So Reg Cox requested some biking stories on the blog. If you could care less about these harrowing bike adventures, I will understand if you skip this section. For those of you who read my blog each time and are left wondering why I did not give an update on new bike routes I have tamed, this section is for you. Note that the bland language of other sections of my blog must be traded in for an “edgier” tone demanded by the relaying of bike stories.
Biking Chiang Rai’s mountains is truly a transformational experience after two years of biking the Bangkok streets and heat. Last week we got away with the fam for a long weekend and I took the bikes. We stayed at a hotel in the hills of Chiang Mai, and I spent every morning draggin me and Jak up 20 switchbacks through a ride that a biking brochure in Chiang Mai labeled as one of the best scenic rides in Thailand. The brochure sadly understated the beauty of the ride. Jak was sure to have me up at 6a.m. each morning, so what better did I have to do than put him in a bike seat and add an extra twenty pounds to my Chiang Mai mountainy ascent. (Aside..I picked up this sweet child’s bike seat 10 years ago with Ben and it is continuing to pay dividends. It is kinda sleak as far as bike seats go, and it pops in and out of the rack, which is nice for riding without the boy). Of course after the 15th switchback, I have some choice words for Jak and myself questioning my reasoning about getting on this bike in the first place, but when we reach the peak “we” had to have more. “We” went down the backside for another 5+ kilos (and then, of course, back up steeper than before). Jak can usually handle about an hour and a half without screaming as long as I take some change to buy him a yogurt drink or juice box somewhere along the way. Actually, Jak loves the bike. It has been a year since we picked him up at the orphanage in the south, and I think the first 8 months we probably averaged biking about 4-5 times a week. Jak likes getting out and it has been a great way to corral this child who we regularly catch on top of the pantry (5 feet up). Without these biking outings, I am checked in to the funny farm fer sure. Besides, I do my share of the kid watching on a bike. This would be a good time for some of you to admit how many episodes of Barney you have been watching.
Now I know what you are thinking…biking with a kid equals slow. (I think this would be a good point for my Mom and Mama Ann and aunts and other people to stop reading). To that I respond come on over and ride with us and then after an hour and a half we will talk about slow (this may be bordering on braggin but I am just wanting to ease concern from fellow bikers out there worrying about important stuff like speed).
On Sundays, I am riding (sans Jak) with a Canadian guy, Tim, who moved down the street a few months after we came here. It was weird, no farangs (westerners) anywhere in the neighborhood and then all the sudden they move in about 5 minutes from us (weird). And he bikes (weird). In fact, he is one of those guys we hate. He spent most of his 20s working on his body so now in his 30s he can go a week without biking and still be draggin me along. We generally ride a route that has been affectionately named the “Napa Valley” ride. Dude, you should see it. About a 30 kilo loop of hills roaming through this fruit farming area (pineapple, lynchee, oranges), a lake, and some Thai villages on the outskirts of Chiang Rai. One Buddhist temple that we pass is surrounded by a small reproduction of the Great Wall of China; this is the point that the ride turns a bit surreal. If the hills have been hard on you that day, you might, at this point of the ride, start questioning where this route has taken you…Italy? China? At the end of the hills, where I spent most of the time just trying to salvage my manhood, Tim chimes in with the standard “lets really open it up on these last 10 kilos!” In the hills you are hoping that he is more of a hill guy than a sprinter, and then you find out that was wrong. So, I spend most of the last 10 kilos drafting (staying on his back tire to gain the aerodynamic benefits) him and taking the lead to give him a breather like once so I don’t have to say I drafted him the whole time. Oh, did I mention he rides in flip flops. I mean they are good quality flip flops, but…
I also do a lot of riding just to get around. Julie gets first dibs on the car so I usually bike it to work and to language etc. Most people think I am weird because I end up looking like Reg saying his wedding vows (think sweat big time) by the time I get where I am going, but I consider it my sacrifice for the Al Gore for president campaign. My companions for these rides come along through the aid of earphones and MP3 technology. For the ride to school, I may invite any of the following with me: Mark Driscol (Mars Hill Church Seattle), Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian), Jamey Miller (Christ Fellowship and our pastor), John Piper (Desiring God), Jimmy Seibert (Antioch in Waco), N.T. Wright (Jesus scholar), Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, Peter Seller and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, (NPR news game show and this is probably KR’s fault) NPR 5 minute news summary, This American Life, NPR Story of the Day (I am kinda an NPR junkie and thanks to iTunes I can keep up my habit) and Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (not to be missed for English Teachers). None of this may interest you, but there is that one person out there who wants to know more about my days.
Only once has a motorcycle hit me… so far. Motorcycles are Chiang Rai’s mode of mass transportation. I have a conspiracy theory here. I believe that the motorcycles in this area cause teenage and 20 something guys to ride with unusual boldness and stupidity. I am theorizing that there is some kind of lead paint issue or something ‘cus once a guy around here gets on a motorcycle, they just tend to get dumber and dumber. One of my Thai friends explained with great “compassion” that motorcycles were Chiang Rai’s method of lowering the population of stupid people. Yikes. Anyway, a motorcycle clipped my handlebars and the bike was quickly knocked over. I somehow ended up hoping the handlebars and running down the street. Kinda looked cool actually. I probably needed to be a little more careful on this certain corner, and now I am. So pray for safety…Mom and Mama Ann.
20.5.07
Everybody Smile Big
We had a great time at the beach when Uncle Jackson and Aunt Erin came to visit. They were so encouraging and fun. Just what we needed.
Krabi
Jackson and Erin came to visit and we went to a small town in the south called Krabi. Kind of an adventure and lots of beautiful beaches.
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