Time to go! We met up outside our hotel for our usual 8:00 lift off. We were all excited for the day ahead that promised boats, Buddhas, and more.

Our ride was along the coast early on, and we admired the kid’s bikes at this rental station.There were thousands to choose from! Even a pink bicycle with a side car!

Ahhh…we breathed in the sea air for our last day on the Gulf.

A tribute to the crab and its impact on the local economy.

Kites for sale!

The prawn business continues to prosper for many!

Many areas had been planted to rubber tree plantations. With prices so low and China now producing its own, Thai farmers are converting their plantations to other crops.

New crop going in. But what is it?!

After a scenic, brisk 43 mile ride, it was time for Buddha! We piled into the vans and drove to a cave and sinkhole system that has been a temple for hundreds of years. Wat Thamsingkorn is known for its statues, paintings, and for a footprint attributed to Lord Buddha.

We are trying to learn the significance of the various hand positions!

This creature welcomed visitors to the entrance of the cave. Come on in!

Cave entrance. There were very old paintings on the ceiling above us.

Most of these Buddhas had little jars of something on their laps.

Going up the stairways inside the cave, hoping the power didn’t go out….

Dramatic sinkhole! And we were in it!

Getting out was as much an adventure as getting in to the cave. We walked on over 1,000 little steps and stairways, up and down, and over a log like you see here!

As we left the cave grounds we noticed this shrine to… roosters? puppies? piglets? A mix of the animal kingdom anyway!

This must have been a very important tree!

Spice Roads staff guided us into this tidy, neat airconditioned restaurant…

Where we made a mess of things in short order! Another yummy lunch that made us crave dairy products to cool the heat in our mouths!

On to our next adventure. We vanned for another hour which took us to the southwest, to the center of the peninsula. A rugged forested area was dammed about 30 years ago. According to Woody, Thailand has limited freshwater resources. This reservoir provides was for a variety of uses, and also produces hydropower. A growing use of the area is for tourism. Here we wait for our boat to go across the lake to our lodging for the night.

Thai longboats waiting for passengers!

We all boarded this one,carrying our overnight backpacks. Like we are going to summer camp for adults!

This map depicts the reservoir and all the lodging that has been built here. We entered our boat near the Ratchaprapha Dam in the lower right. We had a long scenic ride to the location noted by arrow on the left. Lodging is typically the floating type, on little houseboats. We heard a story of a previous group that stayed at an older, government built floating lodge…and one of the lodges sank! In the past they were on bamboo floats, and now they are sturdier aluminum.

It was an interesting boat ride…

…but it was LOUD! Greg used an app to show us the decibel level. Happily we had been instructed to bring hearing protection!

About 30 minutes into our ride, our friendly captain pulled up to another boat …

… and we got a new captain!

This is a limestone area, and the jagged hilltops are now dramatic islands.

We boated through some scenic areas on the way. Like the Wisconsin Dells!

And here we are, pulling up to Phupha Waree Floating House village!

We all had our own little house boat moored solidly to the walkway.

Sweet!

Dreamy!

View from our houseboat, no kidding!

We jumped off our little docks and into the comfortable water for swimming and paddlesports.

Then it was happy hour which we hold daily at 6:00 p.m. We relaxed on the astroturf of the boat landing zone!

Like young people everywhere, the staff working here were super connected through their mobile devices.

Happy hour and internet connectivity discussions.

A lovely waxing moon came out…followed by a multitude of stars..

We consumed a lot of beer! Greg gave a short lecture on acoustics and sound abatement, related to our noisy boat ride. Great to have knowledgeable engineers in the group! Of course that might be why we needed so much beer!

Dinner was another treasure trove of local delights, including fresh sauteed greens, and delicious local fish. They got the memo about spiciness and no mouths burned tonight.

After a great happy hour and full dinner, we returned to our little floating bungalows to sleep the night gently rocked by the lake waves.

On the road again! We are back on coastal roads through coconut groves, and it is very scenic. Today is our last day of cycling along the Gulf of Thailand. Tomorrow we head inland toward the Andaman Sea.

We hit a bit of road improvement work again today. Thailand is taking good care of its roads. Most were smooth today. And they are working on getting other parts like this improved!

We believe this woman is gathering fronds and leaves, and drying them on the shoulder, to make brooms. The Thai people are very tidy, always sweeping!

The Road Kill Club examined this snake today. Woody says this species is not poisonous to man as the cobra. The crows were snacking on it.

Fish drying in someone’s side yard.

Over a bridge we came to this quaint fishing area. This man pulled his boat right up to his house!

The fishing fleet had returned!

Here the fish are being sorted by size and species, for sale nearby on the dock.

Of course there is always the book keeper! You got to pay the man.

We came across another macaque and his handler, working on retrieving coconuts from the crown of the trees, located by the side of the road.

This monkey is nearly seven years old and nearing retirement. Up the tree he went!

You can see him up in the tree. He knocked 6 coconuts off the tree with his feet, and the coconuts crashed to the ground below. Woody told us these macaques are bred and raised in captivity for this work. Not all of the young monkeys are appropriate for this work—not unlike dogs being chosen  and trained to work as aides to people! These coconuts are used for their milk and meat.

Interesting flower at our morning coffee stop.

Classic: classic coke, classic sign, classic bike!

And here is the new classic: the TREK CheckPoint! But Rick needs to get new tires, as he has had five flats on this trip! He wins the prize for the most flats to date. And the roadsides and shoulders seem to be very clean, free of problems that could cause flats. So new tires it will be.

A government bank ATM that did not work for two of  the couples! How can we spend money in Thailand if we can’t get more Baht?!

These gals are weaving palm fronds into fishing traps to camouflage the traps to unsuspecting fish.

Crazy driftwood/deadwood with bromeliads growing on it! Beautiful yet odd.

Mr Rin prepares chilled coconut milk treats with just five cleaver moves!

Barb and Tom are happy campers with their refreshing coconut water and meat!

We did not see many temples today, but passed by this one being constructed.

Here is a little roadside shrine for a monk who must have  really liked chickens!

These spirits must really enjoy cherry pop! Every day treats are left at the family’s spirit house. There must be a bigger story here!

We noticed several bigger houses that would fit right into the suburbs of Madison!

Smaller but very nice.

It is always fun when you ride through a village and the locals come out to meet you! The cattle are close to the road like this big boy, but are always tethered.

This guy was using an interesting driving contraption to take coffee beans to the local buying station. Two miles down the road Rick saw him pull onto a scale at a co-op to weigh his load. Maybe if he sells enough beans he can buy a new vehicle!

As we pulled into the hotel parking lot, Woody was there pointing out an ant nest up in the tree. This is the kind of nest we saw the woman working on yesterday. She pulls the nests down with long bamboo poles. The ant eggs go into soup with lots of herbs and interesting ingredients . . . perhaps to hide that you are eating ant eggs?!

After 69 miles, it felt great to settle into our hotel. We are on the second floor, no elevators. The brand new hotel is U shaped, wrapped around a pool, with the ocean shore just 50 feet away!

. . .  and we had a GREAT happy hour, held right on the beach in front of our hotel.  80 degrees and a soft, onshore breeze . . . lovely!!!

. . . ‘love is in the air, I can feel it everywhere’ . . . did that sift seabreeze, a few  Leo beers and the warm temps lead to a wedding at the restaurant’s Honey Moon party for the RobHel’s . . . you will have to wait to find out!!!!

One of our first interesting sights as we headed out today was this lovely Thai home. The lower level was stucco, and the upper was teak and in the Thai traditional style. It was a small house, only one room deep.

This one’s for Charlie! We biked through a road improvement project and this Caterpillar grader was hard at work.

Down the way Sumitomo was the machine of choice. For the most part, our roads today were smooth and in great condition.

Up and over a bridge, with this view of fishing boats below.

Here is a sheller (what do you call someone who harvests mussels?) with his catch for the day.

Cultural stop number one was to see coconut-harvesting macaques hard at work with their handlers. Here you see the man by the tree and the monkey on the fence.

The animals had collars and ropes attached, and were trained to go up into the trees to harvest the coconuts. They are taught to only select the brown ones which are ripe. This technique  is not used much anymore. The monkeys are worth about 25,000 Baht or almost $1000 US., and very few farmers own them.

This jungle rat didn’t make it across the road. We have seen mostly snakes and frogs as roadkill,

Cultural stop number two was ant egg harvesting.

This woman was using the technique of getting into the nest and pulling the eggs and ants out …. which makes the ants furious! Another method is to put the nest in water with tapioca powder. Apparently the ants can’t stand it and abandon their eggs. Here Bird  examines the eggs which are considered a tasty treat! In the meantime, unhappy and confused ants were walking up the legs of the bicyclists!

Mr. Bird takes a closer look at a yummy mass of eggs….

But he didn’t eat them after all!

Thailand needs more urban foresters! These trees were planted right under the overhead powerline. We need forester Dick Rideout to come out of retirement to provide advice and straighten things out!

Barb is our official friendship ambassador in Thailand. People call out to her and greet her as she goes by. Here she even inspires a polite bow with her greeting of “sawat dee kaa”! How does she do it?!

We thought we were getting away from fires but today saw this one which had just been set in a coconut grove.

Here is a coconut processing plant; he is cracking the coconut by putting it on a sharp spike.

Riverfront property!

Across the river, more houses…suburbia?

We have not seen many railroads in Thailand; this is only the second or third one we have crossed. Their sign uses a “choo-choo” type train!

We had to go on a busy highway for 4 kilometers today, but we all felt safe because the giant Buddha of Highway Safety was protruding above the trees!

At our morning coffee stop, we were served this yummy snack made of panang leaf and rice flour.

All of our men were instructed not to peep in the restroom area. The Thai people have funny senses of humor!

After 4 K, we exited the busy highway.

We had some elevation today. After a big climb it’s nice to have a downhill, still in the cool of the day!

Kerry Express seems to be the FedEx of Thailand: people in these trucks or on motorcycles deliver at all hours of the day. Woody uses a Chinese company like Amazon that gets items delivered to him in two or three days.

Rubber tree tapping underway. Perhaps the price of rubber is going up now?!

Today we met up with two cyclists from the U.K., Richard and Owen. Bird, MJ and Mr. Chin join our new friends. Richard and Owen had started in Bangkok and like us were headed south along the coast. We had a brief chat about Brexit and Trump, controversial topics in each country!

Then these cross-country cyclists passed by! These are the only “through riders” we have seen in Thailand, and saw all five within an hour on the same day! Did not get a chance to talk with these three.

Did we miss a turn somewhere?!

It’s nice that Thailand has a scenic drive system, just like in the United States. It has been SO scenic along the Gulf of Thailand coast!

And around the curve, this was our view. Beautiful!

These attractive waterfront homes were our view at lunch!

We ate at a table that was shaped like a boat, with the bow in the front and a roof over the top. We had our usual seven unique dishes, including an amazing crab salad.

And we left a mess behind!

We had a short 6 K ride to the hotel, the Tusita Wellness Resort. Mr. Pree tried to join the staff who were handing out refreshing minty towelettes and  cold drinks…but the hotel staff don’t look so sure about that!

A beautiful pool lies at the center of our cabanas, connected by elevated walkways everywhere.

Home sweet home! Unlike most of our other hotels, this one does not have the integrated room-key-with-electrical-service. As a result, our room was comfy and cool when we strolled in.

A banana snack garnished with plumeria flowers awaits us! The bananas here are smaller and sweeter than the ones we get in the US, which are from Central and South America.

It’s GREAT having the other half of wohutravels.us be on the road now too due to her recent retirement. Cuts the journaling time in half . . . quite often we have both computers humming away. BUT of course not until after a swim in the lovely jotel pools, a hot shower and a spot of vino!

Another great meal on the beach tonight, with several new courses being served. The restaurant owner, in the yellow apron, invited us into her kithen to see how it was all prepared. Very clean kitchen!!!

Today we continue our wonderful 24 hours “off” from our work of bicycling. Resort manager Mr. Joe was in the water during breakfast, giving fish snacks to a green turtle who is showing up there regularly. She is about 5 years old, and they call her Cindy. While we missed the photo, it was cool to see her with lots of ocean fish all around her. She clearly trusts Joe and enjoys the fish snacks! Many of us went snorkeling this morning. Koh Talu resort puts much of their revenues back into conservation, and they are collaborating on coral reef restoration just off the island. We saw some of their structures using PVC piping – similar to techniques used by The Nature Conservancy in Florida collaborating with Cuban marine biologists on restoration. MJ and Barb enjoyed swimming with big schools of fish today!

Look up there! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it is batman!

This tree was filled with large fruit bats that were hanging there in broad daylight, stretching their wings, relaxing. Hope they didn’t mind us! They did not seem to.

After a good morning of lazing around and enjoying nature, it was time for … lunch! There is always a big buffet here. There were lots of other guests today so we had to share.

Our 20 minute boat ride was a bit exciting because one of the motors failed about halfway through our ride. So we puttered back on one engine, which took a little more time, but hey! We are on holiday! Back on the mainland, we were whisked away by Mr. Rin and associates to our home for the night on Nana Beach. We are working our way down the Thai coast.

Another lovely restaurant on the beach awaits us!

Choice of swimming in the hotel pool, or in the ocean just beyond.

Our spot for the night! Tomorrow is a big ride, so we have got to rest up.

Today we set off for a 22 mile ride to a pier. More about that later! It was a beautiful morning for a ride along the coast.

As we left Ban Krut, MJ wanted to stop and buy traditional clothes baskets from this vendor! Lots of options.

The entire group screeched to a stop to look into this roadkill.

Woody said it was a native, poisonous snake, although not quite as poisonous as a cobra!

Sweet potatoes are on the menu for today.

These ladies were planting new sweet potato shoots. In the background, you see some already established. They had a sprinkler system for watering. The soil looked pretty good! The potatoes we saw vendors selling were nice and plump!

Sliced sweet potatoes ready to be deep fried.

Are we really bicycling in Southeast Asia?!

Yes, dear we are! Holiday photo for 2020?

Today we rode on a brand new blue bike lane along a coastal road. But what is that other contraption?

This is a net to catch crabs – the animals get into the “mouth” and can’t get out.  This one has been repurposed as a trash receptacle! And decorated with eyes, too!

Fishing boats seen as we bike over a bridge.  Being a Sunday, the fleet is in for the day.

Shrimping boat.

Clever artists along the coast using this dead branch as their canvas!!!

Where do old phone booths go to die in Thailand? The local phone substation now serving as a cell phone tower area..

Yippee! We are headed to the Koh Talu Island Resort for some R and R . . . OFF of the bikes!

We piled into a speedboat that really was a ‘banana boat’ !!!

We slowly puttered through the sheltered port, then the captain opened ‘er up out in the ocean waters.  The shoreline looked like Lake Michigan!!

And in just 20 minutes we pulled up at our home for the night. This island, Koh Talu,  and area around it had been abused, including by dynamite fishing practices. Then Khun Prida Chareanpak, a successful shrimper, discovered the island and purchased it. Now it is an eco-tourism destination.

As we departed the craft on the island I noticed it’s name . . .glad our ride didn’t turn into a three hour tour !!!!

The island is crescent-shaped which provides lovely views.

We met for an orientation led by Joe, who shared the available amenities.

He also beseeched us NOT to feed the cats! Seems they have a little problem with ferals. On of them sprayed Anne’s pack that was sitting on the floor while we ate lunch. As you can see, they nap just about anywhere the want. This one had it’s head down in the corner pocket until we woke it up!!!

After a nice lunch we headed up to our villas.

This will do! Spacious and sunny.

Even with fleur de lis folded bath towels.

And a sunny outdoor shower, clothing optional!

Once we got settled in, some of the gang went on a trek to the high point of the island, stunning, some went squid fishing, no luck and most went swimming in the ocean!!!!!!

We went swimming and walked down tot he turtle hatchery , , , ,

. . . where Mom and Dad had their own pool . . .

. .  the six month olds were looking frisky . . .

. . . and the three month old babies were just so darn cute!!!

See the baby turtle mania movie here.

. . . soon it was time for another great sunset . . .

. . . and a great meal AND dessert, oceanside!

As we headed out to our bikes after breakfast, we noted another bike group was also staying at the hotel and their bikes were ready to go.

Their helmets and shoes were neatly laid out. Geesh, I wonder if the tour company buckles their helmets and ties their shoes for them too!!

Today’s ride was mostly near the coast.

The Thai model of a “little house”?! Quite nice!

This is the Thai version of what Rick did early in his Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources career in Tomahawk!

As we cycled toward our first snack break, we could see these buildings on top of a small steep hill. No doubt it housed a Buddhist Temple!

Today is Chinese New Year. We learned that Thais believe a female spirit protects their cars, and they honor her with flowers at the New Year! Probably helps get the year off to a good start.

Bringing in their haul at about 9:30 a.m. Looked like bags of mussels.

We stopped by a beautiful carved teak temple, built in the traditional Thai style. The odd numbers of 9 and 7 are very important here. This is a 9-headed sculpture of Naga. Naga needed to protect Buddha from the rain, and one head would not do the job, so Naga grew 8 more heads. Naga is a snake and his body for this sculpture curled all around the temple grounds.

Spice Roads is such a great touring company that we all hope to be biking with them still when we get to this age!

We enjoyed iced teas and lattes from the cafe, along with our usual riches of fresh fruit, fried bananas, and cookies. And Lay’s potato chips for salt!

Mr. Yo, an aspiring photographer, stopped by to chat with Rick and trade photography ideas. He snapped photos of us, and we of him!

Today the macaques cooperated with Rick for a photo. The fact that these folks were feeding the troop might have had something to do with it!

We rode on nice bike paths along the scenic coast.

This was a big work-around. The railway lines from Bangkok to the coastal areas are being improved, primarily for tourism. An extensive bridge system is being built to ensure that locals can still get past busy tracks!

We had to four-wheel it a bit after the bridge and railroad construction project! The site was rough but nothing we couldn’t handle.

These are berries on the palm tree but don’t think of eating them! As our guide Bird told us, you can eat them once in your life!

We cycled along the Royal Thai Air Force grounds, the Fifth Air Wing. This plane looked like one from the US!

Palm trees, bike lanes, a strong breeze blowing off the coast…sigh…

We crossed the runway at a 90 degree angle. Look both ways for airplanes! First to the right…

…. and then to the left. CLEAR!

Of course the air base would have to have a golf course!

The topiary figures at the base just went on and on. Fun and creative!

Lots for sale! Build your dream home on the ocean.

After quite a few days with no lost-time accidents, another rider went down today. A speed bump in dappled shade was the culprit. Rick can relate from his Ireland trip in 2018 where a speed bump got him!

Barb was well cared for and did not seem to mind the attention from our support team!

One of the many happy but skinny cows we have seen the last several days.

Wonderful riding through coconut plantations.

We came across rows of drying anchovies, which you could smell! They are boiled prior to drying, and the birds are not attracted to them. So no snacking!

Lots going on for Chinese New Year, including this vendor with more baskets than his tuk-tuk could carry!

MJ and Barb rolling up to the lunch stop along the sea promenade on the Gulf of Thailand.

We shared our lunch shack with families celebrating the new year. Lunch on the coast, not bad! It is snowing and cloudy back in Madison. And 28 degrees…

First graffiti we have seen in Thailand. This tagger is prolific! We saw his work in town, in the country, on the roads, on buildings. He is having a good time!

…. and on civic improvement project signs too!

Funny face on the roads, both sides, many times.

Curiosity strikes Rick to visit the local crematorium.

We have seen many of these buildings along the way, and here is one actually ready for use. Buddhists believe in cremating the bodies.

The funeral pyre goes right on top of this cart.

More awe inspiring scenery along the coast. We had 12 miles to ride after lunch until we could relax and get tidied up. We rode 60 miles today, a metric century!

Great hole tonight Ban Krut. Beautiful grounds . . .

. . . climate controlled bike storage . . .

. . . and a nice outdoor restaurant bar area.

By the time we walked down to the beach for happy hour and dinner, here was a nice breeze and the daily temp had dropped . . . what a great time with lots to drink and some some of the best food yet . . . nearly all seafood!!!!

Woodie knew  fellow from Pakistan that pwned a roti stand so on the way back to the hotel, emJay and I enjoyed a plate of banana roti, hot off the grill,  with chocolate sauce . . . a perfect way to finish the evening!!!

Morning was tranquil at the Putahracsa Resort.

After a nourishing breakfast, the hotel owner asked us to pose for a group photo.

It is still Christmas somewhere!

We were on trails and small roads a lot today, and livestock were tethered along the road. Don’t get stuck in the rope!

More cows…

Horses enjoying the Gulf of Thailand beach…

And this woman herding her cattle to another spot.

The Airstream Cafe Bar and Restaurant is an inventive use for an old Airstream! But how it got to Thailand, we don’t know!

We rode along the Royal Coast Road for part of the day today.

Happy!

Beautiful beach and hills ahead.

Fishermen’s colorful wooden boats were anchored along the Royal Coast Road.  The fishermen go out in these boats at night.

Someone out enjoying the Gulf of Thailand waters.

Beautiful riding through palm trees.

Great idea for a B and B …. but it would have been tight for the 13 of us!

We went along the edge of Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park, a coastal park in this the narrowest part of the Thai peninsula.

Buddhist temple in the distance in a lovely mountain setting.

The name of the park means “mountain of 300 peaks” for the distinctive limestone pinnacles that rise from the surrounding marshland to a height of 2,150 feet.

Passing through pinnacles.

The landscape was dramatic.

Do Not Feed Monkey! When MJ passed this sign later, there was a monkey beneath it and about 8 more individuals in a nearby area! Crab-eating macaques are native to this park.

Don’t even think of bringing your buzzing invasive drone here! The Thai Park Service has issues like we do of people misusing public lands and feeding the animals.

This park contains Thailand’s largest area of wetlands. Millions of migratory birds pass through between August and April. Unfortunately, illegal shrimp ponds had been built in an area we cycled through. The Park Service has drained the ponds and removed the infrastructure.

Here is a shrimp pond, currently drained and not in use.

Another shrimp pond (these must all be legit) with aerators going.

Brahmans, Charolais, and cock-fighting — this farm has it all!

Mr. Pree considers trading in his luxury van for a bicycle tuk-tuk!

Some Thai families are doing very very well….perhaps the shrimp business is excellent?!

We stopped for a seaside lunch with a refreshing breeze blowing!

Oh no! Now Mr. Rin considers escaping on a Vespa!

Mr. Pree and our restaurant helper point out “thank you”. We have all learned the Thai phrase for thank you, very important!

Lunch was another big success. We counted seven different dishes! And we consumed them, for the most part.

But there is always room for an ice cream bar. The waitstaff brought a photo board to help us make our decisions.

Everyone went up to the photo board to excitedly make their selection.

Watch some of the Spice Rods our He-Men help out some stranded Chinese New Years picnickers here.!!!

One stop shopping: washing machine and dryer on the left; purified water in the middle; and your choice of diesel or regular gasoline on the right. Bring your quarters!

Happily we had a very short ride after lunch to our hotel, the Dhevan Dara Beach Villa.

The bikes went into the former business office for safekeeping.

We enjoyed our welcome drink and Woody sorted out the keys.

Might be a British influence because they have a snooker room! Anyone up for a little game of snooker?

Little cabana shade houses await us on the beach.

The pool is inviting so let’s relax! Some of us wanted to go back to the National Park to go bird-watching, but it turns out the park  hours are shortened today for the Chinese New Year!

Every day is a good day with these guys helping us! Big thumbs up for Mr. Rin, Mr. Pree, Bird and Mr. Chin!

MJ poses by a huge trunk, of teak we believe, on display where we started our ride today.

Today we had to watch out for bovine hazards of all kinds on the roads!

These rubber trees are not being tapped now, due to the price of rubber being at significant lows. It is worth a quarter of what it was worth a year or two ago. Part of the issue is that China is now producing its own rubber and does not need the amount from Thailand it once did.

Harvesting sugar cane with a two row combine, chopping the stalks  and blowing it into the truck.

We visited a pre-release center, where prisoners were learning life skills. The title translation did not make full sense to us….

One project is raising Indonesian deer, used for meat.

Bird gets close and personal with a resident!

Lizards skittled about on the spacious grounds.

Another project is learning brick making and building.  Here an inmate mashes soil , water, and rice chaff with his feet until the consistency is right.

After several steps, the prepared brick material is transported…

… over to the brick molds where it is smoothed, allowed to dry a bit, then turned out for more drying.

Things are going well for this troweler!

Taking pride in his detailed smoothing.

The bricks dry in the sun for seven days, and are turned regularly.

Facing the sun and soaking up rays.

Barb hoists the finished product over her head! Pink Power, We Can Do It!!

Fun art project of a bike covered in clay.

Two bikes covered in clay seemed like a perfect photo op for the group!

There was quite a livestock operation for skills training. This piggy sees us and is thinking about an escape!

The piglets make a break for it.

We enjoyed refreshments at the little canteen on the prison grounds. Is the name of their trash can by chance? ! The men who come here are mostly young, have only had one offense, and have behaved well in prison. Most of their crimes were drug related.  Most of the men here had three to five months of time left.

Fire danger is low today!

Today we cycled through many pineapple fields. We learned that three harvests are made from each planting. First harvest is sweet and usually sold in Thailand; second and third are less sweet and often go to Europe.

Bag contains a fungicide being applied to the pineapple fruit.

Gosh sakes it was hot today!

Our lunch stop was at a Thai vineyard and winery with a lovely restaurant and grounds.

The restaurant is located under a shady overhang of the building,  and the umbrellas on the terrace. With vineyards surrounding it!

The view almost made us feel like we were in Italy!

The owners of Monsoon Valley vineyard have researched the best cultivars to try in Thailand.

This would have been fun but we were on our way again after lunch.

We had a joyful and delicious lunch!

Our server YaYa took very good care of us. She described each varietal for those sampling the vino. Folks tried a white, rose and a red, and the white won the popularity contest.

See YaYa presentation of one of the wines movie here.

Those who did not sample wine enjoyed desserts like this luscious cheesecake with pomegranate sauce, a scoop of coconut ice cream drizzled with dark chocolate, finished off nicely with chantilly creme!

Last year’s wine is dated 2562 in the Buddhist Era. This is the official calendar in Thailand, and is believed to be based on the date of the death of Gautama Buddha.  We brought a few of these bottles back to the hotel to enjoy at happy hour!

Yaya works with Woody and Bird to settle the bill.

From the vineyards, we hopped into the van for a transfer to our hotel in Hua HIn. Putahracsa Resort was a quiet oasis in a bustling small city.

Our room overlooked the pool and was just what we needed for a good rest.

Today  we said goodbye to Axel and Bruce and welcomed Ben, Anne and Lori to our second trip, down the Thai coast. Oh . . . and we signed a new set of waivers too!

TommyH decided to rent an e-bike for the second half of the trip but went for the economy version . . . no battery!!!

We started the day going to the oldest floating market in Thailand. Sort of a misnomer because the market items are mostly on land but you float through the market in a series of narrow canals. Think Venice but at 100 degrees!!!

But the locals do float around . . .

. . . buying their daily produce . . .

While the the tourists beat around in flat boats overpowered with V6 or V8 car engines.

Local residents by produce from vendors who boat down the canals, home to home, to anyone who is waiting for them.

This vendor had lots of produce and probably lots of good neighborhood gossip!

This man is testing a solar powered canal boat, a prototype costing $20,000! People are looking for quieter options than the noisy tourist boat engines currently used.

Here is the electric engine for the new approach; no gas fumes, no noise, no overpowered engine. Nice!

Big marketing program to eliminate plastic bags.

After a walkabout in the market, we met for snacks and to watch the tourists and local color. This site was the former location of an opium den!

Chinese New Year is almost here! Decorations are going up and preparations are being made. This “oven” is where people will burn colorful papers  and food in memory and honor of loved ones who have died.

There were many policemen here today doing their annual inspection  of the market. While they were there to ensure compliance to rules, many of them never appeared to leave the restaurants along the canal! Barb and Anne snagged this gent for a photo.

Tourist boats headed down a narrow side canal to the concentrated area of vendors.

Busy!

Colorful, noisy, crowded!

You could find tasty satay….

… or homemade soup…

… or fried bananas.

Colorful lanterns to bring in the New Year!

Now it is our turn! We boarded two boats to tour the bigger canals.

We boated past many different kinds of homes, like this ramshackle one.

And lovely ones with topiary trees!

Unique lodging at a river resort—giant concrete tubes converted to guest rooms.

At the end of our boat tour, our trusty guides and bikes met up with us to get us back on our steeds.

Today’s ride was a lovely one through banana and coconut plantations.

The area is ditched to get water to the plants.

A monitor lizard keeping watch over the coconuts.

Farmers are the same worldwide: to bring them into a meeting, you offer great food! Coffee cake today!

Another fancy Thai decorated truck. This one had so many lights on the front that it must need an extra generator!

Busy beehives; don’t get too close!

Life size soldier sculptures at the quirky Wat Bang Kung.

Looks like this soldier is battling with a government official!

Tommy H offers the local horses a treat.

This gentleman biked by selling whirligigs.

This temple is famous for the four banyan trees that completely surround it.

Inside the temple.

This community is also getting ready for the New Year.

A quick ferry ride to our hotel, and it was time to relax a bit and get ready for dinner!

Once again Spice Roads provides us with 5 Star accommodations for our two days in Bangkok at  the end of our first trip . . .

Every amenity you can think of is provided . . .

Swimming pool on the 15th floor . . .

. . . and GREAT views from our room. Unfortunately, Bangkok has some of the worst air pollution in the world and there was a air pollution alert today causing the shakedown ride at the airport track for our new riders , Lori, Anne and Ben to be cancelled. School was also cancelled for two days because of the air quality.

Some of the gang headed off to tour the James Thompson house. Demos of the silk making process were very interesting . . .

. . . here the silk cocoons are boiled,and as you can see from the photo above, the strands of silk are pulled away and spun into thread.

No photos allowed inside . . .

. . . emJay at one of the homes entry points.

Tonight we went to a quirky restaurant called Cabbage and Condoms!!!!

. . . a not for profit restaurant  where the profits go to support child education. Condoms are the theme and here some of the girls pose with condom man!!!

Condoms in every shape and color used in artwork . . .

. . . oh and there is an educational bent too.

No way to get these wine glasses how without breaking them!!!

. . . being the introductory dinner for our second trip, the wine and beer flowed like water!!!

Bow, from Spice Roads, attended to make sure we all got a new jersey that fit . . . here helping Lori and Anne with the sizing . . .

. . .mmmmmm XL or 2XL is the question (Asian sizing you know!!!!)

Daniel, Spice Roads CEO, also attend our dinner and warmly welcomed us to our second adventure. He will ride with us for two days.

. . . in the Asian fashion of accepting a gift with two hands, he receives one of the wohu journal business cards from emJay.

We have learned to WATCH OUT FOR THE RED pepper in Thai cuisine. They are super hot!!! What may look like a piece of tomato . . .

. . . once rolled, over reveals the deadly (to us westerners anyway) chili seeds. Water wont cool your throat . . . milk, ice cream or some dairy product will do the trick!!!!

Interesting kiosk as you left the restaurant!!!

Go here to find out about Cabbage and Condoms mission. Very interesting. http://cabbagesandcondomsbkk.com/