My Review of Planet Bike EZ Fenders - 45mm

Originally submitted at REI

This hybrid/touring fender set is compatible with disc brakes and works with frames and forks without eyelets.

Planet Bike EZ Fenders - 45mm

Horrible Experience With These Fenders

By lenandbigred from Longmont, Colorado on 11/23/2008

 

1out of 5

Gift: No

Pros: Lightweight

Cons: Mounting System Sucks, Continual bracket adjust, Breaks or Cracks Easily, Constant rubbing of tires, Comes Loose, Noisy When Hitting Bumps

Best Uses: Touring bike

Describe Yourself: Avid Cyclist

I bought these fenders for my Surly Long Haul Trucker Touring bike. I did a bike trip self supported with UK friend through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia in January/February, 2008. The mounting of these fenders leaves a lot to be desired. The bracket which was provided to mount to the rear fork did not fit without tire/rack interference but it fit perfectly in the front fork. This caused the rear fender, as it lacked adequate firm mounting on top, to constantly rub the tires or whenever I hit a bump in the road. The mounting of the rer fender to the frame hole of the bike left a lot to be desired. These fenders are made out of a cheap plastic, and it cracked almost immediately upon mounting, but because I was in Bangkok at the time, I had to work around it, but the cracking got worse and worse, to where later in the trip, it just broke apart and I had to discard the fender. Upon return to States, I contacted Planet bike about these fenders and was told they had a lifetime warranty and they would send me a new set of fenders...but after repeated contact, I've yet to receive anything. I would not recommend purchasing these fenders at all...they're cheap, the mounting is insufficient, and the fender design is not good at all.

(legalese)

The Party's Over....Saraburi to Ayyuthaya..Tuesday February 12, 2008...72K

Well, the party's over.....we have arrived at our final ride destination of Ayyuthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. Wow...the time just flew!!!

We decided to sleep "in" till 6:30 this morning, grab breakfast downstairs at the hotel and leave around 7:30. Glad we left when we did as it was a brutally hot ride today...the sweat would drop onto my handlebar bag and it wouldn't even dry...it was that humid. Before I left the hotel, I'd decided to leave the new pair of hiking shoes I'd bought in Pak Chong when we went on the park tour as I didn't need them (I don't need another pair of hiking boots) and hell, I only paid $13 for them. So I left them in the room. Colin left his room shortly after I did, and one of the bellboys was just coming out of my room with shoes in hand, and Colin told him, no he wants to leave them. So we put our bags down in the lobby and headed for breakfast. I come out to get my bags..and the shoes are lying next to my bags. I spy a bellboy, walk over and hand them to him and say...yours...I don't need......and he looks at them, them me and this big huge grin breaks across his face and he's thanking me profusely...some things are just priceless in life...this was one of those times!

We hit the road toward Bangkok in rush hour traffic, again riding on a major highway with trucks and cars whizzing by but giving us wide space in the bike lane. We stopped at 25K as I was sweating so hard I just needed to down a bottle of water so we found a gas station and stopped. Felt good to just get off the bike and chill (warm) out. We finally rolled into Ayyuthaya around 11:00 a.m. (love those damn tailwinds!) and found a decent hotel for 500 baht a night (about $15). We checked in then rode over to the train station to see about getting our train tickets in advance for Friday but they told us we couldn't get tickets till Friday. So at least we know that we can get our bikes on the 10:28 train on Friday. This will be a lot better, as we'll arrive at the train station in Bangkok about 4K from the Marriott where I've got reservations and all my bags/bike box stored.

We rode around in early afternoon checking out the ruins, but man, it was just so friggn hot that we decided to head back to the hotel for a nap in AC and wait till later.

3-4-08

Well, I went online to check the blog and re-read it when I discovered I'd not finished the "draft" of the last day's ride!!! Sorry about that to anyone who ends up reading this blog again!!!

Anyway, we arrived in Ayyuthaya on Feb. 12, and found a great little guesthouse in a garden setting for I think it was maybe 500 baht a night. No squat toilets! Ha!

We booked the rooms for 3 nights as I had to be back in Bangkok on the 15th to check into the Marriott (ah....a real hotel and a Suite!!) as I was flying back to the U.S. on the 18th. So we got up the morning of the 13th early and headed out on the bikes for a tour of Ayyuthaya's surroundings. Man, it was incredible.

This is an ancient head of a Buddha which is believed to have been stolen many years ago from the main body of a Buddha in a temple. They think possibly that the robbers couldn't carry it very far due to weight or were discovered, and dropped it and the nearby tree grew around it. It's a very moving sight to see.

Ancient Wat temple at Ayyuthay Thailand...13th century.

We rode the bikes out to the ancient King's elephant Kraal which is where the King had all the state elephants stabled. It was a great ride out there, passing local villages and food stalls (and lots of chicken on the grill!!). We finally came to this large area with teakwood fense posts and old statues of elephants. We came to this central area with a small restaurant and this huge area where there were maybe 40 elephants chained to these poles. What was amazing was there was a newborn baby elephant lying down on the ground under it's mother which we learned was only 3 days old. It finally got up off the ground, waddled around under the mother elephant and found mother's nipple and started feeding...it was just a very moving event which I captured on video on the digital camera. This little guy was just so cute. He would get up, wander around and follow two other young baby elephants. Finally, the mother would walk as far as the chain would allow her, and she would reach the baby elephant and gently nudge him back to her. It was so cool to watch!

We had a blast just sitting there watching the baby elephants and nursing ourselves in local "soda water"................

Ah....Chang beer, the beer that made Thailand famous! Ha!!

We finished up the last day in Ayyuthaya visiting the most famous Wat of all and for the life of me...I cannot remember the name and would have to look it up...something Chat....naya.......I think!! But the least damaged and most intact..........

We loved this Wat!!

Well, that about wraps it up. The next day on the 15th, we took the train from Ayyuthaya to Bangkok...a 1 1/2 hr ride which was uneventful. We did one last bike ride from the train station in full out Bangkok traffic which by now didn't even faze us one bit. Rode the bikes down to Wireless Road, past the U.S. Embassy and hit rush hour traffic stopped dead in it's tracks. So we opted to walk the bikes the rest of the way to the Marriott which was only maybe 5 blocks away.

This ended one of the best adventures I've ever done. Fortunately for me, I had a great easy going bike partner to ride with, listen to my whining and bitching (I hope it wasn't too much Colin!!!) who took it all in stride and laughed it off. I think we hit it off pretty well together. Actually the longer the trip went along, the stronger we got and where we (I mean I!!!) struggled riding at 20K an hour in the middle chain ring, by the end of the trip we were crusing along nicely at 28-30K an hour in brutual heat and in the large chainring.

I learned a lot about bike touring and especially about myself during these past 4 weeks on the bike. First of all, I learned that I don't need a lot of STUFF to get by and I sure don't need backup bike stuff. But more importantly, I learned more about myself and how easy life can really be without being incumbered with Stuff and that includes not only emotional baggage but stuff baggage. I had a lot of time to think on this ride. Coming off my mom's passing away Sept 30, I had a lot of time to reflect on that, how much I really miss her, talking with her and hearing her voice. Something I'd not heard really since 1992 when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I also learned just how simple life can be as witness by the endless number of small villages we rode through in Laos with people who had smiles on their faces but didn't have IRA's worth a million and appeared to be happy. So I'm more thankful than ever for what I do have, for the great life I've led, the adventures, travel and what I've seen and places I've had the opportunity to see in my life. As Jimmy Buffet once said..."it's been a good life all the way".

So Colin my man, I'm looking forward to our next sojurn trip next year, down into Southern Cambodia, the length of Vietnam on the Western side, western Laos and back. But can we Please stay off the mud gravel roads next year??

Peace.

Len

Pak Chong to Saraburi...Monday, February 11, 2008 82K

We left the "hotel" (the worst of all we stayed...a real s...hole if anyone wants to know the truth.

I need to say something here........the guy I'm riding with is from the UK, Colin, whom I met last year while doing the bike trip through Vietnam. We really hit it off last year as Colin is super fit, 55 (a kid) has this just great attitude and is so laid back..plus he likes to drink beer as much as me! So we decided after last year to do this trip together, and I have to say...I'm pretty thankful to be riding with him. Colin is so easy going, never gets upset or pissed off (I know, I knowl....opposite of me!!!) and well I can't think of anyone I'd rather be doing this trip with than Colin. We've had a great time together and hopefully a great friendship has resulted. We're already planning the next trip for next year.

So we left the "hotel" this morning, found a REAL STARBUCKS on the way at some Outlet Village, so of course we had to stop. As the ride was rather short today, and we caught another tailwind, we rolled into Saraburi around noon. Our final destination is Ayuthaya which is an ancient capital of Thailand, about 50K north of Bangkok. We had both decided we really didn't want to ride into Bangkok and try and fight traffic and streets and all, so we will end the riding in Ayuthaya (until we get to Bangkok train station), stay 3 nights then catch a train from Ayuthaya to Bangkok on the 15th as I need to be at the hotel in Bangkok on the 15th. We were able to find a great hotel here in Saraburi...a big plus for us...and YES...NO SQUAT TOILET!!!

Later
Len

Baby, Elephants and Grandpa...Pak Chong, Thailand...Sunday, February 10,2008

Well, first the GREAT NEWS!!! I'M GONNA BE A GRANDPA!!! YEH MAN!!! I got an email from my son last night. My daughter-in-law is 10 weeks along. I don't know the due date. I'm pretty stoked about this...this will be the first grandchild for me, so it's gonna be a long next 6 1/2 months. Matt and Nicole are moving to Australia as his Company (Garmin) is moving him there to set up sales operation in Australia. So the baby will be born in Australia!! I wonder if it will get dual citizenship?? That would be COOL!!! Wonder if it will come back with an Aussie accent??

Anyway...that's the best news of the year!



Ok, we had booked a tour of Khao Yai national park for the day and were picked up at 7:45 in a tuk tuk (for those of you who don't know what a tuk tuk is...think of a Ford Ranger small pickup, then adding a covered roof, and padded bench seat along the sides of the box..holds 8 people sitting..open along the sides and back. They're everywhere...... So off we went to the park. Khao Yai is huge...it's on the World Heritage site as one of the top national parks of the world..huge eco system. Covers over 6000 square kilometers and have wild elephants, tigers (Asia), black bear, leopard and other animals that will eat you for lunch. We stopped at a viewing pull off as soon as we got into the park and Colin and I found our forte right away...state of the art bench press bench with barbells...out in the open!!!

State of the art bench press!!

We then pulled off the road for a 3k hike out and back into the bush to a famous waterfall..made famous only because it was the waterfall filmed in the movie The Beach with Leonard di Caprio. Pretty cool waterfall. Colin of course had to strip and go swimming!







We had had a great lunch and then while we were all sitting at the waterfall, the guide came and got everyone and said to "hurry, hurry" as an elephant near the campground was coming out of the bush. So we all ran back to the tuk tuk and hightailed it down the road past the campground (with everyone stopped alongside the road telling us not to go any further as there was a wild elephant in the middle of the road ahead). Well, we got to this section of the road and there was all these trees beaten down, branches in the road and all and from my experiences on safari's in South Africa, I knew the elephant was still in the bush. All of a sudden, we hear this huge trumpet roar of this elephant and the damn thing comes charging out of the bush, stops just behind the truck in the bush and is shaking it's head back and forth and bellowing..pretty cool stuff until he comes breaking out of the bush and starts charging us!! One pissed off elephant...and a HUGE male at that!!!





Nice Elephant!!! So the driver moved ahead and would stop in the middle of the road and the elephant who was no more than 50 ft from us, would stand there and just roar with his trunk turned up, shake his head and then he'd start moving again. Finally, we moved further away (much to my disappointment) and the elephant went back into the bush. I don't know what I was thinking...but I didn't even use the movie on my digital camera to get it all on video...damn!!!



Driving along the road, the guide spotted a Cameroon monkey so of course we stopped. The monkey loved it! He was like posing for us!!! Nice monkey....




We then started returning for the hotel when they spotted some kind of deer standing alongside someone's home...this thing had a HUGE rack!!!



That about wrapped up the day!!! Pretty awesome day...great day at the national park then just awesome news about becoming a Grandpa later on in the evening...just doesn't get much better than that!!!


Len

Nakthon Ratchasima to Pak Chong..Saturday February 9, 2008...98K

Ah...finally...a TAILWIND RIDE!! AWESOME!!!

We left early as we were nervous about the heat and left the hotel at 7:05 a.m. headed to Pak Chong. We thought it was 90K but turned out 98K. No matter. We decided we'd get breakfast somewhere on the way and hit the road. No problem getting out of the city and finding highway #2 to Bangkok. We decided yesterday to stop off at Pak Chong several days as we are about 4-5 days ahead of our initial schedule and there is a national park near Pak Chong which is rated one of the top national parks in the world. Many large waterfalls, hiking, etc.

The Nakthon Hyatt Regency....Western Toilets......

I took the lead again and we stopped at 10K at a 7-11 and coffee shop for breakfast and coffee. We left and we noticed that there was a stiff wind blowing from behind us, and watched Thai flags blowing at full furl and I estimated the tailwind at around 20-25 mph...we were in heaven man!!! A Tailwind!!! Are you kidding me!!! First one we had seen or felt in the whole trip...Hammer Time!!!

We clicked into the big chain ring and man did we hammer...well, if you call 30-38K an hour hammering!! But it felt like that to us what with 60lbs of gear front and rear loaded on these bikes. We felt like we were doing at least 40 mph! I hit a new PR on a nice descent, at 74K an hour...and well, Big Red rode straight and steady...no waver, no vibration, nothing in the front end. I have to say that this Surley touring bike is just about the steadiest bike I've ever ridden. I really do love this bike! Thanks Surley!!!

We stopped for cokes at 65K. They had coke in those little small bottles like we used to get ice cold when we were little kids. I bought two of them...coke out those little bottles taste so much better than plastic or cans...to me it's a totally different taste. Normally I never drink coke...but out of those little bottles...I make an exception.

Coke Stop... Orchids of Thailand

We rolled into Pak Chong in record time...and averaged 31.2K an hour getting here. Our best ride to date. We commenced to finding a place to stay and rode the length of town looking on both sides of the streets. I finally spied a hotel sign on a side street so we headed there. Now from the outside, the place looked decent, clean and not bad. We didn't even bother to do what we normally do which is for one of us to go look at the rooms before deciding. But we had had such great rooms of late (since Laos) and hadn't even seen a squat toilet since Laos, so we didn't bother looking at the rooms and booked 2 single rooms with AC. BIG BIG MISTAKE!!!

The rooms are an absolute mess. The AC is barely blowing any air at all, the overhead fan we paid for in both rooms don't work and worst of all...yep..you got it..a FRIGGN SQUAT TOILET!!! I about died when I looked in the bathroom and saw that. I mean...this is a TOURIST area!!!! So I went downstairs about it, but it was too late as we'd already paid and well..money is in their pockets. So we decided to stick it out..2 nights here too..damn! Oh well...it's all part of the grand adventure!

More tomorrow........

Len

Phi Mai to Nakthon Ratachasima..Thursday February 7, 2008...80K

We got up and had breakfast at the guesthouse...eggs, toast, coffee for 20 baht or $.66. I'm gonna really miss these cheap breakfasts (and lunches and dinners) after this is over!

We left our stuff in the rooms and headed out to tour the ruins. As I mentioned, the ruins pre-date the Angor Wat ruins by about one century as these were built in late 8th century. But what is amazing is that they ruins all face the exact direction to where Angor Wat is located...so they must of known something then!! I've been to Angor Wat in Cambodia several times and it is just truly amazing (and was voted one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world last year). Colin also had been to Angor Wat and we both remarked how similar the construction and design of the Phi Mai ruins were to Angor Wat. I'll post pictures in several days. But I'm glad we stopped here and took the time to tour these amazing ruins and walk around the city. The city is actually even older than Ayuthaya the ancient capital of Thailand located about 150K north of Bangkok.








These are all photos of the ruins at Phi Mai which, in design architecture are very much similar to what is in Cambodia at Angor Wat. The ruins at Phi Mai predate Angor Wat by about 2 centuries...and yet....the Phi Mai ruins are on an exact direct line toward Angor Wat; the longitude is almost precisely the same, according to the booklet we read. We really enjoyed our stop at Phi Mai.

We got the bikes loaded and underway at 12:30 pm. Initially (again that damn map!) we thought the ride to Nakthon Ratchasima would only be 55K...but again...get outside of town and well, it turned to a lot more. Normally, we wouldn't even blink at 80K...a cakewalk. But in this heat and humidity on the major highway, the heat really gets to you..no shade or relief. At noon I found us another noodle shop and we filled up on noodles and ice cold cokes. From there, I had us stop every 15K to get out of the sun and cool down.

I had a hell of a time keeping Colin away from these dried fish strung on a leather string!! Ha!! Yummy!!!


We arrived in Nakthon Ratchasima and then again...friggn Lonely Planet map...we couldn't find our way to the hotel we were looking for. We ended up in this market area and people looked at us like we'd come from another planet! If we hadn't been hurting so bad...it would of been hilarious! Finally some guy came to our recue alongside the road while we were stopped for 30 min trying to figure out the damn map and where we were and where the hotel was. He took pity on us and hopped on his motorbike and said he'd show us. Well, he got us to this main road through back alley turns and then said...right turn, left turn...2 more rights..well, you get the gist of this! And we were still lost!!! And another guy came to the rescue. Finally we found the hotel or what we thought was the correct hotel (it wasn't but who cared!) and got two rooms with AC, cable TV and hot water for only 400 baht a night. So we booked 2 nights here. Nakthon Ratchasima is another of those cities that during the Vietnam War, the US had a huge US Airforce base here for bombing runs of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.


After showers and customary beer, we headed out for food...and again...rice and chicken with basil and chiles.........I'm addicted to this Thai dish, I swear!!! It must also help with me shedding weight as I've dropped, I think about 15 lbs or more from this trip. Something I needed!

Ride on
Len

Khon Kaen to Phi Mai...Wednesday January 6, 2008...170K

Tough ass day........

We had planned to leave the hotel at 7 but I got to my bike and was airing the tires and the valve on the rear tire broke off in my hand. So had to change tube which gave us a short delay. We've been very lucky thus far...that was the first tube change we've experienced on this trip which really is amazing given we've ridden through a lot of glass along the roads (not unlike home). So I slapped a new tube in and we were good to go.

We got out of Khon Kaen in fine shape, then saw a sign which said Phi Mai 168K...I about stopped right there, as that stupid map showed the distance at 130K!!! I hate these friggn maps!!! We knew it was going to be hot, as we were already sweating (or I was anyway..Colin hardly sweats!!) heavily by 9 a.m. Luckily, the road was almost pancake flat so we clicked into the big chanring and just cruised at 26-30K an hour. Around noon, the heat started to really set it's toll and I was hurting big time. We stopped for lunch (noodles again...but they taste so great when you're zapped) and I downed a couple of energy drinks and a coke. The last 40K were really tough as we were in the hottest part of the day, riding an asphalt major highway (there weren't any secondary roads near for us to ride) and traffic blazing past us. But we had a very good bike lane on the highway and felt no danger or discomfort with the traffic. I'd love to be able to ride like this in the U.S. People here are just so respectful, peaceful and love seeing cyclists riding the roads; they really do. They'd never even consider trying to see how close they could get a car or truck to you. They even slow down when they see you and they lean out of the cars and trucks, give you a thumbs up and yell "where you go"..we say toward Bangkok and they just shake their heads!!!


We couldn't resist taking pics Home sweet home in Phi Mai
of these water buffalo!

There's something else I've noticed throughout Asia that you don't see at home. Colin and I talked about this at length just last night. And that is...you don't see ANY GRAFFITI at all!..Anywhere! And I have noticed this throughout my travels in China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, anywhere I've been in Asia...big cities and small cities...you just don't see it. Makes me really wonder what the difference is between our youth and their youth...but then I think we all know the answer to that.

We finally arrived in Phi Mai around 5:00 pm. It was funny, as we turned off highway #2 to head to Phi Mai and it was 10K to the city center (small city of maybe 15,000 people). We were cruising along about 25K and got passed by these two kids on mountain bikes, who were hammering at around 32K an hour. They got about 50 meters in front of me and I clicked into a higher gear and went after them...ended up drafting those kids at 32K an hour for about 6K before they realized we were right behind them on their wheel drafting!! Ha! It was so funny!! Then Colin zips out around me and them and buries them! They didn't know what to say!! Just laughed and gave a thumbs up!! Cool kids............

Once again we had difficulty finding a place to stay...not because of unavailability, but because we didn't know where the hell we were going and these damn maps they put in Lonely Planet really do suck. Finally, we figured out the map and found this place called Boonsari Guest House. Now from the front, it looked like a little noodle shop and a real dump. But Colin went in and checked and came out with a big grin on his face and said that yeh they had two singles for us with hot water, cable tv and AC...for 500 baht a nite (about $16) so we booked two rooms for one night. I was really whipped from the ride and covered in electrolyte salt. And all I wanted was a beer and a shower then some food!

So after getting the beer and shower, we found the night market and set out to get some food. We ended up at a small food stall and again...rice and chicken with basil and chiles...can't seem to get enough of this stuff! Amazing the kind of meal you can buy here for $.50!!!

To bed by 9:30!!

Picturest to be posted later...computer I'm at doesn't allow for USB downloads.

Len

Khon Kaen...Rest Day..Tuesday January 5, 2008

Rest day today and we needed this. We had thought Khon Kaen would be this popping city but it's really a drab busy, traffic city. We were able to find massages which helped and the food wasn't bad either, but once you've been in one big city in Thailand, they all start looking the same wherever you go. So we're excited about getting the hell out of here and start riding again.

We looked at our maps and guide book and have decided to head south on Highway #2 to a small city called Phi Mai. Phi Mai is on the World Heritage and is an ancient Khmer site with ruins built before Angor Wat. So it was built somewhere around the 8th century.

We've also removed Cambodia from our list of riding. Just not enough time to fit it in. To do a trip like this you really need to spend a lot of time looking at detailed maps of the countries and have some degree of knowledge of where guesthouses are located. There are many cyling sites online that provide all this information, it just takes time to wade through it all. And some of it is grossly out of date and guesthouses are closed. We had found this out in Laos in talking with different groups of cylists who had come from the south of Laos and who had ridden through Cambodia. So it's a good decision for us as I need to be back in Bangkok on the 15th before flying back to US on the 18th to pay King George's War Tax.

I'll post pictures at a later post as where we are now, the computers don't allow for USB memory stick use.

Later
Len

Udon Thani to Khon Khaen..AH...NO RAIN!!! Monday February 4, 2008...122K

Well got up this morning, looked outside..and dry streets!! YES!!! No sunshine, but who cares!! No rain!!! So after breakfast we got the bikes loaded and started off late around 8 a.m. We were pretty sure it would be rather flat ride so we weren't too concerned with leaving late. We got out of the city in record time, hit the big gear and we hammered the damn thing. Stopped to get water and coffee every 20-25K, and rock on! Man, it just felt soooooooo good to be riding in shorts and short sleeve bike jersey without rain spashing in my face and to be able to lift my head up to look down the road and not have rain in my eyes. We averaged around 24K an hour for first half of the ride, then stopped at around 80K and had lunch at this roadside stall that served...yep...grilled chicken! I swear, I'm gonna probably never want to see grilled chicken again for awhile...but, it tasted good and it's cheap. The woman also gave us spicy papaya salad, fresh veggies and sticky rice which is just what it says...sticks to the top of your mouth like putting a huge tablespoon of peanut butter in your mouth and you're gumming and gumming to try and get it off the roof of your mouth...but it's great carbs!!!




Ah..grilled chicken at it's finest!!!

We rolled on into Khon Kaen around 3:00 pm and began to look for hotel. Every time we've come to a city to begin looking for a place to stay, we've looked up in Colin's Lonely Planet guidebook for where we are. What we didn't count on in Khon Kaen is that they don't have street signs identified, so we didn't know where the hell we were. Finally, stopped and asked some guy for a particular guesthouse we wanted to see, and rode past this 7 story older hotel...Khon Kaen Hotel. As it turned out, this was the original 5 star hotel in Khon Kaen, although it had fallen on hard times and would probably have difficulty getting 2-3 stars...would of loved to have been there when the stars were removed! Anyway..it only set us back 650 baht (around $23 a night) and it had cable TV (I insisted as I wanted to see the Super Bowl), AC and other nice amenities. We showered then took out looking for an internet cafe, food, and massage. Well, we found the food...great place across the street which served fresh pizza so we each had a 10" pizza...although expensive (to us..at $6 each). We wandered around and found what we were looking for and then came back to hotel for a nightcap. Heard all this music and noise so we walked over this this door and look at the place called "The Harem Club"..(absolute truth). Looked in and there must of been 200 Thai girls sitting around in this "bar" and several Westerner's and Thai men. Turns out is was a "Gentleman's Club" and no, it was not what most of you perverts out there are thinking...a Gentleman's Club in Asia is where a man goes in, can sit and drink, have several beautiful girls around him who laugh at his every spoken word, he pays a million baht then leaves. The girls are not available for the evening and it is absolutely forbidden for the girl (or the man) to negotiate anything other. So no...the girls don't come to the man's room for sex. They are just girls who make the man happy for several hours, drinking with him and laughing. The girls usually get 50% of the price of the drinks so they are always trying to get him to drink more and buy them more drinks. So after looking this over we knew we didn't feel like sitting in some smoke filled bar and paying out a thousand baht to have cute little girls laugh at what we were saying and not understanding a word we said...so off to bed.

I had already heard the score of the Super Bowl and was bummed out...really wanted to see the Pat's win it all...mainly cause Tom Brady, the Pat's quarterback is a University of Michigan ex-quarterback...and my sons and I bleed Maize and Blue. But...wasn't meant to be...just pissed me off though the guy who caught the winning go ahead TD for the Giants..had to be an ex-Michigan State guy...now that REALLY pissed me off!!!

Oh well....next year....

Later Dudes and Dudettes.

Len

Udon Thani and Rain Again.....Sunday February 3, 2008...Off Day

Ok now this is getting ridiculous! 7 straight days of rain!!! I woke this morning around 4:30 and hear the pounding of rain on the window of my room and thanked my lucky Buddhas that I didn't have to load up Big Red and ride today. Colin and I met at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and commiserated together on this damn weather. I mean, there is a monsoon/rainy season in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia...and this ain't the time of year it's supposed to happen!!!

So we decided to grab the umbrellas we'd bought a week ago and kept on the bikes and take off to explore the city in the rain. Didn't take long to become less than enthusiastic toward that idea! I told Colin earlier that the bikes really needed to be cleaned as the chains were exhibiting signs of surface rust on the links (from the rain despite the fact we were lubing the chain every other day) and the mud needed to be cleaned from around the brakes as well. So we decided to just buy cheap towels, handiwipes, and papertowels and spend some time cleaning the bikes. We really hadn't cleaned the bikes since we started and I felt pretty strong about taking care of what had gotten this far without any problem. So we found a market and bought everything and headed back and spent an hour or so cleaning the bikes. We knew they would probably get all dirty again tomorrow but at least we cleaned all the crap off that had accumulated from that 14K ride from hell in the mud and dirt looking for that damn bridge. The dirt we will accumulate tomorrow during rain (and it's forecast again) will be on the road and not dirt roads which will be better for the bikes. And we stocked up at a local supermarket of granola bars, peanuts and snacks to eat while riding. I spent some time also on the blog updating it from the day before. Oh, I almost forgot...while we were about town, we spied these brand new tuk tuk's that were for sale at a tuk tuk dealership (hell, I didn't even know these dealerships existed). Now, for those of you who don't know what a Tuk Tuk is...imagine a motorcycle that is chopped off behing the driver's seat and there is a small covered floodbed behind the driver to with seating to where 6 people can ride comfortably. These things are all over Thailand and take people to and about town everywhere. The cost of a new one was only 55,000 baht, or about $1750. I told Colin, let's each buy one, load the bikes on it and take off............These things are brand new, with a 125 Yamaha engine. Very cool....wish we could use them in U.S.....

Went and got another 2 hr massage. Had a great Thai massage, again for only about $9 for 2 hrs then dinner at same seafood restaurant we ate last night (if it ain't broken, why fix it??). Oops...I'm looking at something that is taking away my interest in this blog...wait a minute....

Well, looks like I'm about done for the day..time to get some some sleep and prepare for a day of the Rain ride again......................


On the way to Khon Khaen tomorrow.

GoodBye Laos...We Decided!! February 2, 2008...90K

Woke up this morning at 4:30 a.m....pouring rain again..what else is new??? 6 straight days of rain! Please God...let it stop!!! I mean, did I really do antything so bad to piss you off?? Enough is enough...really!

Our Guesthouse in Vientiane

We rolled out of bed at 6:30...hauled our butts with bags down to the lobby of guesthouse for morning fix up...Kaffe Lao Dam (black Lao coffee). We made a final decison over Lao coffee and pouring rain. Let's get the hell out of Laos!! So we looked at the map and knew where to go to hook up with the Friendship Bridge between Laos and Thailand over the Mekong River. This bridge was built several years ago and is called the Friendship bridge given the two countries had been adversaries and enemies for so long. So I loaded up Big Red, said a prayer to the Lao Buddha and off we rode out of the guesthouse on a dirt, mud, pothole filled road with lots of water. We got to the main highway (Lao #2) and knew it was about 22K to the bridge. It was pouring rain and we stopped for breakfast 15 min later...to see if the rain would just diminish a little...(was that asking too much?). Headed back out and found our way to the main highway to the bridge. We stopped at a gas station for a pee stop (Lao coffee does that to me) and I told Colin to take the lead and I hung way back as it was raining hard, he has no fenders and I wanted to stay out the roostertail he was throwing back my way! We rode on, got to about 20K and I thought we should be seeing the sign for the bridge. In a little bit we came upon this overpass with a big green sign which says....Lao-Thailand Friendship Bridge *(*()*()%^&$%...whatever the hell that meant!). I thought it meant 1K to the bridge and he did too, so we continued. Then all of a sudden we're on this pot hole road that is now mud and dirt...and I had to ride slow through it as Big Red doesn't have front suspension and he bristled at going through all that s...ing mud and pot holes. Well, Colin rode ahead to where I couldn't even see him anymore (he's riding a Tred 4300 aluminum frame vs. Big Red high strength steel loaded with 4 panniers) and I looked at my Garmin Edge GPS (I bet you didn't ever think I'd get that plug in did you Matt?) and it says we're riding NE. I go ...what the hell? I mean...hey dude...we're riding into Thailand, not China!!! We're supposed to be going South!!! So I stop and ask some people and everyone points straight down the road toward where we're headed. I'm sitting there going..no way! Then Colin stops a bus driver...same answer...straight ahead. Well the Thai are very much wanting to help, whenever and wherever you stop to ask..they will never tell you what you don't want to hear, mainly to save face. So we went with it. Finally after 7K (about 5 miles) I knew we weren't going the right way. No way would a major bridge across the river have traffic going down this sh...hole road!!! And I trust my Edge!!! So I stopped again...and I knew we had to go to the city of Nhong Khai in Thailand...so I ask...Nhong Khai...and the two guys point straight backward. So I stop dead in my tracks...and wait and wait for Colin, who slowly sees I'm not behind him and makes his way back. I say...we're going the wrong way...and he says are you sure? I say...watch this...2 different guys...hey dude..Nhong Khai? And they point backward, same as the other guys. So off we head. We suddenly catch our two Swedish cycling friends we'd met over breakfast in Vang Vieng and they were lost too! So we all made our way after talking to a Thai policeman, to the turnoff. Then the wait started...we had to stand in the line for foreigners to get our passports stamped for entry into Thailand and that took about an hour! But...we were out of the rain!!! YEH!!!

So we left there around 1:00 p.m. and had 55K to ride to Udon Thani in Thailand. Udon Thani is famous for only 1 thing...it was the home of the U.S. airbase during Vietnam War for jets flying bombing missions into Vietnam. So, off we went. We hadn't gotten 3K down the 4 lane divided highway with a great bike lane to the side, when...yep..you got it..pouring rain again. But it was fairly flat and we wanted to just get it over, so we hammered like hell for 20K and stopped at a little noodle stand for a late lunch (I wish to God we had these little noodle stands alongside the road in the U.S....they're great. Big bowl of rice noodles in broth with chicken or pork and sprouts, basil, ah, so good and nutrious and dirt cheap...about $.30 a bowl...oh yeh I forgot...we can't do that in the U.S....Board of Health would never approve of that...). After several cups of hot Thai tea following lunch, off we went again. We rode pretty hard given the pouring rain and all and finally got into Udon Thani around 4:30 p.m. We'd looked at the Lonely Planet (we actually have had better luck finding places on our own and not going with their recommendations) and knew pretty much where we needed to go. So we ended up finding this great hotel called Ton Koon Hotel in central Udon Thani for only $25 a night. Huge rooms, with AC, king bed, bathtub (a first), hot water, and HBO and FOX news...ha!!! I hate Fox news...but at least I can cuss out Bill O'Reilly in Thailand! So, dripping wet, we booked 2 nights..again..another dryout night. We located a masasge parlor down the street and got a 2 hour massage to get rid of the aches and pains of the day's ride (I'm gonna hate going back to US after being over here for so long and not getting my daily massages...who the hell can afford a daily massage in the U.S.??)..a 2 hour massage for only 280 baht (divide that by approx. 30...what $9 for 2 hr??). Then we had dinner at this wonderful little seafood restaurant near the hotel. I had the stirfried Chinese broccoli in Oyster sauce for veggie and chicken fried rice...for oh...a whomping $1.50 but that didn't include Leo beer. Oh, I almost forgot...there is also a great re-hydration drink in Thailand called Leo beer. Love it...great beer. So here's to my friend Leo in Wampler's Heights Michigan! I think they named this after you Leo!! Ha!

We headed back to the hotel to watch football (no, not American football) on the big screen in the hotel lounge. Ok, I'm gonna say it this one time...and I know it's probably gonna piss off a bunch of you people in England who are reading this blog every day (or Colin says you are)...but man, I would rather watch grass grow than watch soccer on tv! I mean hey guys...don't you find it a bit boring?? I mean really??? You can go hours and nothing friggn happens? I recall going to the soccer games in Brazil when I was down there in the 80's and even though I didn't understand the game, at least there was lots of scoring and no one ever sat down!!! Course 90% of the time, we were rather inebriated as well! I wish I could get into soccer as it's a world game and all, but other than watching World Cup at Amati coffee shop in Boulder, well, sorry...but I doubt it will ever be as popular in the U.S. as American football. We'd much rather watch a 250 lb linebacker hit someone and knock him on his ass...enough said!

Well, off to bed...big day tomorrow...clean bikes and do nothing but hydrate!

Tune in tomorow.

Len

P.S...if this blog post today sounds rather strange, perhaps it's because me and Mr. Leo have had an engaging afternoon and evening..............

Vientiane, Laos..February 1, 2008 Off Day

We took the day off riding today...after riding in the rain all day yesterday, we just needed to dry out and re-evaulate what we wanted to do. We had talked the night before with some cyclists who had just ridden from southern Laos to Vientiane and they told us there were very few guesthouses to be found in the south and they had resorted to camping. We don't have any camping gear with us...and no way am I about to try and find someone to take us in on a wish and a prayer. Lao people are very nervous about taking in Westerners for the night as it's taboo and forbidden and they're afraid they'll get caught by the government, so few do it. Even Lonely Planet says it's not done very often. So we need to rethink whether we want to continue riding south toward Cambodia or bag it and go back into Thailand where you can find a place to stay just about everywhere. Besides, this rain is getting on our nerves...4 days straight now and it's raining today as well. I watched CNN and it's indicating that the weather all over Asia is pretty bad due to the weather pattern in China...sure glad I'm not in China now!

We ended up taking the bikes and riding around the city and went to Paouxia which was built by the French and is supposedly similiar to the Arc de Triumphe in Paris. It was pretty cool. You could take steps inside to the top. The Arc has Buddhist carvings integrated into the structure and at 4 corners at the top were gold faces of Buddha...very impressive.








We found a great little outside restaurant and had grilled chicken. I believe without a doubt it was the best chicken I've ever eaten. The Lao take a whole chicken, the cut it down the middle, and then grill it open between two sticks slowly over a bed of coals. They rub the chicken with herbs and spices and well, it is just a great taste. We have eaten it wherever we've seen them grilling as it is always a great food experience. They do something similar with fish as well, taking a whole fish, cutting it open and stuffing it with lemongrass, then rubbing the outer fish with a salt/brine with herbs/spices. Also excellent.

I have to put in a plug for one of our favorite beverages of choice we've found for re-hydration...BeerLao!! Yeh baby!!! It comes in a big bottle and well, excellent beer. Actually, Carlsberg owns 50% of the company. Here's a couple of pics of my favorite drink in Laos....ha! You can actually buy a huge mug of beer that they use for groups at tables...try this next time you want to drink beer!!