Gathered together in Bangkok

Nineteen hours in the air summarizes the trip to Bangkok. There is no way to sugarcoat a trip of that length but we are here and have all of our gear.

Two trikes, two guys and two changes of clothes. Sometime later today we will assemble trikes, do a couple of shakedown rides and on January 3 board the train for the northern part of the country where the ride begins. 

Last-minute details before departure

Steven has arrived from Casper and it is less than 24 hours until we are in the air for Bangkok. I've had three months to accumulate stuff that I want to take and now suddenly I am lightheaded thinking that I may have forgotten something really important. Oh well if I don't have it now I Will help the economy of Thailand.

Shelle came to breakfast this morning at our favorite restaurant. Her Christmas gift to me was one of the most thoughtful she has ever given me. It was about a dozen items that will make my trip more comfortable both on the plane and when I am peddling. Every time I use one of the items I will think of her which means she will be on my mind constantly.

The first leg is nonstop from Denver to Tokyo on a 787 Dreamliner. That leg of the trip takes 12 hours 20 minutes but the 787 was built to make long trips like this more comfortable. This will be my first trip on one and my thoughts for a trip of this length are "come on, impress me".

I will catch you up with events when I reach Bangkok.

Dengue fever

Thailand is wet and warm thus lots of mosquitoes and some of them carry Dengue fever. The risk is greatest from dusk till dawn, especially while sleeping. Rather than slather myself in mosquito repellent as a nightly bedtime ritual I have decided to use a mosquito net.

What to pack what to leave?

Everything must fit in these two panniers.

Volume is one problem and weight is another. Hills grow steeper and temperatures feel hotter as weight increases. There will be a lot of soul-searching in the next few days to get the load right. 

Trike in Thailand

Beginning January, 2014 I will be peddling my recumbent trike around Thailand. I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for a fellow trike rider who I met through the dealer that sold us our trikes. 

Steven Telck lives in Casper with his Thai wife Tiptida. They own a home about an hour north of Bangkok. It would be immensely intimidating to try to figure out how to ship my trike to a foreign country 12 time zones away, navigate in a country that speaks a language that is not English, and not get lost on a trip of 700 miles over 30 days. 

Steven showed me how to disassemble my trike and pack it into 2 containers that can be checked as luggage.

With the blessing of our wives we will spend the month of January peddling, eating, and drinking in the sights of Thailand. We will start at the northern most border and weave our way south. 

For those of you interested in following our progress I will be keeping a blog. I am new to blogging so there will likely be rough spots while I master the medium. 

Pli hi wela thi di kling 

(let the good times roll)