Today started with an 8:00 a.m. meeting right after breakfast. Bring your bike and LET’S RIDE!!

Inside one of the Spice Roads vehicles, we feel like we are in the era of disco, Johnny Travolta and Stayin’ Alive! Exciting mirrored ceiling!

We drive through the airport grounds and out to the Happy Healthy Living bike track. This is a test run for our bicycles. We are well supported by Spice Roads with three vehicles and five staff.

It is not even 9:00 a.m.,but already it is hot and we seek the shade as we get our gear together.

Leslie and Greg assemble their bikes, while Monica takes hers for a little test spin.

Our bike cases will be stored at the Spice Roads Bangkok office until the very end of our stay in Thailand.

MJ studies the ubiquitous release form.

This bike track was developed 12 years ago when bicycling surged in popularity in Thailand. Bangkok is not a bike friendly city with its busy roads and heavy traffic. A group of celebrities and business leaders created a vision for a 15 mile track around the airport. It was exceedingly popular overnight. This past weekend, over 15,000 cyclists used the track!

Daniel, a principal in the company and CEO, explains the history and improvements of the track and related facilities over time. Today the major corporate sponsor is the Siam Bank.

Hurrah—we can bike and bird! The birding enthusiasts found each other: Monica, Woody and MJ. We are discussing the bird list Monica has developed in just the last two days!!!

After the ride, we enjoy smoothies at one of the many shops affiliated with the bike track.

Spice Roads staffer Bow provided us with four natural history books to use during our tour. Woody brought his two favorite bird books. So we are well equipped! The most interesting sighting today was the Asian Open Bill, a large stork-like bird that helps rice farmers by eating the invasive Golden Apple Snail.

Back at the hotel, we notice a conference is being set up. Is this Thai-style, with guests of honor seated cross-legged on the dais?

We had a BIG lunch and two beers so were not ready for much of a dinner. We decided to walk over to the airport, through the under- ground tunnel, in search of some ice cream.

Along the quiet tunnel area there were Boxtels. I had heard of them but had never seen one at an airport.

Mini little rooms you rent by the hour staring at $40 for 4 hours . . . there were about 20 of them in this little ‘community’.

. . . cheap sleeping, single or double beds available!!!

. . .  want something smaller, here was the Avagard system where you crawled into the mini pod through the sliding door. One down and one up, accessed by the little ladder! Wonder how long it will be before we have these in MSN!!!

We had an easy, wide open morning. MJ joined a tiny yoga session in the Thai Garden.

At 1:00pm we made the very short walk from the Novotel Hotel to the airport via th3 secret tunnel.  The sleeping pods were being prepared for their next guests.

Bangkok’s international airport is modern and nice.

Our flight to Chiang Mai took just over an hour. We all read this billboard about respecting the image of Buddha.

After a quick 10 minute van ride, we arrived at our hotel. You learn to never judge a book by its cover, or a hotel . . .

. . . because inside the door is  lovely hotel laid out around well-maintained grounds,

 

Just a short walk from our room is the pool.

Next to the pool is this stylish bar.

And just down the way from the bar is this lounging area.

Open-air meeting room!

MJ settles into our well-appointed room.

. . . complete with a bigggggg soaking tub, and a stand alone shower.

Every room has a balcony that looks over the grounds. Here is the view from our balcony.

At 6:00 p.m. we headed out for happy hour. Woodie led us through the narrow and circuitous streets of our neighborhood. He is the mama duck and we are his ducklings!

Colorful lanterns along the way as twilight approached.

We walked right past the German Beer Garden . . .

. . . and to the upper floor bar that had a distinctly Rastafarian theme. Here we enjoy our refreshments as we listen to reggae music. We also held our map meeting, discussing the next day’s ride, and learning of Chiang Mai’s cultural history from Woodie.

We walked a bit further to Dash Restaurant where we enjoyed Chiang Mai specialties like Cow Soy (sounds like) which is a yellow curry dish, Tamarind Chicken, garlic green beans, eggplant and tofu and Mango Sticky Rice. Lovely setting and great food!

As we walked back to the hotel, and it was now dark, the lanterns looked even more stunning!

We start our day in the hotel courtyard where Spice Roads staff have our bikes ready to go. Tom gives us an overview of the day.

We are proudly wearing our new jerseys from a great Polish meat market in Minneapolis. Rick’s family has gone to Kramarczuk’s for years at the holidays to buy “two sticks of Polish!” They have a great restaurant too so don’t miss it if you visit the Twin Cities!

Spice Roads staff have fresh cold water available, as they will all day on the ride. They keep our bottles topped off!

As we leave the hotel, Woodie gives a quick lesson in how to communicate with hand signals. This is important for car drivers to know what we are doing, as well as for communicating with each other–because we can’t hear much above the din of the traffic.

We head out through the morning traffic of Chiang Mai. Stay to the left!

We pedal past the old city walls.

We see all kinds of things — including this mom and baby, papoose-style!

Recreational opportunities abound.

This happy pup joined us and joyfully ran alongside us for over a mile.

See happy dog run, up on the sidewalk then back into the street here!

Statue at entrance to small temple.

We frequently see sites honoring the King and Queen.

Bamboo scaffolding looks lightweight but must be strong as it is used frequently.

Chicken man?

Our route sometimes had a dedicated lane like this;

was sometimes just along a highway like this;

and sometimes we enjoyed a lane through a quiet area like this!

Good deal in the men’s room!

We stopped to rest and take a little break by a government office building. First we enjoyed the shade of this awning…

… then workers showed up to move it away!

Enjoy the awning procession here!

We rode up and down (but mostly up) into the hills outside of Chiang Mai. Some trees on the hillsides were autumn-colored, gold and orange.

In the distance we could see a temple on a summit.

Here is what we hate to see — a steep incline!

Yikes! We are at the dot on the left. Lots of climbing ahead!

The temple is getting closer as we climb up and up.

Our end point today was this garden. We enjoyed snacks and beverages and explored the grounds. Butterflies and a few birds!

Part of our group enjoys the ducks swimming about.

Coffee and smoothies in a nice cool porch!

Leaf imprints in the trails through the gardens.

Buildings were scattered  around the property.

Charming lodging with a paddle wheel too!

Lots of color…makes MJ think about gardening this spring!

This pup seemed intent on the ducks and ducklings. For a snack?!

This would be a nice place to hang out!

Check it out here!

On our way back to the city, we cycled past a safari-themed park. What is with the giant turtle?!

Wonder if this exhibit of plastic flamingos was inspired by the University of Wisconsin-Bascom Hill flamingos?

As we waited for a light to change, this British woman chatted with us. Very friendly! She lives here and loves it except for the pollution. Before the light changed, a German chap joined us on his motor bike and joined the conversation.

Another friendly Ronald.

Rick makes a note of the location of the hospital. Just in case.

We ride back into the city in the early afternoon.

And we all make it safely back to our hotel. A great first ride!

Right across the street is a bike shop, unloading new steeds!

Here are our steeds, all tied up for the night.

Rick and MJ duck into the 7-Eleven, also just across the street, for lunch snacks. Here is a crab sandwich stamped with a crab design!

 

Six of us decided to head down to the night market for some MORE shopping and dinner. The hotel provides a free tuk-tuk ride to the market and we walked back afterwards. Only a 15 minute walk but quite the show along the way, including bars that specialized in ‘dwarfes’!!!

. . . lots of street vendors . . .

. . . and a HUGE covered area. Not as big as the market in Bangkok, but being at night this market was much more comfortable.

. . . rows and rows of elephants.

After all that shopping one works up and appetite so on to the food pavilion . . .

We all had interesting meals including the ‘hot pot’ that Leslie and Gregory shared. Getting the alcohol stove to turn off was quite the chore!!!

emJay and our chef shared a few words about the excellent feed.  (very few actually. He didn’t speak English and she didn’t speak Thai!!)

emJay had a pedicure before we left MSN and if her nails had still not been in such pristine condition, she might have gone for the little ‘piranha’ treatment where you stick your feet in a large aquarium and hundreds of little fish come by and eat all the dead skin off your feet. FUN!!!

On the walk back, TommyH and I almost went for this custom made suit. Only about $95USD but we could get them to bargain and just couldn’t pay full price.  Evidently this is one of their most popular versions!!!

Back at our little nest, TommyH was still high on night time market shopping and would probably have a hard time falling to sleep, thinking about the opportunity lost not buying the cannabis print suit. There is always tomorrow night . . .the market is held every night!

Today our ride took us 23 miles around Chiang Mai. Here Woodie tells us about our first stop, the monument to three kings.

These three kings were northern leaders in the 13th Century AD. They worked together and selected Chiang Mai as the location of the northern capital.

We visited nearby temple grounds.

Another rendering of the three kings.

Happy baby Buddhas!

Large Buddha in temple with pigeon on head!

Red lipped Buddhas are typical of the north of Thailand, and indicate good health!

Worshipper meditating. He wasn’t on our ride but I think he was in our age group!

You could meet 1:1 with a monk; signs said “take a seat!” This monk had a matching yellow kitty at his side.

Flower of the sala tree which was the species of tree Buddha was born under.

Beautiful decorations typical to honor the Buddha.

More lovely tree flowers on the temple grounds.

Riding on through town we passed our first fellow Thai bike rider!

Our route took us around the city on a variety of roads.

We passed a farm with mules used by the government to haul equipment into remote mountain areas on narrow trails.

We headed northwest of the city into a recreation area.

Thais seem to like larger-than-life figures.

Giant gorillas.

Our friend Barb was nearly snatched up by King Kong!!

Barb and MJ head over to inspect the guest houses among the rice paddies. Setting in a wet area, equipped with mosquito netting,no services. Hmm. None of our group made a reservation!

A touring group of high schoolers were happy to goof around with MJ for a photo op!

We stopped for snack break not far from the giant gorillas. Yummy mango, papaya, sticky rice, and candy bars named Beng Beng. And fresh coconuts!

MJ happily slurps coconut milk.

The proprietor of Safari Land wanted a group shot so we obliged her.

On our way out we passed Seven Headed Cobra Man.

The man-made lake at the recreation area was surrounded by little huts you could use to sell food or to relax.

We also had a nice stretch on a bike trail….

… past this company that makes grand pianos!

After our ride, showers and lunch on our own, we reconvened to visit the important Doi Suthep Temple. 300 steps to the top, count ‘em!

up up up

Just in case anyone needs it, there is a defibrillator at the top!

This temple was built to house some of Buddha’s ashes. It dates to the 14th Century AD. The story goes that in 1930, King Na’s elephant selected the location for the Stupa, a special structure, by marching to the spot, trumpeting and turning in a circle three times.

Bright bougainvillea.

The special stupa (also called chedi).

To go in the temple, all shoes must come off.

There are Buddha statues everywhere! One can donate Buddhas and other items to the temples.

Emerald Buddha with fancy plants.

Emerald-headed Buddhas.

Reclining Buddha.

Buddhists paying respect to Reclining Buddha. Incense, candles, flowers.

Each box held donations for different components of the temple.

Woodie demonstrates the Buddha pose….

Put your leg just so…

Voila!

Woodie said Mom is a mythical creature, not the English version of Mom!!

The Fortune Buddha: at the base of Buddha’s cushion were two holes, which contain slips of paper with fortunes on them!

We had climbed over 5,000 feet from Chiang Mai to reach Doi Suthep. On a very curvy road, in Spice Road vans, not on our bikes!

To leave the temple grounds, we rode down the hill on the funicular. Here are the anxious throngs waiting, barely, to get in for the ride to the top.

Iowa gal finds grilled corn, very happy! There were souvenirs and food vendors at the base of the temple hill.

Puppy with eyebrows wishes us adieu as we leave the Doi Suthep grounds.

Today as usual began with a ride to get out of the traffic of Chiang Mai. We went on a variety of roads, like this highway with no shoulder . . .

. . . to a tunnel . . .

. . . to a quiet road like this . . .

. . . to a nice path with no traffic to speak of . . .

. . . to a dirt path!! We were in a mix of terrain, from agricultural fields (rice, tobacco) to small towns.

Always nearby were the two trusty Spice Roads vans driven by Mr. Pree and Mr. Rin.

Our first cultural stop was at the umbrella market where umbrellas are made from paper in an old style way, brought originally from China.

The grounds were lovely with flowers such as this.

Everything is hand made. Here a man works on a lathe to make umbrella handles out of mulberry wood.

How long did it take him to turn all of these?!

The umbrellas are made of paper.

First the mulberry bark is soaked, then pounded to break up the fibers. Then it goes into the big vat. MJ might not have a future at the paper mill!

See MJ doing her best at smashing pulp here.

The big vat is stirred with a stick, then these wooden frames are swirled around in the water to get enough paper product on them; then they are dried.

Finished paper in rough form, prior to finishing and dying.

The structural components of the umbrella workings are made of bamboo. First the bamboo exterior is peeled off. We learned that the workers make about $10 a day. Many are farmers and this is their quiet time, and otherwise they would not have work. Others were older workers with no other employment.

She smooths the edges of the bamboo chunk.

Many different tools are used to make smaller and smaller components.

Protection from the sharp knife for her finger, thank goodness!

Final products, or flitches, ready to be make into umbrellas of all sizes!

He is drilling holes into the inner workings of an umbrella….

… with a handmade drill!

Colorful umbrellas drying.

Employees were having fun which was great to see!

Then we passed through the painting area…where workers were happy to paint personal items. MJ went for butterflies and flowers on her biking shorts. Acrylic, not supposed to wash out.

She worked in a fast and focused manner.

Final product includes glitter!

Barb opted to have a Thai elephant painted on her cell phone.

We stopped at a temple for a photo op and a snack break.

Mmmmm! On the far right are yummy sticky rice packets with banana, or sweet potato, or beans inside. In addition to the fruit and bars, we had coconut pastries and boiled peanuts.

Next cultural stop was at  shop that embossed aluminum.

Monica considered adding a tiara to her helmet!

This woman was adding detail to products destined for Laos.

See Tap Tap Tap movie here.

Cultural stop number three was a woodworkng shop using mango wood. Here is the raw product ready for shaping.

OSHA would have a field day at this workplace! Big lathes are used to turn the wood. Some turned products are in the background.

Big lathe that has seen better days.

The turned products, here bowls and vases, are smoked in a giant smoker. They smelled good, like bacon and campfires!

The giant smokers.

Woodie had stopped here with a group last year, and the owners had a one story house. They have added a second story, so the wood bowl and vase business must be good!

Under each basket at the shop was an agitated rooster ready to fight. We were told they were worth as much as $3000 per bird!

We bicycled on through towns and farms until we came to the San Khamphaeng Hot Springs Resort, our destination. The gang into a big discussion about past bike tours, and used the map on Tom’s jersey for reference!

We had a nice lunch, and MJ finished it up with ice cream! It was to help cool down after enjoying northern Thai pork sausage. The waitress said “not very spicy.”

The decision was made to van back to Chaing Mai due to the time of day, heat, and Friday afternoon traffic. All 12 bikes and 12 riders fit in two vans.

Bikes, bananas, and fresh cold water! What more do we need?

Our first stop today was at the ruins of original Chiang Mai community. The original city was here around 1280 AD but had to be moved due to floods. These are the temple ruins. Chiang Mai’s location became the new city, which is the meaning of its name.

Today is “Children’s Day” across Thailand. There are many celebrations taking place, including this parade which made us alter our route! It would not be the only event today that changed our route.

We stopped at this important structure which combined influences from both Burmese and the Lanna people’s architecture.

The reason behind the Lady Cannot Enter rule at some temples: Woody explained that this is not based on hierarchy or status, but based on past days when feminine hygiene products did not exist. Women were banned from temples. It is of course not truly necessary in modern times, but some more traditional sites still follow those old rules. Our ladies were aghast until they understood the story!

Important monks at this site.

While we were there, this lovely group joined us. They were getting ready for a ceremony in their finery. From the Lanna tribe.

Stylin’!!

We rode through beautiful groves of trees and on many quiet roads past private homes.

Our cultural stop today was at a woodworking shop, where they made all kinds of large and creative furniture and sculptures.

These are “spirit houses” to keep bad spirits at bay. Families hope to keep the spirits outside of their house and instead in these lovely spirit houses.

Wooden horse sculptures. In the past teak was used by this shop, but due to its scarcity they now use other woods.

Baaa, baaa.

Sheep/goat with attitude!

Soon we were pedaling along  the Ping River, and we could see down the banks to where a lot of freshwater fish rearing ponds were located.

We stopped at a hatchery production business, and learned that they are raising Tilapia here.

Our important temple of the day was in the town of Lamphun, Wat Prathart Hari Phun Chai, dating from 1300 AD.

Impressive structures and sculptures.

Leaving Lamphun, we passed a funeral procession headed to the cemetery to cremate the body.

The entire structure will be burned. The family and friends were sad, but friendly to us. We had to wait for them to pass before continuing our cycling.

The group rode briskly for nearly an hour. Averaging 15 or 16 MPH. Whew! Had to stop for water and sustenance. Our drivers are always right there for us!

There was a check point on the road today; not sure why. Perhaps to prevent overloading like this?!

We rode through an area where there had been lots of fires, and we could see some open burns taking place as well. Here is the “Smokey Bear” fire campaign of Thailand.

After 48 miles, we were done with our riding for the day. We stopped for lunch at the delightful Feel Good Restaurant along the highway.

We had an excellent lunch of sausage, tilapia, rice and vegetables.

Barb and MJ finished up with some yummy iced Thai tea latte. It was great!

Tom enjoyed coconut ice cream and a mango smoothie.

There were all kinds of fun things at Good Times, including a US Army Jeep!

In recognition of today as Children’s Day, these staffpersons were dressed up as schoolgirls!

MJ is joined by the family that owns and runs the Feel Good Restaurant and Resort, Mr. Chalong and his wife Pi Pat Parn. Their son, also in the photo, spent a year as a foreign exchange student in Washington state last year. They were wonderful hosts! They made our group feel like rock stars.

We jumped into the Spice Road vans, and rode about 45 minutes over a small mountain range (3000 feet) to our home for the night in Lamphang.

MJ had misplaced her phone, leaving it in her bike bag, and the bikes were all packed in the vans! Mr. Rin and Mr. Pree helped her find it, no problem! Very happy!

The foyer of the Wienglakor Lampang Hotel.

Our nice room glowing in the afternoon sun.

A GREAT happy hour ensued out in the outdoor garden . . .

. . . before we were whisked away from the hotel by our drivers to a restaurant located on the water front. No glass in the windows and NO bugs!!

On the way back to the vans we walked by several temples and buddhas . . .

. . . the waning moon can be seen right above the temple. Sweet dreams!!

We head out from our hotel in Lampang for a big day of riding.

Woody shows us some clever Trompe-l’oeil painting in a side street.

More in the same alley. Angel spirits riding on Lampang carriages.

We rode out along the Wang River, which was still and reflective today.

We stopped to admire sculptures, and ended up chatting with fishermen who were using a harpoon-type tool to harvest fish, a native local tilapia.

Striking building on the river.

We rode over the river on this bridge.

Nice and quiet route!

Not so quiet or nice for this guy though.

Some of the trails along the river were unpaved. It was a beautiful morning!

Here you can see how high the river floods from the markings on the bridge.

People were sooooo friendly and nice today. Like him! Always a smile, a wave, perhaps a bow.

We were close but did not stop at the elephant training center.

We stopped to see Mr. Peacock but he would not fan his tail for us.

A wonderful cultural stop today was at this traditional weaving shop.

How to work a loom movie here.

A young Buddhist monk was learning from the expert weavers, to take the trade back to women in his home community.

The owner of the shop demonstrates how to spin cotton.

Spinning cotton movie here.

Our drivers Mr. Rin and Mr. Pree set up a nice snack. Shoes off please on the carpet!

The weavers were lovely and very friendly. Here MJ and new friends admire the bag that MJ is buying.

Nice flowers in the courtyard.

You never know what to expect….

What’s that music up ahead movie here.

We could hear music and saw a crowd on a corner. Turns out it was a local, annual event to celebrate the spirits, ask for protection and good luck. This is a very traditional, animist practice in Northern Thailand. Music and dancing!

Great dancing movie here.

A subset of community members are specially chosen to represent the spirits at this event. They chew bitter leaves and smoke tobacco cigars wrapped in banana leaf.

Apparently a few in our biking group were offered puffs on the cigars. Folks were curious about the 13 cyclists, and were very welcoming.

Happy dancers movie here.

A bit down the road, Mr. Woody stopped to show us a traditional rice-thrashing shop. We were mesmerized by the equipment, the friendly staff, and the clattering commotion!

See the OSHA manufacturing nightmare movie here.

Today it was smoky all day. Woody shared that farmers have two months in the winter when they can burn their fields. And guess what, we are here in the second month! By the end of the day, our clothes and hair smelled of smoke.

We began our 8% climb, eventually climbing about 1,500 feet total.

Are these friendly spirit dragons or mean spirit dragons?!

At our snack break, clever signs designated the necessary rooms.

Once we got to the top, it was a very long, very steep, very fast ride down.

What goes up at 8% must come down at 8%. Holy cow!!

On and on it went.

Looks like we are going off a cliff!

When we got to the bottom, a big ongoing construction project greeted us. In the midst of the intersection under construction was a great little lunch stop.

After riding 43 miles total, we clambered into the vans for a 50 mile drive to our next overnight town, Uttaradit. We stopped  along the way for gas, and it took these folks about 15 minutes to analyze and complete our payment. Then they gave us 1.5 liter bottles of water, six of them, to make up for the slow service.

Home sweet home at the Seeharaj Hotel in Uttaradit, where it is still Christmas! Even have a jazz Santa!

Today would be a day of riding, big time! But there is always time for a lottery ticket which are sold everywhere.

This was a bridge that none of us dared to cross over a ditch.

The morning started calm, cool and smokey.

We see these gaily painted farm  trucks around – no heater no problem, no AC no problem, no windshield – better wear goggles!

Typical Thai working bike.

Papayas growing at our snack stop.

Chili peppers too! Watch out for these in dishes!

Ornate building along the riverway.

Working man’s trike. Always seem to be overloaded.

We had a great ride along the Yom River. And Gregory had the first flat of the trip, and his first his of two today. Mr. Pree was there almost immediately to change the tire. Only took 4.5 minutes!!!

Rick says that this is a sign about fire control but it is hard to tell that!

We stopped for another snack at a small restaurant that had a very important event taking place: the new spirit house was being blessed by Buddhist monks. Here you can see three monks; the principal one has a cord connecting him to the structure. They were burning incense and chanting. Mr. Woody said this observation includes aspects of Buddhism, animism, and a precursor to Hinduism.

Family members prayed and had the monks bless holy water, which would later be poured on the ground to nourish deceased relatives.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed Thai Tea Lattes, with handwritten “thank yous” on each cup.

Off we went on our trip along the Yom River, crossing on this narrow bridge where we had to let the motorbikes pass!

Off they go!

We passed some workers using machines to weed whip the ditch, and they blew lots of debris on the road. Leslie ended up with a goathead thorn in her bike tire! Woody said: don’t pull it out, you will get a flat. Then Mr. Rin pulled it out! No flat for Leslie, yet anyway!

Next on the list for flat tires was Monica. Here Woody calls in the pit crew  for assistance.

Meanwhile, the Spice Girls are having fun! See the river over MJ’s shoulder.

Whoops! We went across a road and down a little incline, and a rider braked hard and went down. Instantly Mr. Rin was on the scene to clean and treat the wound. HIPPA laws prevent us from revealing the injured rider identity!!!!!  😉

Temples celebrate many things. This ‘bar’ seemed to be celebrating Leo beers!

Our ride along the Yom was fun! Made us feel like little kids out on an adventure. Sometimes dirt, sometimes paved, sometimes gravel.

Fishing boat on the Yom.

Cool and interesting metal sided house along the riverside road. Complete with a watch puppy!!

Great place for a party! Too bad we can’t stay longer.

Typical scene as we bike past banana plants. Great, smooth concrete roads most of the day.

Many cuts available at the Pork Shop! The Thia’s  do like their pork!!!

We stopped for a nice lunch. They make homemade noodles in this busy kitchen.

The main chef and restaurant owner hard at work.

Delicious Pad Thai….

. . . chased by a fruit, ice and sweet syrup medley.

Bougainvilleas abound.

There’s more!

Pretty lotus flower,

The government must have had a fitness incentive program. We see lots of exercise equipment like this in public places, but there is never anyone using them. Many of the machines have a thick layer of dust.

Good looking corn! The price for corn must be very high . . . this is not your typical Thai farmhouse!!!

Tasseled out. Looks like August in the Midwest!

Healthy tobacco plants. (is that an oxymoron?!)

After 70 miles of riding along a river, past fields of cane, tobacco, rice and corn, we arrive at our home for the next two nights: the lovely Sriwilai Resort in Sukhothai. They even put out a bike by the entryway to welcome us. After Rick took this photo, and remounted his bike, the front tire was flat. Talk about perfect timing . . . only a 50 meter walk to the entrance . . .

. . . where we enjoyed our usual ‘welcome in the lobby’ with special refreshing beverages.

Staff give us a tour of the grounds: the infinity pool;

our wing,

. . . the view from our room.

Aaah! This is nice.

There’s nothing like a nice hot shower, and a chance to wash all our biking clothing at the end of the day.

Soon it was time for happy hour and as we walked to the bar at twilight it was BEAUTIFUL around the grounds of the hotel.

Happy hour poolside was delightful. Cooler temps than the high of 89 today and no bugs!!!

Funny stories . . .laughs . . .

. . . and many  LARGE beers and gin and tonics were consumed!!!

. .  a wonderful dinner followed happy hour and soon it was time to wander back to our room after a great evening and a great day of cycling 70 miles along the Yom River!!!

We spent today exploring Sukhothai. By bicycle is the perfect way. We rode down “Ceramics Alley” where there were several ceramic businesses, and lots of artwork along the way.

Mermaid Buddha. We have noticed that some of the Buddhas look very feminine, but we were told Buddha was male, and some representations of him are very feminine in style.

We strolled through a ceramic shop where these fellows were collaborating on a big sculpture.

Sweet golden retriever! We have noticed many dogs wearing shirts and sweaters in northern Thailand. When we asked why, we were told: because it is cold here in the winter! 60 degrees Fahrenheit merits a doggy sweater.

Happy puppy movie here.

There is a fish design that is representative of Sukhothai. This woman was drawing one on a cup to be eventually painted and glazed. She handed MJ a cup to try her fish-drawing talents. Hope the cup was a second!

MJ pottery expert movie here.

As part of the overlapping Hindu/Buddhist traditions in Thailand, some Thai Buddhists pay homage to Ganesha who is called Phra Phikanet here. Phra Phikanet is known as a remover of obstacles, but this one looks interested in beer!

Here is the shop’s kiln.

There were many dishes, bowls and figurines available for shoppers. Would have trouble getting these home!!

Outside the shop, Mr. Woody gave a lesson on the street vendors. This woman was selling fresh vegetables.

Soon a little crowd formed!

Pretty kitty. We have not seen too many pet kitties.

Our next cultural stop was at a thatched-roof shop. This woman was weaving materials together to make roofing thatch.

Here are the thatches lined up for inspection and sale!

How to make a roof movie here.

This gentleman — the supervisor? — was lounging in a hammock when we arrived. He decided he’d better get up and look busy!

Our major site visit of the day was to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sukhothai Historical Park. There are over 40 temple complexes spread over a wide area. It gives you a sense of the influence and sophistication of the Sukhothai Kingdom which arose in the early 13th C and came to dominate the plains of central Thailand.

Prominent features are the city walls and accompanying moats. Ruins of wats are spread over a very large area. Within the central area, many stupas (also called chedis) and Buddha sculptures have been restored.

Beautiful grounds and stupas.

Amidst the stupas and Buddha statues were huge old trees, like this Banyan.

We met these budding young engineering students, doing research on the strength of mortar and brick at different temples.

Future engineers Kanyanut (left) and Kanyanat (right) explained their research and equipment. (They go by the nicknames of Nut and Fluke.)  Good luck to you both–perhaps your research will help save important historical treasures!

Some of the stupas, like this one on the right, were beginning to lean.

It is leaning a lot! It is caused by the ground settling over time.

Here are two more engineering students hoping to solve historic preservation challenges! They too were collecting data with specialized equipment.

Detail at base of a stupa.

Another amazing tree.

The grounds were truly stunning, as well as peaceful.

Thais keep things very neat. In many places we saw women sweeping the grass around the historic site.

Wat Mahathat is at the heart of the moated Royal city we explored. At the time of its abandonment in the 16th C, there were over 200 chedis here!

Another ancient tree among the ruins.

We continued on our bike ride. Here the Toms pass through the city walls.

Our next stop was at the Wat Si Chum, which featured an immense Buddha peering through an opening. The HUGE mango tree is over 200 years old!!

Here is what things looked like there in 1954…

The building was in ruins . . . it needed some talented engineers to restore it!

And they did. Here is what you see today. The Buddha was stunning, and huge!

Monica is the best shopper. She can always find interesting, well made, unique items. Here Monica, Barb and MJ model hand-stitched jackets. Two were purchased by these good shoppers!

Next on our bike tour was Wat Chang Lom, a bell-shaped chedi with 36 brick and stucco elephants around its base. These elephants are revered for carrying and guarding remains of the Buddha.

Cheesehead at the chedi.

We are always ready for a lunch stop! Mr. Woody finds great places with homemade Thai treats.

Let’s make lunch movie here.

Beef dish ready to be served.

Lovely flowers back on the grounds of our hotel.

Shortly after we left our great resort hotel this morning we rode by this elegant display honoring Thailand’s royal family.

You know it is going to be a smoky day when it is this hazy at 8:00 a.m.!

Here is one of the reasons for the smoke: it is sugar cane harvesting time. We saw (and were passed by) many cane trucks like this one. Sometimes they carried the full stalk like this, and sometimes the cane was chopped into smaller pieces.

This worker is lighting the harvested cane chaff which was in rows.

Burn baby burn!

To add to the smoke, a lady had just lit the piles of leaves along her driveway!

Water buffalo mamas and calves were along the roadway.

These guys weren’t used to seeing brightly colored bicyclists on Trek bikes!

Nature stop of the day was to look at this turtle. He/she was along the road, and we assumed was just about to cross it.

After getting close and personal—what a beautiful animal—Woody did the right thing and carried it across the road to a nearby wetland.

Today we saw brightly colored homes in the rural areas.

We passed lots of these machines, called Iron Buffalos.

They are like tractors, but are multi-purpose. This one is hauling a motorbike on a trailer. We saw one being used to pump water out of a ditch.

See puppy on Iron Donkey here.

We were riding along hills like this….and we were happy not to be riding UP those hills! We passed by several signs for national parks.

At one of our rest stops, these guys were putting in new tile, the old fashioned way.

Materials were mixed in a concrete hod and applied by hand.

Here is an empty sugar cane hauler being weighed.

Look at those colors!

Axel and Bruce ride under the welcome banner as we leave the Sukhothai area.

We stopped here for a coffee break. Cafe Amazon is a chain of coffee shops in Thailand developed in association with PTT gas stations. The theme is Brazil’s Amazon forest and nature. They try to recreate that feel around their shops.And their iced coffee is delicious! Merry Christmas!

At the adjacent gas station, you had to be careful to work around the sleeping dogs!

Our cultural stop today was to visit a marble workshop.Here you see an industrial stone cutter like is used for tiles, granite counters, and such.

He is turning bigger chunks into the columns you see near him.

This man was sanding out a basin.

They had lots of piles of waste marble!

See marble factory here.

See the rest of the story here.

Next door was a shop with finished products. Woody explains the pairs of lions which are used by Chinese to guard homes and bring good fortune.

You could buy this spirit house and its sculptures! Or just burn a little incense.

One pair of guard lions sold for the equivalent of $800. Not bad for all the detail that goes into them!

The sales room was new and had been blessed by a monk, noted here with a special message.

Double truck with some poor cattle squished into the back. Not a good day for them…

After 48 miles we arrived at our overnight town, Khamphaeng Phet. We passed impressive walls and moats of the Old City which dates from the early 15th C.

Mr. Pree guards our bikes as we scramble up the wall for a view of ruins and the city.Note all the trees growing on the old wall.

We stopped for a wonderful lunch at M and P’s Corner restaurant. Here are the friendly staff making sure we had what we needed. Great service!

In the parking lot where we parked out bikes for the night, Cynthia did enough loops to make an even 53 miles for the day . . . the same age as her birthday today!!!

What’s it like to be 53 years old here.

Just next door is our home for the night, the Chakungrao Riverview Hotel.

We pick up our luggage in the lobby, where the holidays are still being celebrated!

MJ gets her key and internet connection from the friendly staff.

Our roomy digs for the night. And there is a little balcony to hang our laundry out on, discreetly!

We walked down the street to the Tasty, where we had a combined happy hour and dinner . . .

Tom taking a survey of those who felt appropriately ‘happy’.

Lots of Myanmar beer consumed, a special batch Woodie had procured. Four bottles of wine supplied by Daniel from Spice Roads too (although the wine drinkers fell behind because there was one unopened bottle left at the end of the night!!)

One a again Woodie did a great job coordinating the events of he day including the dinner Tasty restaurant staff proviced. Happy bunch of folks!!!