Timbuk2 Messenger Bag

Timbuk2 bag on the Minsk

Timbuk2 is a messenger bag manufacturer out of San Francisco. I have been toting their bag around for a while and snapped this shot of it resting on my Minsk. After posting it on Flickr with the appropriate 'timbuk2' tag, I was approached with a $100 gift certificate offer for use of the photograph, no terms & conditions, only written word that I will be credited.

I was happy to take their offer, excited at the opportunity of getting a new bag to replace my old beat up one. Once on their site, however, I found that few bags are sold for under $100, and all bags go for over $100 with shipping. I wrote back asking for a cool $190 to cover a new bag and shipping to Holland, otherwise, am I just being roped in for another purchase?

Another gripe; I emailed this photo directly to the marketing department of Timbuk2 and got no response. Only after opening a Flickr account and uploading the photograph with 'timbuk2' tagged on was I noticed. Strange Web2.0 action.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging to get some attention from the corporate world. Already I am starting to place my consumer goods next to temples and such to frame potential commercial photography.

Mae Sot to Mae Sariang

Blue Riders hugging the Burma border

The road from Mae Sot to Mae Sariang weaves in and out of steep, densely jungled mountains and follows swift, muddy rivers including the Moei which divides Burma from the free world. Looking across to Burma, the geography is very dramatic with steep limestone peaks and cliffs. A few thatched huts dot the far side of the riverbank, but most inhabitants of the valley live on the Thai side, undoubtedly for safety from the junta. The weather was exceptionally good for motorcycle travel; sunny and warm with waves of spring-fresh air filling our lungs.

Mae Sariang retains the air of a frontier town, part cowboy, part farmer, situated in the rural country on the extremity of Thailand. A small row of guesthouses and restaurants occupy prime real estate overlooking the Yuam River to entertain the relatively small population of tourists.


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Some may say this might be your last farewell ride

Minsk Motorcycle, "The Ox"

As our time wraps up in Thailand, we are taking one last farewell ride on the Ox. The road is going to take us straight north through the mountains to the northern tip of the country, Mae Hong Son followed by a 100 degree turn to the East and back down to Chiang Mai before returning to Mae Sot 2 weeks later.

I spent an inglorious few hours neck deep in bureaucracy trying to figure out what becomes of the Minsk when we fly away June 19th. Eventually, the people in grey conceded and told me the truth, "Just leave, its not a problem. If they press you for answers, tell immigration you plan on returning." In May when I left Bangkok for Indonesia there were no questions about the bike, so I am willing to believe that when I leave again there will be no problems. The only question that remains is "Who gets the Ox when we go?"

Blue rider in park: The Domestic Life

The Ox has been reduced to a mere 'grocery-getter' here in Mae Sot, life has become very domesticated in the 'burbs, I am doing some design work, but am hardly working rather than working hard, and the easy pace of life has lent itself to breathing deeply as I recline in a shaded hammock with an iced tea and a good book.

A perk of my location is free Thai lessons in the evening taught by a patient monk now in his gray years working as a translator for a Thai government official. Five nights a week, the official and the translator join us at 5; first we have an hour of Thai lessons, in English and Burmese, followed by two-on-two badminton while dinner is prepared, and then delicious food and cold beer. Tonight, wild boar from some village donated to the thai official. Last night, deep fried chicken wings. Of course, steamed rice, a curry or soup, steamed vegetables, and what I call 'thai salsa' are obligatory at every meal; as much as you can eat!

I have been enjoying "Malay Archipelago" (1868) by Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist, friends with Darwin, and a man of terrific wit and insight. His stories of traveling are quite amazing and fun to read, much like "Sailing Alone Around the World". Follow him through remote island jungles where no white man has ever been as he collects cheeky British laughs and butterflies, or goes hunting for Orangutans. Good summer read!

Mae Sot

The Ox pictured 10 km from Mae Sot, yes, she made it! A very beautiful ride over mountains has landed me in the smokey city of Mae Sot, also known as "Little Burma" as the population is 60% Burmese. The smoke is due to extensive seasonal burning of fields and forests; it is dry as a bone here now with a scorching sun.

Lone Star, follow the red needle

My gas tank is now enhanced by a compass whose red needle directs me north through unmarked farm roads in central Thailand. The landscape is flatter than Kansas with another enormous golden pointy Wat every 5 km or so, very impressive at first but eventually redundant. After a full day of non-stop needle following, I pulled over into a city called Uthai Thani, perhaps 1/2 way to Mae Sot. I am apparently so out of place that the police pulled over when he saw me in town, which was fortunate as he showed me to a cheap hotel (190B).

The Minsk is running true, the curry is tasty and cheap, and the road benign; "Sometimes the light's all shining on me..."

Lao photos

From Lao by motorbike

Photos are up, have a look!

Break on through to the other side

Thailand! Finally we have reached our goal, after three days of beaucratic bullshit of the highest order. With some help from a friend and travel consultant at http://remoteasia.com/ we got the correct papers they neglected to issue in Na Meo (exit papers for Vietnam as well as transit papers for Lap) and entered Thailand through Vientaine very easily with no border costs. That evening we got on another overnight bus down to Pattaya, a suburb of Bangcock (sex industry is big here). We see lots of fat russian men with skinny young Thai girls, rather gross. I may perhaps be the only guy here with a white girlfriend.

Our man Jim of Remote Asia also turned out to be a Minsk fanatic and happily took Eline's bike "Guppy" off of our hands for $200. Considering the lack of paperwork and the fact that we are in Lao, rather good for us. From henceforth we only have the "Ox", my bike with the saddle bags, a bad attitude, and a desire to dominate the Thai landscape.

Rest, refuel, and race onwards!

Demons in blue keeping us from Thailand

This video show where we are at right now; placing our bikes on the roof of a bus for overnight transport up to Vientaine from Savannaket after four unsuccessful attempts to get into Thailand from Tha Khek and Savannaket, alas, we threw in the towel and had to come back up to the main border crossing. $30 later we are here deciding whether or not to sell the Minsk and continue by public transport or continue with the Vietnamese bikes into the rather westernized country of Thailand without perfect papers, motorcycle drivers license, so forth and so on. The last couple of days have been rather taxing, banging our heads against the proverbial wall of beaurocrasy, however, while sitting around quite uncharacteristically, we have been able to meet many interesting travelers. This morning we sat by the Mekong river after arriving in Vientaine at 4am with two South Korean students. We gathered bottle caps and I taught them how to play checkers on a chess board; they were quite good for never having played before, nevertheless I proceeded to beat them both!

Secrets of the noodle burrito people

Laos, baby, Lao! Sabai Dee (hello)! Noodle soup with vegetable? Yes please, and pass the soy sauce and chili, please. Rip yourself off a piece of lettuce, grab some noodles with chopsticks, place the noodles in the greens, add a piece of mint, roll up, and enjoy! Life may never be the same. For lunch have some sticky rice; reach your hand into a woven bowl, dig your fingers into the sticky-riceness, grab a palm full, roll into a ball, and eat it like finger food. Perhaps dip it into some spice.

We entered through Na Meo from Vietnam without a hitch. The word on the street about the prospects of being let in ranged from "Perhaps, you will have to bribe, though" to "absolutely not, drop that idea immediately". Well, I would like to tell all of the naysayers that we danced our way through with limited paperwork, a learner's driver's license, and no bribes.

The road led directly into... nothingness. Rainy blank mountainsides for kilometers upon kilometers. Thankfully the pavement is in really good condition, but it is evident that the Lao road construction codes allow for much steeper inclines than their Vietnamese neighbors. We have spent three days and two nights pounding out 400 km through vast expanses of mountain ranges and have finally arrived at the Plain of Jars area, wikipedia it if you are interested.

There have been many adventures, including meeting some insane travelers from Europe and running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.

I enjoy the subtle and not so subtle differences between Lao and Vietnam. Lao enjoy cleaning and doing dishes. Lao paint their houses blue instead of pink or orange pastel. Lao social rules allow for no touching, be it handshakes, arm taps, or shoulder rubs, whereas in Vietnam even personal space is communistic.

We are to spend a day here seeing the sites then will charge on down to the capital for a while then continue charging down to Bangkok in time for the Bangkok Ultimate Frisbee tournament on February 16th.

Government Propaganda Motorbike Ride Vietnam

Ha Giang Adventure Journal

Check out the Ha Giang day-to-day blow-by-blow journal for an indepth look at what the road was like.

Is the Na Meo border to Loas open?

Ever find yourself wondering this? Then you might be in our shoes. Turns out it is, according to the Laos Consulate this afternoon. An old building falling down just a little bit with one friendly man behind the desk helping eight or so foreigners towards the end of his shift at 4pm. Preparations are going well. Dropped roughly 30 USD on a multitude of spare parts for the Minsks. Clutch pads, brake pads, cables, handles, wires, electrical boxes, adjustable spanner, wires, ummm and some other stuff too. The nice guys at the motorbike shop also alerted us to a secret compartment in the Minsk for storing stuff. We took a look and Eline's bike had a whole 'nother assortment of bike parts and a leatherman that the previous owner had left behind. The bike mechanic dude took a very keen liking to it (and I felt like a dope for opening the compartment in front of him). "You let me have? You let me have." Sure, let you have, I already have one, thanks for all your help, see you later.

Ha Giang photo album

From Ha Giang by M...

We are back safely in Hanoi after an amazing trip. Check out the 98 photos we chose from over 700 from our 14 day motorbike affair! We each lost a couple of kilos and are now eating as much as possible to get it back before heading out again.

Photo Album

Future plans

Eline and I are now proud title-carrying owners of 2 Minsks after $400 each. In 7 days we are going to start a journey through Laos and northern Thailand to Mae Sot on the Burma border to volunteer our time to teach in schools for Burmese refugee students. In April Eline is going back to Australia for her graduation while I get involved in a 3 month plan with the Burma Volunteer Program. In June we will be reunited and are considering another bike trip (pan-eurasian). Eline has set herself to start her master's degree in Holland in September or January. I should be able to get a work visa for the EU through her mother who works in the British Embassy and has all the ill hook ups and could also travel to Holland and work.

Education Burma
Burma Volunteer Programme

Ha Giang mid-report

Vietnamese do not like cheese, refrigerators, or menus. Thus are the results of a week on the road up from Hanoi to the capital of the Ha Giang province via twisty roads or twisty dirt paths through the mountains and beside the rivers. Common cliches upon the road:

"Beautiful! So beautiful! Look at that mountain! Wow look at those rice patties! We need to think of more words, beautiful is not good enough... Breathtaking! Stupendous! Spectacular!"

"Ahhhh I think we should have taken that other road 10 km ago."

"I feel like I am in a zoo, these people are staring." (We have gone 7 days without seeing another white face)

and of course, "I feel like I am going to spew."

We have been taking a lot of great photos and Eline is keeping a record of the trip. Some bits of these things may be shared later. 3 days spents going NW from Hanoi, then a rest day in a nice mountain town. I fell prey to the 3rd world stomach bug and shat my brains out for a good while then was given local medicine.

Yesterday we took a wrong turn and ended up at the Chinese boarder, a really funny experience. A really nice policeman had us in for tea and wrote down our names and sent us on our way. We were asking if this was the road to Ha Giang, to which there was no reply. This one bit of Vietnamese culture I do not understand. They are rediculous when it comes to directions! We were in Xin Man, a town that we knew was a crossroads, for over 24 hours, and couldn't figure out that we were there. As we pulled up to town I asked a group of people "Baano kilomet a Xin Man?" (how many kilometers to xin man?) and recieved nothing but blank stares. It was not until returning from the Chinese boarder that we saw signs for the town we had slept in the night before that read "Xin Man" did we realize that we had just slept in our destination without even knowing it. Anyway, I digress, so we are up in this tiny mountain village of perhaps 40 people and a police station and a military outpost and I stop to fix my Minsk before going on the dirt road when the pavement ends and the policeman tells us we need to chat. We have tea, then continue on the road to "Ha Giang" aka CHINA. We leave the village and head up the path that quickly degrades into less than road status. We spend upwards of a half hour pushing our bikes up a 40 degree loose dirt slope then rest for a moment when 4 border gaurds, 2 with AK's, come down and tell us we have to turn around, "But we just talked top the police!" "How far to Ha Giang!" These yelps must have sounded very silly. So, digruntled, we turned around, drove home, and found out that we were already where we wanted to be ANYWAY, and that tomorrow, we could easily drive to Ha Giang along the correct road.

Preparations

Riding the Minsk down a busy street and tapped a man with cinder cones stacked high on his bike. He looked over his shoulder and saw a white face and dropped the load onto the ground, breaking it all, then stuck his hand out. A large crowd gathered around us and all the Vietnamese insisted I give him $10. That made me extremely pissed off.

But then, we went to a pharmacy for some meds should we have an accident and were able to buy codeine over the counter as well as novacane. A bottle of novacane cost 500 dong, where 16,000 dong is roughly $1. I guess it all works out.

Greater Hanoi

From South East Asia

We rolled across the Red River away from Hanoi then North along the bank through many small villages. The air was hot and dusty and filled with commerce; it must have been the tree bark harvest time because every available surface was filled with strips of thin wood drying in the sun. The Red River was full of excitement as well. 50 ft cargo boats swiftly traveled up and down the channel laiden with thousands of pounds of dirt and gravel just to the point of having not even a half foot of free board. Their loads were perfectly distributed across the length of the thin, long boats such that entire ships looked as if they would sink to the bottom at any moment.

The road took us 20 km from Hanoi, then we ventured across another bridge, down some more narrow roads, and found ourselves in a small town with an impressive monestary. On the side of the road a 70 year old Vietnamese woman had a small shack made from scrap wood and tarps from which she ran a cafe; she sold us a beer and stick rice steamed in a banana leaf for a snack then also some fake money and incense to bring down to the temple as an offering for the big trip we have coming up! The temple was fantastic inside; there was a 12 armed golden buddha flanked by eight statues of scholars and two enormous wooden demons. We prayed for a safe trip.

Minsk of Fury

We picked up our Minsk yesterday from the rental dudes down at Guoung's shop. The clutch was a snap to get used to and soon we were a pair of badasses rolling down the country side on noisy 125 cc 2 stroke machines of justice. What a machine! I can relate to the attraction they hold. My bike has a louis vuitton seat cover; very swanky.

The plan is to head pretty much due north from Hanoi up to the border with China into the mountains of the Ha Giang province. Check out some photos from offroadvietnam.com

Ceramic Village

Rolled on a motor skooter 10 km out through the country side to a village dedicated to making ceramics. We tooled around the small alleys and checked out some shops. The ride out there was beautiful; brightly colored houses clustered in villages around fields and small ponds.

In the evening we took a beer or two at Eline's favorite cafe on the corner of a busy intersection. Very interesting people came in and out to have some of the homebrew in kegs resting on the side of the road. One traveler gave us useful information regarding his Minks, that many people along the road are able to help with repairs and spare parts.