Assurancetourix - Daily life in Thailand and what I see

[Assurancetourix]

It's a secret for nobody here; you know I like to cycle in my province : Sakon Nakhon in Issan .

Today, departure at 6.00 am from my little village Moo 5 Ban Nong Luang

I want to cycle on roads where I never went before

The sun was red at 6.20 am; I'm on main rd 22 going to Sawang Daen Din

Olympus TG 860 - f/5.7 - 1/125* - iso 125 - 105 mm ( the max for this camera)

I leave the main road 22 after a few kilometers for a road - n* 3108 - which is new for me; a Wat door on my left side

Oly TG 860 - f/3.5 - 1/250* - iso 125 - 21 mm ( the minimum for this camera)

Often in Thailand secondary roads are no longer in asphalt or concrete..we are still on road 3108

Oly TG 860 - f/5.1 - 1/400* - iso 125 - 71 mm

Oly Tg 860 - f/6.0 - 1/400* - iso 125 - 21 mm

Arriving in a village where people say " oh! a farang cycling ! "

Oly TG 860 - f/3.5 - 1/400* - iso 125 - 21 mm

Cassava - I think it's cassava - is being dried on the floor

Oly TG 860 - f/3.5 - 1/500* - iso 125 - 21 mm

Two other Wat doors ; we are still on road 3108

Oly TG 860 - f/3.5 - 1/500* - iso 125 - 21 mm

Arriving on a beautiful road n* 2004, I turn right on it

Oly TG 860 - f/3.5 - 1/1000* ( flash forced) - iso 125 - 21 mm

Road 2004 come back to Sawang; so when arriving in Ban_Thon, I turn left on a concrete road which began red in a few kilometers and stop for shooting these two little pigs

Oly TG 860 - f/6.0 - 1/400* ( flash forced) - iso 125 - 21 mm

After a few kilometers I arrive again on a secondary beautiful road coming back to Sawang ;

on the road coming back home, I try to find a new red road but cannot discover it;

I stop for this photo of a water pomp station ; the lake is nearly empty ...

Oly TG 860 - f/5.1 - 1/250* - iso 125 - 76 mm

Arriving home at 11.30 am after 85 kilometers .

[Halfaboy]

Beautiful trip and very nice pictures.

Are you never scared for dogs ?

[kaorop]

no offense but that doesnt exactly look beautiful, come my way, I'll show you a place or 2

[Rob13]

Nice pictures, looks like a good day

[Assurancetourix]

Ah! Be careful when using thai maps and/or Google map;
People making maps in Thailand use Google map but they never go what they write on their maps .
So sometimes you can have such a huge, a fuc-king surprise if you want to follow a road ...

First example, this road 76112 ; on the map no problem, isn't it ?



But in the real life


Yesterday morning - 06.42 am - on my Wheeler





Sunrise between the rubber trees



People who works on rubber trees do that mainly during the night; so they built houses under the trees



Road 76112 at 07.41 am



We still have water in our lakes in Sawang Daen Din district



And soi-dogs also

Always that road and when it's too much water you need an amphibian vehicle

[Assurancetourix]

Thank you to Jimmy so he can change the title of my post .

Today monday 18 of april 2016 I did 101 kilometers with my MTBike ; a loop from my village, going to Song Dao by road 2021;

sorry for the blurred shot, I forgot to change the program on my camera..

A blurred etan

and a beautiful dead tree on the other side of the rd

After Song_Dao always the same road to Ban_Kham_Bit where we arrive on road 227 ( Phangkhon to Kalasin ) ; I pass Waritchaphum and arrive in Phangkhon ;

at the traffic light on my left coming back to Sawang Daen Din by main road 22;

We had a sand storm for about 10 minutes and it was difficult to cycle in security

Arriving in Sawang, a stop at my bicycle shop for a little " happy new year khun Neung "

on the other side of the rd this beautiful big truck

[Assurancetourix]

Beautiful trip and very nice pictures.

Are you never scared for dogs ?

triple post ..arghh TV forum has some big troubles ..

[Assurancetourix]

Beautiful trip and very nice pictures.

Are you never scared for dogs ?

Dogs ? ;

Sometimes they want...I don't know if they want to eat my legs or play ;

If you stop they stop also ;

Often I do like that, I stop and try to speak with them but dogs in Thailand are afraid humans because everybody here beat them; I don't understand why but it's like that .( and thai people are bouddhists ?? )

So I take food, for dogs, chicken bones ; if they accept the food, I know I can pass there again and will have never a problem with them;

BUT, if you meet a dog you can see he wants to eat you, don't hesitate to throw water with you bike bottle or stop and take a stone on the floor...;

you can also try to beat this kind of bad dogs with you pomp; a good blow on the nose and they will stop immediatly .

Again some problems to answer on TV forum; I don't know what admin did about ten days or a fortnight but it's not good;

I cannot answer ( forbidden !! ) in my own post

[kevjohn]

All great photos Assurancetourix..... great story and explanations of pics.

[Assurancetourix]

Thank you kevjohn ;

Yesterday I went to Nong_Han about 40 kilometers from my village and passed at Nong_Mek , a little village where you must turn on your left if you want to go to Ban_Chiang coming from Udon Thani .

Ban Chiang is that for those who never heard about it

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_Chiang

So, wednesday 20th of april 2016 .

I left my house at about 8 am;

arriving at Ban_Kud_Chik I want to see if the four lanes road is finished;

Not yet ...

Arriving at Koh_Tay, I decide to cycle on the ancient road; there is a beautiful Wat door

But a few meters after the Wat , it's less beautiful and smells bad also ; one of the so many problems ( and new crackdowns ? ) of Thailand .

A beautiful old Isuzu truck

All the new road marks are like that now, so if you cannot read thai language ...

Between Nong_Mek and Nong_Han, left side of the road

In a post about accidents during Songkhran, a member wanted to know where is Pattaya 3 ;

it's at about 2 kilometers from these road marks at the beginning of road 2021 going to Song Dao and Ban_Kham_Bit ;

photos shot when coming back my house .

[bundycat]

Hi kaorop, let us see your versions then. I find this series as beautiful as my heart and senses can absorb, as I would give almost anything to have the opportunity to experience something like this every day.. my world is very far from this..

no offense but that doesnt exactly look beautiful, come my way, I'll show you a place or 2

raybak123sml.jpg

[kaorop]

Hi kaorop, let us see your versions then. I find this series as beautiful as my heart and senses can absorb, as I would give almost anything to have the opportunity to experience something like this every day.. my world is very far from this..

no offense but that doesnt exactly look beautiful, come my way, I'll show you a place or 2

raybak123sml.jpg

Cant use this thread, I've already been impolite to the OP

and i do enjoy his photos.

Okay 1 for good measure.

[samuijimmy]

Hi kaorop, let us see your versions then. I find this series as beautiful as my heart and senses can absorb, as I would give almost anything to have the opportunity to experience something like this every day.. my world is very far from this..

no offense but that doesnt exactly look beautiful, come my way, I'll show you a place or 2

raybak123sml.jpg

Cant use this thread, I've already been impolite to the OP

and i do enjoy his photos.

Okay 1 for good measure.

bikes5.jpg

Kaorop, you can always start your own thread , no problem, new members welcome! Or just post in the many other photo threads!

[Assurancetourix]

Thank you Bundycat and Jimmy ;

Yes , Kaorop you can open a new thread about your daily life in Thailand and what you saw ;

About me and my " MTBike balades " ; I did one more yesterday.

Went to Nong Han direction Udon Thani on road 22;

First I was on road 2021 where is Pattaya 3 and took some more photos there

It's not really like Pattaya I in Chonburi province

The garage of our jet-skis

Where to use the " home made " local jet-skis ; On Google map, there is no lake here; I don't know why ...

Many beautiful trees under them you can have a rest or eat with your family ; and a " Mannkenpiss " in front of a old house in bamboo

[Assurancetourix]

It's at only 4 kilometers from my village and I'm going to Nong_Han

Until Ban_Kud_Chik, it's a two lanes road

After it will be a new four lanes one, but not yet finished

Not far from Ban_Ya, the entrance of a little village, left side of the road going to Udon;

there is a Cheddi I can see since a long time but never went there, so I did

In my last post(s) you saw these beautiful sheeps, now you can know where they are , between Nong_Mek and Nong_Han;

and in the ditch this very little crab shell , only 2 cm shot with the Olympus Tg 860..

[Assurancetourix]

They overpassed me and I said : " thamrouat ! " but I think many thai people ride something with bad eyes; so I can see them going away after some minutes, don't want to pay a big fine; three people without an helmet on a motorbike, as usual ..

When you see trucks stop on the left side, in the bicycle lane, you are sure there is a good restaurant not far and I look at the trucks, maybe they have a Bibendum ...?? or two...or more ?

Have a look at his exhaust pipes ! and at a new " Mannkenpiss " on it's right door

Coming back, a few photos about " Bibendum" trucks; they will be in the good line ..

[ExpatOilWorker]

Hi kaorop, let us see your versions then. I find this series as beautiful as my heart and senses can absorb, as I would give almost anything to have the opportunity to experience something like this every day.. my world is very far from this..

no offense but that doesnt exactly look beautiful, come my way, I'll show you a place or 2

raybak123sml.jpg

Cant use this thread, I've already been impolite to the OP

and i do enjoy his photos.

Okay 1 for good measure.

bikes5.jpg

Where is that trail located at?

[Ron19]

Agree with kevjohn, great shots and keep them coming. I wish that I could spend the time riding my bicycle as you do but a back problem I have won't allow it.

If I go for any distance in most cases I will suffer for a week or two.

[jongunnar]

Great photos. You really know how to find those small red roads too :-)

[Assurancetourix]

Thank u Jon; my wife is often afraid I can go alone on these red roads;

there are dogs and also people with yaba she says ..

I meet effectively dogs, some of them are not friendly farang or people on a bicycle and people are first very rare and when I meet some of them always a " wai " and we speak about bicyle and the weather and sometimes about dogs .

[Assurancetourix]

Two, maybe three days without cycling ;

not very important I had many things to do these last days .

This morning went to Sakon Nakhon for my 90 days report;

as usual, 5 minutes for that;

on the way to come back, a stop in the house a friend of mine, a thai man who cycle often with me and has also a little mill for airco : houses and all vehicles;

I asked his wife if it was possible to check our Isuzu; never did in 6 years !

Ok; they did it in about 1h and a half; normal price 2,000 baht and for a good friend it's only 1,200 baht ( and 100 baht tip )

The cashier; she knows everything here and she is beautiful

[Assurancetourix]

Wow !

Yesterday morning a big storm and rain during about one hour, just when the bouddhas walk in the streets of the village for feeding




Some drops on the camera , no problem, it is waterproof 15 meters ..



I wanted to cycle a little bit and was waiting a little bit it wasn't raining

Outside our village, about 500 meters



Much water in the rice fields




In another village on the road to Ban_Tha_Sila



A new water castle

[Assurancetourix]

We will have a new beautiful road - n* 2040 - between Chaiwan and big road 227 ( Kalasin - Phangkhon )




and a new Wat in the forest, not far from that new road



Have a look at the " thai " ( and vietnamese ,... asians ) scaffolding



Always these trucks with Michelin adornment



Don't know what the driver do ( 555 watch ! sorry, I mix english and thai language ) through the windscreen

[Assurancetourix]

At the entrance of Chaiwan, right side of the road ( 2040 ) a beautiful wat door





We are on road 22 going to Sawang Daen Din;
there is a bridge which is not yet finished to build




And another big " etan "




72 kilometers that day ...

[Rob13]

Did they let your drive the crane?

[Assurancetourix]

I didn't ask, but I can it was my job during 13 years in France;

driving trucks from 35 tons to 120 tons ;

120 tons only when I was living in Italy ; my french boss : " never come back to France with the 120 tons truck " ;

but I came back sometimes with a 70 tons truck ..

I had 45 tons load in the lorry .

[Rob13]

^ I used to do OTR in the US, never got to drive any heavy equipment though. I'm liking the truck pics.

[Assurancetourix]

Rob13, can you explain what is OTR ;

explain for a french retired trucker , please

[Rob13]

Over The Road, US speak for long haul lorry driving.

[Assurancetourix]

Ok, thank you Rob ;

as I did with callyflowers from Brittany in France to Berlin grossmarket a long time ago when East Germany does exist ;

or when I went to south of Italy , I remember I still have a paper wrote by an italian colonel when I went to Caserta with food and clothes for italian people after the earthquake november 23 1980