Assurancetourix - Daily life in Thailand and what I see

[Assurancetourix]

I can do more than 99 km a day;

sometimes I go for my 90 days report to Sakon Nakhon and return home, in the same day of course;

it's a 200 km ride .

I cycle since nearly 50 years; maybe it's also for/because of that...

Doing about 15,000 km a year , here in Thailand , since 8 years .

Tomorrow, I don't cycle; stay at home with my six dogs;

maybe a visit to my friend Jon; I have some TV series to give for him .

[nongai]

What is in the plastic box on the back of your bike? I have a hybrid bike, the mountain bike is too much road resitance with its fat tyres for me lol.

I went one time to Chiangmai 150 km. 8 hours cycling (by cat eye computer.. not including stops).

[Assurancetourix]

The plastic box...is for ...555 ; may I have to reveal my little secrets ?

I prefer to send u a PM ; don't know who can read what I write here.

[Aussie69]

I just discovered your thread. Great photos & stories

[Assurancetourix]

Thank u Aussie69 ;

I retired here, in Thailand, nearly ten years ago;

living in a very little village in Issan, what to do when you are too old to work in the rice fields;

Too old, I don't know, but it was not my work in France;

I was a trucker, autista as they say in Italy ;

Since a long time I like to cycle and to play bowling;

the bowling I know about is in Udon Thani, far from my village and I don't know if they have teams and competitions so I cycle as I do since nearly 50 years .

[Assurancetourix]

Today 80 kilometers; went on road 22 first, then 2280 to Charoen Sin and a little bit more direction Kham Ta Khla;

When I did 40 km, I came back by the same road;

A few photos today

A beautiful house of spirits in a field

That was an house

A truck with Michelin dolls

When cycling, don't have a look too far , ir's disheartening

A nice and simple Wat door

[gobs]

...

When cycling, don't have a look too far , ir's disheartening

...

No, no, no, I don't want to see that!

For me this is a major case for "back home right now!"

Fortunately, there are no roads like this around my home...

Cheers,

Ray

[Aussie69]

You were a trucker. Now i understand all the photos of trucks

[Assurancetourix]

Tuesday 31 of may 2016 ,

A little " balade " with my MTBike ;

road 22 direction Udon Thani ;

we had many storms since three days , there is much water in the rivers, the rice fields,

Ban Kud Chik, they will made a new road with these machines

A few kilometers farther; it's a new four lanes road but the driver of this Sahamitr bus was certainly sleeping ...last night or early this morning

Coming back home, it was raining ( again )

Have a look at the electric pole in the river

76 kilometers today ;

A very little month of may with the MTBike; I was ill during about ten days, surely an explanation ; only 652 kilometers;

Since the day 1st of january 2016 : 7502 kilometers

[Assurancetourix]

About the Sahamitr bus I shot it - the same number plate ! - the 5th of january this year

[Rob13]

Some shiny new equipment.

[jongunnar]

I believe the bus accident were late afternoon yesterday. I saw four ambulances driving in that direction.

Felt a little sorry for you today in the rain !

Nice photos as usual :-)

Edited May 31, 2016 by jongunnar

[samuijimmy]

I removed a general discussion post... This is not the place to discuss accidents in Thailand.

[Assurancetourix]

Today a neighbour went at home to cut our grass, so he can feed his three buffalos for two days ..

Mother and her daughter which is 3 months and 3 days old

Coming back home a stop to shoot the dog of another neighbour;

it's a big dog and still a baby and very happy to see me every time I go outside

[Assurancetourix]

Today thursday 2 of june 2016

Wonderful morning ; 06.17 am , just outside my village going to road 22

I'm on road 22, Kubota garage and two beautiful trees

For those who pass sometimes here,entrance of Sawang just before Lotasss, the PoToTo benzine station is out of service; they are making a new one

I'm going to Charoen Sin , then Wanon Niwat on road 3015; many snakes are like that on the roads

Road 3015

White clouds

[Assurancetourix]

Just before arriving Wanon Niwat a beautiful lake

Now, I'm on road 222 going to Kham Ta Khla

A little stop is a must - road 222

Now on road 2280, coming back to Charoen Sin ( 20 km ) and Sawang ( 40 km ); I'm at 52 km my house

In the middle of nowhere, a man repare fans and electric ovens and sell them

The water is not beautiful

A Michelin doll truck

Again clouds ..

Today 115 kilometers ..Yes, I'm a little bit crazy ; some people call me " bababobo "

[Aussie69]

You carry much on your bike

[Assurancetourix]

Yes, for having beautiful muscles

[Ace of Pop]

He is "Ze Old French Onion Seller." I will zay dis only once.............

[Assurancetourix]

Not onion but plastik bottles and bier, coke cans ..

So I can pay parts for my MTBike along the year ..

I did already 7,600 kilometers since the first of january this year .

[Assurancetourix]

Saturday the forth of june 2016

Uploading photos and listening the Bee Gees " Stayin' alive "

The photos of the day

Road 22 , going to Sawang Daen Din



I crossed the road; the driver was inside so I asked him for shooting; he said " khrap ", so




Many schools, here in Thailand, are in the middle of nowhere



The catholic church I shot two days ago




On road 3015 a nice thai dragster



Do you know the name of this white flower ?



Dark sky and about two minutes later I had a free shower




Edit , I forgot ;
117 kilometers today

Edited June 4, 2016 by Assurancetourix

[Assurancetourix]

Maybe I will upload photos not about my daily life but about what/where I cycled in the northern provinces of Thailand;

I wrote on Constantinos and Nongai ligns that I like to go to Mae Hong Son province ;

I went there many times with our pickup and my wife;

and also with the pickup ( without madame ATX ) and the MTBike on it until Chiang Mai ; I have let it in the house of a belgium cyclist friend and continued on the bike for about ten days ..

[Assurancetourix]

As I wrote , I will begin with an Issan Journey;

March 2014 with Christophe a french military man ;

We began that tour the 10 of march but first did the Nong Khai MTBike and road bikes race the day before : sunday 9th march 2014

The roads are open and it's always a big casino

Apres l'effort, le reconfort ; don't know exactly how to translate that in good english

We were at Ruanthai GH in a very little street border the Mekong; there are many GH and hotels in this street

March 10th beginning of our " Issan tour "

Road 212 direction Phom Pisai, a first stop at Sala Keo Ku ; entrance is 20 baht for everybody, thai or farang

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

Road 212 , we met a nice thai girl who was working in a field with her parents; she was speaking a good english...

Another beautiful girl; no need to go to Pattaya, isn't it ?

[Assurancetourix]

The day after, march 11th 2014 ;

We stopped at Bueng Kan ; don't remember the name of the hotel; there are any along the Mekong and good fish restaurant also

Starting at 6.30 am

A stop for a good coffee

When on a bicycle, I try to find secondary roads like that one which is close the Mekong

Sometimes surprise, surprise !! That little tumbledown cottage has a name : Little Italy

It belongs to the owner of this big mill : water and ice

[Assurancetourix]

The day is not finished

I think they are working on tobacco leaves

We are on road 212

A few kilometers before arriving in Tha Uten

[Assurancetourix]

March 12th 2014

Many catholic churches and villages in these provinces : Beung Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, even Udon Thani .

We are not far from nakon Phanom; one of the freedom bridge, the last one

Nakon Phanom Cathedral, along the Mekong

The vietnamese clock

Indochina market

A beautiful town along the Mekong

[Assurancetourix]

Many Wat along the main road close the Mekong

A little rest

A river going to the Mekong..

Another beautiful Wat which is not on our side, but we crossed the four lanes road to do a visit

Stop for the night in That Phanom where is a very beautiful Wat

We had a good dinner with one of my daughters in law and her husband

[Assurancetourix]

We slept in the motel which is in the gasoline PoToTo station along the main road 212, just outside That Phanom in the direction of Mukdahan.

March 13th 2014

Today, going to Mukdahan by the main road and coming back That Phanom by the secondary road along the Mekong ;

and we had a big surprise !

A beautiful Wat door in front of the ancient Immigration Office which is now on the bridge going to Laos

Yes ! Sometimes we can read what is written; it's vietnamese language; Viet kieu is the name of vietnamese people who had left Vietnam for living in Thailand or Europe or USA ..

The mother of my second son is a viet kieu ; she left Hanoi in 1969 for France .

Nearly outside Mukdahan a very beautiful etnik museum in this tower ; it's road 2034 going to Chanuman, Khemmarat;

entrance is 50 baht for farang ; before it was the same price for everybody : 20 baht .

A good hotel - we were not there - in Mukdahan downtown

The road to come back That Phanom along the Mekong n* 5015

About that goddess, there is the same not far Hue city in Vietnam; this one is about 2 meters high; in Hue it's about 25 meters high !

Another catholic church

Edited June 5, 2016 by Assurancetourix

[Assurancetourix]

We will pass under the Bridge going to Laos

A road mark for a catholic church, the surprise is coming ..

In a private house a catholic saint

[Assurancetourix]

The surprise ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Songkhon,_Thailand