Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Huning For Wats In Thailand

I did close to hundred miles again yesterday...around Phu Phra Forest Park...it was interesting because there are these Cliff Formations that I've passed by a bunch of times and never knew how to reach them...lots of alternate paths from below looking for access...I did find a hiking trail that I think would probably take you up, but it wasn't something that I'd want to ride...

It turns out that this Random Route created by "snapping to trail" on my map app took me past the cliffs (on top)...

BTW, when I'm sitting in the dark waiting for the sun to rise, I look at email, the message board and then waste time playing with Snap To on the map...yesterday's route is a classic that I'll probably modify a little and add to the List...the original single track I found months ago, the other Forest route and this one...

Here are some photos and 7 I360 AI videos:


Another White Buddha at the top of a hill.



Tons of farmland to ride around.



The view from the top of the cliff.


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-XgH3xGp/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-6GhKfZk/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-Lwhn7QT/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-XPXD49R/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-Sx4mbNL/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-7SL9tSf/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-vWWQJLf/A

40,000 Fine and a year in Jail...
That's the potential punishment if you're charged by the Anti-Drone Unit of the Thailand Police...
So, wanting fly the bigger drone (rather than just the Neo), I spent a few days getting Licensed and Registered with the CAAT and NBTC (FAA and FCC equivalent)...
Dang, the translation of the Exam was pretty piss-poor and I didn't score high enough on the first go...got thru it on the second attempt...
The fees and inurance policies (1,000,000 minimum coverage) cost about $85...
Every flight has to be registered with CAAT and you're supposed to Log the Flight in their app...and a LARGE portion of the country is Restricted and Prohibited Airspace...

BTW, I mentioned before that I thought the Controller "knows where it is and applies that area's transmission specs" based on GPS in the unit was confirmed by an Engineer...and Thailand does allow up to a watt of transmission power, which is the same as the US...don't know why the earlier flight had reception problems...
BTW2, I'm in a Zero Altitude Restricted Zone because of China Lake at Home and can't fly here (at home) because I'm within an AF Restricted Zone...

I flew at Phu Phra Forest Park...which isn't Restricted (the other Forest Park is in a Thai Air Force Training Area, so it's off-limits...

Here are a few videos...sorry if all looks the same...


50 megapixels photo from the drone on a hazy day...obviously, downsized by SmugMug...


Videos:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-F9KDCwZ/A
Follow me up...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-zZx4ZJT/A
Follow me down...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-MQqBJZp/A
Farmland pan...this is from the top of the limestone cliff...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-KjgfF6n/A
Flying the Farmland from the top of the hill (near the White Buddha)...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-VnpZn2t/A
A 360 pan from max altitude above the White Buddha...


A WAG would be that 90% of the land up in this area is Farmland...



I've created a 60km snap-to track the goes around the south end of the Air Force Base...it's nearby...I'm surprised I've never noticed it...definitely haven't seen any aircraft fly from it...

About 80 miles of riding around the base...nearly every highpoint I could see...and not one sighting of the base...except for two gates...
Smelled like something the US might have done (well camo'd by Jungle) for the Vietnam War, but this wasn't one of our bases in Thailand...


Shin, I found a Range:






It has a Long Range with lots of steel plates, but I was too lazy to pull the camera off the mount again...
You ought to bring a couple of rifles over...nobody was using it...it would probably be all ours...
(Check that...it's probably more difficult getting this permission than the UAS Pilot License...)


As usual in Jungle Riding, I got stopped (by a deep trench):



but connected the sections:




14th crash could have been a Doozy, but I landed in a "sand pit" so it didn't hurt...
Another as usual comment...when I crash, I usually come home wasted...It was so hard, I'm drinking a beer...

I've been seeing so many people breaking the rules...so I joined the crowd and flew the drone out about 2 1/2 km...In the background you'll see the lake a spent a good part of today riding around...

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-pwXnrmS/A


Here are a few photos and a Follow Me drone video from the Lam Pao Reservoir ride:


Wimped out...way less than knee deep...I took the long ride around...



I rode a bunch of dead-end roads with views like this at the end...



And another...



And another...



And another...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-dqhjjmb/A
Follow Me video.


I heard a few YouTubers mentions that they were bored by their rides throught Isan...and rode thru as fast as possible...I love Farmland almost as much as Mountains...I'm up in the mid-3k's on the motorcycle, so obviously I'm enjoying this...and Yeah, if I ever get that replacement License Plate, I'll be off to the Mekong and the mountains of Northern Thailand...I'm also less than a month away from the Second Trip to India...(somone recently replied to a comment I made on India calling it a S$$$hole...I call that Narrow-Mindedness...and not finding the right places to go...)


BTW, I'm putting in the CAAT Requests To Fly...they ask for 3 days in advance, but the Approvals (if in legal airspace are almost instant)...I just do it right before I take off...I'm not starting/ending logging like they request we do...

So, 2 rides over about 10 hours and I haven't even covered 25% of the Western Shoreline of Lam Pao Reservoir...I feel sorry for the Farmers whose land is Under Water...this is their prep season...

Here's 15 minutes of a 6 hours ride:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-j5xKkWS/A

The Wind was howling yesterday...I want to do one of those (relatively) high altitude shots of me riding, but not risking an expensive drone unless the conditions are calm...

Here are a few photos:





I keep hoping I'll come across an owner with his boat so I can ask for a ride on the lake...



Plenty of Secondary Roads still under water from the Rainy Season...



One leanig left...one leaning right...



A Shade Shed on a Field almost completely under water...



For a second, I thought I was in Holland...riding across a Thai Dike...


Plan for today is to ride to the dams at the southern end of the reservoir...
An update on the license plate: should be arriving in about a week...that makes it more than a month for a replcement to arrive...I wonder if the length of time for replacement is part punitive...

Blue Water...Blue Sky...White Puffy Clouds...
An Earthen Dam...An Open Gate...An Approved CAAT Flight Plan...
What's Not To Like...

Here's a 4 minute Follow Me Video:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-nzHQRfS/A


And some photos:


The Earthen Dam.



At least the Spillway is concrete.



And more submerged roads.


Here's a Follow Me up the eathen dam:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-zFFVvLr/A

I keep waiting to get bored of the riding I'm doing, but it's not happening...almost to 4000km...
My India Visa Application was Granted...so the parts of the trip that aren't Wing It are complete...
Here are a few more photos and a video of a flight to the lake:


Interesting rental unit near Ubol Ratana Dam Reservoir.



More roads under water at the Northwest end of Lam Pao Reservoir.



One of these days I'll reread the story of Buddhism so I understand this...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-k2M6zG4/A
3 minutes video of a flght to the lake...this is my lame attempt at an edit becuase I'm tried of what AI is giving me...I'd really like to see an app that would let me say something like "give me short cuts from this 20 minutes video...add transitions and music..."

I'm still really rusty on the controls...and don't want to spend a bunch of time correcting it in editing...so you'll see pauses and way too fast yawing...
I had just landed the drone when 3 young Thais came up to the Lookout...they made me do a Selfie with them...I made them turn around so we had the Farmland as the backdrop...

I also want to find out about the "Strip Farming" that I'm seeing (really long, thin sections of farmland)...

Look up contour farming
Vs our methods hint dust bowl

I almot got the Classic Cliche SE Asia photo, but there was traffic (almost none the rest of the day) and I was a little late...


Two Guys on their longboat...they had been poling thru a lilly pad area a little earlier...


Here's a drone video of the area:
https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-SF7hv6m/A
BTW, notice my skilled (Alternate Method) of Stick Control and Jitter (Gawd, I need practice)...


I originally read that as Contour Framing...I thought you were telling me about how to shoot video...More knowledge about the lifestyle added...I watched a Fertilizer Truck for a short while yesterday...wasn't using a pump...just letting the lay of the land and the plowing spread the liquid...

Kubota...I got a close look at one of the mini (what I was calling a Briggs & Stratton) tractors,,,the Farmer drove past me at one of the "under water dead-ends" looking for a way to continue on...I didn't stick around to see whether he made progress...I hope he didn't drown himself...

Some more photos and a few more drone videos:


The boat on the left was chained to the tree...the other owners seem to have more trust in the people who'd end up here...



Some type of Utiltiy Company Building partially under water...good thini it's up on stilts...



Nice quiet end of the road...I spent an hour, or so, flying from here...


Videos:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-Bv9Rhc7/A
AI Follow Me video from a couple of days ago.

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-jXQZz88/A
My longer version...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-MwLtB9n/A
AI Follow Me video from yesterday.


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-5F5WQp6/A
Lan Pao Reservoir Flight...beautiful scenery...AI generated with a few changes...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-qMctB8b/A
I finally got around to putting the drone in a hover while I rode past...really short...

A couple more motorcycle / submerged roads photos and a Follow Me Video:







https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2025/i-sGdZ4MN/A


I can't quite figure out why my "good" drone won't recognize me as a subject to follow...keeps displaying an error I don't understand and the web searches for an answer aren't working...

I lost and spent a couple of days trying to find the location of my home "up in the lower SE Himalaya" (In quotes because I really don't believe the Thais that say the range extends down into Thailand...amazing how poor Google Translate is at Thai to English...address was different on serveral "translate photos" of the address...I did find it the Old Fashioned Way...Dead Reconning (very weak memories from when I lived there - it's been almost 22 years...) and remembering bits-and-pieces of the Neighborhood...(This is all on a computer screeen)...Heading out on a Long Adventure Monday, or Sunday...

I spent a couple of hours looking at maps of the area up North...there are tons of Secondary Roads (many end up being dirt trails) right near the house, so I'm changing plans and I'm going to start by heading up towards Chiang Mai...If I burn myself out with the off-road riding (Chiang Mai is like the Mecca of Off-Roading in Thailand), I can just head back here...

I ended up on a Single Track at the end of one of the Dead End Roads I saw on a map...it appeared to end at a Farmer's Shed...as I was trying to get turned around, an Old Farmer came out of the shed asked (don't really understand, but I've heard this same phrase so many times) where I was going...when he saw I didn't understand, he drew a S from the bottom to the top and then waved in that Universal Sign that you can continue on to anywhere...I got off the bike and walked the Gully he was pointing to...2" of water left in the stream and the "ramps" down and up didn't seem that difficult...made for a really enjoyable New Year's Day Ride...


Fun Single Track.



An even more fun Stream Crossing.


Here are a couple of drone videos...It's more of the same, but if you like Farmland and would like to see the "Scorched Earth Burns" haze starting to build...

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-XRSJ2Z2/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-42JJnbb/A


And, a few BTWs to start the year:
1-MS AI must be paying attention to the fact that I wasn't Exporting Videos...the suggestions have improved immensely...
2-I was invited for coffee by a couple of Thai Soldiets...1st time I've seen anybody at the Entrance to the park...they wanted a closer look at my bike...
3-Because of the Bad PM2.5 readings, it might be wise for me to start wearing a mask again...(it's always been common to see Thais wearing masks becuase of the high pollution levels...)

Amazing country side
Do you ever stop at villages and talk to the locals?

I'm not in the Chiang Mai area...complications with Customs on the delivery of some electronics...revised non-plan is maybe after India...

I went back to the Original Single Track...I've been determined to find a way Over The Highlands (my name)...

Typical Crazy (stealing from Jack) Richard...I got myself in a Pickle I had to extract myself from...But I did make it over the summit...only problem is, it was way too Steep for my Advanced Beginner Hard Enduro Skills to make the Descent..interesting that when I reviewed the video, I heard myself (under my breath and I don't remember) say: "F***, this is steep..."

If you'd like to see what the Thai Jungle in the hills where relatively few people go (I did put a few more New Lines On The Map) check out these I360 AI videos:


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-7tHdVhh/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-BtcbdMZ/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-XgpLgrw/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-sHv8m4k/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-mxgFh7f/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-TG2XH94/A


Here's a snapshot of the Google Earth position I was in during the ride:






Doug, unlike India (amazing the English Speakers there) and Nepal (a lot of English spoken), this area of Thailand doesn't have many...I do hear a Lot of Farang, which is the word for Foreigner.)..I did a Double-Take the other day when a Thai Woman at a gas station answered my question about a sugar-free Coke in Perfect English...I have a tendency to linger around encouters like this...If I really need to say something, the Translation App on my phone is launched...but the number of Strange Looks tells me that these apps still aren't ready for Prime Time...




A couple of BTWs: 4+ hours for only 20k covered...and here's a photo of what I mean by Scortched Earth (some can also be seen in the first 2 video segments...I was riding thru a burn area):






I'm still not bored by the riding thru this Farmland...over 5500km on the Kawi...6k service due soon...



Here's a link to a Follow Me Video from near Hin Chang Si Viewpoint:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-ft8G7cQ/A

The drone landed (video cuts off) because we had climbed more than 90m and that's the rule in Thailand...I've been here 2 times and still haven't made it to the Viewpoint...this time because you have to walk...

Sometimes I just have to admit that I'm an Idiot...:


This weekend, there will be an air show at the Royal Thai Air Force facilities across the country, including Nam Phong Air Training Centre. The event coincides with National Children's Day, scheduled for January 10, 2026, from 7 AM to 3 PM.

Key Highlights of the Event
Display of various aircraft, including F-16 and Gripen fighter jets.
Other activities include exhibitions of military equipment and performances.
The air show aims to engage children and families while showcasing the Royal Thai Air Force's capabilities.
If you're interested in attending the air show at Nam Phong, it would be a great opportunity to experience stunning aerial displays and learn more about aviation.


I was on the base this morning...lost...and not stopped by any Security...thinking that I had been in a Traffic Jam that was a diversion because of Road Construction..,If I had known, I would have changed plans and stuck around,,,I did see the Control Tower..,


Here's an I360 AI excerpt from a Road Ride from Nam Phong National Park to Khon Kaen (I finally made it up to the Viewpoint...smoke/haze is horrendous...I did a 5k hike...):

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-fThW7q8/A

As soon as I figure it out, I'm going to post one of those "timelapse" videos of the ride..,



Here are a few photos:


They have this on the Billboard at the Entrance...



...and then have these ALL over the place...



At least there's an interesting plant in the foreground of a hazy scene,,,



Another interesting Rental Unit,,,



Thailand's version of The Diving Board...



Pano..,

Here's Nam Phong National Park to Khon Kaen in 7 minutes:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-LfStpFM/A


And a couple of panos of Thai Farmland close to Golden Hour:


Check out that thick layer of Haze/Smoke...

Here are a few videos (Farmland) from that attempt at a sunset drone flight (I was definitely not in the right location...a few hills blocked the view in the right direction):

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-HcVfWGD/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-cRdf7Rm/A


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-GmWTRcj/A


You can see a few burns going on...




I've got a new toy that can follow me at 50+ kph...and has an amazing camera, so more motorcycle rides coming soon...



Less than a week from the trip to India...was thinking about cancelling because I found some really cool trails just over the border in Laos...but because everything I (don't) own is in my wife's name, I might not be able to get across...so India is still a go...

Richard doing Richard Things again...

Found a Dirt Alternate Start to my Original Single Track...adds 7km of dirt, so I'm down to an 11km pavement approach...
Rode a fork in the road up to the Top of the Highlands...nice Rolling Plateau...more Farmland...don't know how they do it...incredibly difficult ride to work:




Found a couple of Side Trails that connected up with the original track and then started noticing some Flags along the path:



Of course, I followed them...Somebody knows what they are doing...incredibly fun...but...







Yup...on top of some Basalt Cliffs (?)...how are they getting down off of this??? Smart thing would have been to enjoy the view and turn around...I kept following the flags...down one really steep section...parked the bike...17th Crash tore the left, rear, blinker off...without me even on the bike...walked some of the rest of the downhill...Hell No!!! Sat with the map and figured out a way to link back up to the track without having to retrace the track...quite a bit of Bushwhacking By Bike (BBB)...

Fell asleep looking at the 1st Drone Video from last evening...yes, I went out for a Sundown Search Ride after the Brutality of the earlier ride...
What is life without a little Punishment? (Being Corney...)
Apple Watch complained about a Crappy Sleep Score this morning...

I'm going riding again...probably back to the same spot with the new drone...amazing potential shots there...don't even care if it's restricted...A Dronie off the top of that cliff...that's a keeper...

(enough cliches already...)

On the topic of restricted...I'm also going to put the drone up after sunset...the Burn Scene is pretty amazing right now...although smelling smoke all day long means the air quality is defintely Unhealthy...


A BTW: I Older Farmer had boken down on his sidecar bike while I was having the drone follow me...of course I stopped to see if he needed help...his front sproket had fallen off...he searched and found it...put back on and got the chain back on...I let him know I would follow him down...sproket wasn't bolted on...he waved me off with a sign that I should keep riding up...

I went back...without the section that got me in a Pickle, this is a Classic Off-Road Route...I was unnecessarily worried about the "gully" I had to negotiate on the way in...rather trivial descent and climb back out...I did ride "the oher side of the loop" and stopped at another steep descent (before getting myself in another Pickle)...

Here are a few photos and short videos:


Another drop beyond my skill level on the other side of the loop.



In my fatigued state, I completely missed these the day before...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-fpfVZx7/A
Dronies...


https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-75kCsMJ/A
Follow Me along the top of the cliff...



I still haven't done anything with the sunset drone flight...