JackLs Thailand/Cambodia Adventure

[JackL]

Originally Posted by RumRunner

Great adventure, complete with some Rhum

DW

Ah yes, Rum. In case you're wondering where my screen name & nickname came from this is from last Halloween.

JackL

[JackL]

Originally Posted by clintnz

Very Cool! Gotta do that sometime. It looks like a cheap moto-holiday, especially from this side of the planet. How do you get on language wise while touring round in the hills there?

Cheers
Clint

Yeah, I arrived in Thailand with $3400, bought the bike, put a couple hundred into it, & lived very well for 2 1/2 months & still had money when I returned to the states.
The most expensive thing there is beer & liquor. There were times that a cocktail would cost me as much as my guest house for the night. The secret is to buy your booze at a grocery store & take it with you to the bars.

JackL

[JackL]

One more shot of us clearing the tree out of the road on the way down from Bokor.


The next morning it was up and out. Had to wait with a bunch of the locals for a driver heading our way. No buses or public transportaion down here.


The next stop was Sihanoukville, on the Cambodian coast. I stayed at Apsara Occhueteal Beach guest house. I wouldn't recommend it. I spent a lot of time in the Victory Beach area.


At the Rusty Keyhole in Bokor I met the owner, Christian. While discussing bikes & AC/DC he told me to look up his buddy who owned the Angkor Arms in Sihanoukville.
I hung out there long enough watching AC/DC Live at Donnington Park & similar videos & drinking beer that the owner decided he was going to show me around the area. So the next day I rented a 250cc Yamaha & we took off around the countryside.


We snuck in the back trails to this waterfall




After a few hours he had to head back but gave me directions on where to go & I headed out to see the country. I found this big fishing villiage on the coast.













I spent a few more days in town, just bumming around on the beaches during the day & hanging out at a great bar I found the first night, The Endless Summer. It's owned by Chad an ex-LA surfer. The first night there we watched a documentary called Riding Giants about the first guys that road big waves back in the 60s. The next night one of those guys was sitting there at the bar with me. I forget his name but if you ever see it he's the first guy to ride the big waves at North Shore in HI. He looks like a slightly chubby, balding business man now.
Finally it was back to Bangkok. You can take a boat back to Thailand but I get a bit seasick & had been drinking too much so I took the bus. What with really bad roads where we got stuck in the mud, ferry crossings,


extortion by the Thai truck drivers at the border & the connecting bus being full it took us 24 hours to go the 600-odd km to Bangkok.
Then, with one birthday party for my friend Jon it was back to America.

The Thai food just isn't as good here. I can't wait to go back to the Land of A Thousand Smiles.

Jack Lowry

[Damir]

Cool!

[pikipiki]

Most excellent. Thanks for sharing.

[JackL]

Originally Posted by pikipiki

Most excellent. Thanks for sharing.

And thanks for the bump.

Stay tuned, more ADV to come.

[Rhodie]

Good report & pix mate.
Were you shooting film - colour temp suggests you were?
You covered the ground very well.
Try and fit Laos in next time as the riding there is awesome.

There have been considerable changes since you were here.
[Over] development, especially in Cambodia and Thai islands;
p'haps the biggest difference you would notice is in the dollar's decline..

Still good value tho and great people along with great riding.
for SEA biking check out http://www.gt-rider.com.

Cheers
Rhodie

[JackL]

Originally Posted by Rhodie

Good report & pix mate.
Were you shooting film - colour temp suggests you were?
You covered the ground very well.
Try and fit Laos in next time as the riding there is awesome.

There have been considerable changes since you were here.
[Over] development, especially in Cambodia and Thai islands;
p'haps the biggest difference you would notice is in the dollar's decline..

Still good value tho and great people along with great riding.
for SEA biking check out http://www.gt-rider.com.

Cheers
Rhodie

Yeah, I wanted to get into Laos but was riding an undocumented/unlicensed bike. I hear that's almost impossible to do even in Thailand these days.

I've avoided the Thai islands in my trips there. Too many drunk tourists from what I hear. Maybe next time.

I got a lot of good info from Golden Triangle rider before I went.

It sounds like you're in Thailand now?

[Rhodie]

Originally Posted by JackL

Yeah, I wanted to get into Laos but was riding an undocumented/unlicensed bike. I hear that's almost impossible to do even in Thailand these days.

I should have mentioned that one of the major changes is the availability of new plated KLX/D-Tracker 250s.
You can buy [30day rego wait for the papers] or rent and with the rental agreement get a form from the rental company giving you permission to go cross-border into Laos.
Rentals are about 800-100TB per diem out of Chiang Mai.
Or you can pick up a 2nd hand one for 100-120,000THB [150K new],
like you did and sell it on.

Originally Posted by JackL

I've avoided the Thai islands in my trips there. Too many drunk tourists from what I hear. Maybe next time.

Sadly so true.

Originally Posted by JackL

I got a lot of good info from Golden Triangle rider before I went. It sounds like you're in Thailand now?

Yup live in BKK but bike in the north & Laos.
Jonnada's still a character + more

Do get in touch next time you are over.

oh & was it film or digital?

Cheers
Rhodie

[JackL]

Originally Posted by Rhodie

I should have mentioned that one of the major changes is the availability of new plated KLX/D-Tracker 250s.
You can buy [30day rego wait for the papers] or rent and with the rental agreement get a form from the rental company giving you permission to go cross-border into Laos.
Rentals are about 800-100TB per diem out of Chiang Mai.
Or you can pick up a 2nd hand one for 100-120,000THB [150K new],
like you did and sell it on.



Sadly so true.



Yup live in BKK but bike in the north & Laos.
Jonnada's still a character + more

Do get in touch next time you are over.

oh & was it film or digital?

Cheers
Rhodie

Oh yeah, good old John at Jonadda.
It was film. I held out going digital until after then but just couldn't justify the development cost any longer.

[Reelickj]

Thanks for the pics and story.
It really gets me excited.

[JackL]

Originally Posted by Reelickj

Thanks for the pics and story.
It really gets me excited.

You're welcome. It's been a while since that trip.