#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Thailands Travellers Tales >  >  My jaunt on a bicycle

## barrylad66

a few years ago i decided to cycle around north thailand.i didn't stop there,as i ended up cycling around laos, vietnam cambodia and the rest of thailand as well. i would like to share a few photos i too on the way :Smile: monk and monkey on early morning walkys!

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## barrylad66

think this should have been posted in the fish thread!

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66

i think i need to work out how to resize the photos :mid:

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## barrylad66

breakfast or brunch i'm not sure !

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## barrylad66



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## pseudolus

Shaping up to be a great thread. Can't green you for some reason - will have to share the love a bit first.

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## barrylad66



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## nigelandjan

Well done Bazza keep em coming mate green in the bin

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## barrylad66

> Shaping up to be a great thread. Can't green you for some reason - will have to share the love a bit first.


thanks anyway mate. just starting to get the hang of things here :Smile:

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## barrylad66

> Well done Bazza keep em coming mate green in the bin


a true gent me thinks !! all i had was reds last week :rofl:

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## barrylad66



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## piwanoi

Unbelievable Baz, :Smile: I stand in awe , as a small time cyclist myself I can well equate the pleasure you get out of it ,problem is as most a well aware due to the climate its quite easy to finish up a couch potato ,when only 40 minutes or so first thing  in the cool of the morning can bring so much benefit to ones self both mental and physical .

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## barrylad66

nnone of the photos are in sequence,but this will somewhere in cambodia

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## natalie8

So far, so great! You're a fantastic photographer catching the mood and atmosphere in every shot.

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## barrylad66

something's just dont translate to english.went for the larb

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66

oon the lash with a fella who thought i needed refreshments! a very dodgy ride back to the hotel

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## barrylad66

aafter a brief chat monk and monkey were on their way!

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## terry57

Nice stuff mate and I give it up for guys that ride there pushy those sort of distances.

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## barrylad66

aalong the mekong in north laos

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## Aberlour

Some lovely photos there mate. Thanks for sharing.

What did you have on the menu? I would have gone for the:

"Deep fried spicy headfish running in garden" myself.  :Smile:

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## barrylad66

yeh...always regreted not having that,but will post another amusing menu :Smile:

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## kingwilly

great photos thanks for posting. 

and you rode around on a deadly treadly ? well done.

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## barrylad66

old school blacksmith,just fire and bellows!

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## barrylad66

tthought i should post at least 1 pic myself and bike :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## kingwilly

great T-shirt

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## roamer

Great photos, enjoyed seeing them.

Thanks

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## barrylad66

next installment on the morrow, off on the lash now :mid:

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## billy the kid

well done youth
i did a similar trip except Cambodia,, i took in the 214 route
through Yunan, china,
from Boten, laos.
there you will find a few 2 hr. downhills.
But first, you gotta ride up,   :Smile: 
great pics btw.

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## nigelandjan

> tthought i should post at least 1 pic myself and bike


You skinny little runt !  ( notice I am hiding behind my Macbook )   :mid: 

Na nice one mate brill pics loving it  :Smile: 

Have you got any ( or can you get some ) nice pics of old boats on the rivers somewhere ?  or any misty village pics with mountains in the back ground ?

I know its a long shot but I love to paint these scenes 

Enjoy your beer mate !

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## Loombucket

Great photos barrylad66, more please. Green sent.

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## Dead Metal

Fantastic......

how long was you gone for ?

how many tyres did you go through ?

looking forward to the next instalment

big green'y 4 u

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## barrylad66

> Originally Posted by barrylad66
> 
> tthought i should post at least 1 pic myself and bike
> 
> 
> You skinny little runt !  ( notice I am hiding behind my Macbook )  
> 
> Na nice one mate brill pics loving it 
> 
> ...


I should have some pics like that mate...and your right about skinny runt,i was down to about 58 kgs at one point, eating became a chore at times what with the heat and churning out the miles,just necking down redbulls and m150's and shit like that!

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## barrylad66

> Fantastic......
> 
> how long was you gone for ?
> 
> how many tyres did you go through ?
> 
> looking forward to the next instalment
> 
> big green'y 4 u


it was around 7 months
2 sets of top end tryes ( shwalbe ) mainly the rear tyres due to the weight
just under 9000 km's 

ade

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## barrylad66

> well done youth
> i did a similar trip except Cambodia,, i took in the 214 route
> through Yunan, china,
> from Boten, laos.
> there you will find a few 2 hr. downhills.
> But first, you gotta ride up,  
> great pics btw.


sounds great would also like to see some pic :Smile:  havn't been through china yet,just skirted around the border at boten. i loved north laos,very tough climbing but as you say gotta go up to come down...

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66



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## ossierob

good pics of obviously some great memories you will have from that trip..I envy you...that shot of the blacksmith with the bellows reminded me of my Pop who was also a blacksmith.  Tell me, was safety a problem....did you feel safe and secure riding around those countries?

Thanks for the story and pics

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## Yemen

Great trip and thanks for sharing. We old guys envy you.

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## wikipedia

Thanks Barry, i am jealous!
How did you deal with packs of aggressive dogs? They really put me off cycling in Thailand.

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## bobforest

Barry

Thanks for the great photos.

Lots of questions!!!! Did you carry your supplies (water, food, etc) or did you pick stuff on the way? Where did you stay? Did you plan your route or just follow your nose? Any worries about travelling on narrow roads with other traffice (trucks, etc). Any sickness? Great thread.

bobforest

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## terry57

> Your right about skinny runt, i was down to about 58 kgs at one point.




Let me guess ?  You felt fantastic but your friends where worried about your Appearance. ? 

I back packed through India and trekked in Nepal for 9 months. Left home around 74 Kg and came home around 62 KG.

I felt brilliant but when I put the weight back on I felt like shit.  Friends where happy though.   :Confused:  

Regards you cranking out 9 K on your push bike you are one hard core dude.

Respect to you mate.

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## nigelandjan

Barry what camera are you using mate ? is it a Panny ?  superb looking pics , the digital age has certainly brought with it the opportunity for great threads like this one

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## barrylad66

nig mate believe it or not most of the pics were taken with a 5x zoom point and shoot.lost my first camera and bought another point and shoot jobby on the way :Smile:  i would just hang around until i thought the pic would come out o.k

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## barrylad66

> Originally Posted by barrylad66
> 
> 
> 
>  Your right about skinny runt, i was down to about 58 kgs at one point.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


damn right mate,might have been a skinny looking fooker but had never been so fit.some days i was pushing up to 200kms,especially in cambodia were it was pretty flat.my record there was about 260 kms from shukanaville to phnom phen in one day with a tail wind,but that was a one off for visa reasons....

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## alwarner

Top thread, thanks for sharing.

Green incoming.

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## barrylad66

this was with a better 18 xzoom

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## Dead Metal

Great thread, would be nice to read about your trip, highs and lows etc;. The times when you were shating yerself other times that made you cry with laughing .. your leg muscles must have ached for the first part of the journey, gone through the pain barrier and so on.....i just like to know

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## billy the kid

only have the memories, never carried a camera.
northern laos, north of pongsali, 
yes great up there
had 2 checkpoints into china which were only for laos and chinese folk
dodged one laos checkpoint and rode into china but only got about 10 kms.
when i was greeted by about 6 china guards running up the road toward me
tried to give em some bs about my damaged knee and needed a doctor but they wouldn't have it and got escorted back to the laos checkpoint  :Smile: 
only one way in and that was to go down to Boten.

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## Jofrey

I'd like to do something similar in the future. 

Thanks for sharing.

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## billy the kid

the beauty of the bike is that, it is all your own energy that gets you to wherever you wanna go.
but you will need to go through all the pain barriers.

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## terry57

^

And the pain ain't just physical but its mental as well.

To carry on when the body is hurting and the road is long takes a huge amount of mental strength hence why only the few can complete a 9k road trip. 

A staggering feat in my eyes.

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## barrylad66

> Thanks Barry, i am jealous!
> How did you deal with packs of aggressive dogs? They really put me off cycling in Thailand.


dogs = twats!  especially in thailand,though not so much in other countrys (funny that) :mid:

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## barrylad66

> Great trip and thanks for sharing. We old guys envy you.


  I'm no spring chicken myself,i was 45 when i started that trip although i had done a few extreme day rides before that. 2 weeks before i came over for that trip,myself and some friends rode from holyhead to cardiff in wales (the length of wales) in one day and it was 360 ish kms and took us 13 hours :cmn:

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## barrylad66

> good pics of obviously some great memories you will have from that trip..I envy you...that shot of the blacksmith with the bellows reminded me of my Pop who was also a blacksmith.  Tell me, was safety a problem....did you feel safe and secure riding around those countries?
> 
> Thanks for the story and pics


i watched the blacksmith for quite a while and was in awe how he was knocking out knives and farming implements,quite a sight.tbh never once felt threatened by anyone,locals in many places were just amazed to see this crazy falang on a bicycle!

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## barrylad66

> only have the memories, never carried a camera.
> northern laos, north of pongsali, 
> yes great up there
> had 2 checkpoints into china which were only for laos and chinese folk
> dodged one laos checkpoint and rode into china but only got about 10 kms.
> when i was greeted by about 6 china guards running up the road toward me
> tried to give em some bs about my damaged knee and needed a doctor but they wouldn't have it and got escorted back to the laos checkpoint 
> only one way in and that was to go down to Boten.


sounds fun :Smile:  the only time i ran into a situation with gaurds was when i used my gps in udomxai, and it diected me through some goverment/military complex and i was greeted by some rather excited guards shouting and pointing guns.i just done the smiley thing turned around and got the fck out of there..!

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## barrylad66

i come across this little beauty cycling from chai nat to lopburi.before this photo was taken i had been a local hospital after having my leg munched on by a mangy mutt at a restaurant i had stopped at.the little cvnt had sunk his teeth to the bone on my shin.after much yelling and swearing,i noticed an ambulance pulling up that the owner had called.i was swiftly put into the back(bike too) and taken to the hospital.2 hours and a rabies jab later i was back on my way.fair play to the owner of the restaurant,when i went to settle the bill she had already taken care of it!!  and yes, i got FOOKING SOAKED!

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## barrylad66

[quote=bobforest;2459706]Barry

Thanks for the great photos.

Lots of questions!!!! Did you carry your supplies (water, food, etc) or did you pick stuff on the way? Where did you stay? Did you plan your route or just follow your nose? Any worries about travelling on narrow roads with other traffice (trucks, etc). Any sickness? Great thread.
always carried water and snacks(just in case).had a vague idea where i was going but it changed all the time.stayed in many places from resort type places,hotels,guesthouses,rice barns,shop floors,bus stops and camped a few times.the last examples were always in the very rural places where there was no choice but to rough it (character building my old dad would say)  :UK:

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## barrylad66



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## robbo

great thread, well done!!!

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## barrylad66

this was on the way to vang vieng a great down hill run...

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## barrylad66

a couple more sunsets down at the islands in south laos...

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## barrylad66

this was in vietnam somewhere.they were grinding coffee the traditional way,and the aroma was incredible.   took this photo after trudging across a few fields

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## barrylad66

sorry if the descriptions leave a lot to be desired,i'm just a humble plasterer definitely no wordsmith :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  would like to think the photos speak for themselves.

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## nigelandjan

Its great Bazza dont wory bout the commentary mate ,, keep em comin if you have any more , I,m lovin it !

Been nickin a few of your pics along the way for future ref  :Smile:

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## barrylad66

no probs mate,glad to share them  :Smile:  .bringing back wonderful memory's.

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## Norton

> photos speak for themselves.


Picture worth a thousand words. 

Well done.

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66

this was taken on an early new years morning up doi ankharn  :Smile:

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## SEA Traveler

> 


beautiful.  no captions necessary.

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## SEA Traveler

> tthought i should post at least 1 pic myself and bike



traveling alone?

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## SEA Traveler

> the beauty of the bike is that, it is all your own energy that gets you to wherever you wanna go.
> but you will need to go through all the pain barriers.



the bicycle also seems to make a celebrity of the rider of the bicycle as well as make them the center of attention.

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## SEA Traveler

Very well done Barry66.  As a cyclist myself, although only day trips, I know that you thoroughly enjoyed yourself.  I'd like giving that ride tour a go myself even though I am an old fart....  :-)  Cheers.

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## barrylad66

> Originally Posted by barrylad66
> 
> 
> tthought i should post at least 1 pic myself and bike
> 
> 
> 
> traveling alone?


yep..camera on timer :Smile:

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## barrylad66

if i knew i would be camping,i would always grab something at the market.didn't get much better :Smile:  got some great kebab shots somewhere..!

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## barrylad66

> if i knew i would be camping,i would always grab something at the market.didn't get much better got some great kebab shots somewhere..!

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## barrylad66

a few photos from vin long down in the mekong delta vietnam.i spent a few days with a few great familys.they had never talked to a westerner let alone invite them to eat and drink with them.great memorys...

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## terry57

> Sorry if the descriptions leave a lot to be desired.




Don't worry about that as its always good to add the commentary so we know where you are and whats it about. 

I always do it, makes all the difference.  Keep the story running. 

Doing a great job with this.  Thanks very much.

A very unique thread indeed.

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## barrylad66

spider anyone?

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## terry57

I also was adopted by a family when I was traveling Solo in North Thailand.

To experience that hospitality from people that don't know you from Jack shit is quite humbling and humanizing.

I never have forgotten that family.

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## barrylad66

> spider anyone?


 this was near siam reap.tasted like pork!!

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## Aberlour

The photo of the fish on the open fire, is one of the best I've seen for a while, love it.

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## barrylad66

> I also was adopted by a family when I was traveling Solo in North Thailand.
> 
> To experience that hospitality from people that don't know you from Jack shit is quite humbling and humanizing.
> 
> I never have forgotten that family.


totally agree.they would'nt let me go back to the hotel and i had to stay the night with them.they then arranged for a boat to take me back the mainland next morning.(with an almighty hangover and a daunting cycle ahead)

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## barrylad66

> The photo of the fish on the open fire, is one of the best I've seen for a while, love it.


nothing like food on an open fire and then watch the sunset.will post the kebab pic when i can resize it.dont hold your breath though as ive only recently learned how to post photos :Smile:

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## billy the kid

was setting up camp after a hard days ride in the north of laos
and as darkness fell a guy appeared from nowhere
and said that it was too dangerous to do what i was doing,, many bad people about.
and to pack up and follow him back to his place.
i said no, i'll be alright. a few times.
next thing i know he's pointing a GUN at me and sayin ,you must come with me.
turns out he's a great guy with my safety as his concern.
spent the night at his place with his family,, who fed me and gave me a bed.
relieved that my bike was still there in the morning and continued my journey.

my main diet in laos was beer lao, weed, opium for a damaged knee and whatever grub i could find that wouldn't poison me,    :Smile: 
water was too heavy to carry.
had to make room for the million kip i was carrying.   in yr. 2001.

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## Aberlour

^ Jesus, when the good guys are putting guns in your face, you know you're on an adventure.  :Smile:

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## barrylad66

[quote=billy the kid;2461244]was setting up camp after a hard days ride in the north of laos
and as darkness fell a guy appeared from nowhere
and said that it was too dangerous to do what i was doing,, many bad people about.
and to pack up and follow him back to his place.
i said no, i'll be alright. a few times.
next thing i know he's pointing a GUN at me and sayin ,you must come with me.
turns out he's a great guy with my safety as his concern.
spent the night at his place with his family,, who fed me and gave me a bed.
relieved that my bike was still there in the morning and continued my journey.

my main diet in laos was beer lao, weed, opium for a damaged knee and whatever grub i could find that wouldn't poison me,    :Smile: 
amazing,the only problems with guns was as i mentioned earlier in udomxai fuck all compared to that. :Smile:

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## barrylad66

[quote=billy the kid;2461244]was setting up camp after a hard days ride in the north of laos
and as darkness fell a guy appeared from nowhere
and said that it was too dangerous to do what i was doing,, many bad people about.
and to pack up and follow him back to his place.
i said no, i'll be alright. a few times.
next thing i know he's pointing a GUN at me and sayin ,you must come with me.
turns out he's a great guy with my safety as his concern.
spent the night at his place with his family,, who fed me and gave me a bed.
relieved that my bike was still there in the morning and continued my journey.

my main diet in laos was beer lao, weed, opium for a damaged knee and whatever grub i could find that wouldn't poison me,    :Smile: 
amazing,the only problems with guns was as i mentioned earlier in udomxai fuck all compared to that.

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## barrylad66

> was setting up camp after a hard days ride in the north of laos
> and as darkness fell a guy appeared from nowhere
> and said that it was too dangerous to do what i was doing,, many bad people about.
> and to pack up and follow him back to his place.
> i said no, i'll be alright. a few times.
> next thing i know he's pointing a GUN at me and sayin ,you must come with me.
> turns out he's a great guy with my safety as his concern.
> spent the night at his place with his family,, who fed me and gave me a bed.
> relieved that my bike was still there in the morning and continued my journey.
> ...


fcking hell mate, makes my trip sound like a local sunday club run.although i can match 2 items on your diet  :Smile:

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## Dead Metal

You are the man. 
The photos just keep getting better. 
You have got some guts to up and go like that and "solo".
Not sure about the spiders though, but, when in rome...........

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## billy the kid

what, no beerlao,  :Smile: 

what amazed me was staying on the bike going up, no matter how tough the climb.
i carried a rucksack on the back of the bike, 15 kilos and on the way to Dali  i went over the 3,000 metres mark and always always the last 100 metres of a climb were the toughest.
At the top of most of these climbs were rooms where truck drivers  would sleep for about £1 a night. there were colourful ladies there also, if you still had energy. left    :Smile: 


note though to anyone thinking of doing the ride in china.
at the time i did it, i was told to 'avoid' telling the chinks when applying for the visa
that you will use a bicycle to travel.
those slanty eyes like to know where you are at all times.

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## storm1fishing

Thanks for a great thread and brilliant pictures , I am in awe.

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## terry57

^

yes I am as well.  To think the dude done 9K on his push bike makes my head spin.

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## barrylad66

thanks guy...some pics incoming :Smile:

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## barrylad66

a few more pics from around laos and cambodia

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## barrylad66

i love this pic of an old monk i was chatting with at a temple in cambodia

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66

catch of the day,bet por mair were chuffed :Smile:

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## jons557

Barry- your pics and adventure are too cool!  Very well done and thank you for sharing.  Do you speak the language(s), or do you get by w/ smiles and gestures?

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## Jools

Very good photos. Thanks for sharing.

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## barrylad66

^
I can get by using thai in laos,but apart from that i use the old" smile and hand gestures" as you mentioned

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## Aliveandwavy

Barry, so glad I came across these photographs, so inspiring and the bicycle thing just as important a wake-up call for me. Thank you, don't stop...

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## barrylad66

a couple of camping shots.a very tasty kebab and some some" polite" dogs who kept me company for the night :Smile:

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## barrylad66



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## Dead Metal

what a wonderful adventure.

Barry do you live in Thailand ? maybe thinking of it ?

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## dooley110

Great thread. Thanks for sharing. :bananaman:  :bananaman:

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## barrylad66

> what a wonderful adventure.
> 
> Barry do you live in Thailand ? maybe thinking of it ?


yes mate..i'm living in chiang mai at the moment, but maybe moving down to khon kean soon, the missus has too' parent sit' for a while !
glad you like the photos and will be uploading a few more soon :Smile:

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## Dacrondude

Really nice, thank you so much for sharing. As for riding around on a bike glad your still alive. I have done a bit of riding and I always feel like my life is going to end at any moment at the hands of some less than conscious driver. Good luck in the future.

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66

sorry,having a few problems resizing the photos :Confused:

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## naptownmike

Wow what a great trip and super pictures too.

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## barrylad66

this family lived under a bridge in can tho vietnam

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## barrylad66

lau kow distillery in laos :Smile:

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## barrylad66

another amusing menu..

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## barrylad66



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## barrylad66

a few more pics from new years day at doi ankharn

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## barrylad66



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## Warrior

Fantastic.
Thank you for sharing.

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## Looper

Nice pictures!

I actually opened the thread because I thought it said 'My Aunt on a Bicycle'.

I was wondering if she was hot!

Anyway nice thread.

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## Aberlour

> I actually opened the thread because I thought it said 'My Aunt on a Bicycle'.


 :rofl:  

Some more great shots Barrylad, Keep em coming mate.

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## barrylad66

> Nice pictures!
> 
> I actually opened the thread because I thought it said 'My Aunt on a Bicycle'.
> 
> I was wondering if she was hot!
> 
> Anyway nice thread.


 :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## barrylad66

> Really nice, thank you so much for sharing. As for riding around on a bike glad your still alive. I have done a bit of riding and I always feel like my life is going to end at any moment at the hands of some less than conscious driver. Good luck in the future.


i  have a 'special amulet' that my wife gave me  :Smile:

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## somtamslap

Bumped for being awesome.

Got any pics of the south, Barry?

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## terry57

^

Yes, inspiring stuff innit.

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## Breny

Suberb effort Barry. The photos are brilliant.  An excellent adventure.

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