Moving up in the world

Use our credit card perks to stay in a fancy hotel for last nights. Pack up and ride a few miles to Melia hotel. Check in early and set up by the pool. Then the rain hits. Deluge for hours. Venture Czytaj więcej
Cooking on a farm

Easy morning and afternoon. Picked up by the cooking school van and drive first to a market and then out to the farm. Tour their garden, learning about the ingredients we will be using. We each get a Czytaj więcej
Hike up the Monks Trail

After the morning shower (seems to be the norm), caught a lift to the base of the Monks Trail heading for Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Trail was pretty busy up to the first temple. As we continue Czytaj więcej
Back to ruins

Head a bit south to a complex of ruins that were only recently discovered (1990s). Sites were sprinkled amongst peoples homes. A relaxing afternoon before out for dinner - best seafood that we’ve Czytaj więcej
More Chiang Mai meandering

Slow start (we are trying to relax a bit) but eventually head out. Find our way to a few more Wats and then exit out of the walled city towards the east. Stroll through very busy market, buying Czytaj więcej
Botanical Gardens

Quick breakfast at our hotel before mounting our bikes and heading out of town. Roads are quite congested and in need of repair. Eventually find a lovely protected bike path. Wind our way to Mae Czytaj więcej
A day of maintenance

My day is spent getting a physical and getting my bike tuned up. Doug gets a hair cut and a massage. Manage to see a Wat or two. Out for an excellent dinner - trying the local specialty of Khao Soi - Czytaj więcej
Chiang Mai walking tour

Slow start. Make our way to a bagel shop and have bagels and lox for brunch. Fueled up, we start our tour through Chiang Mai and the many Wats. Cover a few of the more than 120 before we are templed Czytaj więcej
Chiang Mai

Head back to town to check out sights. First up - cat cafe! Visit Wat Phra That Haripunchai where many people have come to pray. Try to stay out of the way and be inconspicuous (hard as only white Czytaj więcej
Lamphun

Another hilly day - but the morning is a nice warm up. Enjoy a muddy path before joining the highway. Unfortunately no other option to get to Chiang Mai. Last hill is long and hot and noisy with Czytaj więcej
Back to the hills

First order of business - up a rather big hill (at least relative to what we have been doing lately). Though it’s early it’s already hit which only adds to the fun. Cruise down the other side and Czytaj więcej
Last push northward

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 Czytaj więcej
Ruins of Sukhothai

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 Czytaj więcej
Sukhothai

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 Czytaj więcej
A day amongst wet rice fields

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 Czytaj więcej
Banphot Phisai

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 Czytaj więcej
Travel mode

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 Czytaj więcej
When it rains ….

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 Czytaj więcej
Ayutthaya

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 Czytaj więcej
Goodbye Bangkok

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 Czytaj więcej
A few more Buddhas & river cruising

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 Czytaj więcej
Wat Phra (part 2)

Couldn’t restrain myself. So many pictures.
The Grand Palace & Wat Phra

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 Czytaj więcej
Wat Saket and National Museum

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. Czytaj więcej
Onto Bangkok

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 Czytaj więcej