Chiangmai Motorcycle Toy Ride

[Hog Head]

One last reminder about the Chiangmai Toy Ride in aid of disadvantaged children on Sunday

We leave Tesco Khamtieng on the Superhighway at 10:00 am and end up at Huay Tueng Tao Lake near Mae Rim

www.chiangmaitoyride.com

Come out and make a decent Childrens day for those that have nothing

[miltonbentley]

This is going to be a great event with a spectacular ride through town and an afternoon party at the lake with the presentation of toys to underprivileged children, games and live music.

Doesn't matter what you ride, Harley or Honda Dream - buy a toy and come along. If you haven't got a bike just come to the lake and join in the fun. (Don't forget your toy!)

[Crow Boy]

My girl and I took part in this event and it was fantastic. I was great to see the Honda Waves parked next to a Gnarly Harley. My girl was intrigued by the riders and the different bikes, many of which she had never seen. There were two groups - group A went on the Samoeng Loop and group B did a short ride around the city and then both groups met up to Huay Tueng Tao Lake near Mae Rim.

At the lake there was a site set aside for us and tents with food, beverages, and merchandise for sale. At one end was a stage set up and we had a Thai folk group do their thing, then a Thai Rock band. Between the sets the most important events took place. Firstly we had a minutes silence as a sign of respect for the recently departed Princess. Then Robert and Richie who were the main organisers took to the stage to thank everyone and introduced a representative from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Two groups of kids from the orphanages arrived and we had moved all the toys collected into a mini mountain in front of them at the stage. Rob and Richie called out a couple of kids (youngest) from each group to come and collect a toy and then it was a free for all with kids choosing their own.

The kids took part in games and the band played on. After the band finished a couple of girls came up and asked to do some Karaoke - well this is Thailand - we said yes and they did a full on song and dance routine on stage. Picked up a couple of 20 baht notes each so this is probably the start of a new career as entertainers.

Odds Ends and Notes:

1) There were patched members from Thai and Farung clubs sitting and chatting in a mixture of Thai and English

2) the mix of bikes and people who attended was excellent

3) when the main group were assembling to leave Tesco Lotus for the ride to Samoeng while the big bike riders were donning $300,000 worth of machine and road racing kit the first riders whipped to front places on Honda Waves, Sonics and a couple of CBR150.

4) normally when riding in a bike run the trick is to follow the bikes in front - simple right? But when riding through the city where 65% of the traffic is motorcycles it gets a bit more complicated. For my part I had to keep looking ahead and keep an eye out for David Silverhawk and his lovely wife on their bikes loaded up with toys to avoid following the wrong group. If some guy had happened to buy a stuffed toy for his own kid half of the pack would have ended up at his house by mistake as they followed the wrong person.

5) No one got hurt, no one dropped a bike, everyone had fun, the amount of toys collected and donated was excellent.

6) A lot of disadvantaged kids had a great day and went home happy with something they liked.

The turn out to the event was very good and Robert and Richie should be congratulated for a huge effort well done. The people who donated their time and effort in the build up to the event did a great job, I volunteered to help out on the day and had a ball. Thanks must go to the sponsors such as the Imperial Mae Ping who put on without being asked the food, services, and staff for 200 meals. They just turned up and started serving food which was gratefully received. Chas and Rachael of Tuskers helped out through out the whole planning and on the day as they do so often. They followed the riders in their pickup in case they were needed. Freddie and the crew from Number 1 bar did the same.

So that was the event for 2008 - all over now? Not quite, this week the organisers will sort through all the remaining toys and with the money collected purchase more to cover all ages. Next Saturday they will donate these toys to more orphanages and children in hospitals around Chiang Mai. If you missed out on going to the event buy a toy and take it to Richie at Richco, Chas and Rachael at Tuskers, Freddy and Joy at Number 1 bar, or to the PM restuarant (soi 3, Loi Kroh) before Friday so that it will be given to someone less fortunate.

This year was the start and a great start it was - next year will be even bigger

CB

[miltonbentley]

It was a most excellent day.

A day of two parts really first there was the most awesome array of motorcycles and all the bikers who looked superb and then the children's party. There was the most enormous pile of toys which one toddler decided to use as a toys swimming pool. The kids had a ball and the look on their faces made the event a massive success.

Thanks to Robert and all the other organisers for a really great day out.

[Ta22]

would love to go to one of this event so sad that i got back so late . been really busy with the wedding , and is back only for a few days ..

i miss chiangmai so much

[Greenside]

Unfortunately we didn't have time to stick around for long but here's a picture

and a few more here

[Allyt]

Yes a nice ride, take a look at a few happy snaps here

Chiang Mai should do more of this, more often, it brings people together and celebrates the beauty of Chiang Mai.

Ally

[Hog Head]

Thanks to our Sponsors and all the riders who came out yesterday to help these disadvantaged kids.

Last but not least, thanks to the other members of the committee and volunteers without whom it would not have been possible.

I am still tallying up the amount of money raised, but there is no doubt that we can support the 600 kids we comitted to this year. To insure transparency, we will be posting our accounts on our website www.chiangmaitoyride as soon as I get it done.

On Childrens Day, our charity Give & Live, will be giving toys to kids at Vienping Orphanage in Mae Rim starting at 3 pm. Come out on your bike and see the look on these kids faces when they get something on this special day. All riders are invited to attend

We learned a lot this year and next year will be better.

Robert

[Hog Head]

It seems that there are some good pics taken at this event, and it would be nice if we, the organisers, could get some high res copies for the event website and promotion for next years event

Please PM me if you are willing to give us your pics, or drop a CD off at one of our event Sponsors

On a personal note, I would love one of my bike with Spiderman as I was so busy worrying about the event that I forgot to charge my camera battery!

Robert

[davidgtr]

A first - a financial statement on the status of the Chiang Mai Toy Ride.

http://www.chiangmaitoyride.com/financia1.htm

No hanky panky & no hidden agendas with organizers making money.

Just a non-profit event for charity helping kids.

A big THANK YOU to all those who donated & rode.

The next one is Samoeng. Event Number Three on 18 May!

http://www.chiangmaitoyride.com/events.htm