Christmas is a time for having it all, then having some more just because it’s there and finally coming out the other end aglow (and slightly swollen) with the excesses of the season.

More. More. More. Sleeping off the Xmas excesses

Festive Poinsettia and Orchids grow wild in Northern Thailand

Post the Xmas frenzy we’re reflective on the freedom in being surrounded by everything we ‘need’ to have it all removed and realise we’re still ok/complete. What’s most perplexing is we often choose to surround ourselves with more of what we need.  A western affliction of delicious consumption which perhaps mainly serves to leave us feeling more removed from who we are.

As the year kicks off and Brian and I are back to basics, budgets and bicycle fun my resolution for 2016 is to give more and get less.  I’ll challenge you all this year to join me and avoid excess, buying those bits we’re sure we need and when the urge to ‘get’ arises, give something away instead.  Preferably something you own, perhaps it’s been a while since you’ve used or appreciated it.  Pass it on and declutter.  You get to give and streamline this fabulous thing called life and I bet it will feel light, airy and just the right amount of wonderful 🙂 

No sooner had my parents touched down for Crimbo then we were into the centre of Chiang Mai to hire three scooters as our transport for the next fortnight.  Although traffic still flows in Thailand there’s plenty of it and these two-wheel super charged hair dryers are a must have for the inquisitive traveller.

Thompsons on tour

A few days later my friend Ellie arrived laden with festive spirit care of duty-free.  It was a sight with the three loaded scooters nipping off into the hills everyday.  A big mention must go to my parents for getting stuck in and mum going pillion on the back of dads bike. Though the fingernail imprints in his side and mums corner leaning technique kept us in laughs.

Holding steady!

The Christmas gang 🙂

The countryside around Chiang Mai is bursting with places to explore and activities to be done.  We had a perfect mix of laying by the pool, swimming in canyons and disused quarries , scrubbing down rescued elephants, visiting more markets and bazaars than we thought possible and exploring the surrounding mountains on our twist and go steeds.

Mountain gardens

Quarries for swimming

An elephant care day

Cold but worth it after the climb

Jungle trekking here we come

Market overload in central Chiang Mai

An old Thai school friend of mine also flew up from Bangkok to show us the highlights of the town and NYE was spent on the rooftop restaurant of his family owned seventeen storey hotel.  The all you can eat buffet and private dining room was overwhelming enough but the 360 degree view of fireworks and Chinese lanterns popping, floating and sharing the sky in a farewell to 2015 was fantastic.

In the words of David Gray, no sooner had we said hello then we were waving goodbye 😦 As friends and family boarded their tuk tuks to the airport it was once more the double act of Donkey and Horse.  There are lots of feelings that make an adventure like ours the privilege it is but none more than sharing that with people we love. It’s a surreal feeling to be amidst the pulse of a new culture in one of Chiang Mai’s night markets, to then have someone leave.  From a life sprinkled with goodbyes from a boarding school and military upbringing, these moments still make me catch my breath.  But in a place that’s not our home, the swirl and whir seems to carry you on such that the memories soon float into a new album to be viewed in retrospect.

Ellie and her new friend had to leave 😦

This feeling of being present is something that’s heightened again as we boarded our bikes.  Peddling, taking in the road as it rises to meet you and absorbing the changing surroundings keeps one very much in the here and now.  With each day so full of new experiences the recent past feels  further away.  As our 7 day week dissolves time is measured and remembered only by the experiences we have which makes for a cleansing and uncluttered frame of mind.

A caged cock is an angry cock….all the better for cock-fighting!

Our bikes were now fully loaded, nudging the 50kg mark, and with at least an additional 5kg on the waist line the hills of Northern Thailand on our first day were a bit of a shock. As mentioned in our last post the gradients in this region aren’t for the faint hearted and with bulging bikes and booties we only just about managed to push up the hills.

It was back in the trusty tent on our first night in a small mountain village and into the local eatery for grub.  Thailand’s food is exquisite and cheap but every now and again you’ll be thrown a few chewy mouthfuls of offal. Slowly gnawing through the rubbery goodness of a small intestine is a challenge no matter how hungry you are!  Though after a good nights rest we were climbing the jungle strewn roads once more.

Jungle magic

The lowlands between the peaks…a welcome relief

Nothing says you’re back in the adventure quite like a bucket shower in a public squat toilet.  The mod cons and comfy beds of Christmas felt miles away as we got down to our second night on the bikes.  But as is the paradox it was magic to feel the freedom of having our world back to basics.  The following morning gave us a 500m climb which we managed with no pushing and our bodies are already starting to feel the difference.

We’ve now arrived in Phayao, a rather salubrious mountain town set on the banks of a serene lake.  It’s been a lovely couple of nights walking the lantern strewn promenade and taking in the nights markets before we head North and into our next SE Asian country, Laos. 

Sunset on Phayao Lake

Festive lanterns

This region of Thailand has been a welcome return to the bikes and a magical setting for stocking up the memory bank with friends and family.  Just the right amount of sweat and long rides but perhaps a little too much food and booze….ah well, it was Christmas after all! 

Now for the sake of all our waistlines as well as our consciences, it’s time to stop getting and start giving!

Here’s to 2016 and all the adventures that await!

Tommy & Brian

x

A bit of spiritual Love, luck and Light for 2016!