See the video below for all the fun of Biking AND Barging in the Netherlands!
All posts by rick wojack
Day 1, MSN to ONT
The plan was to head 'Up Nort' for a little R&R. We would be biking a couple of hundred miles over 4 days, enjoying some wonderful weather, eating some pasties, drinking some, eating some more and have a GREAT time. . . . . and we DID!!
We would drive up from Madison, leaving at 7:00am, and head to Ontonagon, MI (#2 above) where we would ride to Porcupine Mountain State Park and up to the Lake of the Clouds (#1) (20-30 miles round trip). We'd spend the first night in Ontonagon (#2). On Day 2 it would be on to Houghton (#3) a 60 mile ride for our second night stay. Day 3 would find us riding up the west side of the peninsula to Copper Harbor (#4), a 58 mile ride. On Day 4 it would be back to Houghton (#5), riding along the east side of the peninsula, a 64 mile day, picking up our cars and heading to Boulder Junction, WI for our last night. Friday it would be back to Madison!
After a 6 hour trip from MSN we arrived in the Ontonagon area . . .
. . . and after a quick change we were anxious to stretch our legs after riding in the cars.
Whoaa . . . who knew I had Native American relatives in the area!!!
Lake of the Clouds is a 133 acre lake . . . only 7 miles ahead.
It was a twisting winding road with a final pitch of about a 1/4 mile with a 10-20% grade . . .
. . . oh, and there were still 300 feet more to go!!
What a vista looking to the west . . .
. . . and a great view of the lake to the east. Too bad it was cloudy. The lake surface elevation sits at 1,076 feet above sea level. We started out our ride at the level of Lake Michigan, 614 feet.
I was happy to be at the top and needed a snack.
When Glenn and Dave summited it was beginning to clear a bit . . .
. . . and they actually rode their bikes right up to the observation area!!!
It was a fast descent back to lake level and soon we were moved into our home the Sunshine Motel, showered and ready for dinner. As with many tourist areas these days, finding restaurants open at night can be a challenge. We finally found Paul's Place and settled in for a nice dinner. I was anxious for the walleye but they were out of the fish! I settled for the tasty shrimp (caught locally). When I asked for butter for my potato I found out they were out of butter too. Would never happen in Wisconsin!!
Sue had the chicken sandwich with yummy, freshly fried, kettle chips. I was still hungry so needed some dessert, and ordered what was probably the smallest piece of cheesecake I ever had. Oh well, smaller piece, fewer calories!
It was dark by the time we got back to the Sunshine Motel and we all settled in for a quiet night of sleep.
Day 2, ONT to HOU
Greg ended up staying at a different motel because the Sunshine Motel was full. The rooms were basic but as you can see the wall art was stunning. . . .
. . . which he was able to admire from his 'breakfast bar'!!
The main show in town for breakfast was the 'Up North Café' which was a real treasure. I was there at 7:00 when they opened. Ontonagon doesn't have a lot going on and as the waitress told us, "It's an hour drive to get to the Walmart in Houghton!"
They had a little of everything and although the 'Garbage Omelet' was hard to pass up, I settled for the Veggie Omelet, with hash browns and toast . . . and lots of coffee. Soon TommyG appeared and ate heartily, followed by Greg who was also hungry!
Plenty to eat!!
Sue had oatmeal in their room and Glenn and Dave settled for breakfast from the local Holiday station. I must say the crème filled long john Dave had reminded me of my favorites from Kwik Trip!!!
As we were loading up the bikes to shove off, something didn't look right about Glenn's TREK Checkpoint bike . . .
. . . sure enough a flat. The bike sat in his vehicle all night and went flat while resting.
The rest of us headed down the road. He couldn't find anything in the tire or the tube so he put in a new tube and soon Dave and he were on their way. Dave and Glenn are our fastest riders and it wasn't long before they caught all of us!!
We would be on M38 for most of the day and the traffic alternated between non existent and mildly busy. Most of the trucks gave us a wide berth, but just like everywhere else there are some truck drivers who just don't like bikes on the road and will not give you an inch, even when there is no traffic coming the other way. Most Michigan highways have a rumble strip on the shoulder and one down the center line. As Glenn noted, you can hear vehicles crossing the center line and it is always nice to hear it almost immediately repeated as they move their whole rig to the other lane. It's the times when you only hear one pattern and hope they haven't crossed over the shoulder set. If that was the case, you'd never know what hit you!!
The Keweenaw peninsula has a rich mining history which continues even today. Lots of copper was mined in the past. Some of the mines are open for tours and as you can see at this one, the cool underground temp of 48 degrees is probably a real tourist draw during the middle of summer!!
TommyG ahead as we navigate the ups and downs of the 2,350 feet of climbing we will have today.
It's always amazing the things you see on the road shoulder. Here is one that will send a shiver up the back of any rider. You don't want to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, when something like this comes flying off a truck at 65 miles an hour. Would probably go right through you!!
A nice downhill about 30 miles into the ride . . .
. . . brought us to the lunch place our waitress had told us about this morning at breakfast. The 'best pasties' in the UP!!! We eventually all arrived and everyone enjoyed a pastie but me. No veggie pasties!!!
A pasty is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England but has spread all over the British Isles.
The main ingredients are a pastry case traditionally filled with beef skirt, potato, swede (rutabaga} and onions. Dave gave his a thumbs up!!
Greg decided to take a route closer to the lake today that ended up having a pea gravel or larger stone surface. He rode about 20 miles out until he realized he had forgotten his pump which he would need if he had a flat . . .
So, he decided to turn around and ride back to Ontonagon. And . . . he had no cell service which was to be the case for all of us during the days to come. No cell towers in the UP!!
One thing he noted on his ride was the fortitude conifers have up here in not only surviving the vicious winter weather but also the lack of soil. Some grow right out of the rocks!!
At Painesdale we turned off Hwy M38 and rode the final hour to Houghton on beautiful low traffic roads with rolling hills. It was very quiet, after being on the highway all day, and the afternoon sun felt great on our backs!! We descended a very steep series of hills and soon saw the lift bridge Houghton is so famous for. Unfortunately for Glenn, at five blocks from the motel, had another flat. But fortunately he was so close to the motel that Sue drove out with the van to pick up him and the bike. In the comfort of his room (rather than sitting on the side of the road somewhere) he spent about a half an hour inspecting the tire and finally found a pieced of wire embedded in the tire. Problem solved!!
You can see it from almost anywhere in town . . .
. . . which has a busy main drag with lots of restaurants, shops and breweries!!
Tonight we would all be staying at the Quality Inn, definitely a step up from our accommodations last night. It is four stories tall and built into the side of a VERY steep hill.
It was a short walk to the Keweenaw Brewing Company . . . our fist stop after moving into the Quality Inn and getting cleaned up.
Soon we all headed over to Joey's Seafood and Grill where we all had drinks . . . Sue, TommyH and I imbibed with a Joey's special 'Serious Martini' including your choice of Bombay Sapphire gin or Grey Goose vodka . . .
. . . followed by seafood all round. Some of us had dessert too!
After such a big eatfest it was time for a walk, but some of us decided to take a seat and watch the world go by!!
Day 3, HOU – COP
After a 'hearty' complimentary breakfast at the motel (which I think made me ill later in the day) Greg and I headed out at 8:00am just as Dave and Glenn were going down to breakfast. It would be another 60 mile day today with maybe a headwind. We got an early start which included riding across the draw bridge!!
Greg rode to Calumet with me and then turned back to Houghton to pick up his car. Within five miles I was on the lakeshore and would follow it all the way to Copper Harbor.
Always fun when you see the lake for the first time in the morning!!
Oh yeah, sometimes that's how it feels in the UP . . . especially in Ahmeek.
It wasn't long before I passed the USS Kearsarge Monument The Civil War ship, the USS Kearsarge plays a key role in the rich history of the Copper Country. Kearsarge, Michigan located in the northernmost part of Michigan is home to a giant brick replica of a Civil War ship, the USS Kearsarge.
Who knew!!!
The closer I got to Copper Harbor the more cabins there were along the side of the road. Here was a nice little set up less than 100 feet from the lake!
Speaking of 'cutesy', where did these three musketeers come from???
I passed through Eagle River and then rode through the picturesque little village of Eagle Harbor . . . I was getting hungry!!!
The road became very narrow with no shoulder, but the drivers, mostly tourists, were in no hurry and gave a bike rider a wide berth.
Soon I came upon Jacob's Falls, a pretty little waterfall, and only a couple of hundred feet down the road was the . . .
. . . Jampot Bakery. Time to stop. Soon Glenn, Dave and TommyG showed up too!!
The Jampot sold its first jar of Poorrock Abbey preserves, made from wild berries picked near the shop, in 1986. Since that time, they have been selling the wild berry preserves and other gourmet jams and jellies to customers from around the world. As the years progressed, the brothers added fruitcakes, muffins and cookies, hand made chocolates and of course specialty grade coffees. Oh yea, the bathroom is 1.6 miles down the road!!
Here the boys have their money out and are ready to get some of the yummy bakery goodies.
Proceeds from the Jampot support the vision and works of Holy Protection Monastery, a Byzantine Catholic Monastery, located right down the road. Learn more by visiting their website: societystjohn.com
Wonder what's down this road . . .
. . . maybe the best lodging deal in the UP. Our stays ranged from $100 to $210 per night!!!
We were along the waters edge, like this photo, for most of the day. A bluebird sky and what may have been a headwind ended up being a side wind . . . not an issue!!!
No traffic!!
Soon we passed through the Redwyn Dunes Nature Sanctuary
Greg drove up from Houghton and just south of Copper Harbor drove up onto BrockWay Mountain. At breakfast a guy sitting near us was eavesdropping about us heading to Copper Harbor and was going on and on about how we could not go to Copper Harbor without seeing Mt Brockway. Said it was like " . . . going to Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful!". I finally told him we were traveling on bicycles and he let out a long, "Ohhhhhhh . . .". Greg said the eight mile road was VERY rough and probably took 15,000 miles off the life of his SUV's suspension!!
Mt Brockway stands at 720 at its highest point.
Beautiful vistas from the lookout . . .
. . . and in the upper right quadrant you can see Lake Fanny Hooe, a 227 acre lake that is located just 800 feet inland from Lake Michigan, where the resort is located that we will be staying at tonight.
We rolled into Copper Harbor, population 125, the northern most point of our trip.
After 60 miles, Glenn had not had enough biking and rode another 12 miles around the area!!
Copper Harbor has developed into quite the mountain biking mecca with lots of trails offering a wide variety of riding options . . .
. . . and they take the environment seriously offering a bike wash to wash weed seeds off bikes, eliminating the transfer of exotic plant materials.
We are all staying at the Fanny Hooe resort tonight. Wonder where the name comes from . . . Local tales related that the beautiful young woman had drowned in the lake, or got lost in the woods while picking blueberries and was never seen again. In truth, Lucy Frances Fitzhigh Hooe, Fannie, spent the summer of 1844 visiting her brother Thornton, who was stationed at Fort Wilkins. She returned to the family home in Virginia. While she led an interesting life, her visit to Fort Wilkins was not a major part of it. She died in 1882, probably in Fredericksburg, (Virginia).
Everybody but me stayed in the double bed condo units on the lake. Having a single room I stayed in the building with single rooms . . .
. . . room number 6, actually!
A view of the lake from TommyG and Sue's room.
My room had some lock issues with the main latch not catching . . . so thought I would just use the deadbolt.
. . . funny though there was no hole in the jamb for the deadbolt. As seen above in the red square many people had tried to use it. In time, those actions may wear an appropriate sized hole in the jamb and it will work!!
After a great dinner at the 'Lake Effect' Restaurant we walked farther downtown in search of ice cream and saw this teardrop trailer being raffled off . . .
. . . it looked a lot like the one my neighbor John owns and sure enough it was made by the same company in Wausau!
The classic general store knew its customers and had everything they may need . . .
. . . Glenn was one happy biker!!!
. . . what a way to close out a great day of biking by having a nice campfire and a few beverages!
Day 4, COP – HOU
A beautiful sunrise as we started our last day of bike riding, on the southside of the peninsula, from Copper Harbor back to Houghton.
Another very pleasant day to ride 65 miles along the lake with the sun on your face and NO wind!! We passed through the village of Gay . . .
. . . where the village board is evidently tired of people stealing their village limits sign and has instituted a steep fine for stealing it. TommyH was sure the fine was $500,000!!
Soon we were all back in Houghton, arriving about 2:00pm. We loaded up the bikes and all our gear and headed to Boulder Junction, WI to spend the night.
We all stayed at the Boulder Junction Motor Lodge, where the rooms were VERY large and the air conditioning worked GREAT . . .
. . . and the complimentary bottle of bourbon was a nice touch!!!
We walked down the main street of Boulder Junction to the Aqualand restaurant for drinks and dinner and to review the previous four days of activities. What a great trip! Mediocre lodging, so-so food but great riding, great weather, and great companionship. And a special thanks to Sue for providing luggage forwarding service from town to town.
The happy crew . . . watered down and well fed!
. . . and it was so nice of Dave to pick up the whole tab!!!
At 8:00pm five of us walked down to the Coontail Grocery store to get some ice cream. To our surprise along the way was a 'high tech' port a pottie the village had purchased for tourist use . . .
. . . it was spotless and looked like the inside of a aircraft lavatory, only three times bigger. Read more about the Ultra Lav here. They don't have any two holers in stock but a one holer starts at $50,000!
To our dismay, the Coontail closed at 7:00pm. No ice cream for you!!! Although the owner of our motel said they had had a great summer, I wondered how the shops and other services were doing. This photo was taken at 8:05pm and there was not a shop, store or even a bar open. You could have rolled a bowling ball down main street and not even hit a car!!
Final thoughts and conclusions
Rick:
This year’s Thailand trip was quite the event. Excellent weather, excellent scenery, excellent biking and excellent companionship. Everything you look for in a trip.
The Thai people are very warm and inviting and VERY tolerant of sharing the road. We were never honked at, given the finger (or whatever the local version might be) run off the road or coal rolled. Although recreational/ touring biking is not very common, (we saw less than a dozen other riders) drivers give you a wide berth and respect when passing. The roads were excellent, either asphalt or concrete, with very few potholes.
Our guides and the service Spice Roads provides were exceptional. With only 13 of us and 5 staff the client to staff ratio was almost unheard of!! They were all very genuine and by the end of the trip we all felt like family. Woodie, Mr.Rin, Mr. Bird, Mr. Phree and Mr. Chin gave it their all. Especially Woodie, who was ‘on deck’ almost 24/7. And . . . working behind the scenes our ‘travel concierge extraordinaire’, Bow, did a FABULOUS job keeping all the logistics straight and making things ran VERY smooth,
The Thai food was fantastic, with 6-7 dishes being served at lunch and dinners with VERY few repeats. Americans can take a lesson in the use of vegetables. Not surprising, there are very few overweight people in Thailand (I came home only .4 pounds lighter after biking over 1,000 miles!!).
The accommodations were exceptional, large rooms with all the amenities . . . and the air con worked at every overnight!!
Truly a great cultural experience!!
Although the funny tan marks produced by the cycle gloves I wear will fade, the memories of this trip will not . . . especially due to the fact I now have a full time traveling companion emJay, the love of my life, who retired in November after a 38 year career with The Nature Conservancy. As we travel through our retirement life now everyday will be a new adventure!!!
Mary Jean:
Now I am feeling “officially retired” as I have completed my first big adventure in retirement. When people asked me “What are you going to do now?!” I answered “Bicycle across Thailand!” My first two months were focused on getting ready for this trip (spinning, biking, packing, ordering visas, etc.) so now I get to focus on figuring out this next phase of my life! I’m sure it will include more trips and biking.
This trip was a test in some ways, of bike-tripping with Rick, and being away for 5+ weeks. Bike tripping with Rick was great; fun to share these experiences. Being gone for that long: challenging with an elderly canine at home, but happily neighbors and friends took care of Miss Daisy which made the trip worry-free as far as she was concerned.
Thailand is a beautiful and welcoming place. It is a real privilege to experience a place up close and personal, from the back of a bicycle. It is also a luxury to have so much time to spend getting to know people and culture. Great memories include crashing a wedding party; visiting important cultural sites; learning more about Buddhism. And interactions with friendly vendors!
Back in the U.S., I find myself valuing our environmental regulations, and hoping we don’t slip too far backwards as a nation in that area. Thailand struggles with air quality, evidenced on our trip by intensive agricultural burning in the north, and awful air quality in Bangkok that sent children to the hospital and made our lungs burn. Also, there are rules on the books in Thailand outlawing trade of wild species, yet it happens in Thai markets and in other countries, regularly. The fact that the novel Corona virus, probably from bats, emerged out of China during our trip underscores the seriousness of this problem.
As is usually the case, the people you are with make the trip. From our excellent and fun Thai guides and drivers, to our US and Canadian travel partners, my life has been enriched by getting to know new friends. We were a congenial group, sharing interests, openness, and curiosity. It is an intense experience to live with the same group for 4 weeks, then POOF! it is over and you are back to your routine. But the memories remain and make me smile.
There are two big gifts that remain with me after this trip. One is knowing that Rick and I have more opportunities to share travel adventures; hooray! The other is being reminded that we are part of the global community. People are people everywhere, valuing their families and friends; their traditions and religions; and the beauty and resources of the natural world. We have so much in common with each other, and if we can remember that, the world will be a better place for all of us.
Day 35, Phuket
After breakfast, part of the gang took the opportunity to go biking with Woody and Bird one last time. The rest of us came out to see them off! They had a 20 mile ride around Phuket, complete with a police escort for part of it!
The ones staying behind went about getting our bikes ready for transit. Here Mr. P and Mr. Chin remove the pedals from Rick’s bike, as Rick works on MJ’s bike nearby.
Five of us ventured to Old Town Phuket for some shopping! We were in the heart of the old Chinese-Portuguese area, and you could see it in the architecture. Very colorful!
Souped up bike with an engine!
Hum Wan Company is a four-generation store owned by Chinese immigrants to Phuket, and still in the same family. They sell building supplies and are proud of their role in developing Phuket!
MJ was on a hunt for a good textile store, and we found it in Ban Boran Textiles! We hit it off with the staff, Ay and Lena. Lena was excited to meet Laurie who is from Canada, because Lena is marrying a man from Canada in two months and moving to Vancouver! Has anyone warned her about the rain and cold weather? She exudes tropical warmth so she will improve things in Vancouver!
Laurie is happy to be in one of the colorful shops and she even made a purchase!
Lena, MJ and Ay with a beautiful weaving from the northern hill tribes of Thailand, the Mae Aw.
You never know what you will see! This bride and groom were hurrying, with her beautiful train dragging on the street!
Old Phuket is still very much a working area of shops needed by the community. Here you could find machine parts.
The trip was made possible by our cab driver, Mr. Rich. Laurie negotiated a good rate with him. He drove us to Old Phuket, which took 45 minutes, then waited two hours as we shopped, then drove us back to the hotel during rush hour. Nice guy! He pointed out important statues and answered our questions during the drive. Very fun.
Sigh … our last dinner on the beach. Woody and Bird took care of all our dietary needs, once again.
And not to disappoint, we devoured the seafood fried rice, eggplant, delicious lightly fried fish, papaya salad, and bananas in coconut milk. No one wanted to leave! But alas, tomorrow the staff team leaves at 6:00 a.m., followed by the rest of us off to varied distant points over the next few days. Great trip, great people, great food, great country.
Day 33, KHAO SOK to KHAO LOK
Meet the king of the monkeys!
Our day began with a visit to a temple that is populated by long tailed macaques.
Some of our bikers offered the macaques peanuts and became good friends!
There were lots of male and female adults and their little ones.
We had a lovely ride today, continuing through Khao Sok National Park. The park, along with nearby reserves, protects the largest tract of high quality natural forest in south Thailand. Over 285 sq. miles of habitat contains elephants, tigers, bears, monkeys, and over 188 bird species! There was a lovely ride today up and over a pass.
Thailand has highway police just like we have the state patrol!
At our first refueling stop, the Spice Girls posed to fly the flag!
Our ride took us past palm plantations with limestone hills in the distance.
Woody took us on “adventure roads”, and our first adventure was to see this water buffalo cooling off in a pond!
Next adventure was passing over a metal bridge over a creek and wetlands. It was built in the 1960s with scraps from a big dredge project.
Stupa of the day. This is a new temple.
We spent time in the old town Takua Pa, which has been a site of tin mining which brought Chinese and Portuguese influences to the area. Here are Portuguese style colonial buildings.
We stopped at a traditional Thai coffee shop for our break. We enjoyed iced Thai tea…
… while our ride leaders enjoyed breakfast! Noodles, spices, greens. Add your own and mix it up!
This town was severely impacted by the tsunami of 2004. The family photos on the wall at the coffee shop include a young woman who worked at a nearby hotel that was completely destroyed.
More palm plantations!
They need to keep their feet a little wet so there is much irrigation here!
Looking down a rubber plantation line of trees.
We stopped at a memorial to the tsunami victims. The dead were cremated and buried in unmarked graves.
As we rode through a neighborhood, Woody found a family making cigars from palm leaves.
She splits the young palm leaves into smaller pieces, using her hands and her feet to hold on!
And here is the shop owner who was happy for our interest!
In the town of Takua Pa, a clever entrepreneur discovered awhile back that the swiftlet birds whose nests are used for the delicacy birds nest soup, will move into “bird condos” as residents.
So now this town, which is attractive to the swiftlets, has a bunch of high rises — for the birds! The prized component is bird saliva which has solidified. Only 40% of the nests are removed at any one time. High nutritional value, and tasty to boot!
We pedaled on down the road to a bigger memorial to the tsunami victims, complete with a contemplative Buddha.
Monica walks past the wall of victims’ names.
Many were German and English tourists, visiting during the December holidays in 2004. As well as many many local residents.
Our lunch stop offered non-Thai dishes, so Rick ordered a seafood pizza! Mmmm Mmmm!
The rest of the cyclists opted for a seven-course traditional Thai meal.
What is wrong with this picture? Spice Roads drivers and guides had hamburgers, pizza and fries!!!! No Thai for you!
We began to notice tsunami warning signs. When the tsunami hit in 2004, people had no warning.
Soon we rolled up to the lovely Apsara Resort and Villa. Could have stayed here a few days!
The entry to the resort was scenic.
Complete with elephants, their mascot!
There were flowers everywhere.
We were met by smiling staff at the entrance to the hotel.
This was our personal greeter and guide to our new room! Sweet.
This is the pool area near the hotel entrance.
We piled oito golf carts because the place was soooo spread out. How could we walk 2 blocks after biking 50 miles?!
We were happy to find our new homes in the Villa section.
Seems to be another feral situation here! At least we did not see any at Apsara. Their approach must be working!
We had a villa …. complete with our own pool!
A nice sitting room…
His and hers sinks, hooray, and an outdoor shower….
A lovely bedroom looking over the pool…
Aaaah! We were swimming in no time.
Fresh flowers and cute elephants greeted us.
Click above to see tour of estate!!!
This is the pool near the front of the villas….the common pool!
With a nice bar.
Soon there would be cooking classes! Ingredients are ready.
The restaurant where we enjoyed breakfast is right next to the pool.
More fresh flowers! Clever weaving idea.
We enjoyed happy hour on the beach, again! Getting used to this!
Lovely sunset.
It was international buffet night at the hotel restaurant, and we enjoyed many different choices of cuisine.
And now it is time for bed!
Day 34, KHAO LAK to PHUKET
The dogs of Khao Lak! These guys were running on the beach as we walked to breakfast.
We missed out on the group art activities, but here are some of the fun things you can make at the Apsara Resort if you have time!
After 31 days of cycling with this group in Thailand, Tom has decided to go on the wagon! He’s joining the anti-alcohol campaign.
Today we rode in the vans past a rough area of road work, then jumped on our cycles for a classic Woody ride.
This woman was drying Betel nuts.
Spread out neatly by the side of the road.
Looks like artwork!
Woody stopped by a cashew tree to show us how the nuts grow.
Here is the fresh pod. It smelled—nutty! A lot of work goes into drying and processing them, so now we will appreciate the higher price when we buy them!
Someone’s summer home located in a rubber tree plantation!
Snack time, and today Mr. Rin found us fresh sweet coconuts.
Click above to see him become the ‘machete machine’!!!
Delicious! And sweeter than the bigger chilled ones we had the other day.
Our adventure road took us past more rubber plantations.
And before we knew it, in just 38 miles, we were biking over the bridge into Phuket! It is Thailand’s largest island. Originally prosperous due to tin mining, today Phuket is known for its beaches and nightlife.
We rode together across the bridge– the last moments, of the last day, of our cross-country ride .
A welcome station greeted tourists along the bridge. We enjoyed yet another amazing lunch nearby.
With a tinge of sadness and nostalgia, we check in to the Nai Yang Beach Resort for our last two days in Thailand.
The attendant walks our bags down the leafy path to our room.
Our room . . . but not for the night! We settled in for about an hour, and realized that the air conditioner sounded like a jet engine, with no way to dampen the noise.
A team of two engineers were sent, then four technicians . . . and as they tore the whole thing apart, the room got hotter and time moved on. So we asked for a new room in order to get ready for the evening festivities!
It seems the Corona virus sweeping China and beyond is driving more folks to wear face masks! It did not stop him from serving tasty beverages, though.
Happy hour with Gregory and Leslie.
First, Rick had one martini (getting the olives was sort of a challenge) . . .
. . . and then another with MJ! Life is good.
The focus of tonight’s dinner was to celebrate and thank our tour leaders and drivers. These wonderful guys!
Cocktail time, as managed by Woody, usually allows two drinks. Here MJ and Laurie learn of their options.
Our sweet and efficient and friendly server!
Greg points out the green flash of sunset, just above his finger!
Our host for the night, the owner of Phen’s, made sure our drinks were never empty and that the food just kept coming . . . .
Gregory and Leslie serve as Masters of Ceremony for our celebration of the staff. Here, biking guide Bird hears how much we appreciated his energy and enthusiasm, plus his constant advice: Don’t eat too much rice! — in order to save room for the delicious local dishes.
Barb presents Bird with the thank-you gift from Tom and Barb. Deep and appreciative bows!
MJ shares a few words as she presents Bird with the appreciation from Rick and MJ.
Our driver Mr. Chin is newer to the team, and he did a great job of hauling our bikes and supplies, and herding the riders when needed. Laurie shares her thanks with him.
Barb was so happy to have excellent help when she was thrown off her e-bike. She has a soft spot in her heart for Mr. P and the whole team, who gave her wonderful care in her time of need!
Leslie tells a story of how Mr. Rin was always there, to help us, to show the way, and to feed us energizing snacks!
Mr. Rin and MJ share their fondness for each other.
Woody, our amazing leader, earned a standing ovation from the riders. Two major Thailand rides run back-to-back set some records for Woody, as well as the guests. Lots of kilometers!
Hugs all around. We so appreciate that Woody and his colleagues leave their homes and families for many days for their bike guiding professions. Cycling is a tremendous way to see Thailand, and these guys do the best in sharing their country with visitors like us!
The entire gang! After so many days together, how can we stand being apart?! Our dinner and celebration were a fitting end to an epic ride in January, down the length of Thailand.
On our stroll back to the hotel, Laurie points out some huge shrimp!
Back to the sparkly wonderland of the Nai Yang Beach Hotel!
Day 32, cheow larn lake to khao sok
We awoke from our little houseboat to this beautiful sight.
All these fish were just off the dock. You can buy snacks for them and feed them. Dinner tonight?!
It was a big time for all of us out at the floating hotel. The stars in the sky during the night were VERY, VERY bright!! You can see our little hacienda, above, complete with kayak tethered out the front door!!!
By 9:00 we were leaving our little hideaway on the lake and headed back to the other side. It is a 15 mile ride across the lake. Still noisy!
We learned a bit more about the project to dam this river and natural area 30-some years ago. The federal agencies worked to both identify species that would be affected by the dam, and worked to move some of them. Still, many animals perished as formerly connected landscapes became islands in a big lake. One leading wildlife biologist and forest manager working on the project actually took his own life when he saw the impact of the dam on the native wildlife. Today, one could argue that even more species are lost due to illegal hunting and habitat loss than were lost by the reservoir project. Tough balances between man and nature.
The karst topography is breathtaking.
Today’s flocks of tourists were on the way out in longboats as we were headed back to reality!
Happily, we were vanned out of some steep and busy areas to our starting point. Here is the mighty dam that created the lake.
…brought to you by a major Thai power company. Bringing you happiness!
We had a beautiful, winding route through the karst topography.
…including a stop at a rubber plantation being tapped. Looks like Elmer’s Glue!
Rick and Tom made friends with a group of women on holiday from Bangkok! This was at our coffee stop next to a suspension bridge over the river that flowed out from the reservoir.
MJ gets scary in cat glasses. Stay away!!
These sweet ladies made us delicious Thai iced tea and mochas.
Some of the riders met this monkey and his handler today.
The monkey twists the coconut just so to get it down. See monkey business movie here!
Before we knew it we were stopping for lunch at the best barbecue place around!
Then we proceeded for 20 miles through the spectacular landscape of Khao Sok National Park. Breathtaking! 300 million years ago, Khao Sok was part of a colossal coral reef that stretched from China to Borneo. Geological activity pushed the area upward, creating the towering limestone karst peaks the park is famous for.
Our hotel for the night sits on a river. We have been warned not to feed the monkeys, and not to put anything on the porch! No windows open. Monkeys, stay out!!
Fun towels folded like elephants greeted us.
During happy hour, half of the group squeezed into the small kitchen of a local restaurant to learn the wisdom of Chef Pin. Here she is preparing ingredients for a papaya salad.
She used a knife from her nice selection of knives!
The girls of our group followed Chef Pin’s actions to create the recipe.
The final product looks good, ladies!
Chef Pin tastes the sauce, made of fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice.
And she gave it a thumbs up! (Even though she thought it should be a bit sweeter.)
Next Chef Pin demo’ed making the sweet chili paste that we have been enjoying all along on this trip. She only put one Thai chili pepper in the demo, noting that if she was making it for Thai customers, she would use 7 chilis!
She chopped the ingredients and put them in a hot wok, cooking until it had thickened nicely.
She used a dry wok with no oil, to help caramelize the ingredients and bring out the aromatics.
All this demonstration by Chef Pin was underway while her staff were nearby, creating dinner for us and the other customers! These fried bananas went into our dessert of fried bananas in coconut milk. The Spice Roads team enjoyed a double happy hour and delicious dinner at the Misty River Resort Restaurant. Thank you, Chef Pin!!The owner of the resort is a former competitive bike racer in Thailand. So we fit right in.