To Chiang Mai

The artisans of Ayutthaya seemlessly blend in electrical

work with the original building

Tuk Tuk' s are different in Ayutthaya, to be honest it is quicker walking

This was my first days’ real ride and effectively the first real day of my ‘journey’ the stay in Ayutthaya was just a quick hop from Bangkok, the plan was to get to Chaing Mai and spend about a week up in the north of Thailand. I measured it at about 600 Km and not being too sure of roads and traffic conditions, coupled with incomprehension of the locals in the fact you would even attempt a journey like that on a motorbike, I thought I’d give myself a couple of days to get there riding at a steady pace. The freeway heading north out of Ayutthaya was wide and free flowing, consisting mainly of lumbering trucks and several hundred step-throughs. I was stopped for a police check when I entered the next province. I am probably preaching to the converted but smiles and co-operation are the by far better way to handle these situations than confrontations. I could have given the officer who checked my documents a lecture on the freedoms of the individuals and the right to free association, but there were a couple of problems with this. Firstly, my command of the language has improved a good deal, but I’m still on ordering soup and getting a hotel room with air-conditioning, I think Existentialism is covered in book three of teach yourself Thai. Second and more importantly, it is their country and they have the guns. As is my want for undertaking these trips like to get a few K’s under my belt in the morning so the afternoon can be left to take things a little more easy and looking for somewhere good to stay for the night. Also the highway was pretty boring the countryside flat a monotonous, it started to rain about an hour in, not your monsoonal rains more of a warm version of welsh rain. As the Ixon jacket is vented and hence not water proof, it was on with the all in one water proofs. I can’t believe that because of space constraints I even considered not bringing my waterproofs.

The roads are generally in good condition although not great there are certainly worse in Europe and Australia and luxurious by Irish standards, and surprisingly light on traffic. It seem that the majority of Thailand’s traffic is located in the constant gridlock which is Bangkok
The traffic did build up at the first major town I came to of Nakhon Sawon. As all I had to do was stick with ‘Highway 1’ which went straight through the middle of town it was very difficult to get lost. I planned the next stop and possibly an overnight stay in the town of Tak, another 250 K’s north. I arrived in Tak about 2:00 PM and decided to grab a feed in a small restaurant something ricey and something chickeny. All the locals seemed very interested in what I was up to and it was good fun attempting to communicate with them in a mixture of Thai and English. What does seem remarkable is the fact the Thai’s seemed to be in total flumuxed by somebody who would ride a bike all the way from Bangkok to Chaing Mai especially on thier own. Considering that I had covered about 2/3rd distance and it was only 2:30 PM Chaing Mai seemed to be in easy reach in one day. I do know the Thais do not travel great deal, my earlier blogs on their navigational skills and their sense of distance may elude to this being either be a cause or effect. One of the locals assured me that Chaing Mai was another 375 Km away, I calculated it about another 250 Km and I was pretty sure I was right. The most surprising aspect is the fact the journey is remarkably easy. The roads are in pretty good condition, very light traffic and I only had to double check the map twice in the whole stretch between Chaing Mai. I wonder what the Thais would make of Melbourne to Nug Nug in a day for instance, or Stuttgart to Bonn, or Leicester to Beckenham, or even worse, getting to Gatwick airport from just about anywhere.
After Tak, an interesting looking town with unbelievable wide through roads for the virtually no existent traffic, the roads really opening up as I headed up into the hills. The road really started opening up as I headed into the hills and started follow the contours of rather than being flat and straight. Passing through the endless paddy fields with people working then using water buffalo as work horses, a scene I have seen a million times in magazines and movies but actually riding through the countryside was a but a bit of a buzz. Of course the paddy field workers were all on their mobile phones a fact that is usually left out of the National Geographic.
A last refuel of the day in Lampang should get me to Chaing Mai as the intensity of the hills and bends increased travelling through some beautiful country side. By this time I was getting a bit tired and the idea of a hotel room and a shower started looking pretty appealing. I should be getting into the city at about 6:30 PM just as its getting dark. Remember we are pretty close to the equator so it gets dark real quick and it is not in my plan to ride at night in the countryside at night. Oddly enough it was the travel doctor who re-iterated this advice, it is sound advice and I he was only doing his job by alerting me to potential dangers but I thought as a travel doctor he was speaking outside of his brief a little.
This was my first visit to Chaing Mai and I have heard many people say good things about it and I must admit my first impressions are pretty good. Roads are busy as you’d expect from a large city but it was moving quite well also this would close to the local ‘rush hour’. A very pretty riverside area and although the evening was quite humid it didn’t have that oppressive energy sapping mixture of heat, humidity and pollution which makes Bangkok’s’ air almost chewable.
After riding round for a about ½ hour I pulled into the Oasis hotel and got a small but comfortable room for 700 Bht a night ( about $22 ), air-con, fridge, TV with BBC world and a pool, suites me fine.
650 Km is a bit of a long haul for one day and I don’t plan to do distances like that on a regular basis. Eddie performed fine, didn’t miss a beat all day, I am so glad I plumped for the Dragstar rather than the Honda Speed for so many different reasons. My back was but stiff but I’m sure I’ll find somewhere that I can get a massage, Chaing Mais’ speciality is something called a ‘soapy massage’, will have to investigate. It seems my daily millage limitations are a combination of daylight hours and my fragile back.
I was planning on going out and taking a few happy snaps of Chaing Mai but it’s lashing down outside (fon gamlang dtot) so to fill time I’m posting blog now, pix to follow.

A few notes of explanation
Thanks for all your comments on my blog I’m happy to say that they all have been positive, I’m sure that will change when I meet you face to face. It is good to get feed-back and glad people take the time to read my disjointed rantings, if you didn’t I would be indulging in the cyber equivalent of standing on street corners and shouting at traffic (oh come on we’ve all done it). Instead of replying individually to queries I thought I’d answer on the blog.
Firstly Eddie Izzard, British TV (transvestite) comedian now turned movie actor. Possibly one of the funniest people in the world although it has to be said that his movie career has not been much to write home about. Although he is staring in the excellent current American TV mini-series ‘The Ritchie’s’. He has also starred as Charlie Chaplin in ‘The cat whiskers’, and has been in the Avengers, amongst other average movies. Why am I telling you this you’ve got Wikipedia.
The Thai massage/ Oil massage thing can be a bit confusing to the uninitiated. The traditional Thai massage does not use oil and you are fully clothed, or probably changed into some variation of loose fitting clothes like pyjama’s given to you by the parlour. The Masseuse then proceeds to press, pull, manipulate your limbs in a quite disturbing manner. It is overall not a pleasant sensation but you come out of it feeling much better and you’ll get a good night sleep. The oil massage is a much more delicate and relaxing affair. Because of the nature of the massage you have to nude up, although the more appropriate way is to have a towel draped over you which the masseuse will discreetly move round as required. It would help if you leave you inhibitions at home, since I’m particularly lacking in any it doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t bother the masseurs its they do all day. The distinction between an oil massage and the ‘other’ type of massage is quite clear and would be quite obvious from the exterior decor of the establishment. If you get a chance have a foot massage, it is very painful whilst it is being done but you will be wearing million dollar socks for about 3 days.
And, no I didn’t pick up on the Aaron Slight ‘111’ registration thing, although as the ‘Eddie’ Izzard reference is throwing a few people an Aaron Slight reference would be even more obscure.

Thought for the day
I must admit I was not greatly impressed by Ayutthaya; you have to be really into old buildings to get any sort of appreciation of the place. It was the first ‘touristy’ thing I’ve done on my trip and I’ve come to the realisation I don’t do the ‘old building’ thing very well. I remember a conversation I had with Sarah Green a few years ago, if you’ve travelled a lot you do tend to get to a point where it all washes over you and one ancient artefact which was important to one ancient culture starts to look a lot like another. I don’t get the ‘spiritual feeling’ thing either the spirits of those that have lived long before, all power to those who get it but sadly doesn’t press any of my buttons. The thing about Ayutthaya is the fact it is not all that old (circ 1450), the fact I lived in Oxford where buildings from the same epoch are still being used today. Oddly enough the most significant thing is the photo I took of the splendid electrical work which is probably the most enlightening issue. I did take it as a ‘look the quaint locals do’ sort of shot but it is interesting the fact that that there are so few old buildings in Thailand considering its very old and varied history. The fact that the local sparky has attached the conduit to the original buildings with coach bolts shows more a difference in current culture than anything else, could you imagine someone doing that to Stonehenge. And you do get the distinct feeling that the only reason the ancient monuments are gaining any attention is that they have realised there is a tourist dollar in it. I am not trying to be cynical just to express the differences in culture, The Thais just don’t seem to buy the heritage thing, or maybe more precise the heritage is maintained in other ways than keeping old buildings. If I do take anything from ancient monuments is a more esoteric and more pinko commie fag view point that all the ancient monuments you visit are a tangible testimony to the power and control. A ruling dynasty in its own aggrandisement with its own believe of divine intention has built these huge edifices with the blood sweat and tears of its common people, the same people that go off and kill and die in the name of their rulers. I am a firm believer in the fact that underneath we are basically the same, we all want and need the same things and I am absolutely certain that the common man (or woman for that matter) would rather stay at home and try to give their kids a better life than they had rather than going off to a foreign country to kill or be killed by people who are essentially the same as they are. It would be very fitting to visit these places and think that’ this is what used to happen in the bad old days when we didn’t know any better’ sadly as if by reminder George W was in town today (Bangkok) just proving we never seem to learn anything. Perhaps I am being over cynical again but it seems an odd time for George W to visit Thailand or could it be the fact that the trial of the former PM of Thailand Taksin Shinawat for corruption is winding to a close. Mr Taksin is an old friend of George W and brought Thailand into “The coalition of the willing”. Now serious questions were asked in Australia about what threat Iraq posed to Australia, not being an international diplomat but I can honestly say the Iraq did not pose any threat to Thailand. Now I would be the last to accuse the leader of the free world in trying to interfere in the machinations of other sovereign powers, but the timing does seem a little odd.