Week 1 back in Thailand - updated 29/5/11

Ta Phra Ya - Arrived 23/5/2011

So today I experienced the joys of riding without the front panniers and unnecessary extras.  It was funny to ride and look down at my bike and just see bike – no gear.  It’s not until you look behind that you see what you are carrying.

Haven’t quite mastered the kick stand on the bike yet with all the weight at the back it’s really unbalanced standing still.  Not much of concer though as the payoff was loosing 5½ kg and a whole lot of bulky wind catchers!

Here’s a story for you… wandering through the market at Ta Phra Ya getting some food supplies (too much again – the eyes bigger than the belly as usual) and I spot a banana pancake man.  I have to get one of these they are fatty deliciousness.  A bunch of guys were standing around the cart so I just stood alongside and waited.  Then the pancake maker started packing up. What?! Why? I want one.  One of the guys standing around the cart gives me a discrete wave on.  I’m a bit confused so just stand there.  Then they start to escort pancake maker away.  Oh. Somethings going down – well actually already gone down. He was getting arrested.  Illegal banana pancake making…. I’ll never know.  No banana pancake for me, stink!

I witnessed a Cock fight where I was staying.  Man they really go for each other and quite addictive to watch!

Lahan Sai – Arrived 24/5/2011

Thai work force clearing the shoulders. All manual labour no tractor

The rain clouds chasing me

Mini playground

Stayed in a mosquito ridden room that night.

Surin – Arrived 25/5/2011

One of the bigger days so far and I actually felt good for the most of it.  The bike blazed along the roads – the benefits of downsizing!  On my way over I thought I’d pass by Phanom Rung Historical Park and check out the couple of temples there.  Well this involved climbing a small hill (maybe 200m) but literally it was straight UP no sidling, it was fricken steep!  I reckon parts of the road got to 20% it was mental.  I was down into granny gear and actually sweating out of the palms of my hands it was intense.  The descent was cool – a little bit out of control at the run out!  Oh and the temple (Phanom Rung) was at the top, I stopped and checked it out for a while.

Phanom Rung

Muang Tam

In Cambodia they just called it a Bamboo Stick a-rei.
It's just a simple treat no need for a full blown research centre 

You would think this is a motocycle convention
but it's just parking for the market.
 Both sides of the road and for about 100m.

Suwannaphum – Arrived 27/5/11

The unbeatable shooting range

Well I thought this was just going to be another stopover town but I was wrong.  I got some directions then ended up being led to some accommodation by a nice young lady and was invited to come back to their restaurant and look at some maps of Thailand with them.  Sure why not. Talked maps for a while, then got shown around the market, got some food, checked out the local festival and got ripped off trying to shoot cans and toys off a shelf that I’m pretty sure they were glued to because I hit one can square on and the bullet bounced back at me! 

So that was the start of the night.  Met a bunch of her friends, drunk a lot of Leo (Thai beer) with them and had many disjointed conversations.  Had a very funny comment made about me:

“You have a big nose and a small mouth.  You look like an alien.”  Classic! I just laughed it was funny to know what people/cultures think of one another!  Marcus you would really stick out over here.

After feeling pretty tipsy we went next door where her family was having dinner so I met all of them and was made to make a fool of myself on stage.

I have no idea what I'm doing

Rocking it out with Yan (the Father)

More Leo.

Thinking that would be the end of the night as everyone was leaving but no, it was to a random place about 10km out of town to a karaoke restaurant.  Also made a fool of myself here as I had to go on stage and stand next to Yan (father) while he sang in Thai.  Hilarious night and made for a slight hangover and late start the next day.

Me and the family

I also found out what Tesco Lotus is – a supermarket!!!  It felt like home wandering around it, I wanted to buy so much food!  All the times I had passed Tesco Lotus and not realised what it was, I could have stuffed my face and got all the luxuries I wanted…but that wouldn’t be getting amongst the culture.

Phon Thong – Arrived 28/5/2011

So I was struggling to find some to stay here.  There was a hotel a few k’s out of town but didn’t really want to be so far from town.  I pulled into a beautiful tree covered place that I was sure was a guesthouse or something.  Wandered around and found the owner.

“Hello.”

“Bungalow?” Pointing at the place.

He looked at me and said laughing

“No, this is a school. Kindergarten.”

“Oh, do you know where a bungalow is?”

“Sit down and rest first, have some water and we’ll talk.”

Many discussions later (he spoke good English which was fantastic) and he decided I should stay in one of the classrooms for the night if I wanted.  Free so the decision was made, I slept at the kindergarten.

My classroom.  I learnt to count, and the alphabet
but it finished at X for some reason

Boonruam (owner of the private kindergarten) took me to the market and introduced me to a whole range of new fruits – there are just so many tropical fruits around here but it is hard to know if you are looking at fruit sometimes and especially what’s going to be good.  We had a feast for dinner and way to much fruit for dessert, breakfast was much the same literally – rice, meat and fruit with the addition of an omelette.  Can be hard to stomach some of that stuff in morning.

Very tasty. The wee fella looks like a baby potato with it's skin on

Our dinner table and Surit's bedroom

Me and the school drivers. Surit (I think that's how you spell it)
on the right. Didn't really meet the other two.

Me and Boonruam.  He's a character!  So happy and positive and eager for conversations and he loves planting trees.  His Kindergarten is like an adventure jungle for the kids!

I now have directions to see one of Boonruam’s friends who is more or less on my so will hopefully be able to find his place and stay with him too.

Phone number, good.  I'll probably use that when I'm lost.

I'm happy he drew me a map because I'm not sure
 where I would have ended up if I followed the description.