints, secondly because I don’t have a home.
The best find for me though, was a small photo exhibition / sale. A local university astronomy teacher, Mr Aniwat Sooksawat, set up the stall with his wife a year or so ago, and along with selling countless print and postcards, they were invited to set up a large gallery of his work in one of the local shopping malls. I mention this as I was so impressed by his work. Using only a semi pro compact camera this couple are able to capture the most stunning pictures, proving once again (and rather depressingly) that it is not about expensive equipment, but about composition, lighting, creativity, patience and being in the right place at the right time.
After speaking with the couple yesterday and asking many a question about individual shots, Espe and I went along to the shopping mall gallery today and I was once again blown away by the creativity and beauty of his shots. The collection has served as inspiration and motivation for me… In fact, to make me feel better about my own pictures, I bought a new lens today.
Check out his website, www.aniwat.com. Currently under development, it should be up and running within a few months.
As for Chang Mai, last time in Thailand I was gutted I didn’t make it up here. This time I’m gutted I’ve not got more time here. A four day trek at organised by the Eagle Guesthouse would be awesome (high five Jon), as would a day trip up the Doi Suthep mountain. Riding in the Mae Son Loop, a six day trip on motorbike, would be another unforgettable experience. All will have to be saved for another trip. It’s not all bad though. If all goes well, tomorrow I’ll spend the day mountain biking down the afore mention mountain.
24.02.07
Posted in
Thailand, Travel
at
12:09 pm
by
Andy
The return journey from Umphang wasn’t so great. The 1219 curves on highway 1090 just lead to travel sickness, but more due to the terrible driver than the curviness of the road. Excluding everybody in India, he was the worst driver I’ve encountered on the trip so far. It wasn’t that he was driving dangerously, just stabbing the brake and releasing it repeatedly instead of doing a single smooth movement. This happened on curves and even in dead straight lines when there was nothing in front. His technique on the throttle was the same. Sitting sideways to the road on the bench in the back of the pickup this left us rocking violently sideways every time the guy touch a pedal (which was considerably more than 1219 times).
Rant over, our three day trek in the Umphang region was amazing. The trip was put on by the rather Umphang Hill Riverside Resort. The first day started in a very relaxed manor. Six hours on a raft floating down stream, stopping only for bathing in hot springs and lunch.
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In afternoon heat we were presented with a real challenge. A four our trek to our overnight riverside camp through the jungle and over a mountain, with the odd forest fire thrown in for good measure. After all the exertion we tucked into fried vegetables, noodle & pork soup and Spanish Omelet - wok style. The later courtesy of Esperanza.
The following morning we went to see the spectacular waterfalls just up from our tent. The name escapes me, but they were high and wide. 200 by 300 meters, which must be immensely impressive during the monsoon season. Apart from being rather stunning, the water was very cold. A nice way to wake up in the morning though.
Once again, we set off trekking through the jungle in the afternoon heat, seeing numerous birds and a snake real close up in a tree. The destination this time was one of the Karen hill tribe villages. Much like my time in the hills near Darjeeling I was most impressed by the life style and self sufficiency of the village. Furthermore I was pleasantly surprised by how we were welcomed into peoples homes… to drink whisky.
So that was how we spent the second night. Getting drunk with the locals on home brewed whisky, joined by John and David. American and Spanish respectively, who had done the trek on their own without any guides.
The final day of our trek saw us riding and elephant through the jungle. Much less strenuous than trekking, but quite uncomfortable.
Once again I’ve done a very poor job of explaining the trip and my experiences, but I will say being out in the jungle for so long, hearing all the wildlife and seeing so few people really was magical.
My only complaint was the cost. This trip was way above our daily budget so we will have to make some sacrifices else where. Other wise the trip was well run, our guide was really friendly and informative and his assistant was so skilled in the jungle, making almost anything out of bamboo and cooking us some wonderful food.
We’re now in Chang Mai, and having arrived I’ve realised our time and money would have been better spent here. That said, Umphang is such a remote corner and the trip was great so can’t detract from it.
Visa expires in four days, so lets see how much I can cram in in Chang Mai.
19.02.07
Posted in
Thailand, Travel
at
11:20 am
by
Andy
The following are the top five cars I’d select for driving Highway 1090 between Mae Sot and Umphang:
- Twin bike engined Mini
- Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II
- Ford GT
- Porsche 911 (996 turbo)
- TVR Tuscan R
Let me explain. I’ve arrived in Umpang after four hours in a Songtheaw (Pickup truck converted into a taxi with two bench seats in the back - see pic below) on the ultra smooth twisty mountain road from Mae Sot. Talking was out due to the wind noise, reading was out due to being thrown around, so there is not much else to do other than watch the stunning scenery and let the mind wander. Of course, mine wandered off to the fantasy land of driving beastly cars along that very road. Hence the above list. Four hours is a long time, trust me.
Anyway, back on track, we left Bangkok after a rather heavy, but excellent celebration of Claire’s birthday. I’m really glad we were able to meet up with Claire and Mat, and it was even better being able to celebrate with them. Good company, good food, good music and good drinks. It, as you can see from the last sentence, was all good.
After Bangkok we spent a day and a bit in Ayutthaya, Thailand’s old Capital. There is not a great deal to do there apart from take in the many impressive temples and ruins. Given how spread out they were we spent a day on bicycles cycling between them in the intense heat. Sweaty, but well worth it.
The last day and a half has been spent on the long journey from Ayutthaya to Umphang. 8 hours in a bus, 2 hours in a minibus and the afore mentioned 4 hour Songtheaw ride. So much time on public transport enabled me to finish “Kane and Able”. A very well told story, and one I’d recommend, especially to my Polish friends.
The next three days will see us venture into the jungle. Rafting, trekking, waterfalls, village tribes and elephants await…
15.02.07
Posted in
India, Travel
at
7:56 am
by
Andy
Finally… Here are a selection of pics from my last two weeks in India. More to follow. Don’t know when though.
Darjeeling and Sikkim
Varanasi
Enjoy.
Posted in
Thailand, Travel
at
6:30 am
by
Andy
We’re now back in Bangkok and have met up with Claire and Mat from team Shanti Shanti on the Rickshaw Run. Today we celebrate Claire’s birthday. Yesterday we celebratedValentines day by going ten pin bowling while drinking six litres of Singha followed by a visit to an Irish pub for Toad in the Hole, Bangers and Mash, Stuffed Yorkshire Puddings and Steak Pie.
Who said romance is dead?
14.02.07
Posted in
Thailand, Travel
at
3:12 am
by
Andy
One of the things I love about travelling is the amount of like minded people you meet. Striking up a conversation with a complete stranger is never a problem.
We met a German couple, Dirk and Sabrina on the bus up here and then spent a pleasant evening with them at the night market. A couple of days later we met and English couple at one of the temples. On top of that we’ve met so many friendly people from all over in the guesthouse while eating, drinking and playing pool. In fact I had loads of practice playing a Slovak chap (Klement, you left a piece of paper by the computer with some notes on your last day. Leave me a comment below to get in touch).
Meeting such varied people is also great for killing misconceptions and stereotypes. Spaniards generally do not travel. They take their two to three week holiday in July or August and very few go outside of Europe. Then you go and meet someone like Jose, an amazing Madrileño who has travelled loads and has this amazing capacity to teach himself absolutely anything.
First off it was great that Espe could finally speak in her native language (something she appears to be forgetting, given the amount of Spanish words she keeps asking me.. “how do you say x in spanish?”) but even better that they share many interests.
The guy taught himself origami in free time at work, he plays the banjo, he learnt how to speak Indonesian from a book in 2 months, he is learning how to do Mongolian throat singing (a real head turner), he’s learning how to juggle and has spent a great deal of time studying Buddhism and learning about meditation.
An inspiring person to be around.
13.02.07
Posted in
General
at
5:43 am
by
Andy
To all Wordpress users, I cannot recommend the following comment spam filter enough. Since I’ve been on this trip every time I log into either of my blogs I have had to spend ages sorting through hundreds of spam messages in case there are some genuine entries.
Nio’s Anti Spam Image Plugin works by using an image to verify the comment and so far has proved very efficient in stopping spam.
Spam, its wonderful spam!
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