The Grand Adventure

A bike trip with no end Read more

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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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To the ferry we go
August 19, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
Another late morning for some reason. Continue our northward journey along the “Thailand Riviera”. Very nice quiet road along the water. One bit of amusement - it is common to “employ” monkeys to help with coconut and palm kernel picking. We see them hanging ion to the trucks coming and going from work sites. Cross a sketchy bridge and deal with a few rain drops but not too bad. Pass a number of temples and a very large Buddha before finding the ferry dock. Quick dinner before boarding our night ferry. Each get a bunk.Read more
Hannah Boe Omg cuuuute
8/21/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Koh Tao
August 20, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
A smooth, yet noisy crossing. Dock at 3:00 am but can stay on the boat and sleep. Finally disembark at 6:00 and find an
open coffee shop. Very short ride to the south side of the island and try to check in. Too early so go hang on the beach
for awhile. After checking in, walk to the next bay over - shark bay - and do a bit of snorkeling. Relax on a quieter beach before returning to our bungalow. Nice dinner up on the hillside.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A coastal hike
August 21, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Sleep in and awake to overcast skies and rain. Make our way to our breakfast buffet. Afterwards ponder our options over cappuccinos by the sea. Decide to hike along the coast. A bit rough at times but very pretty. Stop and snorkel a bit on quiet little beach. Enter busy port town, get gelato and high speed ferry tickets for our return journey. Walk back along busy road (lots of motor bikes). Out for ok pizza dinner.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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A snorkel adventure
August 22, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 28 °C
Cloudy skies and windy conditions has us dithering all morning about whether to go on a snorkel cruise around the island (we seem to be dithering a lot lately). Opt to go. Picked up and taken to the other side of the island and the boat. Short trip to first stop - a lovely little island off our island. Though crowded, manage to snorkel away from others. Great coral formations and big fish. Back in the boat for lunch Stop at two more snorkel locals (both quite nice) and then the skies open up. Tad bit chilly as we head off into the wind and waves. Opt to sit out the next two stops as too cold to go in. Battle rough seas back to dock and return to our bungalow. Out for Spanish tapas and gelato.Read more
Hannah Boe Reminds me of the glacial granite formations in Lolo, MT
8/24/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Goodbye Koh Tao
August 23, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
A lovely sunny morning. Walk back to shark bay and get a nice bit of snorkeling in. Just love the big coral gardens. Pack up and hang at the beach before riding back to the pier to catch our ferry. Much quicker ride back to the mainland; though a late departure didn’t leave us with much daylight to ride very far. End up right across from the night ferry port Eat at same restaurant as when we leftRead more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Back to Thailand Riviera
August 24, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
Early start but stop almost immediately for coffee. Day is overcast and quiet as we take small roads to return to the coast. Find ourselves on the Thailand Riviera again - apparently a project to create a 900 km route from south west coast up to Bangkok. Loose it a few times on our ride but stay on fine roads anyway. Stumble upon huge sleeping Buddha! Rain comes and goes but light and keeps us cool. Make it to tiny seaside village of Bang Saiphon Noi. Nice bungalow by the sea. Quick dip before dinner.Read more
Hannah Boe Wow those are incredible
8/25/25Reply
Traveler Everywhere you go is not like anything I’ve imagined. I love looking at these pictures. Makes me feel like I’m seeing the world too.
8/26/25Reply
Helene RimbergGlad you are along for the ride
8/26/25Reply
Traveler I also love seeing the pictures and reading about your journey. This picture and caption makes me think - there’s more than 2 of you at that cafe in the middle of nowhere who are living your dreams. Good for all of you!!
8/31/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Continuing along the coastline
August 25, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
Continue our journey northward. Sun is out for a bit which is a nice change. Get stopped on the road by the police; all of whom take out their phones to video us. Ride a bit to get breakfast and coffee. But do find one of our favorite “rest areas”. They have bathrooms, coffee shop and at least one store - all of which is quite handy. Continue on and make our way to giant golden Buddha looking out to sea. So ornate. Clouds roll in. Stay on small roads until very end. Stop at small village outside of Prachua Khiri Khan. Water is a bit rough and too late for a swim. Nice dinner at nearby resort.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Another tiny coastal village
August 26, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
Day started with a flat tire. Fortunately hadn’t left hotel. Late start but short day planned. Arrive quickly into the largish town of Prachuap Kiri Khan. A few stops to pick up some needed items. Find myself in the Thail version of Costco. Not quite what you need on a bike. Head along the coast in the drizzle. Arrive at our chosen destination and find a nice little hotel. Check out local beach and then local seafood restaurant. Back to no English on menus but we did fine.Read more
TravelerThailand made the news here due to the heavy rain and flooding, so naturally I thought of you, but realize big country and hope you’re in a very safe part. These pics are beautiful. Love seeing them. A part of the world I’ll never see-in this life, for sure.
8/28/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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From quiet beauty to chaos
August 27, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
Another late start as tire needs to be fixed again. Short ride to Khao Sam Roi Yot National
Park. Stop at the headquarters and notice very aggressive monkeys that the workers fight off with sling shots. Do a little walk amongst mangroves and monkeys. Stop to investigate Porcupine Cave. As seems to be the norm, round a corner and see a temple and golden Buddha. Detour to Phraya Nakhon cave. Steep walk up to amazing caverns, with skylights and a temple in the middle. Push on along through quiet resort villages before arriving in the chaotic resort city of Hua Hin. Check in, do some laundry and cringe at all the white people on holiday in the western bars. Are we still in Thailand?Read more
Hannah Boe They stalagmeet
8/29/25Reply
Traveler🤣
8/29/25Reply
Helene Rimberg 🤣
8/29/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Goodbye Gulf of Thailand
August 28, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Made our way out of Hua Hin and road a quiet road near the coast (couldn’t see the water but could see high rise resorts). Finally stopped at quiet beach and had final swim in the warm water. Began our journey inland as rain began to fall. Did find ourselves on a proper cycle lane for about 10 miles. Very flat riding and managed to stay pretty dry as entered big town of Phetchaburi . Found our nice room by the river. Walked amongst one of the large temples before having a very good dinner.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Rice fields and dogs
August 29, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
Take care of a few errands before leaving. Ratchaburi and the train is our destination. Very flat riding, thankfully, as it’s very hot. Rice fields and marshes dominate the landscape. Side roads are great but full of dogs who seem particularly aggressive. They generally go away after you yell at them. But still …. Stop for a smoothie and finish our ride. Ensure we can take our bikes to Bangkok and find a hotel. Check out Ratchaburi at night.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Onto Bangkok
August 30, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
Early morning rise to catch the 8:25 train. Manage to figure out what we need and where we wait. Cost - $4 each (with bikes). Train is late. Ultimately have to take packs off to get them through narrow door (though mine gets shoved through the window). Sit up front with them. Luxurious it isn’t but we quickly get to Bangkok. Opt to ride to get closer to main city. Not too bad or unsafe. Await check-in. Meander out with no real destination. Fortunately there are interesting sights everywhere. Get 6 miles in. Meet our new Italian friend Stefano for dinner (met on the way to Koh Tao).Read more
Hannah Boe Oh my orchids 🤯
9/3/25Reply
Helene Rimberg They are everywhere. Even garnishes for drinks
9/3/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Wat Saket and National Museum
August 31, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 30 °C
Wake up quite late thus adjust plans accordingly. Breakfast first (pancakes!) and then walk along canal to Wat Saket - a temple built into a hill. Quite impressive and a nice city view at the top. From there go to
National Museum. Get a nice overview of prehistoric and ancient times and the lives of the royalty. Rain comes down in buckets while inside. Back to hotel and out for ok dinner.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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The Grand Palace & Wat Phra
September 1, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
Although our intent was to get to the Grand Palace by 8:30, that didn’t quite happen. Thus the day was already hot and crowds had arrived by the time we got there. Entered the palace grounds and quickly became dazzled by the beauty. Waited for a tour to try and learn along the way. Though the King now lives elsewhere, the palace buildings are used mostly for ceremonies, housing royal ashes and to house the “Emerald Buddha”. I really have never seen anything so lavish and immense. Afterwards walked to see reclining Buddha in Wat Phra - another huge and ornate complex. Did a bit more meandering afterwards and then back to hotel to cool down and rest. Took a break from Thai with Israeli food for dinner.Read more
Hannah Boe Woah 🤯
9/3/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Wat Phra (part 2)
September 1, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
Couldn’t restrain myself. So many pictures.
TravelerNow you have me looking up wat phra.
9/2/25Reply
Helene RimbergIt’s the temple complex that houses the reclining Buddha. I forgot to mention in the other post, it also is a center for traditional medicine and massage.
9/2/25Reply
Hannah Boe What a beautiful spot for a cat nap
9/3/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A few more Buddhas & river cruising
September 2, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Our last day in Bangkok. Stop first at Wat I - home of a very large standing Buddha. Able to climb up almost to the top for a nice view. Walk to the river and board the hop on hop off ferry and travel down to Chinatown. Make out way to Wat Trai Mit - home of the golden Buddha. First learn more about Chinese history in Thailand and history of golden Buddha. It weighs 5.5 tons! Made of gold! Incredible. Wander amongst street art before boarding ferry and crossing over to huge mall with lovely deck. End up watching it get dark from there (facing wrong way for sunset). Back on the ferry for evening lights.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Goodbye Bangkok
September 3, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌩️ 32 °C
Pack up and ride north through the somewhat chaotic traffic. It is certainly not as bad as I had expected but still took a lot of concentration and caution. The urban sprawl continued for what felt like forever. Followed the canal and eventually traffic lessened. Very hot day! Hop on to our first ferry - no problem. Second ferry doesn’t really seem to exist. Backtrack and go over very chaotic bridge. Quickly find our hotel. Dinner, gelato and a walk through the night market.Read more
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Ayutthaya
September 4, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
A day exploring the ruins. Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand in olden times. It was plundered by Burmese. Bangkok became the new capital. Wandered around the various sites. Seemed a bit different than the temples we had been exploring in Bangkok.Read more
Traveler Can you get a ride on an elephant?
9/4/25Reply
Helene RimbergSuppose so. Not sure these ones are happy with the job. Saw them all penned up
9/5/25Reply
Traveler Very cool. It looks a lot like Angar Wat in Cambodia. Maybe a future trip - so you can compare the Wats :-)
9/7/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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When it rains ….
September 5, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Yes, it pours. We seem to be experiencing the rainy season. Though we remain dry most of the time, rain seems to be unleashed later in the day. This is what happened today and we sought shelter very close to our final destination. Fortunately they have alot of shelters along the road. Nice “villa” with a pool though didn’t utilize it. Nice, unique dinnerRead more
Traveler Don’t know how you do it. Admire your strength.
9/7/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Travel mode
September 6, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C
These are the days we put our head down and just ride. We are keeping the distance manageable yet getting delayed by rain during the day. Today it started with sun but clouded up pretty quickly. It is a nice break from the hot sun. Made it to our planned destination. Cheap lodging and grabbed some food from across the highway.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Banphot Phisai
September 7, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌩️ 30 °C
Most of the morning spent riding amidst the drizzle. Roads are full of puddles and the river is swollen and moving fast. Ride along nice quiet roads amongst the rice paddies and bananas. Find a cheap hotel. We are making good progress.Read more
Traveler To catch all that rain!
9/8/25Reply
Helene Rimberg That’s what Doug thought
9/9/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A day amongst wet rice fields
September 8, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 30 °C
Another mixed day weather wise. Ride amongst rice, corn and sugar cane. All is pretty flooded though not sure if that is the norm for this time of year or excessive. End point chosen as there are hotels. Chose one and check-in. Apparently we could have only paid for a few hours (hence condom amongst the soap and glasses). Not many dinner options but put it together with a food stand and 7-eleven.Read more
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Sukhothai
September 9, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
Nice tailwind as we pedal north (can’t remember last time we went in one direction for so long). Lots of puddles on the roads and the dirt road is a tad bit muddy. Skies in front of us are quite dark and the mountains to our left are covered in clouds. Push on to beat the rain. Almost. Last mile the skies open. Arrive at our lovely resort which is mostly empty. Check-in, relax and even go in the pool. Nice dinner nearby.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Ruins of Sukhothai
September 10, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 30 °C
Day off to explore the even older capital city. Seems Sukhothai was at its peak in 12th/13th centuries. A lot of work has been done to restore the structures, especially the Buddhas. Rode our bikes around the old “walled” city. Even a moat to protect from invaders. Huge complex with structures in varying degrees of decay. Very peaceful and well tended. Very few people. Nice day overall. Finished off with a swim. Deluge came trapping us in our bungalow. Fortunately we were able to have food delivered!Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Last push northward
September 11, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌩️ 29 °C
Pushing on through to Chang Mai. Generally nice quiet roads and dry conditions. Ran into another cyclist heading same way. Only 3rd we have seen in Thailand. Better views of the mountains today. Find a hotel and Doug goes looking for food. Very odd dinner in our bungalow.Read more
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