Swamp Thing

Sa Nam Mangkan Pong, Bang Lamung District, Chon Buri.

Birds on Lake Map Phrachan.

(Does anybody know which birds they are?)

Lake Map Phrachan, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi.

More.

And more.

Bang Phra Reservoir, Si Racha District, Chonburi.

I've always found life interesting.

I found it interesting when I was young.

I found it interesting when I was not so young.

I find it interesting now.

I'm glad I was born.

Also Lawa Cave.

I've just found this section and thought i would add a pic.

Lawa Cave, Kanchanaburi.

Asked my wife, who's just started growing a dozen or so limes ('lemons') by this method, why the bases? She said to contain the roots and also have chemical (?) to control growth so they fruit out of season. She said 'lemons' sell for 1 baht in season and expensive 4 to 5 baht out of the normal season.

Both wifey and I now use the word manau, to avoid confusion.

As the old song goes;

'You say lemon, I say lime.

Let's call the whole thing off...'

(Or something like that).

The presence of a friend enhances all beauty and exalts every goodness.

Can't beat a bit of surrealism in a thread.

If you can isolate the birds that sound like The Rolling Stones, please send them to a tree near us.

Can they do requests?

'Pleased to meet choo, hope you guess my name.

Tweet, tweeet, tweet, tweeet'.

I've been hot, and I've been cold.

Hot is better.

Is that the Manu Cornuto hand signal he is giving?

Or the ILY sign?

I am definitely thinking too much.

Keep your eye out for these chaps.

1 year, 2 years, what's the hurry? Everybody wants to do things in a rush, racing to an early grave.

By the way, J-J, concerning the mail containing the piece of software you sent me, I only read it a few days ago, as I decided to cut off my nose to spite my face and not read it when sent, when you were rude in your replies. Thank you for the software, I'm sure you were being kind.

Thanks for the Linux suggestion, SL, it looks interesting.

I will get a new operating system. Eventually.

Hello and thanks for the replies.

Jiu-Jitsu, from what I can remember, I didn't waste your time. I told you to stick your pm because you accused me of being slow to take advice. What's a year between friends?

NeverSure, I like this idea, now I've just got to build up the confidence to do it. I'm fine on the basic functions of a computer, copy/paste, Powerpoint etc, but when it comes to shifting my hdd, I'm wary. If at any point it doesn't work, I'll be at a loss. Thanks for the tip.

I've been given a boxed cd which says it is Windows 7 Service Pack 1 PS 654. It seems to me that it may just be the service pack without the operating system. Does anybody agree?

Jetset, I'll check out your suggestion.

I'm getting 'round to it. Slowly, cautiously.

By the way, in post 14 i said that the visa was stapled in, not glued. I've just noticed it is attached with several staples and glued.

Just to be on the safe side, I guess.

Are you telling me kaftans are no longer considered cool?

"bump"

The upgrade is happening.

I'm going to leave the memory in the computer as it is. I've backed up all my files and folders onto two separate external hard drives.

I'm going from xp to Windows 7.

Apparently, the free offer of Windows 7 from HP has expired, so I will have to buy a disc.

Before I do this, can anybody see any potential problems? (I have read through the previous replies to this thread and they seem to say it is ok).

I hope BilBilous doesn't mind the fact that I'm joining his thread, but as my question is related and probably quickly answered, I can't see the point of starting a new thread.

I am planning my next trip, which will be to Hua Hin. I've got this route from Google maps;

https://www.google.co.th/maps/dir/Pattaya+Chon+Buri/Hua+Hin+Prachuap+Khiri+Khan/@13.1435187,99.8291022,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m16!4m15!1m5!1m1!1s0x310295924d31d7e3:0xa97ff301a9bd10ff!2m2!1d100.8770813!2d12.9276082!1m5!1m1!1s0x30fdaaf400997211:0x40223bc2c381260!2m2!1d99.9576888!2d12.5683747!2m1!2b1!3e0

It seems like I've got to drive through the centre of Bangkok. Is this so? If so, it's doable and I will do, but I'm wondering if there is another route. Also, I'm thinking that taking Road 3 into Bangkok may be more interesting than the Frontage Road route suggested. Is Road 3 a good idea?

Nice report Swamp Thing

Can I ask one thing, how long can you drive in one stretch on the PCX before getting a sore ass? I guess its quite individual and depends on your height and weight? Or what about neck and shoulders, get tired there?

Hi Namplik. I don't get sore ass problems on my PCX. (Or anywhere else, I'm happy to say ). I regularly go for 100-200+ km rides. The rides are a hobby of mine. I don't get a sore ass when riding, probably due to this familiarity with the seat.

When on this ride, I was taking breaks every hour or so, for 5-10 minutes, sometimes more. When I arrived at Nakhon Sawan, I had a bit of stiffness in my thighs, so from that point on, I made sure I had a walk around as part of my breaks. This solved the stiffness problem. I had no problems with neck and shoulder stiffness. I am tallish and not fat.

I had most of my breaks in these yellow-roofed bus shelters to be found at the side of most roads.

I found an unexpected bonus of having my bag strapped to the seat in this manner was that it provided lumbar support for my back. As it was strapped on with bungee cords, it was adjustable to an extent, and when seated, I could push back into it to support my lumbar region. This made the ride much more comfortable.

This was a nice place to have a break, and a coffee to keep up the concentration levels. I also had a stroll around their garden area to stretch my legs. All good.

Some of the rice fields at this point in the journey were looking healthy.

These rocky hills provided a nice backdrop for a break on the journey back. (Somewhere around Lopburi, I think, maybe somebody will know. I was going to make a note of it, but I thought I would be able to remember. Hah!).

439 kms from NS to home, so 1,808 kms travelled. Enjoyed it.

As I said previously, this trip has been one of the best i have been on, with or without the PCX. I'm extremely glad I did it. Thanks to all who gave encouragement and thanks to dave_boo and technologybytes for the route suggestion.

This trip will lead to others, it was a great way to travel through Thailand. It was an experience I will never forget, which, for me, is an important element in life.

A final pic of the road coming down from the hills in Chiang Mai.

The advantage with travelling early on Sunday morning was that I often had the road to myself. Fresh air, scenery and an open road. Could it be better?

As I came down out of the hills, farms started to appear again.

So far I had been lucky with the weather. I had rode through a few light showers, which were refreshing more than anything else, and I soon wind-dried when I had rode out of them. But, just after Phitsanulok, just when I was thinking I might have two dinners when I arrive at Nakhon Sawan, I saw ominously dark clouds ahead. large spots of rain started to hit me, which I know from experience can mean a soaking is on it's way.

I pulled up and wrapped my bag in my hi-tech all-weather luggage protector. (A bin liner). I put on the plastic cape I had been given before leaving for the trip, which looked like it had potential, but was untested. I could see a deluge occurring a few hundred metres further along the road. I thought, should I shelter and wait. But from the look of the dark clouds, it didn't look like something that was going to blow over soon, so i decided to go for it.

The cape kept blowing up like Marilyn Monroe's skirt in the famous pic. (To be honest, that was the only similarity with the famous pic of MM). With a bit of folding and sitting on the fold, the cape stayed down and I joined a line of traffic travelling at 50 km/hr through a cloudburst for 20 kms. When I emerged from the other side, my gloves and sleeves were wet and the lower half of my trousers, but the rest was dry. The hi-tech luggage protector worked perfectly. I was still about 20 kms from Nakhon Sawan and by the time I got to the hotel, I had largely wind-dried.

Apart from the crotch of my trousers, where the rain had run down the seat, which was unfortunate when dealing with the reception at the hotel. And the palms of my hands had turned black from the dye in my gloves. This was noticed when I put my hand out to take my key. Oh well.

(Approx same distance covered as NS to CM, though slightly less, strangely).

Road 11 to Chiang Mai was excellent. Well maintained and very scenic. The PCX performed very well, maintaining it's speed going uphill, and slowing down by use of the engine going down. I am very happy with this machine. I rode into Chiang Mai having thoroughly enjoyed the trip so far and booked into a guesthouse. Then found a restaurant and ordered a dinner. Lovely. (514 kms from Nakhon Sawan. 974 kms covered since leaving home).

All good.

I decided to spend the next day in Chiang Mai. I had a great time wandering around stopping for breaks at coffee shops and restaurants. I was impressed at how clean and well-maintained the area is. I had a nice walk around the moat.

There were lots of tourists around, but I didn't see any follow-the-flag-on-a-stick tourist groups. I saw many young backpackers, families and old farts, all apparently having a nice relaxed time. Quite different to Pattaya.

I decided to head off the next morning, as I was enjoying the ride so much.

As you can see in this pic of Road 11, the road surface is in very good condition. I found this to be the case for the vast majority of the whole trip.

This was an interesting trip on several levels.

I enjoyed the scenery. I enjoyed the fresh air. I enjoyed being able to travel on the PCX for a distance, without traffic lights, cars pulling out, songthaews pulling in, etc. I enjoyed not having a definete plan, apart from the fact I was heading to Chiang Mai. I had nothing booked, I didn't know how far I could go in one day and there were other variables that made the trip unpredictable and an adventure. And a challenge.

The first stage of the journey, to Nakhon Sawan, was happily uneventful. It was nice to be riding on unfamiliar roads and seeing things i hadn't seen before. The roads, for the most part, were smooth and in good condition and I had many breaks for snacks, coffee, water and relaxation. Road 1 was a bit lumpy, which slowed me down. There were some worryingly deep ruts to be found occasionally in all of the roads, some of them 30+ cm deep with high ridges. I could see that they could easily unseat an unwary rider.

I stayed overnight in a hotel in Nakhon Sawan and headed off again at break of dawn. (460 kms covered so far. I decided to go off route and take a little short cut at one point, which, as I then got lost, added considerably to the distance and time taken...).

At some point after Phitsanulok, I got this view, and realised the landscape was about to change.

As I entered the hills, I found this little spot to sit and relax. Very peaceful.