Time to come home. Final day of tour.

Today is my last day on tour.  Len left this morning to catch his flight back to the home of the brave, and I decided to fill in my morning by going to visit the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.  Now I've pasted some information from Wikipedia below.

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City in Metro Manila, Philippines. The cemetery, 152 acres (62 ha) or 615,000 square metres in area, is located on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west.^[1] With a total of 17,206 graves, it has the largest number of graves of any cemetery for U.S. personnel killed duringWorld War II and holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations.^[1] Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New Guinea, or during the Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) or the Allied recapture of the islands.^[1] The headstones are made of marble which are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.^[1] The Memorial is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. It is the largest site administered by the Commission in the number of graves and of those missing whose names are recorded on the walls of the memorial. The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except December 25 and January 1.^[1] 

This place is quite spectacular with all the crosses positioned so perfectly around the gardens. The officers that lost their lives in battle who were awarded the Medal of Honor had a star as part of the headstone.  It's amazing to think that over 17,000 soldiers lay in this cemetery.  I'm sure there will be some that say they died for a just cause and there will be others who say, 'what a waste of lives'.  I'm not to be the judge of that.I walked around the lawns and read some of the names of the 17,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the memorial hall and out on the lawns. Amazing seems to be an inadequate word to describe this memorial site.

After the visiting the memorial I went back to Robinson's mall to have one final walk around.  After a brief lunch it was time to get back to the hotel as I had to get my lift back to the airport at 5pm Manila time.  I leave at 8.30pm and should arrive back in Sydney by 6.30am.  

Well, I've had an interesting holiday and learnt a lot about cultures and people.  I think that's what suppose to happen.  I met those that were intolerant, impatient, caring, humble and giving.  I met may families who would have taken me in for the night when I was feeling very ill on one day.  I met those who would beg for money and curse you as you left them empty handed.  

No matter what, I had a great experience and one that I will remember for a long time.

Unfortunately, no photos from today's visit.

Signing off on this tour until the 24 June 2013, I hope you follow me as I take on Eastern Europe with a fellow Australian and my American buddy.  

Until then, safe riding.

Corregidor Island. Manila Bay.

Before I go into yesterday's tour of Corregidor Island in Manila Bay, I thought I should post a photo of fish eating the dead skin from my feet.  During our 2 months of cycling my feet suffered a tad of dryness.  To cure this problem one can dip their feet in a fish tank in Siem Reap and let those little buggies go crazy. 

Now for yesterday and the tour of Corregidor Island.

The tour was conducted by Sun Cruises. I turned up at the port at 7.30am and signed on for the day.  It costs 2300 Pesos for the entire day.  The boat that transports you out to the island is a 300 seater catamaran.

Once at the island we were assigned a tram which would be our transport for the day.  A tour guide for each tram would give commentary on the history of the island.

Corregidor is a small rocky island in the Philippines about 48 kms west of Manila which is strategically located at the entrance of Manila Bay.  This island fortress stands as a memorial for the courage, valor, and heroism of its Filipino and American defenders who bravely held their ground against the overwhelming number of invading Japanese forces during World War IL.

Also known as "the Rock", it was a key bastion of the Allies during the war.  When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941, the military force under the command of General Douglas MacArthur carried out a delaying action at Bataan. Corregidor became the headquarters of the Allied forces and also the seat of the Philippine Commonwealth government.  It was from Corregidor that Philippine President Manuel Quezon and General MacArthur left for Australia in February 1942 leaving behind Lt Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright in command.

Although Bataan fell on April 9, 1942, the Philippine and American forces held out at Corregidor for 27 days against great odds.  On May 6, 1942, their rations depleted, the Allied forces were forced to surrender Corregidor to Lt. Gen. Homma Masharu of the Japanese Imperial Army after having successfully halted the Japanese advance on Australia.  It was only two years and ten months later in March 1945 when the Allied forces under the command of General MacArthur recaptured Corregidor making good his promise to return to the  Philippines.

So now you have the history of the island, but during our trip we were told of other events that are not published in journals. One of our first stops on the tour was the Malinta Tunnel.  The photos is sufficient to describe the history and the importance the tunnel played in the war efforts of the region.

 The photo below was taken inside the tunnel during the walk through.

 On the island there are many buildings which were destroyed by the bombs from both sides.

 The photo above depicts an American and Filipino soldier during the taking back of the island from the Japanese.

 War memorial on Corregidor Island.

 A statute at the port of Corregidor Island of General MacArthur.

The photo above is of a Filipino farmer.  The way the Japanese distinguished between spy and farmer was by the calluses on their hands.  If they had rough hands they were hard working farms.  If they had office hands, they would be be captured and treated to crimes against humanity.

Still to this day the Japanese refuse certain acts were committed against the Filipinos.  All in all, it was a great day out and beautiful weather to go with it.  This tour is well worth.

During the evening Len and I went to the movies and watched the Tom Cruise movie 'Oblivion'.  Great movie.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.
PS: the end is near.   

Cambodia to Manila.

Yesterday we caught the Cebu Pacific flight from Siem Reap Cambodia to Manila in the Philippines.  The flight was pretty scary at times with severe turbulence throwing the plane all over the place.

We arrived at Manila at 2.30am this morning and made our way to the La Corona Hotel in the city.  Instead of sitting in the foyer for the next 8 hours waiting to get our room, we took a twin room at a reduced rate and shared the room.

Fell asleep straight away and was awoken by Len at 9.30am.  What a sleep.

Today we looked at so many bike shops, it was fantastic.  They had everything but what I really wanted, a cycling jersey from the Philippines.  We made our way back to the hotel and then went out to the huge Robinson's mall to do some shopping.

Now back at the hotel and organising my sightseeing for tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Back in Siem Reap.

Today was very straight forward.  Left Phnom Penh around 9am and arrived back in Siem Reap at 3.pm.  The good thing about the bus trip was that the bus had WiFi all the way.

Arrived on the outskirts of town and caught a motorcycle taxi back to the Angkor Hotel to meet up with Len and start the process of cleaning and dismantling the bike.

I had a lot of work to do to clean 2 months of road grime off the bike and then pull it down and put it back in the box ready for the flight tomorrow night.

Before I did anything to the bike, I went for a swim in the pool.  I spent about hour before dinner cleaning the bike an not trying to get grease anywhere in my room.  I'll talk about that issue when I leave Cambodia tomorrow night.

Had a good evening eating some great Mexican food with Len and sticking my feet in the fish tank.

In Siem Reap down at pub street, they have fish tanks where you stick your feet in, and the fish nibble at your dead skin.  At first it feels terrible, but soon it becomes bearable. 

Now it's time to get back to the room and continue with the packing.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

S21 Phnom Penh.

 I thought I should give a plug to the Lone Star Saloon & Guesthouse.  A great place to put your head down whilst in Phnom Penh.  That's my tuk tuk from yesterday.  The first thing on today's schedule was to go out to the infamous S21 and see the place that was just like so many other concentration camps around the world.  It's very hard at times not to put my opinion forward about the Khmer Rouge, Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan as this bog is probably not the place.

During my 1 hour walk around the previous high school grounds, I got a feeling of sadness for those innocent people who had their lives taken because of their beliefs, class, cultural identity, family links and occupation just to name but a few.

 The above photo is what you see when you enter S21.  The rules were in place at many camps in the country and strictly adhered to at all times. 

 The above photo tells the story of how the school was turned into a torture camp.  I should state that the CIA and American Govt' knew exactly what was going on in Phnom Penh during this time as they had operatives working in the country.

 The above photo discusses the history of the S21.

 I know some people might be thinking, why take photos of people who didn't come home from S21.  I took the photo because these people deserve recognition in this small way for the terrible abuse they suffered. There are many many photos of the above scattered around S21 showing those who never made it out of the school grounds.  

 The bed in the above photo was used in the torture process.  Prisoners were tied down by metal bars and chains and treated in ways you could not imagine.  Unless you belonged to the Khmer Rouge.

 During my walk of S21 I came across one of the guys who survived S21.  He was surrounded by so many people and getting a photograph with him was impossible.  Now this guy is inspirational.

After S21 I then went to the central market to do some shopping.  Now I'm a good shopper and love looking at markets, but this place had nothing that really caught my eye.  I certainly didn't need a t-shirt or pants, and I didn't need a hat saying, 'I love Cambodia'.  I could imagine sitting with my mates at the table of morons in Wollongong wearing that.  I would be excommunicated from the table for ever.

So,  I didn't buy anything and it was now time to head to my next destination, the National Museum of Cambodia.  The National Museum took about 1 hour to go through.  One is not permitted to take photographs within the museum. You'll have to take it from me that there were many figurines of Shiva, Buddha and everyone else from the 7th Century AD to 20 Century AD. It was interesting and certainly worth the 5 dollar entry fee. If you need to know more about it you can go to: http://cambodiamuseum.info/museum_history.html

My tour continued next door to the mighty 'Grand Palace' or 'Royal Palace'.  Now this is a huge centre piece in the capital.  It's enormous with so many temples and Wats you'll spend at least 2 hours seeing everything.

And for a bit of history about the Palace.
The Royal Palace (Khmer: ព្រះបរមរាជាវាំងនៃរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា, Preah Barum Reachea Veang Nei Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barum Reachea Veang Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol (Khmer: ព្រះបរមរាជវាំងចតុមុខសិរីមង្គល). The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1860's, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge.
The palace was constructed after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh in the mid-19th century. It was gradually built atop an old citadel called Banteay Kev. It faces towards the East and is situated at the Western bank of the cross division of the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River called Chaktomuk (an allusion to Brahma).

It was getting late in the afternoon and time was against me. I'd seen everything I wanted to see and more, thanks to Mr Pov.  I've had a hectic 2 days visiting all the major attractions of the capital.  In the process I met some very special people.  Tomorrow I need to be up nice and early for breakfast, that's 7am, and be ready for my pickup at 7.50 for the bus back to Siem Reap.  I'm sure Len has been missing me.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

A fantastic day in Phnom Penh.

 I started the day with Mr Pov the tuk tuk driver who also performs the role of security at the Lone Star Saloon and Guesthouse.  I do recommend this place to other tourists.  The service is friendly and the staff are excellent.  The food is very good.

We rode out of town as the mayhem of city traffic was coming into town to commence work for the day.  We had a 50km ride along village roads to the mountain top temple called Phnom Chiso Site. First we stopped at Pov's family home where I met the family.  The lady in the above photo is the grandmother holding the 2 month old child.  Now that face could tell a story or two.

Before I could leave I had to take another photo of the entire family.  Pov the tuk tuk driver is on the right and his sister is next to him.  This lady is the wife of the owner of the Lone Star Saloon.  I was invited in for drinks and food but had to decline as we had a lot to see in 8 hours.

 The above photo is of the Phnom Chiso Site 50kms outside of the capital.  Now this trip is not for the feint hearted.  This is a bone jarring ride on a dusty road with thousands of motorcycles, trucks, buses, dogs, cows, cars all in a hurry to get somewhere.  Once you get to the parking area of the site you then have to climb 255 steps to the first summit.  Then it's another 50 steps to another level, and then there's another level.  By the time Pov and I got to the top we were sweating so bad. 

 The above photo is looking out through a doorway over the countryside in the distance.  You will notice a lot of the site is very similar to the architectural designs of the world famous Angkor Wat back in Siem Reap.  This is certainly on a much lessor scale but the view from the top is well worth the effort in getting here.

 Phnom Chisor (Khmer: ប្រាសាទភ្នំជីសូរ) is a 133 m high hill in Sla village, Rovieng commune, Samraŏng District, Takéo Province, Cambodia. It rises about 42 km south of Phnom Penh.

Temple

There is an ancient Khmer temple located on top of the hill. The temple was built in the 11th century of laterite and bricks with carved sandstone lintels ^[1] by the Khmer Empire king Suryavarman I, who practiced Brahmanism. It was dedicated to the Hindu divinities Shiva and Vishnu. The original name of the temple was Sri Suryaparvata, "The mountain of Surya".
At the foot of the hill below the stairs there is a building known as Son Reveang that is now used as a Buddhist place of worship, beyond which there is Tonle Om, the baray of the temple.^[2]

 After the temple we went to the Phnom Tamao Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center.  I think in short they mean Zoo.  Now the first thing you notice as you leave the main road and commence the 5kms trip to the Zoo is the number of beggars on both sides of the road. I was actually shocked to see people hunched over with their hand s out asking for money.  This was all the way to the Zoo.  We arrived at the Zoo and drove around taking photos of beers, monkeys, even an elephant, saw a lion and a tiger.  

 For those who haven't been to a zoo, that's a photo of a bear.

A photo of an iguana. 

 And that's an elephant and time to leave to our next destination.

 Once back on the road we had to stop to get some food.  Now that lady is not holding chicken or rat.  It's a frog.  Pov bought one and I had a leg of the frog. It didn't taste that bad, but my fruit did go down much better.

Now it was time to head to the killing fields.  Now this is an incredible place.  Now a lot has been said as to the role Pol Pot played in the genocide and what the USA did or did not do during this time.  No matter what the truth is, thousands of people were executed by Pol Pot and the soldiers at the killing fields. 

I'm not going to go into the history of this place.  Plenty has already been said in the media and on the net for you to form your own opinion.  The site is actually called 'the Choeung EK Genocidal Center and located about 15kms outside of the capital.

 This memorial stupa depicted in the above photo contained the skulls of those murder by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. The skulls are from top to bottom.

 Some of the skulls retrieved during excavations in the late 80's, and placed in the large stupa.

To assist you during the walk around the site you are provided with an audio narration headset.  This goes through in great detail the site and the graves and how many bodies were retrieved.  There's still graves that have been left untouched. The photo above is typical of the many signs giving a description of what use to lay under the ground.  After spending an hour at the site and listening to the unbelievable brutality of Khmer Rouge I had to leave.  I'd had enough.  I left with a similar feeling as to the time I left the War Remnants Museum in Saigon.

To finish off my busy day we went back into the capital and made our way to the famous landmark of Wat Phnom.

The above photo is taken from the street level of the Wat. I didn't bother climbing the steps as I was sort of Watted out.  For those who are interested, according to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1373AD to house four statues of Buddha deposited there by the waters of the Mekong River that were discovered by a women named Penh.  The city is named after this Wat, which is set on an approximately 30 metres high hill.

After a drive around the riverfront we arrived back at the Lone Star Saloon & Guesthouse at 5pm.  What a great day.

So tomorrow is a walking tour of the city.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Siem Reap to Phnom Penh by bus.

Why is it that my days always have problems?

Today I caught the bus from Siem Reap heading to the capital, Phnom Penh, some 300kms away.  I spoke to the Aussie's I met in Vang Vieng at dinner last night and they said the trip should take about 4 hours.  Well I tried to get on the Mekong Express Bus, but they were full and I had to take 2nd best. 

The Paramount Angkor Express shuttle picked me up from the hotel at 7.30am.  The shuttle bus was full of people and bags so much I couldn't see out the front window.  I was hoping that this was not going to be the bus that takes me all the way to the capitol.

The bus continued picking up more people until we arrived at the main bus terminal at 8.30am.  We then got onto a coach which I thought would be a blessing.  The bus left at 9am on the dot, only 30 minutes late.  Now I'm not a whinger, but to travel 300kms in 7 & 1/2 hours with no air con, a broken seat, and stopping and starting to pick up anyone who wanted a lift, was bullshit. 

We eventually rolled into the capital at 4.30pm.  I quickly got a motorcycle taxi and went straight to the Lone Star Saloon and guesthouse.  This is the place I will be staying at for the next 3 nights while I'm doing the tourist thing.

I'm going to see the killing fields and 21 tomorrow.

I've got no photos of today's trip, only baron roads, shanty villages and motorbikes by the thousands.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Last day on the bike. Sisophon to Siem Reap.

Well what a day.  I started with the same stomach bug as yesterday morning.  The difference with today was that we had to go twice as far.  During the night I had to go to the toilet about 5 times.  What I ate for dinner which was shit, was now gone from my body.  For breakfast at 5.30am I had a mango and a large biscuit.  I know that's not enough but what can you do when everything was shut due to Cambodian holidays.

We rolled out of the Hotel at 6.10am hoping to find a noodle house along the way.  We rode and rode and rode till about 8.30am and found a nice place.  Now my stomach was still very ordinary, but I had to eat or I wouldn't finish what I started today.  I said to Len earlier on in the ride. 'I want to ride into the town I rode out of last month'.  Sometimes as we get older, our decisions are slightly wrong. Riding today was one of them.  Len suggested I catch the bus, but I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

Our late breakfast was noodles and spicy chicken.  Now that has to get the stomach going for sure.  I was sweating so bad my cycle gloves were drenched.  Back on the bike and I tried to keep up with Len at around 25kph.  After 30 minutes of riding I felt weak in my arms and legs and it was time to get off the bike.  I thought I was going to be sick so I rolled on down the embankment and laid under a tree sweating profusely.  I think the stomach bug had taken hold of me well and truly.  Even if I wanted to get up I couldn't.  I was gone.

I laid under the tree in the dirt for about 20 minutes.  An elderly lady came up to me and pointed in the direction of her house, and for me to come on over for a rest.  This is the type of hospitality the Cambodian people are famous for.

I dragged my arse off the ground and led my bike over to the house to be greeted by her son, and his wife and their 6 children.  This was like Sudan revisited.  I sat with the family pouring water over my head and drinking their water.  I left my bike out the front so Len could see it when he came back looking for me.
I was more concerned that he didn't know where I was.

Whilst sitting with the family, all I could think of is finishing this ride on the bike and not in a bus.  To do this I had to take more stops and drink more coke and iced cold water.

This is the amazing family who took me in and gave me water and shelter for 1/2 an hour.  The young girl on the left of the photo could speak some English and offered some food to me.  I had to decline the generous offer as if I had fried rice again, I would die.

So, back on the bike for another 30 minutes in the stinking heat and head wind. The next stop was more controlled bike stop. Again I sat with another family while they got me drinks and cold water and a towel to put over my grey head.  They must have thought I was a complete idiot riding in this heat.

 Whilst I was having another coke and more water, I got to see a 2 week old baby having a bath.  The baby never screamed at all. It was nice to sit down and just relax and meet some incredibly friendly people.

It was time get back on the bike and do some more riding.  I still hadn't located Len and was concerned he was looking for me.  After more and more stops I arrived back in Siem Reap to where it all started last month. 

Today's ride was 103kms and this was with a maximum temperature of 49 degrees C, average temperature 36 C. I won't be doing anymore riding on this holiday and will be heading down to Phnom Penh tomorrow morning.

After getting settled into my room, I went straight down to the pool and relaxed.  So refreshing after the punishment I received today.  I'm really looking forward to the 3 day tour of the capital and seeing the killing fields and other historical areas that this country is famous for.

It's time to go and see my mate and have some dinner.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Nakhon Ratchasima to Sisophon, Cambodia.

Over the past 2 days we've travelled by bus from Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand to Aranyaprathet at the Thai Cambodian border.  A distance of 255kms.  Before we left the bus terminal I quickly took a photo of one of the buses that had suffered from the dreaded white powder that is thrown at, and on everyone during the Songkran water festival.  I was glad to get my bike on the bus and to get on the road.

The bus trip wasn't too bad, nice and comfortable reclining seats, with a driver who took his time and didn't do anything stupid behind the wheel.

We arrived at the border mid afternoon and booked into the Aran Mermaid Hotel Aranyaprathet. It cost 27 dollars for a nice room with an air con that rattles, no WiFi in the room and no English channels on the TV.  How disastrous.

Since there was no English channels I watched Jack Reacher on my laptop.  It stars  Tom Cruise and it wasn't too bad.  A good night's sleep was interrupted by a bout of the stomach virus.  Everything I ate last night went straight through me.  

For breakfast today all I was game to eat was some toast and coffee.

We left our hotel around 8am and rode the 6kms to the border.  Surprisingly we were through both Thai and Cambodian immigration within the hour.  We rode through the town of Poipet and headed to Sisophon some 50kms away.

I could feel my stomach churning from the time I got on the bike and the day was starting to heat up.  Today was the day I really needed some cloud cover to keep the temperature down.  I drank heaps of fluid during the ride but as the water got hotter in the bottle it was making me sick.  

With about 10kms to Sisophon I was digging deep to keep up to Len.  I could see him in the distance, but I couldn't afford to push any harder and destroy myself and therefore make tomorrow's 105km trip just about impossible.

As I stopped for some water, I came across some gorgeous children who had to be photographed. 

 

I kept this receipt as the young girl that served as still hasn't conquered her English.  Pick the error.  All I wanted was a coke.

Now back to the ride.  Finally we made it to town and found a hotel next to the one we stayed at earlier in the holiday.  Actually we both missed this one last time.  We booked into a nice room for 15 dollars, with air con, WiFi and heaps of English channels.  This is living.

After a 3 hour break in my room with the stomach issues, Len and I went next door for another drink and some awesome cookies.  At this stage they're still inside me and that's a good sign.

Tonight will be a light meal, and hopefully I'll feel great for the final ride of the tour tomorrow.  We have a 105km ride to Siem Reap, and we're done.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Songkran festival in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The Songkran festival (Thai: สงกรานต์ (Pronunciation), Khmer: សង្រ្កាន្ត; from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti,^[1] or literally "astrological passage") is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia.
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.
Songkran has traditionally been celebrated as the New Year for many centuries, and is believed to have been adapted from an Indian festival. It is now observed nationwide, even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. It has also become a party for foreigners and an additional reason for many to visit Thailand for immersion in another culture.

Today we sat outside our hotel and squirted as many people as possible. The weather was beautiful and it was a great way to enjoy the day.  We both ended up with a white paste on our faces and drenched from top to bottom.  Everyone on the streets were having a great time celebrating the new year. 

My favorite photo is of the children in their water tub together.  I still drenched them.

Tomorrow is the day we need to get on the bus and reach the Cambodian border.  I've never been an pessimist, but on this occasion I have a strange feeling that the bikes are going to be a problem getting onto the bus with us.  No use concerning myself with it now, as the only option available to us if the bikes can't go on the bus and that's start riding. 

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Khon Kaen to Nakhon Ratchasima.

Today's plan was to get up and be at the Khon Kaen train station to catch the 8am train to Nakhon Ratchasima. We decided to catch the train and get ahead of ourselves on the road and give us more free time to see some of the attractions in this part of the world

We arrived at the train station around 7.15 and Len went and got our tickets for 20 baht each.  Our bikes cost 90 Baht each.  Now the problem.  The train was terminating at Bua Yai about 80 short of our desired destination.  We had no option, we had to catch the train and see what we would find at the other end.

To our surprise the train was late, just like back home in Australia.  The train was a small 2 carriage motor rail as we cal them back home.  No air con and windows that are constantly open.  As I pulled my bike with panniers into the main carriage with people everywhere, the conductor came up and indicated NO to the bike.  I showed him the tickets for our bikes and on they came.  I think we politely forced the issue.  We had paid for the bikes and they were coming with us.

 At this stage we're just waiting for our 2 car train to pull in.  I know this is going to be fun with the bikes on the train. 

The bikes waiting at Khon Kaen train station.

Once on board it was a very tight fit and people had to get around our bikes throughout the 2 hour ordeal.  The train guards were the most tolerant of the situation.  Where Len was sitting the people were quite rude when trying to force their way around or over him and his bike.  The landscape was dead pan flat for the 100km trip.  Fields of baron lands, waiting for the rains to come and for the next crop of rice to be sewn.  This is a harsh environment to earn a living.

 You see from the photo above at the start of the journey Len had to stand to look after his bike.  Not much room on the train for the bikes, but, we paid for a ticket and they were entitled to come along for the ride.

The train bounced up and down, side to side all the way to Bua Yai.  I was surprised the train didn't come off the tracks at times.  As the train rolled into Bua Yai, our next hurdle was how do we get our bikes and ourselves to Nakhon Ratchasima.

I spoke to the train guard and tried to tell him we needed to get to Nakhon Ratchasima today.  He said he would help us.  As we got our gear off the train which was a real pain in the arse, the guard told us to buy a ticket quickly as the bus was leaving.  The problem was the bikes could not go on the bus.  We were then directed to put the bikes and our pannier bags in the bag of the railway ute that was going to meet us at the end. 

Now this was rather strange that they were going to give our bags and bikes 1st class service on a 80km journey down the track.

Len and I hopped on the bus and off we went.  50% was now done and all we needed to do was get to our final destination and pick up our bikes.

This bus trip took 3 hours to travel roughly 80kms.  We drove through narrow lanes, villages, towns, dirt roads, cement roads, road under repair roads to come to our final destination.  As we got off the bus, we went to the station master's office and asked, 'where the bikes dude?'  Well his English was as good as my Thai.  I gave the master our bike ticket and he got on the radio and the shortly the ute pulled into the train station and there were our beloved bikes and bags.  All in one piece.

We quickly attached the bags to the bikes and rode off in search of a hotel.  Len had spotted a hotel as we were coming into town in the bus.  He took us directly to the hotel and soon we were booked into our rooms for 2 nights and get ready to relax for the rest of the day.

The hotel is hosting the Songkram festival which is also known as the water festival.  Now we decided to stay an extra day to attend the festival and hopefully see if I can drown a couple of people with me high powered water canon blaster.  I intend to do some damage.

We had a great journey today in getting to our intended destination in one piece with all our gear.  Tomorrow is party time and then Sunday we must be on the bus to the Cambodian border.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Rest day in Khon Kaen.

Today was a recovery day.  We have covered over 200kms in the past 3 days and endured temperatures reaching 116 degrees in the OLD scale.  Us modern people in Australian would rate that over 47 degrees C.

I did what I do best, and that was sleep in.  Breakfast was at 8am in the hotel, and was OK. 

We went down to the Plaza for a Starbucks coffee and cake.  The plaza has the usual shops selling phones, more phones and clothing.  I did check out a new camera which I desperately need.  The Nikon D3200 is the one I like for the next holiday.  The little camera I have is too limited in doing landscape shots and night shots.  Might have to save some money and splurge when I get home.

Again the day was so hot and I'm glad Len's suggestion of training it for a couple of days is what we need.  We hope to do trains or buses from Khon Kaen to the Cambodian border and then ride the rest.  I told Len I wanted to ride into the city I rode out of.

In the afternoon I went out to see Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhorn or the 9 stories stupa. To get there I caught a local Ute to take me there.  It cost me 10 baht, which is about 30 Aussie cents to travel 20 minutes.  The Phra Mahathat house relics of the Lord Buddha and important Buddhist scriptures.  Doors and windows of the 9 storey stupa are beautifully carved, featuring life and former reincarnations of the Lord Buddha, 16 classes of visible deities in the Brahma's world, and Buddhist rites.  Murals within the stupa feature history of the town.  The top floor, on the 9th story, houses relics of the Lord Buddha.

The views from the top of the stupa over the city are incredible.  I have attached a couple of photos of the stupa. 

After my brief outing today I returned to the hotel to enjoy the comforts of air con and cable TV.  I have no idea what tomorrow could bring.

This photo was taken inside the Stupa.  There was a lot of people praying and receiving prayer from the local monks.

 

 Photo inside the stupa.

 I took this photo on the 4th floor of the stupa.  Each part of the monument is built with absolute precision.  It must have taken years of painstaking work to built this structure. 

 Photo of a young couple who had provided gifts to the monks and appeared to be receiving some prayer.  It could have been some blessing before they got married.

 The stupa also provides a history of the most revered monks who have walked the floors of this stupa.  They are immortalized in a gold bust.

 The golden statues in the stupa was quite stunning.  I know I should know more history and I will for the next holiday.  This holiday you get photos and that's it.

And this is a photo standing at the entrance to the stupa.  It's always hard with a little camera to capture the size of such a monument, but I can guarantee you,  this one is enormous.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.