India 2019

 After Mrs G could not come to India in 2018 I promised I would take her back. A few photos of the trip.

Alaska 2019

 

Well i'm back from Alaska, a bit early. This is what happened.After arriving in Anchorage ( Via Seattle) and meeting up with Simon we started our ride north.

The bike was not behaving and i was struggling to keep it running. I broke down about 50 miles outside Anchorage in Wasilla but got started again after it cooled down. That night we camped in Trappers Creek and in the morning it struggled to start. After getting it going I rode on into the Alaskan wilderness to a place called Cantwell where we stopped for fuel. The bike stalled and that was that. After spending all day trying to fix it we gave in and had to contact recovery. Luckily the insurance covered recovery as a private tow was $1000.

It was about now we met Adam delivering batteries at the garage.

What a star he was.... He offered to transport the bike but unfortunately it wouldn't fit in his truck but he did offer to transport me to Fairbanks. So I left Simon with the bike waiting and I went off with Adam. He made some deliveries, one into Denali National Park. After the delivery we went into the park to see the views and spot wildlife. Saw my first moose.

At Fairbanks he dropped me at Svens Hostel the agreed meeting place. A bit of a mecca for adventure motorcyclists. The next day the bike was dropped by recovery at a local bike dealer, an investigation found that it had lost compression following a valve guide failure in the head. It would require a new head. Basically after 175 miles my trip was now over. A new head was sourced in Bristol England and FedEx to Alaska but by the time it would arrive and be fitted it would be too late to ride.

To thank Adam for his help we asked him out to dinner. He brought along his brother Oscar who lives in Fairbanks.

Oscar-Simon-Me-Adam

During the dinner we chatted and Oscar was at a loose end for the week and offered to help us. He wanted to show me around Fairbanks. The next day we went out and I met some of his work colleagues then we went to the North pole.

The following day was the 4th July, American Independence Day. Its a holiday so nothing was open, Simon and I walked to the celebrations and met Oscar and a French rider (David, on a Royal Enfield Bullet). Following this Oscar took us to a roadhouse style bar for some lunch and drinks. Awesome place. After dropping of David's bike we headed out of Fairbanks to a shooting range. Oscar had kindly offered to let us shoot his handgun as we do not have them in the UK. Oh what fun, and so easy to use

One of goals of the trip was to reach the Arctic Circle and if possible Prudhoe Bay using the famous haul road, The Dalton Highway. Oscar commented that he had never been to the Arctic Circle and it thought it would a good idea to drive up... Road trip. Oscar and I drove to the Arctic Circle in his 4x4 Dodge Ram pickup truck. 400 mile round trip. We followed the pipeline dodging trucks and their dust. We crossed the mighty Yukon River. Thanks to (Adam) and Oscar one of the things I have always wanted to do I achieved.

It was now Saturday and Oscar was going to Anchorage to see his brother so I tagged along for the ride back. I had found a flight or flights home that was cheaper that staying in a hostel in Anchorage and wasting a week. £320 for flights Anchorage to Seattle, Seattle to Vancouver and Vancouver to London. I was also being eaten alive by mosquitoes, they love me for some reason.

Back in Anchorage at the hostel I went out for dinner with Oscar and Adam. Moosetooth bar and Pizzeria. Highly recommended for both beer and pizza. Check it out if in Anchorage.

Sunday morning off to the airport, Oscar got up at 4am to drive me. At check-in the Alaskan Airlines lady wanted to know the serial number of my Canadian Visa... What bloody visa. Shit I needed an entry visa like the USA. I quickly jumped onto the free airport wifi and applied for one. Within 10 minutes the reply came back - entry granted. Quick check-in and through security with minutes to spare.

Then plane 2 was delayed for an hour out of Seattle...

Ran through the airport at Vancouver and checked in at the gate with about 20 minute to go. Ended up sitting next to a woman from a town close to me.

Afterthought:

The bike was a disaster and I will never use a modern Royal Enfield again. But without breaking down I would not have met Adam and Oscar who showed me friendship and compassion. I have heard how friendly the Americans are and now I have experienced it. Thank you guys, you turned a shit situation into a trip of a lifetime. I will be forever grateful. With the power of social media we will keep in touch.

The new head was fitted and the bike runs again, another rider now has it and both him and Simon are in Canada somewhere heading for Calgary. I hope it holds together for him. Simon made it to the Arctic Circle on his own riding with 250cc Yamaha. I went home and immediately packed and disappeared off to Brands Hatch race circuit for the weekend before returning to work a day early. What a story to tell.

Thailand Tour 2019

 

So after a 11 hour flight from London we [with Martin, my best friend] arrived in Thailand. First up we got a taxi across the city to Emma's Motobikes, paperwork was done quickly and we were packed and ready to go to the hotel. We have hired Honda CB300F bikes.

So after our first experience of Bangkok traffic we made it to the hotel. Night one we explored the Khosan Road. A bit touristy but did see a full crocodile being BBQed.

Next morning we set off north got stopped by the police 2 minutes after leaving for being on an expressway (bikes are not allowed).

Rode north over the next few days stopping at Nakhon Sarwan, Lampang and then Chang Mai. Stopped at riders corner the famous bikers bar. Left my sticker for all to see. 

We had a night out in Chang Mai and sampled that Crocodile we saw earlier. Saw ladyboys and experienced a full Thai massage which was wonderful. Chang Mai is such a great place with loads of things to do and the night bazaar is truly brilliant. 

After Chang Mai we went West, we made a decision not to do the Mae Hong Son loop due to time limits. We stayed the night in Mae SarIang and then went south on the 105. Oh boy what a road 225 km on mountain twisties and long swooping bends. Empty roads apart from a few mopeds and cows. Great riding and we were running alongside the Burmese border.   

So today as I write this we are in Mae Sot and eventually heading for Kanchanaburi and the death railway and elephants. 

Looking into Burma (Myanmar)

Interesting evening in Mae Sot with a number of bars close to the hotel. I think the warnings were the signs saying all guns and knives were not allowed. The hotel was not in the best part of town. We were back safely locked away before night fell. Next morning we headed towards Tak and the ride down the mountains onto the plains. It was Sunday so the roads were quiet. The farmers were burning the stubble so the air was thick and choking. It’s a shame because we were in a part of the country with brilliant mountain views.

The plan was to stay at a hotel in Nakhon Sawan where we stayed on the way up the country. As we were on the outskirts of the town I saw a number of jeeps with Budda's and people dressed in gold. Following was a truck with a full Chinese dragon. I stopped. They stopped outside a tyre bay who brought out an offering of fruit and incense. Then a Shamen started whaling and setting off fire crackers...the dragon was running around in and out of the showroom. Turns out it was the local temple blessing a local business. Awesome.

Next morning we plan to head cross country to Kanchanaburi, this is town where the bride over the River Kwai is located. That day was a pleasure to ride as the sat nav took us truly across country through paddy fields and villages. One road was 98km on a straight road following a river. It gave us the chance to stop and take some rural pictures, wildlife pictures and riding pictures. The further South we went the busier it became.

We got to our hotel (BY hotel) and it was clean and convenient. Unfortunately it was election day and everything was closed. (first elections since the military coup). We found a Pad Thai street vendor but no alcohol as there is a ban during elections.

The next day was Elephant day.... We rode West to Sai Yok to a place called Elephant Haven (https://elephanthaventhailand.org/).

As we had not seen wild elephants or even elephants for the tourists we decided to go to a sanctuary. We arrived early and went for a ride about finding a station on the death railway with one of structures built around the cliff.

                           

 (Death railway bridge and track in the background)

After a look around we went back to the elephants. Dinner was served and after us it was time to feed the elephants. We saw our first poisonous snake which the staff were quick to move the elephants away. After a quick safety briefing we left for a walk in the jungle elephants all around us. The elephants are free no chains or fences but they choose to stay around the camp and jungle. We ended up at a mud pit and the elephants like to roll around in it but a monsoon shower had started, warm heavy rain. Strangely the elephants didn't want to go in the mud during the rain????

After about 30 mins we walked to the river, now soaking wet we had to run down a steep muddy bank to the river. It was during this Martin dropped his phone from his pocket (his all new fangle dangle phone). To our horror as we saw it and an elephant stepped over it then kicked it with his back foot into the mud pile. Thankfully it survived with a minor scratch and mud in all the ports.

After stashing our gear and hoping passports were not soaked through we got into the river with the elephants. we swam with them and washed them. They sat around enjoying the fuss and squirting water. Before we left they covered themselves in mud again. It was one of the most brilliant things I have ever done in my life. The river (River Kwai) was warm and fast flowing and the monsoon carried on for 30-40 minutes. we spent about an hour in the river. A walk back to the camp through the jungle with the elephants, I fell over and face planted the floor, flip flops and mud don't mix. The day ended with us feeding the elephants huge buckets of water melon.

Wednesday was bike return day, we left early and rode the 100km to Bangkok. However it took one hour longer than we thought as we had to find our way around the motorway and overpasses that don't allow motorcycles. Google offline mapping only allows for cars not motorcycle only mapping, we later found out online Google mapping does cater for motorcycle only mapping. We returned the bikes no issues and headed by taxi to the hotel. The rest of the day was relaxing, swimming in the pool and beer...oh and a massage.

Thursday, our last full day was a trip into central Bangkok, found ourselves in an unlicensed taxi which duped us outside the hotel. The driver was bonkers and clearly unstable...the most frighting part of the trip using the handbrake to stop. We spent some time at Asok station and the shopping mall, Terminal 21. We found an Aussie sports bar and spent a couple of hours watching Aussie rules football and taking advantage of the happy hours.

At 7pm we met Jack a friend of a friend (ex-pat) who had very kindly offered to show us around and answer our questions. Dinner was at a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms and was very good traditional Thai food. Following this a walk to Soi Cowboy, a gogo bar area. After walking around for a while watching we went into a bar for A drink. £18 for the round of 3 drinks but we saw the dancing girls in various states of dress and got perhaps a little more than we expected. We left after about 20-25 minutes. Home to the hotel. (Thanks Jack your a star)

Well Friday was our flight and the taxi turned up as expected and we arrived at the airport. All checked in and boarded on time. Apart from a little turbulence it was a good flight and landed at Heathrow where Martins family was waiting. I took the train home to Kent.

Afterthoughts:

Thailand is an amazing country it has so much to see and has excellent infrastructure. WIFI everywhere, good hotels. I loved the Honda CB300f, it was the perfect bike. I will travel Thailand again. Downside was the heat but going out of season meant empty cheap hotels and cheap flights.