bicycle ride through bangkok - songkhran 2015

yanhee pinoys' songkhran party 2015

K as in kilig

Yeah… I’m dancing!

Earlier in life I discovered that both my feet were… left. Well, that’s how people who can’t dance want to describe themselves. My upbringing in a community that shunned dancing is partly to blame though. Now at the homestretch of my 5^th decade in life, I have taken up ballroom dancing and I get pumped up with adrenaline the moment I step on the dance floor. (This intro is really getting in my nerves, coz I really wouldn’t want to get caught dead on a ballroom dance floor).

To set things straight, let me clarify that the ‘ballroom’ is the maze of Bangkok’s infamously mean streets and the ‘dance’ is on board a contraption that was never in the mind of the guy who invented the wheel - way back in the Stone Age.

Blame it on “plantar fasciitis” – a malady that transforms agile runners into limping retards, the BIKE was actually a solution to a weight gain problem and the actual brakes on the downhill slide into a sedentary lifestyle.

Never in my mind – while shopping for the bike, would I ever discover that one day I would build up the rhythm to love the streets (and the cars) of Bangkok. Never would I imagine that I can waltz, tango, hip-hop or swing with the cars while either at a complete standstill in rush-hour traffic or as they zoom past me at 80km/hr.

Breakdance would be nice, and I tried it once when I was forced to crash my bike on the pavement to prevent it from hitting a taxi cab that chose to block my path without warning. A scar on my left knee is a reminder that this kind of dance is not without consequences.

The wind on my face, the gallop of the heart in the climb at Phra Pinklao bridge, the “sawasdee khrub” greeting by other bikers, the smoke from bus exhausts and the aches after doing 30 kilometers are just some of the few things that make me love this ‘ballroom dancing.’

Let it rain or let the sun shine hot… and I’ll still be dancing – yeah!

Biking through Ayutthaya's historic landmarks

Tours in the Indo-China region are mostly done by air conditioned bus and sight-seeing is limited to ancient temples and palace ruins. What is left out in this set-up are the back-roads and insights into the community life of the locals.

A day-long bike tour in hot and humid Thailand may not seem inviting to the average tourist, but for the adventurous soul with the urge to get steeped in the local culture, a bike tour is the best way to live the dream.

I read about Grasshopper Adventures some years back, but being a runner I was more intent in chasing the many marathon events all over the region. One rather rugged run - The North Face 100 held at the mountains of Pak Chong, introduced me to plantar fasciitis - a painful malady that makes running long distances excruciating and almost impossible. I didn't want to hang my running shoes yet, but I definitely had to rest my feet to allow them to recover.

This was when I decided to get a bike to keep my muscles toned and weight trimmed. My interest in Grasshopper's organized bike tours was rekindled and the rest is history.

Here are some photos to liven up the rest of the story.

an initial email posted at the Grasshopper Adventures' website connected me to Tangkwa - a thai with good english. she led me through the booking and payment (ThB1,500) process and then gave instructions on how to meet my tour guide on the appointed day. That's the bike they had for me with the train that would take me and the group to Bang Pa-in for the first leg of our tour.

Vertex, a young thai employed at a car factory is with me in the group. This is his first provincial train ride and he is all eyes and ears.

the other members of this group are Sunita (USA); William (USA) and Noot and her 58-year old mom (Thai).

with the train approaching our destination we get up from our seats, all ready with gear and buoyed up spirits.

we were like a team of navy seals ready to jump off at a moment's notice.

Bill's 6 foot 4 inch and a half frame is crammed into the stairwell. He is the manager for Thailand operations of Grasshopper.

introducing to you mr. Tick (in green) - a bike-riding encyclopedia with Thai-accented English and a disposition that would put to ease any fear or anxiety at the start of a tour like this.

from the train station we hit the road with Bill leading this time.

the backstreets right through sleepy communities alongside canals and rivers were the first scenes into our tour.

Chao Phraya river crossing on a barge

a pickup truck, a few motorcycles and our bikes on board

off the ferry and we're back to the side streets

one stretch was on this lightly traveled highway through rice fields

entering a Muslim community where we had coffee break

one of those narrow bridges that would make you hold your breath at the approach while wondering if you could make it without having to dismount.

getting into the Wat Chaiwatthanaram compound

that's it... a 17th century Buddhist temple by the Chao Phraya river

contrasting modes of transportation: our bikes and the tour bus

the steepest and only climb in the tour - a bridge into Ayutthaya

a reclining Buddha

one of those spots where you can't resist being part of the photo at Wat Lokayasutharam

the tallest american in all of Ayutthaya for that day. his bike was the highest bike I have ever seen in my life. 

getting into ancient royal palace Ayutthaya

the grand and impressive spires of the palace

a Buddha statue losing the battle against nature - Wat Mahathat

another of those narrow bridges

a final crossing of one of chao phraya's tributaries

Tick is either very strong or the bikes are very light

even on the boat this guide keeps the info eloquently flowing. really an awesome guide.

that's the Ayutthaya train station...

where we checked in our bikes...

... and make a mad dash in the pelting rain to the train that was just grinding to a stop. In about an hour we would be back in Bangkok where a masseuse with soft and sturdy hands is waiting.

One of the reasons why I chose to go on this tour was to test how far my aging body (turning 60 in a year) could carry me in this activity. At the start I wasn't sure of myself. My daughter too was a bit concerned and she kept reminding me by phone messaging to hydrate and not to push too hard.

here's the map to show the green GPS tracing of our route - 39 kilometers all in all. the red line is a different trip.

Thanks Bill and Tick for giving me this chance to enjoy Ayutthaya on board two wheels. I loved every moment of the trip and I have my sights on more daring and far-reaching tours.

welcome 2015 - the year of the goat

the goat it is, but to open the year we were bonding with the deer. 2 days and 3 nights at the Es·Ta·Te camping resort and Khao Kheow open zoo was the best way to break into the new year.

The swine: don’t touch don’t eat

The book of Leviticus in the bible outlines the animals that the ancient Israelites were not supposed to touch/eat. For the SDA, the swine/pig has received the highest distinction of being the most detestable and abominable as can be noted in their doctrines and daily postings in FB.

One thing that they teach is that eating of the swine’s flesh or pork will definitely bar one from life eternal. In other words, one is doomed the moment he eats pork and this applies to all humanity. 

Is this really what the bible teaches? Let’s investigate this from the Christian and biblical point of view.

What is this law and who commanded it and to whom? (Leviticus 11)

what about the swine/pig?

what is the consequence of eating the forbidden meat?

For what reason was the food laws given? (Deuteronomy 14)

were these laws given to the people who lived before the Sinai event? (Deuteronomy 5)

were these laws given to the non-Israelites? (Ephesians 2)

It is clear that the food laws were part of the Old Covenant that God gave exclusively to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai.

When Jesus established the New Covenant - his blood, what happened to the food laws in particular and the Old Covenant in general? (Hebrews 8)

What now about the Old Covenant food laws deemed "unclean?" (Acts 10)

How is food addressed now in the New Covenant? (Romans 14)

(Colossians 2)

a friend reasoned out that since we are not commanded to eat pork he might as while not eat just to take the benefit of doubt and stay on the safe side of salvation. Does the bible address this type of reasoning? (Romans 14)

does the bible say anything about those who teach about abstaining from eating pork? (1 Timothy 4)