Practical advice for that may follow

Practical advice for those who may follow ( A.S.)
Most of us have done a bit or bike touring in the past so I don’t want to sound like I’m teaching you to suck eggs but I’d say my trip is a little bit more ‘out there’ than most so I thought I’d make some observations on the stuff I carry with me and some of the mistakes I have made and some of the things I have got right.
To start off riding gear, I purchased an Ixon vented jacket which has been a real bonus. It was a three layered affair consisting of a thermal layer and a water proof layer. The additional two layers stayed at home, you are never going to get cold in Thailand. It also has protective padding on the back, shoulders and arms. I really wish I bought matching pants because it is absolutely ideal. I tend to wear a decent pair of tracky dax which is not ideal but jeans in traffic are just too sweaty. For water proofing I have my trusty all-in-one which I have bungee strapped (hockey strapped) to the top box for easy access.
I also bought a pair of Axo boots which were the lightest I could find. They are great and give good protection but be prepared for your feet to smell when you take them off.
I brought two helmets with me my Shoei open face and a skate board helmet, the idea was to have a cooler helmet for Bangkok traffic and a skate board helmet seemed a good compromise. Wearing helmets on a motorbike is compulsory in Thailand although it is a law which is not rigidly enforced. If you are a furongse you can be expected to be stopped and pay a 300 BHT on the spot ‘fine’. I have found the Shoei to be more than adequate and the skateboard helmet is surplus, therefore left in Bangkok. If you are in the city on real hot days, I take the helmet off as the heat started becoming uncomfortable and put on a bandana for protection from the sun and accept the 300 BHT fine if it occurs. Yes I can be criticised for this but if you are sitting in stationary traffic in Bangkok and it is around 36 degrees and in the 90% humidity, your head just starts to fry.
For gloves I wear fingerless which only offer a minimum of protection and a well vented armoured pair would have been better. Leave the leather gauntlets at home.
I have not organised a secure ‘compartment’ to access useful and important stuff on the road so I pack the top box with these items at the top. It is a bit of hassle but it is the best system I have.
The items I pack to get easy access to are:
a. Plastic wallet with the copies of your important documents, your map (add compass to than)
b. Telephones ( put the Tourist police number on short dial)
c. Sun cream.
d. Map
e. Camera
I couple of years ago I stopped wearing a watch, it was Jo who put me onto this, in today’s modern world clocks are absolutely everywhere as just about everyone has a mobile phone there seems to be very little need for a watch. Unfortunately with my packing arrangement I have to open my top box to get the time.
Travelling alone I have found the laptop to be indispensable, it is not just the office where I can put together the rantings together but also a music centre and I can watch movies. And of course there is a small DVD wallet with movies & TV shows in. I brought with me a couple of small Logitech speakers. It is a big over head in terms of space but I would not be without it.
My only real luxury is my travel kettle and a couple of travel mugs, if I needed to make more space it would be the first to go. None of the hotels I have stayed in have tea and coffee in the room, it’s not a Thai thing to do. I purchase ‘Birdy 3 in1’ which is a local coffee which is in sachets which have the coffee, creamer and sugar all in one. I also have peppermint tea and sachets of sugar, the whole milk thing is a headache and tropical countries are not big on dairy products for obvious reasons, so a beverage you like that doesn’t require milk is the way to go. What I did not bring with me and purchased in Bangkok is a plastic place and a knife and fork, the local fruits are excellent and well worth trying. Your room will have no means to cut prepare and serve these so these items are essential.
The only other item which could be considered a luxury is my swimming goggles, however if space was an issue I would throw out an item of clothing first. The Bathers can double as under dax with the standard 4 day rotation.
My travelling book is Common Wealth by Jeffrey Sachs, I know a bit heavy weight and not your normal holiday book but that’s my choice, I wish I’d picked a smaller book; it takes up too much space.
As many of you may know I suffer from a condition called Sleep Apnoea which means I have to sleep with a device called CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) which is a mask which pumps air into my nasal cavity so consists of a small air pump and a mask and piping. Before I started my trip I purchased the smallest unit available and it is a huge overhead in space terms but is essential for a good night’s sleep, it is another reason why the camping thing is a real pain because I would not be able to use it.
I have two mobile phones, one that has my Australia SIMcard with global roaming and an old Nokia which has a local ‘pay as you go card’, and of course both phones have chargers, also there is a battery charger for the camera batteries.
Of course with all these items needing power, I purchased a multi board in Bangkok, I have noticed that hotels rooms are really stingy in power outlets, your TV will have one so there will always be at least 1, but you can’t run phone chargers and computer and battery chargers, kettles at the same time.
I have a sizeable travel medical kit which I purchased form a travel doctor which contains some prescription drugs and a certificate stating I can carry these for personal use. I have had no course at present to use anything apart from tiger balm from the kit, but leave a medical kit behind at your peril.
I brought my head shaver which I’ve had a couple of years, it’s a good one but the purchase of smaller unit would have been wise.
Very important is a folder with all your documents in which I place in the bottom of the top box, The original documents for your passport, International drivers licence, Green book and insurance. Addresses and telephone numbers of the Australian consulates in all the countries, insurance certificates, emergency contact details in both Thai and English, telephone numbers of credit card companies etc etc. there are two copies of this folder, one is with Ad in Bangkok and one is with Handle in Melbourne. On top of this I have a number of books on the Thai language including a Thai/ English dictionary which seems to take up an inordinate amount of room, but I would feel lost without it.
I have a rudimentary tool kit, it is impossible to take all the tools you need for any eventuality, sound advice from Jazz is you should have the tools for removing both the wheels. I good Swiss army knife is a practical thing to take anywhere. I pack this at the top of the left hand pannier for easy access.
The only thing left is my toilet bag with soap, toothbrush razor etc. and clothes. Because of the extremely hot and humid weather every time you leave your room you are ready for a new t shirt within 5 minutes, it is a compromise of space against comfort how many t shirts you pack, I have 5. A couple of pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of quality tracky dax, and a pair of jeans, a pair of trainers and a pair of sandals brings me up to the full compliment.
My biggest mistake has been keeping the stylish but now infuriatingly impractical panniers that came with the bike. I ditched the good quality gear sack pair I borrowed from Handle in Bangkok, in favour of the permanently attached slightly larger bike panniers. It means that every stop and every departure is a drama of moving my gear down to the bike by means of 2 waterproof bags and loading all my stuff in one item at a time. The shape of the panniers make it difficult to put the waterproof bags in first and then fill, so a lot of the stuff is going to get wet when it rains heavy. There are usually spectators, there are always several spare security guards and although they really only want to help sometimes create more problems than they solve. The straps do not adjust so when you over load the pannier you can’t close it, so it’s taking all the stuff out and starting again. The gear sack panniers would have meant that I could pack everything in my room prior to check out and loading, all in water tight bags. Bad decision but, hey has to live with it.

Keep upright

Guz