Splitting Up
Now that Megan's robbed me of my chance for some sensationalism, I'll just have to go right into my entry.
I brought Megan to the Hualamphong Railway Station in downtown Bangkok Monday night and walked with her as she found her car and seat. After seeing the train and her compartment we were again impressed with this country. In India the overnight trains had 3 berths per section - a bottom, middle and top bunk - and you couldn't sit upright comfortably in any of them. In Thailand they have only 2 bunks to a section and they are wider and a lot more cushy.
When you've been traveling together for so long it's a lot more difficult to separate than you'd think. I felt like I was taking Megan to her first day of school and was saying things like "Oh look! There are other foreigners in this car - maybe you'll be friends!" This is obviously completely unnecessary because Megan's a strong, independent woman and was flying to Europe unaccompanied when she was like 3 years old.
I'm happy to hear that she's arrived safely in Chiang Mai and is off this morning for her cooking class (which I'm especially excited about because I'm hoping I'll directly benefit from what she learns). I'll be checking our travelogue just as much as everyone back home to see how her adventure unfolds.
Biking Bangkok to Chiang Rai
I've always wanted to do some long distance bike touring and now seemed like an ideal time to do it. The ride from Bangkok up to Chiang Rai (where Megan will be teaching) is about 900 kilometers. I've got 2 weeks to complete the ride before our Thai visas expire which should be more than enough time. I'm going to stop along the way at different cities to see the sites and learn more about Thai history and culture.
A few different web sites I've visited have said that cycling in Thailand can't be beat but I found one web site in particular with all sorts of detailed information - Biking Southeast Asia with Mr. Pumpy. I emailed the owner of the Mr. Pumpy web site with a few questions and mentioned that I was staying in Bangkok. It turned out that he's in Bangkok too so we decided to meet up for dinner. Megan, Andy and Kate and I went to his guesthouse on Sunday evening to pick him up. It's funny when you have an idea of what someone looks like before actually meeting them - it's similar to when I've heard a radio personality's voice but never seen a picture of them. For me, my mental picture has never synched with what they actually look like.
His name is Felix Hude and he's an animator and professor from Australia who's been in Bangkok for the past 3 months working on a book. He's leaving in a few weeks for Kathmandu, Nepal to start another bike journey that will take him from Iran all the way over to the south of France. It was great meeting Felix and hearing his cycling stories and advice about living in Thailand. If you're into cycling be sure to check out his entertaining Mr Felix's Cycling Asia Blog.
Originally I was going to start my ride early this morning (Wednesday) but because I spent yesterday running around buying last minute equipment and necessities I didn't have enough time to pack and plan the last minute details. So, I'll leave Thursday morning and ride 90 kilometers north to the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya. It's supposed to be a beautiful city and I'll do my best to keep the travelogue and photo gallery updated as I go.
One of the things I picked up yesterday that I'm totally excited about is a "Siam Hammock". It's a nylon hammock that has a built in mosquito net and I got the rain fly that has a built-in hood so it can be worn as a rain poncho. It promises that "In Siam Hammock, a little paradise on Earth..." How can you beat that?
Goodbye Andy and Kate
Andy and Kate are leaving this afternoon for the next leg of their journey which will take them to Vietnam and then they fly back to the States. It's been terrific spending time with them in Bangkok. Best of luck on the next part of your journey and I look forward to seeing when we're back in Massachusetts.
Thanks for the update Michael, any more pictures coming? (not to be pushy or anything). I'm stuffed from the cooking course, we ate everything we cooked: fried rice with prawns, spring rolls, papaya salad, fried bananas in a sesame batter and Chiang Mai noodles using our own red curry paste--yummy! I'm gonna do one more day tomorrow too. Tonight we're going to go chat with the Monks. Good luck starting out tomorrow morning Michael!
ok I was a bit shocked when I saw the number 900 but for us in the third world of measurement systems 900 kilometers = 559.2340 miles. Still a lot of pedaling but not that bad over 14 days – no wait 13 days or could be less cause mike needs like 5 days to pack.
Ok well I just looked at an other couples web site and realized how much I appreciate the time you guys spend on your updates, lets just say theirs are somewhat brief.
Good luck Mike and Megan on your solo adventures
Moose
I do *not* need 5 days to pack Moose. I'm getting better at it. Maybe 3 days will suffice. But I do have everything all packed and ready to go. I'm hitting the road at 5:30AM tomorrow. Got a 7am train to catch and I'm going to try to ride my bike to station through downtown Bangkok. We'll see how that goes.
Also viel Glück dann morgen früh beim Schlängeln durch den Verkehr, Michael!
Tolle Fotos vom Erawan NP - und die werden immer mehr...
Megan, willst nicht kurz nach Linz kommen und mir was kochen???
Bussi, Henni
Mike: Are you biking with a group? Or solo? Good luck with the ride. The D.C. gang is pulling for you.
Megan: You'll have to teach me to make some of those dishes when you get back to the states!
Even (gasp!) married couples need time to do their own things now and then. You are both strong independent people and I am certain you will have as many fun tales to share solo as you do when you're together. I continue to be amazed by and slightly envious of all the good will you are spreading throughout the world. Best to you both!
Well, I'm certainly disappointed with our whole group. We get a posting concerning something of historical significance and only one comment that doesn't count as far as Alexa and Megan are concerned: mine. But, some juicy tabloid news about our famous couple splitting up for two weeks? Why there's barely enough room for all of the letters to the editor! At least you have a clear picture of what your audience wants: SCANDAL!!! Love, Papa.
Thank goodness Megan posted first- Michael "splitting up" as the title?- seriously. The funny thing is I'm sure Meg specifically said, "just don't say 'splitting up' or anything like that." I love you two- it'll be funny to see your comments to each other! Meg- your hair gets cuter and cuter- how is that possible?! love, lexa
Hey guys, it was so nice to see those beautiful pictures of the falls. It really perked me up as I sit here with insomnia listening to John snore. We have a sick house going on right now...all four of us. The beautiful blue water looks so peaceful and pretty! Thanks for the escape!
arggg the Blue plaid button down shirt strikes again!!
Moose- you're hilarious! I didn't realize I had such competition in the making fun of Michael department...
Hey Megan and Mike,
What a great time we had with you. We were sad to leave your company. Mike I hope your first day of peddling goes great! So far Vietnam is great, very different than what I invisioned. Safe travels and see you soon.
Andy
Err... as the journalist in this group. I'd like to confirm that "SCANDAL" is in fact what drives journalism. Scandal, rumors, pictures of Hollywood stars in compromising positions sell papers. I even tried to print a rumor about myself once so I could go on to be offered a book deal, or better a talk show on Euro-radio :)
I'd also like to add that the book rights to Mike and Megan's adventure already have been purchased by me. I intend to make a major motion picture starring Omar Epps and Jennifer Connelly.