Ruth: The challenges and rewards of cycling in Laos are amazing. We have cycled two days in a row with a total climbing of at least 800 meters each day. This morning we spent three hours climbing up to 1043 meters averaging only 7 kms/hour. The reward, however, was the time we spent traversing a ridge dotted with tiny hamlets with split bamboo houses before ... Read More
Gordon: We spent a night in the Lao border town of Houay Xay to give ourselves time to purchase cellular data service, acquire some Lao money (Kip - about 6,000 to the Canadian dollar) and purchase a new bike seat (mine broke just after we crossed the border.) Houay Xay is a node on the Southeast Asian tourist circuit - it is the place where ... Read More
Ruth: The sign at the temple at the top of town announced that Monk Chat was available between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. In the finer print it explained that the monks want to practice their English skills and are happy to answer any questions about Buddhism, life as a monk, or anything else. We sat down at a table with two novices ... Read More
Ruth: We were up and out before seven this morning heading to Chiang Khong on the Mekong River, one of the few border crossings into Laos. It was my first touring day of over 100kms! It was a beautiful ride along the Kok River in the morning with a thick fog slowly lifting as the sun heated up. We stopped for a break by a temple ... Read More
Ruth: It is Sauturday in Chiang Rai and that means it is time to head down to "Walking Street."The whole community comes out for a stroll along a cordoned off street filled with food and shopping stalls stretching out for several blocks. Our first find was coffee, and yes, in Thailand, a coffee growing country, it is hard to find. At home we drink Doi ... Read More
Gordon: Victoria is well supplied with Thai restaurants, so most of us are familiar with the aromatic, delicious dishes served in these restaurants. While we do occasionally enjoy similar dishes in our travels in Thailand, the food that is offered in smaller towns and rural areas is often of a simpler nature. There are also regional cuisines: the North offers different types of curries and ... Read More
Ruth: Oh I am so glad we left the tent at home. Gordon: We cycled north from Lampang on Highway 1 today. Although it is an arterial, divided highway, it was actually a pleasant ride. Major highways in Thailand have paved shoulders that are so wide that motorcycles going a short distance will often use them against traffic rather than cross over to the correct side ... Read More
Ruth / Gordon: We are enjoying two nights in Lampang at Lada's guest house. We both much prefer Lampang to Chiang Mai and are happy to relax here with grandma Lada as our host. She served us a lovely Thai breakfast of sticky rice, bbq pork, eggs and coffee. Yum! She also suggested we stay on and she would teach us how to make the ... Read More
Ruth: Upon leaving Sukhothai we cycled by a few more temples before heading North, retracing our tracks from three years ago. At Wat Si Chum, a Thai woman gave me three pieces of gold leaf and showed me how to rub it on to the Bhudda's hand. The road north to Si Satchanali is lovely and quiet with rice fields and small villages. I ended up ... Read More
Gordon: What can I say, Sukhothai is one of our favorite places in Thailand. We spent three nights here on our last trip and two nights on this one. The attraction? Amazing temple ruins from the 13th and 14th centuries set in a tranquil park setting complete with mature trees, extensive water features, and abundant bird life. Dawn and dusk are particularly pleasant, with cooler ... Read More