Photos from Northern Thailand

Here is a slideshow of some of the photos we took in Northern Thailand in November 2007:

Caren the Mahout

As promised way back on November 7 (the first day of our Thailand to Laos Bicycling Expedition), we finally got around to editing the video of "Caren the Mahout."

For those of you who don't know what a mahout is, click on this link and read the article: Mahout

It turned out that when we got off the plane in Chiang Rai, then off the bicycles for lunch, then out of the vans in Chiang Saen, then out of the longboats on the Mekong River, we still needed to ride the elephants to arrive at our hotel, the Anantara Golden Triangle.

There weren't enough elephants because one of the herd was still recuperating from giving birth. So, they needed one person in our group to volunteer to ride where the mahout normally rides, on the head of the elephant. Caren leapt at the opportunity.

Here then is an exclusive - the world premiere engagement of the exciting video, "Caren the Mahout."

This is sure to win an Academy Award for Best Travel Documentary.

The Banks of the Chao Praya River

Back to the crowds, traffic, hip culture, and rampant capitalism of Bangkok. We're "slumming it" on the top floor of the Oriental Hotel on the banks of the Chao Praya River - Bangkok's water highway for transportation and commerce. Downstream of us is the Shangri-La Hotel (where we stayed in 2004 and 2005), upstream is the Royal Orchid Sheraton (where we stayed in 1988), and right across the river are the Peninsula Hotel and the Millenium Hilton.

YES, we now have Caren's famous missing luggage in our possession.

This AM in Luang Prabang we visited a small firm that is writing, printing, and distributing children's books to Lao school children. Its name is Big Brother Mouse. What you may think would be easy, is not. The concept of reading for enjoyment is totally absent in modern Laos. No books exist for children to read other than a few textbooks they share in school. Merely translating Western children's books doesn't work because of the cultural differences. Books need to be written and illustrated for the Lao children to relate to. This firm now has about 30 books in print and has been distributing them since last December. It is an incredibly complex task to get books in the hands of children living in villages scattered throughout Laos. This group is trying to change that, but it is fledgling right now.

We also visited a village weaving workshop where they make beautiful scarves, table runners, place mats, shirts, skirts, and other decorative textiles. It takes a woman 2+ weeks to make one long scarf and they sell it for USD$7-$16 depending on the size.

Luang Prabang has a lot of tourists, but it is far from being overrun like many resort areas in Thailand. There are no large hotels here yet - mostly guest houses, hostels, and small boutique hotels. If and when a big hotel chain moves in, this place will dramatically change, probably for the worse.

Tomorrow (Friday) we can chill out in Bangkok and then we fly out to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. More to follow (maybe some pictures?) when we have some downtime or reach Cambodia.

They Found Caren's Luggage!!!!!

It is now midday on the last day of our bicycle trip. We've check out of our hotel in Luang Prabang and are awaiting our flight back to Bangkok for our final dinner with the trip group.

A few minutes ago we got a phone call. Caren's luggage just showed up at the Chiang Mai airport in Thailand. Hooray!!! We have no idea where it has been for the past eight days, but it should be in our hotel room in Bangkok by the time we arrive this evening.

Caren will now have a lot of clean clothes for our four days in Cambodia. Just when she was getting used to living like a Thai in flip flops, T-shirts, Thai fisherman's pants, and sarong skirts.

As we said kiddingly to our guides, they are now going to get a tip. Until now, we told them "no luggage, no tip." Seriously, they were great guides and we will miss seeing them. We definitely want to take another biking trip with them to India next November - a fun-loving 30-something American from Connecticut (Caren's thinks he does a great imitation of Borat) and a 30-something Canadian Jewish woman who lives in Poland and speaks fluent, Thai, Lao, and Japanese (go figure).

On to Bangkok. More shopping and another blog update later.

Bicycles and Buddhas

It's Sunday in Chiang Mai and we had an activity packed day. We began with a 18 mile bicycle ride along the roads south of town.

It was a good opportunity to see what life is like in the suburbs of a big city in Thailand. Guess what? It's a lot like the suburbs outside a big U.S. city, with some definite Asian twists to things. The most unique Thai thing we saw was in front of a Buddhist temple. It looked like Sunday church carnival. People had booths set up outside with displays of their intended offerings for the monks. Paper flowers in a pot with items hanging from them that the monks need for everyday life (toothbrushes, toilet paper, bananas, combs, etc.). With so many people around the temple, it was deemed a good business opportunity for street vendors. So they set up their little carts selling satay skewers, fruit juices, steamed buns, and other Thai snack foods. What a scene!

Our next stop was at a handicrafts village. "Village" may not be the correct word. There was alley after alley of shops selling woodcrafts of all types. We made our first real purchase of the trip - three mango wood decorative bowls. More dustibles for the house.

We ended the ride at the shop/museum of a famous woodcarver. He has kept alive a northern Thailand craft tradition of extremely intricate wood carvings. His property used to be a whore house, but he has nurtured a group of woodcarvers at this workshop to keep alive a precious national craft.

Latest luggage news - still no word on Caren's luggage. Not in Chiang Mai, not in Chiang Rai. We think it is still in Bangkok, but the baggage service for Thai Airways seems to have some bureaucratic hangups. I'm somewhat confident we'll get the back tomorrow, in the nick of time for our flight to Laos.

Tonight, we headed into downtown Chiang Mai for dinner and some shopping time in the tumultuous night market (i.e. street market loaded with stalls selling every counterfeit product you can think of - watches, T-shirts, CDs, DVDs, designer luggage). They also have loads of antiques, decorator items, and clothing. We were surprised how few people were out and about. When we were in Chiang Mai two years ago, the night market was packed with tourists.

One of the most exciting aspects of the evening was our ride in a tuk-tuk. A trip to Thailand wouldn't be complete without risking your life riding in this unique SE Asian motor vehicle. It's basically a three wheeled motorcycle on steroids with a back bench seat that sits atop a kerosene fuel tank. And you negotiate the price BEFORE you get in. In typical Thailand traffic congestion, a tuk-tuk is one of the few ways to get thru traffic jams.

Organic Farming and Mall Shopping in Chiang Mai

Todays' ride was for 21 miles north of Chiang Mai. The weather is perfect for bicycle riding.

We passed some rice fields being harvested and a village where for one day they released water from the dam on the river so everyone was out fishing. A few people in our group gave it a try - no luck.

We also visited an organic farm. This type of farming has really caught on in Thailand because the farmer doesn't have to become indebted to a lender in order to work his farm. No property tax either. One of our guides saw a roadside stall selling sun hats. He bought one for everyone in our group. We looked like a bunch of Hispanic-Thai farm workers.

In the afternoon, we stopped at a textile gallery where we learned how to make tie dyed fabric. Everyone gave it a go with their own piece of cotton fabric. We got some pretty ugly indigo colored tie dyed objects. Afterwards, we went mall shopping for Caren so she could get some clean underwear, sandals, slacks, and tops. Her luggage is still missing and it is causing an international incident. We blew through the Thai equivalent of Macy's and a bunch of small shops before she came out with a couple of new wardrobes.

Calling 1-800-Dentist in Thailand

Our second day in Thailand, we ate lunch at our hotel. I was having Tom Ka Gai (Thai soup made with chicken stock and coconut milk) and suddenly my tooth fell out.

Does anyone know a good dentist in Thailand? I emailed Doc Martin in San Pedro and asked him to make me an appointment for the day we get back. And I locked up my crown in a zip lock bag to store in the room safe.

Meanwhile, Caren's luggage is still MIA, but she is handling the situation incredibly well. She really likes this pair of Thai fisherman's pants she was given. And she has her bicycle clothing (which we wear most of the day anyways).

Off to breakfast soon (it's Saturday morning) and another fun filled day.

An Exciting Day Heading Towards Chiang Mai

It was a very early start today. We awoke to a view of mist over the Mekong River and the mountains of Myanmar and Laos in the distance. At 7:00AM, we left the Golden Triangle area and started heading back towards the big city (one million plus population) - Chiang Mai.

We jumped in the vans and rode for about an hour before, you guessed it, another bicycle ride. We rode through the countryside around Chiang Rai, stopping at an impressive new temple being built by the national artist of Thailand. For once, Jordan didn't relieve himself in the bushes of some country. It was hard to misunderstand the meaning of this sign.

Then we rode to a "smart" village, designated as such by the government because of its sustainable agriculture practices and small businesses. One of our B&R guides, Cindy, became familiar with this village several years ago when she worked with a student exchange program group. The villagers served us a fantastic lunch of local dishes (you'll never see them on the menu of any Thai restaurant) as we sat in a grove of trees alongside the rice fields.

After lunch, we drove for about three hours to Chiang Mai, and our hotel, the Four Seasons Resort. Along the way, we passed Chiang Rai Winery. Wine tasting anyone? Not quite Napa Valley, but not bad for a fledgling Thai industry.

This is not a third world country. Nor is it a second world country. This is a modern and progressive nation. One startling example was road construction. They are widening the highway between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Unlike Kenya, where there was one worker with a spoon working on miles of highway construction, in Thailand there are entire work teams with heavy machinery, trying to meet a deadline of the King's 80th birthday in early December. You get the feeling that everyone in this country is trying to push the country forward to a more prosperous future. We ride around in brand new Toyota vans, our bicycles are brand new Trek 24-speed hybrids, and the bike routes we follow are paved roads in perfect condition. We continually pass road crews working to repair potholes caused by the recently ended monsoon season.

Once we arrived at our hotel, we had a cooking demonstration, followed by a cooking competition among groups of us. Caren, Cindy, and I almost won due to our outstanding Pad Thai Kung, but we were edged out by another group because of their superb Spicy Prawn Soup with Lemongrass.

After the free-for-all cooking contest, we adjourned to a professionally cooked dinner of authentic Northern Thai dishes. If it weren't for the daily bike rides, this could easily be a ten-pound trip (i.e. adding ten pounds to our torso).

Time for some sleep after a long day. Another bike ride scheduled for tomorrow AM.

One not so good note - Caren's luggage is still missing. It seems that the baggage system at the new Bangkok airport has some of the same problems as Denver airport had when it first opened. Bags getting multiple tags or no tags attached by an automated system. We think tomorrow may finally be the day Caren's bag arrives. If not, we're heading to the shopping mall with credit cards on hand.

More Singha Beer, please...

It is HOT. And it is HUMID. I had almost forgotten how the weather can be in SE Asia.

Today's ride was about 24 miles for Caren. Jordan added another 6 mile option for a total of 30 miles. We pedaled all over the area, seeing rice fields, villages, Buddhist temples, and lots of beautiful scenery.

Thank goodness for Singha beer, the colder the better.

We are staying at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort. I think we could stay here for a month, getting a Thai massage every day. But tomorrow we head to Chiang Mai.

We had a couples massage this afternoon. It's amazing how these small Thai women have such strong hands to inflict so much pain in a massage.

This afternoon, we went across the highway and went through the Hall of Opium. No, there were no free samples. It is an amazing museum built by the mother of the King of Thailand about 10 years ago. It is the equivalent of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.. It details the history of opium, the origin of the opium trade in East Asia (caused by the British in the 1800s), and communicates a very strong message about the problems with drug abuse. This area used to be one of the largest producers of opium poppies in the world, but today it has been all but eliminated as a result of government programs.

Update on Caren's luggage - it's still MIA. She picked up a few clothing items today. Our balcony looks like a NYC tenement with Caren's laundry drying.

Day 1 - Every possible mode of transportation

Earlier today, we left Bangkok before the sun rose and flew to Chiang Rai in the far north of Thailand. From there, we bicycled about 25 miles before lunch. Great bikes - brand new 24-speed Treks.

After lunch, we hopped into our minivans and drove to Chiang Saen, along the Mekong River where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet.

Then we got into the famous Thai longboats (powered by an old Chevy engine on the end of a pole) and headed up the Mekong River. Our driver stopped for gas on the river bank in Laos because fuel is cheaper there than in Thailand (although it may be watered down by the Lao). Our boat ride then went further upriver into Myanmar and back to the river bank of the Thai border. Three countries on one boat ride.

The last transport mode was an elephant ride to our hotel. The group of elephants was down one due to illness so one person in our group had to volunteer to ride on the elephant's neck and steer. Guess who? Caren! She did great. When I have a few more moments, I'll put the video of her elephant driving onto YouTube and put a link to it on our blog.

The only transport missing was a tuk-tuk, but I'm sure we'll encounter then later on in the trip. For those of you unfamiliar with a tuk-tuk, look it up on Wikipedia. It's probably found under the heading "southeast Asian death trap."

Oh, one more thing - Caren's luggage failed to show up at Chiang Rai airport. One of our B&R tour guides is also missing her luggage. Caren is learning to adapt very well. We may have to go back to Bangkok airport and sift thru lost bags to locate Caren's.

One of the Longest Commercial Airline Flights on Earth

Now I know what the astronauts feel like when they spend days in the Space Shuttle. We just landed after one of the longest commercial airplane flights on earth. Thai Airways Flight 795 from LAX to Bangkok NONSTOP. It was a leisurely 17 hours and 30 minutes, covering about 8,400 nautical miles.

This flight was SOoooo long that we were served three meals, and had the choice of dozens of movies, TV shows, and music channels. We both slept for 5-6 hours as well and felt pretty good after arriving here at our hotel near Bangkok's new airport.

This airport is amazing! It's what LAX needs to be. Compared to Bangkok's airport, LAX looks like the airport of a poor third world nation. All steel and glass, easy to get around, signs that are easy to understand, passenger facilities galore, a huge immigration and customs area, baggage claim that is fast and efficient, and soon, the Skytrain from central Bangkok will go directly into the airport.

We're into Using Google Maps Instead of AAA or
Rand-McNally

Here is a Google Map that lays out our trip route. Click on the link and it should open a new broswer window.

You may need to move around the map a bit (just click and drag your mouse) and zoom a bit. Or click on any of the cities listed in the left column of the map page. Click on any placemark to see when/where we will be. Play around with the map. We'll embellish it with photos, etc. as we travel:

Bicycling Expedition Trip

Here is the current weather in Bangkok (our arrival city):

Heading off on another bicycling adventure

Sunday night, we're departing for Southeast Asia and another (hopefully) exciting bicycling expedition. This time we'll be bicycling in Northern Thailand and Laos. After the bicycle trip, we plan on hopping over to Cambodia for four more days to see the sights and visit with our Cambodian friends.

The flight from LAX to Bangkok's new international airport is going to be a long one. It's nonstop on Thai Airways. Scheduled flight time in 17 hours and 30 minutes. That's a lot of Sudoku puzzles, iPod music, reading, inflight movies, airplane meals, and maybe some sleep.

Google Map for Flight

There are supposed to be eleven travelers on this trip. We meet them in Bangkok.

The rainy season is just ending over there so we expect hot and humid weather. At least we know to pack light clothing. Hopefully, this won't be another three shower a day trip like we experienced in Vietnam last year.

I'm Learning How to Post Photos

These are a few pictures from recent trips.

The view from Black Dragon Pool Park in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China.
A closer view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain outside of Lijiang.
Closeup of a chedi from the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.
Driving an ox cart to the "five-day" market outside Indein near Inle Lake in Shan Province, Myanmar







And here is a brief slideshow of photos from recent trips to Myanmar, Thailand, China, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and now Vietnam and Cambodia.