Biking in Thailand
The good news is that I got a mini-vacation from life in general. The bad news is that I feel out of biking shape and I'm sick to top it all off. I plan on taking a few days to let my body recover from the lack of sleep and from the cold/flu I caught. I definitely don't feel strong at all.
Even though I was in Bangkok for a week, I found time to get out and ride a little. I signed up for a guided tour through a rural area of Bangkok called Ko Kret. It was only 50 dollars and my hope was that I could GPS the ride and get some geoladders credit - no matter how small - while I was in Thailand.
Unfortunately on the way to the trail I realized my GPS wasn't picking up any satellites. Needless to say for a few minutes I was pretty upset. I ended up getting over it, but I wasn't happy that I wouldn't get any credit for the ride. It would have been a tough ride to GPS though since we stopped and started so much and walked around as well.
There isn't much to describe about the ride - at least not in my usual mountain biking terms. The first half of the ride was through the normal urban environment of Bangkok. There were some really cool raised concrete path sections with some neat drops into swamps on both sides. The tour guide said some people have fallen into the swamps before. Haha.
The real highlight though was riding through the island of Ko Kret. We rode through quite a few markets on the island and it was a constant challenge to stay on the bike while navigating through people and stores.
The overall poverty of the area was amazing. Families literally were living in shacks in swamps. Pictures and words don't really do it justice. It's sobering to realize people actually live day to day in that kind of condition. It makes me thankful for what I have and where I live.
The weather was hot and humid, the company was good and it isn't an experience I'll quickly forget. I missed a ton of geoladders action, but I think it'll be worth it. Better to ride in a different country than ride The Luge for the millionth time.
Even though I was in Bangkok for a week, I found time to get out and ride a little. I signed up for a guided tour through a rural area of Bangkok called Ko Kret. It was only 50 dollars and my hope was that I could GPS the ride and get some geoladders credit - no matter how small - while I was in Thailand.
Unfortunately on the way to the trail I realized my GPS wasn't picking up any satellites. Needless to say for a few minutes I was pretty upset. I ended up getting over it, but I wasn't happy that I wouldn't get any credit for the ride. It would have been a tough ride to GPS though since we stopped and started so much and walked around as well.
There isn't much to describe about the ride - at least not in my usual mountain biking terms. The first half of the ride was through the normal urban environment of Bangkok. There were some really cool raised concrete path sections with some neat drops into swamps on both sides. The tour guide said some people have fallen into the swamps before. Haha.
The real highlight though was riding through the island of Ko Kret. We rode through quite a few markets on the island and it was a constant challenge to stay on the bike while navigating through people and stores.
The overall poverty of the area was amazing. Families literally were living in shacks in swamps. Pictures and words don't really do it justice. It's sobering to realize people actually live day to day in that kind of condition. It makes me thankful for what I have and where I live.
The weather was hot and humid, the company was good and it isn't an experience I'll quickly forget. I missed a ton of geoladders action, but I think it'll be worth it. Better to ride in a different country than ride The Luge for the millionth time.
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