Walk in the Park

[jandajoy]

Good stuff, green sent. Fond memories of my old stomping grounds. We both enjoyed the pics.
Thanks.

[SEA Traveler]

Pleased that the pics were enjoyed and that they brought back good memories "jj". I'll be posting some more after this storm front moves on and I'm able to get back out on the bicycle.

[SEA Traveler]

Wednesday, 28 September 2011: Bike ride today kept me within 13 kilo from home so I figure I rode approximately 28 kilo. What made it interesting though was the fact that I rode a few new sub-sois that I had not ridden before. All zero (0) to extremely low volume traffic country roads. Just the way I like it.

The ride started off nicely from a picture taking perspective. I wasn’t 2 kilo from the house and I saw this guy husking a coconut. He seemed happy for me to be taking his picture.




Here is one of the new roads I traveled on today. Good surface and no traffic.




I saw this brick and mud furnace on a previous ride but was moving along to quickly and didn’t want to break up my cardio work out stretch but today it seemed appropriate to stop and take a picture. I am not sure but my guess is that they use the furnace to make charcoal.




In my attempts to adventure out and explore some of the previous unridden country sub-sois, I did run across these two gals smoking on their motorcycle. Some of the only traffic I saw on this particular road.




I stopped at one of the many local temples. Here is the bike I riding. Trek 850 is the model.




I ran across this freshly planted “tapioca” farm. The heavy rains from the night before gave it a good watering.

[nigelandjan]

Thanks for sharing again ST.. I have gone a funny colour sorry .

BTW can you give me an idea about the price of a decent bike out there what I can expect to pay roughly ?

I will be looking for an internal gear wheel bike if poss 3 or 5 speed . 23" frame

[SEA Traveler]

Thanks for sharing again ST.. I have gone a funny colour sorry .

BTW can you give me an idea about the price of a decent bike out there what I can expect to pay roughly ?

I will be looking for an internal gear wheel bike if poss 3 or 5 speed . 23" frame

Nigel,

I brought my mountain bike over with me from the States in the 20 foot container that I shipped over. Am not sure of the prices for a decent (as you say) bicycle. If your riding will consist of just riding up and down the street a few hundred meters than a single speed bicycle might work for you. If your planning on some casual riding on country roads as I have described in the thread, then I would recommend something more common (in Thai and most places these days) and a bicycle that has variable gears, visible/adjustable components, wide or semi-wide tires, and has some durability while still being lightweight. There are bicycle shops in the Pattaya/Chon Buri/Bangkok areas that carry the more familiar named bicycle brands and the prices vary on many factors. Not sure exactly what type of riding your planning on and have not been out to price bicycles here in Thailand. An acquaintance just bought a new mountain bike, with disk brakes, front forks that have shocks, high strength and light weight tubing, nice Jap components, and he paid in the neighborhood of 16,000 baht. Then again I did by my wife a bicycle a few years back. It was a single speed, had a basket on the front, and was functional for going up and down the soi to get a little exercise. That was purchased in Tesco for 3,000 baht or so but I'm thinking that that is not what you are looking for. It suited the wifey just fine though.

[nigelandjan]

^ Ah cheers mate thats given me an idea as to prices ,, yes I will be going for the 16.000 £300 price bracket .
Recently bought meself a Dawes gents 22" frame 5 speed sturmey archer geared bike , ironically from Cambodia , its a beaut you can see it in the hobbies thread

Cheers mate enjoy your wonderfull life out there !

[SEA Traveler]

I am still getting out on my bicycle almost every day, even with the threat of rain and the rain itself and have managed to stay dry so far. Trying out some new roads and adding a little distance to the rides but inevitably, to get to the new and distant roads, one must travel the closer to home tried and true and relatively safer roads. My rides always start off headed down the soi headed toward Phala beach and today’s ride was no different, that is where this first photo from today’s ride was taken. Actually it was just past the entrance to Eastern Star on the Western side.


I took this photo of the vendor on his motorcycle portable stand while still on the roll.




Same with these cow pedestrians on the sidewalk, I was still on the roll on my bicycle.




Even after turning off onto a sub-soi, the vendors on motorcycles were still frequently present. Again, I took this picture on the roll and as I got closer to the vendor and his customer, I received 2 big smiles recognizing my cycling efforts.




As you can see, on the roads I travel there is very little traffic. One of the reason I enjoy riding in this area and I am always looking for nice surfaced, low volume traffic roads that offer some scenic views.

Here are two guys resting by the roadside. As I approached and saw the bicycle there, I was half expecting one of the two to hop on the bicycle and join me in my quest. But it didn’t happen. I was rolling and was past them in the wink of an eye.




I couldn’t figure out what his next guy was doing. I thought he might have been untangling some fishing net but heck, he didn’t look like a fisherman and he wasn’t on the beach road so I really don’t know what he was doing with the fish net in his hands.




There are plenty of “dragon fruit” trees growing in the area and this farm had plenty of “dragon fruit” plants but they did not seem to be well taken care of. There were rotting “dragon fruits” on the plants that looked like they were drying up. Anyway, I figured it was worth a picture.




On the way home I passed this little coffee shop. I never stopped there but looked nice enough to stop by one day with a book to sit out and read so I just decided to take a rolling picture.




And this last picture also taken on the way home is of a little German restaurant and pub in the Ban Chang area. A Falong associated associated business with a mostly Western clientele.




About 30 kilo today as I saw the clouds moving in and wanted to get home before it started to rain.

[nigelandjan]

About 30 kilo today as I saw the clouds moving in and wanted to get home before it started to rain.

Thats a fair ol trip ST well done ! I only do 5k a day to and from work ,, but when I retire I wanna do so much more ,, where I live we have a hell of a lot of wind ( pehaps could have phrased that better ) but 5k into a 60mph wind is like 10k on a calm day

[SEA Traveler]

I was anxious to get out again today on the bicycle but other commitments restricted me from getting out earlier than 1200. So, I got a slightly late start and had the heat of the day but no worries, mild breeze and blue skies. As it turned out, today's ride was the longest I’ve taken since I started riding in Thailand. I know that to that avid rider, like I was 35 years ago, a routine good ride would be 100 to 125 kilo, but were talking about my riding these days and I’m working up to that century mark slowly but surely... so, I put on about 40 kilo of distance today. I took a few water breaks that proved to be somewhat refreshing and provided me with a second wind.

I’m only going to post 2 of the pictures I took on the ride in this thread. one of the places I stopped was the “Traditional Thai House” being built in Ban Chang down near the temple before you get to Phayun Beach so I’m posting those “Traditional Thai House” pictures in that on going thread that i started quite a while ago. If interested, I direct you to: https://teakdoor.com/building-in-thailand-famous-threads/80224-thai-style-house-build-ban-chang-4.html


I rode familiar roads out to Emerald Golf course and had a soda water there before I continued on. OK, here was a new rode I rode today. Great road. Flat smooth surface, very little traffic, plenty of road shoulder space, and lots of greenery. Another nice thing about this road is that there are lots of side country sois to explore and this I did to some degree saving some for the next trip out. This new road I traveled and is in the below picture is actually the road that runs from Sukhumvit Road (route #3) South towards Nam Rin Beach and Romson’s Seafood Restaurant.




When I reached Nam Rin Beach road (about 100 metes from the beach), I proceeded West toward Phayun and the “Traditional Thai House” to check out and report on the progress being made there. Here is the house exterior.




For more pictures of this house that were taken on today’s ride, I direct you to:https://teakdoor.com/building-in-thailand-famous-threads/80224-thai-style-house-build-ban-chang-4.html

[nigelandjan]

Hi ST thought you might like me to share a little clip of me cycling home from work ,, don,t think I will make you jealous 555 ,,, especially when you hear that wind howling into me ,, and yes that,s the North Sea and it,s as bloody cold as it looks ,, believe me I know I have swam in it enough. Underneath in low tide there is a beautifull no stone sandy beach

[Richem]

Nice pics ST, really enjoy the pics of everyday life. I hope to Make Rayong or Chanthaburi my home in the next 5-10 years and really appreciate you keeping me sort of up to date with local life around the area.

Cheers.

[SEA Traveler]

Hi ST thought you might like me to share a little clip of me cycling home from work ,, don,t think I will make you jealous 555 ,,, especially when you hear that wind howling into me ,, and yes that,s the North Sea and it,s as bloody cold as it looks ,, believe me I know I have swam in it enough. Underneath in low tide there is a beautifull no stone sandy beach

nice clip n&j. I especially like the little ringer on the handle bars. and what are the sheds to the right of the bike path? If it was a lake rather than a sea, I'd say that they were ice fishing huts/sheds but I know that isn't the case.

[SEA Traveler]

Nice pics ST, really enjoy the pics of everyday life. I hope to Make Rayong or Chanthaburi my home in the next 5-10 years and really appreciate you keeping me sort of up to date with local life around the area.

Cheers.

Have not been out and about recently but will be out later in the week and try to take some pictures. Last few times out I was moving along at a fair clip on the bicycle and just didn't see anything that I wanted to stop for and take a picture. Carry on mate.

[nigelandjan]

They are beach huts mate ,,, you can rent for the day ,, have a gas cooker can make a cup of tea , cook small lunch bbq etc .

The "sheds " as you call them 555! cost anything from £30.000 -- £ 70.000 depending on location ,, around $50.000 --- $130.000 in US .

We can rent for around £10 per day , but we dont because we only live 15mins walk from here ,, infact we were here last Saturday with TD member Natalie8 and her hubby ,, and a lovely day it was together to,, but I,ll let Natt tell you more about that , as I guess she will be doing a bit of a thread about her last trip to the UK soonish .

Nevertheless it makes for a lovely daily journey to work and back , can hardly be described as the commute from hell ,, believe me I have had a lot worse

[sunsetter]

bird trapping

[SEA Traveler]

They are beach huts mate ,,, you can rent for the day ,, have a gas cooker can make a cup of tea , cook small lunch bbq etc .

The "sheds " as you call them 555! cost anything from £30.000 -- £ 70.000 depending on location ,, around $50.000 --- $130.000 in US .

We can rent for around £10 per day , but we dont because we only live 15mins walk from here ,, infact we were here last Saturday with TD member Natalie8 and her hubby ,, and a lovely day it was together to,, but I,ll let Natt tell you more about that , as I guess she will be doing a bit of a thread about her last trip to the UK soonish .

Nevertheless it makes for a lovely daily journey to work and back , can hardly be described as the commute from hell ,, believe me I have had a lot worse

thanks for the insight provided n&j... I never would have guessed what those sheds were used for.

[SEA Traveler]

bird trapping

could be. catching pigeons for the dinner meal or maybe to sell as grilled chicken.

[SEA Traveler]

I've found some Expat bicycling buddies here in the local Ban Chang area and have found myself riding every Saturday with this group. They/we call themselves the “Ban Chang Rough Riders”. No, were not a gang and from what I've seen, no one has any tats but even if they did, no worries. Oh yea, there is one Thai that rides with us. Were all riding mountain bikes which allows for some off road riding as well.

A usual ride is between 30 - 50 kilo with a few hydrating stops along the way and if something looks interesting we stop and take a look at that as well. Although we sometimes ride once during the week, Saturdays are a regular outing.

I've taken a few photos while out on these rides and will post some that have a focus on the scenery and the roads we travel. Since I have some photos of today's ride I'll post them first.

12 May 2012: Since we headed South and East of Ban Chang last Saturday, we decided to head North and West today. Plutaluang Golf Course was our midpoint destination. As we ride mostly back and less traveled roads we serpentine our way and this keeps us closer to home while being able to get some miles in.

Todays photos were taken mostly on my way to the meeting point. I get in about 5 or 6 kilo even before the ride to get to the ride starting point.


It’s 0745 and the locals are out on the road. Many of them hungary and wanting breakfast. Here is a photo that is a common site, a woman cooking up some chicken on a skewer. Not bad as a breakfast with sticky rice but not today before the ride. I already had my cappuccino which was enough to get me started.





and here are the chicken skewers being served up by the smiling attendant.





Some Rambutan at 15 baht a kilo... that’s a bargain. I’ll have to go back there after the ride and pick some up.





We cyclists like our bananas but there was none to be had so the guava looked good and would probably provide some nutrition needed for along the way.






Here is one of the roads we traveled to get to the Plutaluang Golf Course.




The ride was quick today meaning that we rode pretty much straight through to the midway point where we rested and hydrated ourselves. There little time for photo taking today but more from past rides.

[OhOh]

Looks like a very relaxed day.

[nigelandjan]

Wonderfull isn't it ? I am so looking forward to my retirement ,, its no fun at all working now , just going through the motions ,

Today I worked 7 hours , got paid about 3 and all you get told is if you don't like it we will shake your hand and you can get on your way

[SEA Traveler]

Here are some photos from some recent past rides:

We transported our bikes and ourselves to Ban Pae by pickup truck. From Ban Pae we offloaded and headed East along the coast. We passed Had Ban Sang. I’ve got a photo of the sign to prove it.




We met these Thai folks who were staying at one of the resorts during the weekend. Oh, good chance for a photo with a Falong.




Here is a photo from one of the rides that took us through a rubber plantation.




A shrine at a crossroads out in the middle of nowhere. Note the Thai dresses hanging on the tree... some offering to the female spirits I suppose.




As you can see, there is very little if any traffic on many of the roads we travel.












and some of the other scenery is spectacular as well.

[SEA Traveler]

We go off road occasionally when we see something challenging or interesting. On this op, we traveled through a “cashew” farm/plantation.














and some more off road cycling.






That’s all I have available for now so until next time out, happy cycling!

[nigelandjan]

Fantastic what a retirement ! Do you normally go out in groups or alone sometimes ?

[SEA Traveler]

Fantastic what a retirement ! Do you normally go out in groups or alone sometimes ?

Actually n&j, both.

The Group ride is every Saturday with a 0800 departure. I ride also ride singularly to get in a few mile during the week.

Occasionally the group rides during the week but i am the only one that is actually retired and the other have to work most of the time during the week.

[grasshopper]

Think I will look into relocating to Ban Chang from the area adjacent to the sex capital of the world. Quite inspirational thread this one, Sea Traveler.
I used to ride a road bike back in Oz as an "mature cyclist" and participated in a couple of Sydney to the Gong rides. Now I think this sort of venture is my go. Thank you for the insight into cycling in LOS.