Its all about the bikes baby!

Well, Its been a while but it feels even longer!

We've been non stop since last thu but my arse has been permanently glued to the seat of either my bike or a hired dirt bike...its been awesome!

We got to Chiang Mai early last week I think but to be honest I still havent caught up on what day/week/month it is! anyway, we met this girl Luna who we were meant to be staying with through Nick and 'couchsurfing'! as we met her we also met another five people who were also staying with her! Then when we got back to hers we met another three people who were ALSO staying with her!

I know what you're thinking. probably the same as us....wicked she must have anawesome place, HUGE!!! Well it turns out her and her flat mate share a two bedroom flat! Yep, the 10 of us couch surfers were sharing the floor of the living room and another bedroom! oh, and the flooring in Thailand is predominently ceramic tiles!!! So with a silk sleeping bag liner as bedding,, I could forsee a fairly uncomfortable night ahead! Anyway, 12 of us went out for dinner and a couple of drinks and on our return, Nick decided to jump in bed with the host (after thougtfully asking her permission!) and I lucked out by getting the only sofa in the flat! I was going to be gentlemanly and offer it to one of the ladies but my good sense kicked in just in time and I bedded down to a good nights kip while everyone else spent 8 sleepless hours on the hard cold floor! Thanks goodness I havent been that well brought up!!!

Anyway, the nest day (even though we were due to spend a few days in CM) Nick and I decided to check into a guest house to benefit from the luxuries of a proper bed!

as for the biking- we tend to be in the saddle most days doing between 100-250miles and then just get a guest house wherever we end up then up in the morning to ride again. In fact we have only had one day off since we left BKK and that was because of the rain! The roads are amazing, if not asking for a major accident! They are unbelievably twisty and steep and sometimes amazingly smooth tarmac (even better than a race track) and then suddenly you go round a corner and there is either a herd of blooming (sensored for the benefit of the parents!) cows in the way (quite often actually lying in the road) or the tarmac stops and a dirt road begins!!!
Anyway, two highlights so far have actually been in the last few days...arrived inChiang Mai and got to know an American who has lived here for 5 years. He runs a Harley Davidson shop. Anyway Nick had to have some work done on his bike so went there. Nick and I then went for a two day trip around Chiang Mai coz Richie (American) wanted to take us dirt biking on sunday which sounded awesome. Anyway our two day trip was spend continually riding at race pace around these roads for hours after hour. even on my XT I felt the road scrap my right boot I had the bike lent over so much round a right hander!!! Anyway, we got back and decided we were lucky to be alive and shouldnt be so irresponsible again coz its asking for an accident. unfortunately we then hired the dirt bikes and went off into the jungle for a bit of practice so we werent complete novices on the sunday with richie. We got completely lost and ended up tackling stuff that you see on tv! I ditched the bike big-ish twice! broke clutch lever on one of them! we had no idea where we were and the track (and I do mean a track! you would have had difficulty walking along it and most of the time there was a bloody big drop on one side!) just kept getting harder but was too narrow to turn around and we had come down stuff that we just wouldnt be able to ride up!
Anyway, we survived.after about another hour we found a concrete road and followed it until we found civilisation! Then after promisiing never to be so irresponsible again we went out with this guy Richie who took us at speeds we didnt even dream off the day before. then we met with these Thai guys (two of which were motocross racers) and joined in with them which took us at speeds which Richhie didnt even dream of!!! You can imagine what it was like for us! Anyway, there must have been some divine intervention that day for me coz I didnt drop the bike once and we lived to tell the tale!
I promise never to be so irresponsible again! Until next time!

I am now quite sure how we are both still in one piece and I am thankful to whatever powers look over us! Im begining to believe there might actually be something in all this religious mumbo jumbo after all!!! Well actually, Im not really I just reckon we got lucky!

We are now having our second day off and I am most grateful for it!

Hope everyone is doing well at home!