Goin' For a Ride...sort of.

[Goldie1]

Great photos and ride report Digger. Keep the photos coming and guy the HR IS 50 yrs old should have all rusted away by now

[Digger]

Hey Steve What's the puncture count so far? Front/middle/little one at the back

Had another puncture today...first time since I replaced the rear tyre with something a little more suitable. I think the guy who replaced the spoke may have overinflated the tyre. The hole was on the rim side of the tyre but may have been caused by the broken spoke prior to having it replaced. It doesn't really matter; I carry enough spares. Had a tail wind today....note flag. I made good time.

[Digger]

HR IS 50 yrs old should have all rusted away by now

There weren't too many straight panels on the ol' girl and a few patches as well. Is that strip under the rear window standard? Or is that an attempt to strengthen that panel to stop the window from falling out?

[Goldie1]

Been a while since I worked on one of them I think the standard one was just a panel from the rear window to the boot and the special and premiers also export models had a stainless steel moulding with clips holding it on,good for rust. GMH exported a lot over seas Asia,Africa,Middle,East West Indies.Keep pedalling Digger we need more pictures,ride safe on them crazy roads.

[Digger]

Had another puncture the following day. Same tyre, same spot; on the rim side of the tube. Pulled the tyre off the rim to take a closer look. The tyre I fitted in Malaysia is a tubeless tyre, the only tyre available. It has a really tough bead and I need tyre irons to fit the tyre. The tyre irons have damaged the rim. The only 'fix' I could do was to put band aids on the sharp edges that were chaffing the tube. So far; so good.


Thailands version of a garden gnome...this one was just outside the entrance to my hotel. If I was half cut walking home at midnight and bumped into this I'd probably give it my phone, wallet and car keys without him even asking.

[Digger]

I'm now on Koh Samui (Island)...this is their version of a garden gnome. This one (and there were a lot more in his 'shop') is impressive. Made from scrap and stands about 2 metres tall.


Another garden gnome; this time, a really big one. The Big Buddha on Koh Samui. Although impressive from a distance, it is neglected and run down on closer inspection. The surrounds Are currently being renovated but it would appear a long and painful restoration/renovation.

[Digger]

While crossing the island to go to the tourist strip I experienced gear shift problems while negotiating a hill...a very steep hill. I found a bike shop but he said it'll take 3 days before he'll get around to doing it. Here the bike is very unceremoniously hung like a side of beef.



With no bike, I decided to take a day trip to the Ahn Thong Marine National Park. The main island of the marine park has a steep climb to a lookout. Here's the view from the lookout looking west to some of the smaller islands. This was a track thru the rainforest leading to the top and very difficult to access. One person was experiencing heat stress by the time she made it back down. Difficult conditions indeed.



Remember, it is a National Park. There are heavy fines for 'Rittering'.

Distance to date - 2,227.98km.
SPOT Tracker link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa
Not sure what my next move will be...it will depend on how effectively the bike has been repaired.

[Bozo]

Ritterings were invented by Paul Ritter to protect grass from traffic.

They were interconnected plastic shapes that transferred load through the grass.

Not sure why they are so poorly regarded in Asia.

May be there is a misunderstanding about trafficking grass.

Bozo

[RobBD]

Thats for the report- great to follow along - must be fascinating seeing things from a slower pace ( especially going up hill with gear shift problems) I think on a push bike I'd have gear shift problems even on flat roads.
Cheers Rob

[Digger]

Thats for the report- great to follow along - must be fascinating seeing things from a slower pace
Cheers Rob

You get to see (and experience) all the stuff you don't get to see from a bus or train window. I also tend to use a lot of backroads where possible which usually go thru the smaller villages. The mistake a lot of 'Farangs' make is following the 'lonely planet guides' and the locals learn very quickly that there's money to be made by exploiting tourists. I usually only pay what the locals pay cause they've never seen an old guy on a bike before close up.

[Digger]

I picked up the bike and its shifts like new now...all I gotta do now is have the both Pistons replaced (legs lol). The problem was a broken spring in the shift selector. The bike has served me very well over the years so I'm not gunna complain. I'm now back on the mainland and continue heading SSW towards Krabi. I continued experiencing punctures on the rear wheel as a result of a damaged rim and in one case, was gunna chuck it in and call it quits. I've made some changes which now seem to have fixed the problem.


This Little Piggy went to market. Big mistake Little Piggy; Big mistake.



I downloaded a new App prior to leaving Perth...called Maps.Me. Allows me to plot waypoints when/if offline and has most main roads on it. I have my Garmin GPS with me but haven't used it yet. Google maps and Maps.Me have been very helpful. It allows me to keep off the main arterial roads and venture off the beaten track a little.



I slept in a sea container one night....I was warned they were quite small but it was larger than some hotel rooms I've slept in. It was lined, wired and plumbed. I slept pretty comfortably. All for only $15. Larger rooms were available...at a larger price.



For my $15 I even get use of the pool. Most days I pull up before about 1pm and have averaged about 75 km per day. This day I was in the pool by 1pm. All work and no play makes ....

[Digger]

Blokes will be blokes the World over. I took this photo around 7am on a Sunday morning. My guess is he had a big Saturday night in downtown Surat Thani. I doubt whether he'll remember much. He could be dead in which case he won't remember anything.



I'm a big fan of railway lines...it usually means level ground and railway stations in towns that have accomadation for transient passengers. Railways are rarely realigned unlike roads and expressways. These roads went thru many small villages and towns (think Chidlow, Wooraloo, Parkerville).



Typical minor local village roads along the original railway line...some small sections were unsealed but I'd rather that then travel on the major highways dodging trucks and nut jobs.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) could be my last significant day in the saddle. I'll arrive at Krabi and spend a few days there being a tourist. From there I'll Ferry it across to Phuket and fly out from there in a week or so.
Distance to date - 2,559.67km.
SPOT Link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

[Digger]

Manymanyaccidents. Caretake.
This was to be my last significant day of riding. About 70 km to the Krabi Township. Daytime temperatures were getting around 38 degrees C so I got an early start...on the road before sunrise.



This is the first flight of many stairs leading to the top of a mountain which is a significant Buddists site in Thailand, Tiger Cave Mountain. The sign indicates over 1,200 steps. The rise on the steps was so great in some places that I saw a women climbing on all fours.
This was a difficult climb, a very difficult climb.

[Digger]

The view from the top of the mountain. The only advantage in the climb is that because it is so steep and difficult, there were no crowds.



I stayed at Krabi for two nights and then headed for the beach strip at Ao Nang. The appeal for this region is the craggy landscapes for rock climbers, caving and even BASE jumping. I take a vested in the 'going' along the way and spend considerable time looking at maps to indicate what sort of a day I'm going to have. I only had 20km to ride this day and was expecting some 'rolling' country. It never happened. Went thru the middle. Good for morale.

[Digger]

Whatever happened to 'Everyman for himself'.
Hundreds drowned off the Krabi coastline and hundreds went missing. Although there are no physical scars left to the landscape there are reminders everywhere due to signage and memorials.



Went on a 4 island day tour...some stunning seascapes. Warm water, sun shining, clear skies, really relaxed atmosphere. It was about this time I got my second wind and was thinking of riding for another 2,500km. Nah, bugger it.