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  1. #26
    Thailand Expat terry57's Avatar
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    I was on the Mae hong song loop a few weeks ago, my 4th time. 1 by bike and 3 by car.

    Dam stunning road but very Dangerous for the newbie. Those hair pin curves send many bike riders onto the wrong side of the road, they can't make it.

    Had one farang soil his pants when over shooting the curve and coming straight at me.

    Fuk, he was so lucky I was well over allowing for this exact scenario.

  2. #27
    cnx37
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    Terry, you are brilliant at everything.
    How do you do it?
    Baffles me.

  3. #28
    splendid and tremendous
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    Lovely stuff!

    Minds me of my erstwhile meanderings to the Cambodian border on the Wave.

  4. #29
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    Thanks for sharing some great pics a nice memories.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by chassamui View Post
    Thanks for sharing some great pics a nice memories.
    Welcome buddy. I really enjoyed my road trips in Thailand, but been there and done that, so it was time to move on.

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by rickschoppers View Post
    Nice. I will make it to Latin America at some point. For now, Thailand is my home and I do not see that changing, but one never knows. I would like to see Cosa Rica, Belize and possibly Nicaragua. Maybe even Panama.

    How do you find Guatemala so far?
    I really like it here; the weather here in Panajachel is near perfect, eternal spring time, around 20C during the day and 10ish at night.

    I would estimate that the cost of living is similar to Chiang Mai, a pretty good value for money. The people are friendly enough and greet me with a friendly 'Hola! or buenas dias!'

    I'm leaving for El Salvador soon, there is a beach town El Tunco, that I want to check out.

  7. #32
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    Keep us posted. I always like to hear about how things are in Mexico,Central and South America.

  8. #33
    Thailand Expat Jesus Jones's Avatar
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    Nice one. A friend and I are off to the 3 Pagodas by bike tomorrow. This trip looks interesting.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by rickschoppers View Post
    Keep us posted. I always like to hear about how things are in Mexico,Central and South America.
    Will do.

    Personally, I have found that all locations have their pros and cons.

    Some data bases list Guatemala as a very dangerous place, around 38 murders per 100,000 population, compared with around 5 for Thailand.

    Location can greatly impact one's safety: the tourist area of Chiang Mai would be far safer than the slums of Klong Toey in Bangkok. Panajachel's economy is based on tourists, so the authorities keep it safe.

    I've talked with several guys that ride motorcycles and they say they have never been robbed or hassled- but they all rode during the day.

    I've talked to expats that proclaim Guatemala is paradise; a few have said the locals hate us and its a shit hole (So why do they remain?)

    Guys that were happy at home are usually happy abroad.

    And the reverse is also true

  10. #35
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    No Where For Very Long...

    Departed on the chicken bus from Panajachel to Cocales, then pushed on to Esquintela and stayed the night. Cost me about $9 US from Panajachel, to the 'Frontera" of Guatemala- El Salvador.

    Crossed into El Salvador, no problema, they didn't even stamp me in, because El Salvador is part of the 'Central America Border Commission' or some thing like that.

    The Immigration official at El Salvador was interested in my Thai Retirement Visa transfer stamps and had his boss talk to me.

    Official: "Lance, how long will you stay in El Salvador?"

    Me "About one week"

    Official "OK!"

    Caught the chicken bus from the border; it only cost $0.90 US (Yes El Salvador uses US currency, they even make change in US coins) it was so cheap, I thought the journey would only last a few KMs.

    Wrong!

    Two hours later I found my self in Sonsanate, a largish city and FAR from my intended destination, The beach at El Tunco.

    I talke to some people and boarded another chicken bust to El Tunco, this one cost me $1.50.

    Arrived at the beach about three hours later and got a room



    El Tunco is a surfer's beach and yeah there was plenty of eye candy around.

    After four days it was time to move on.

    Destination, Leon Nicaragua...
    Last edited by Lancelot; 17-03-2015 at 04:49 AM.

  11. #36
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    I am planning a trip from Pattaya to Chang Mai and do the infamous loop up there. Taking about 4-5 weeks to do it. Don't fancy an electronic map. What did you use? Any info much appreciated.

  12. #37
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    Brilliant stuff, keep up this thread!

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by pgt99 View Post
    I am planning a trip from Pattaya to Chang Mai and do the infamous loop up there. Taking about 4-5 weeks to do it. Don't fancy an electronic map. What did you use? Any info much appreciated.
    I did the loop several times, once on a Honda Wave 110 CZi, once on a Honda CBR 150 and once on a CBR250.

    I even rode the Wave to Chiang Mai twice, once from BKK and once from Pattaya

    I use both a paper map (can't always get a GPRS signal) and Google Maps on my cell phone.

    The Mae Sariang loop is pretty straight forward, so go for it, you will be fine.
    Last edited by Lancelot; 06-04-2015 at 04:44 AM.

  14. #39
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    Rode in a mini van from El Tunco, El Salvador to Leon, Nicaragua. It was a 10 hour trip, but the folks in the van were cool, so time passed quickly. We entered and exited Honduras; it was dry and reminded me of California. I saw several guys ridding horses and many people were on bicycles.

    My Spanish ain't great but at a couple of the ubiquitous Honduras police checks the cop said "Tell the gringos to give me $1 dollar each." The driver, laughed, like it was a joke, handed the cop a can of Coke and drove on.

    Very poor country...

    Relaxing at a Leon pension with a well deserved beer. The pony (window) was pulling a wagon loaded with cuttings from the pension's court yard garden.

    Last edited by Lancelot; 06-04-2015 at 04:36 AM.

  15. #40
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    ^ A well earned beer, looking forward to more pics.

  16. #41
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    ^ Thanks

    At the Honduras- Nicaragua border crossing I heard some one say "Hey Lance!" It was a guy from my El Tunco hotel that was ridding from New Hampshire to South America- and he hooked up with some International riders that had been on the road for as long as five years!

    I talked with a friendly Kiwi rider and he was having a blast. He was sixty some thing, but was touring like a 20 something.

    After three days in Leon, I caught a chicken bus to Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua...


  17. #42
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    After seven months on the road my last stop was Paraguay. I liked it there, the wide boulevards, the side walk burger stands, laid back people. But it was August and I was freezing my keister off. Nice during the day but too cool for old Lance at night; most of the pensions and hostels had no heat.

    Then I checked my frequent flyer account...

    Yeah, I had enough miles for first/business to the Philippines, there was space available, so I sky'd up

    More bike trips in the Philippines, some pork adobo and sweet honey kos

  18. #43
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    I decided to start riding again, so I bought a used Rouser Bajaj 180. I rode her from Angeles City to Bontoc and the rice fields of Banaue. Fun ride on the Halsema Highway, supposedly one of the 10 most dangerous roads in the world.


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    Last edited by Lancelot; 22-03-2017 at 06:05 PM.

  19. #44
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    Photobucket is so slowwwww. Grrrrr!

    I stayed at a Filipino run hotel near Bontoc. The friendly owner told me that the locals organized themselves and blocked the Philippines police that were escorting illegally logged timber form the mountain province. The Filipinos know their country is fucked up, but they rarely rise up like that.

    The hotel had one suite with a fireplace; it can get a bit nippy in December and January

  20. #45
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    Great post, good advice rickschoppers, I just bought a Yamaha 150 RZZ in the Philippines as the driving is the same. My second bike in the PI, the Rouser was just too small for me. I wish that they sold that Yamaha here, cost me 57,000p new out the door. Big bikes are not suited for these road hazards, I ride with my brakes covered. Nothing like a stray dog to shoot out in front of you, or that pile of Carabo on your line in a hairpin to wake you up!

    On my way up North Thailand in a couple of days to put some asphalt under me. Cheers

  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by BONGOMAN View Post
    Great post, good advice rickschoppers, I just bought a Yamaha 150 RZZ in the Philippines as the driving is the same. My second bike in the PI, the Rouser was just too small for me. I wish that they sold that Yamaha here, cost me 57,000p new out the door. Big bikes are not suited for these road hazards, I ride with my brakes covered. Nothing like a stray dog to shoot out in front of you, or that pile of Carabo on your line in a hairpin to wake you up!
    Bajaj makes several Rousers, the little 135 up to the 220. But yeah, IMHO Yamaha has better build/assembly quality. Bajaj is an Indian bike, assembled in The Philippines by Kawasaki (or so the sticker says.)

    My 2014 Rouser 180 sold new for P68,100 in late 2015. I bought her second hand, only 1,500 kms, for a nice discount.

  22. #47
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    I've ridden most of the Bataan Death March. What those poor bastards endured...

    Sorry for the poor quality pic. The march began at both Bagac and Marileves, then combined at Orion

    Last edited by Lancelot; 05-04-2017 at 12:50 PM.

  23. #48
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    This is the first marker at the Bagac segment (of the march)


  24. #49
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    Time out for a cold one


  25. #50
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    Banaue Rice Terraces, Northern Luzon


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