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

You know Richard can't ever leave well Enough Alone:



Way less than 10m to link up the loop, but I'm not skilled enougn to carry the speed necessary to climb this last section and not nearly strong enough to be able to Hike-A-Bike up it...The temps and humidity are back to Summer levels and a liter of water was not nearly enough...I crawled home a broken man...but I bet when I wake up tomorrow I'll be saying That Was Cool!!!

And a double-negative...I really need to take the time to learn an editing program because I really am disappointed with what the AI Editors are giving me...the Sunset Flights from a few days ago deserve better than this:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-3GdMm4F/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-4NB6FCL/A


BTW, the Clifftop (from yesterday) is in Green Airspace, so I'm good to fly there...a few hundred meters to the West is Not...another reason to add it to the list of Frequent Re-Rides...I love these elevated locations for flights...makes for mostly no issues with altitude limits and signal loss...the flights the other day were Scouting Missions so I don't think I post anything from them...

You've got to start somewhere...here's a 1 minute Clifftop Flyover by me:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-9hmjPDf/A

It looks like they have many small plots of land in production so I would guess these would be family plots , maybe like our old system of land leases or share cropping? The drone coverage is great for seeing the single tracks and dirt roads . Next time you get next to the shore line and see the extra boats you should you know row out a ways!

Yes, Richard! Maybe you'll find Colonel Kurtz!

I keep hoping I'll find a long boat skipper at one of these flooded out areas so I can ask for a ride...I sure they'd be willing to take me out for a little bit of extra money...

One of these days I'll look for some info on Thai Farming...I think they may still have the same thing like we did Back in the Day where you could take over land as long as you make it productive...it's the only thing that I can think of that explains why I keep seeing farms in these really remote areas that are extremely difficult to get to...I can't imagine how difficult the Jungle Clearing must have been...there's also the Crop Rotation Scheme that's still a question mark to me...

I am grateful to people who are creating these trails and I hope it doesn't bother them that I'm using them for so much fun...

BTW, the other day, I saw a Thai Hunter on one of the trails...quit glance at the rifle on his shoulder had me guessing Single Shot Shotgun...I see lots of wild chickens out there so maybe that what he was hunting for...and I didn't know that chickens can fly...

I lost a fairly expensive pair of sunglasses (I have tendency to place them on the speedo when I stop) and headed back to the same area to search...I saw a sign at the bottom of the hills that I figured needed translation...turns out the Flags were for an Enduro Race today...end of the story is I didn't find the glasses...

I ended up spending a few hours with the support crew watching the raceers:



Makes me feel better about my Failures seeing all these Young Bucks struggling...






Most needed a helping hand...



And a long break after the climb...



My Thai Bud insisted I pose for a pic...


A group a Stragglers wanted me to join them from Checkpoint 3/5, but I knew they were heading for the steep descent I refused to ride down...I gave them the sign for over the handlebars crash...while refusing...


An even more fun day in the Highlands...


BTW, they gave me 3 liters of water and I still arrived back home feeling slightly dehydrated...it is starting to get really oppressive weather-wise...

I had always hoped he'd marry Irene and they would decide to hyphenate...

Glad you're still zooming around Richard. I saw the news about the crane/train accident in your general area. So yeah, even committing to the descent of doom, you'd probably still be safer...

2 days in a row with the crone failures...2nd one resulted in 1 death...I rode a slow train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai decades ago...no AC on that one...I had been looking at a train ride up to the Myanmar border prior to the crane collapse / trail derailment...

One of the Thais yesterday was trying to explain to me that there's a Communist Community down in the lowlands below the cliffs we were up on...it would have been interesting to get more details out of him...

19th and 20th crashes yesterday...starting to get real frustrated with all these low-speed, lose your balance stuff...

Here's a Follow Me with the new drone in a new area:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-9bJgWtS/A

AI generated...I just don't have the patience or the will to do this stuff...

Watching the video, all I'm smelling is dust, exhaust, and cassava leaves...

A reminder that I should Wake Up and Smell the Cassava...you'll notice another license plate hanging off the bike...

I went back to Commie Point (I still can't get over it...) to spy on the communists with the drone...video later...but I didn't see anything different from the Typical Thai Village and Farms surrounding...


I went for a Sunset Ride yesterday:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-97MvcH6/A






When I was returning home, a BIG DJI Agg Drone was cruising next to me...this is a grainy photo of the Operator refilling the tanks...don't know whether it was insectiside, or fertilizer, that was being sprayed...I didn't smell anything, so the tank may have already been empty...Pretty impressive piece of equipment...I did look for a road onto the farm because I would have liked to talk to the Operator...

From AI:

Ban Phu Hang in Kalasin Province is not officially recognized as a communist village today, but it does have historical ties to leftist movements.

Historical Context
Previous Influence: During the 20th century, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, some areas in northeastern Thailand, including parts of Kalasin, were influenced by communist ideologies, partly due to the political climate and rural struggles.
Current Dynamics: Today, while there may be some remnants of those historical sentiments, the village primarily focuses on local agricultural activities and community issues rather than organized communist political movements.
Local Characteristics
Community Focus: The residents typically engage in farming and local traditions, with an emphasis on community and social cohesion rather than overt political affiliation.
Overall, while the village may carry historical significance related to leftist ideologies, it is more representative of local customs and agricultural life in the present day.




Here's the AI generated video from a 20 minutes flight:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-Cv2hfXJ/A

Although I don't like the music, the title is Not Guily...

The haze caused by burning is pretty disgusting...it's strange (not really) that the government issued a ban on burning...it's also common knowledge that it's left to Local Authorities to enforce...and I don't think they will because the burden on the Farmers would probably be too great...


I do have a flight around Lam Pao Reservoir that has some amazing scenery but today is the day I have to get out of Thailand...or risk an overstay sentence...if I get packed and still have time before leaving for the airport...first time in quite a while that I'm not looking forward to travel...have to go back to my travel for work days...


BTW: I've ridden almost every trail available around that village and never noticed anything out of the ordinary...

Here's an AI generated video of the Lam Pao Reservoir flight:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-HKV56LK/A

The Kawi is going into the shop today for the turn indicator light repair and the 12,000KM Service...

Here's a 30 seconds slow-motion video of the Follow Me Drone recovering from a crash into a jungle branch:

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

I don't know how it does it, but it is amazing...

Spent the weekend in Buriram watching the Last Weekend of Testing before the MotoGP Season Opener next weekend...

I would have been satisfied hanging around Buriram, as I found another Marked Enduro Course just outside of the city...
But, I was offered a room in a 4-Star Hotel in Nam Yuen (translates to Cold Water...which I haven't found...) for $15...
I knew this would be close to the Enerald Triangle...Thailand...Laos...Cambodia...still under Marshall Law and still considered a War Zone...
Is that going to stop Richard...Heck No, I'll go as far as the Military lets me go...there hasn't been any shooting in a while...

I got waved past the Last Checkpoint...I did a Double-Take to Verify I was being waved through...
Heck Yeah!!!

I was wandering around on all these newly cleared (Jungle) roads, with nobody saying a thing...no waving, no nothing...
I felt like I was pushing my luck as I was moving away from the Triangle and turned around...
I found another road that took me to the Triangle...lots of Military Personnel...finally told to get my @$$ out of there...nicely...

Detained Twice...

I made to mistake of taking a photo at the Battle Of Chong Bok Memorial...
It wasn't a Civilian Construction Crew that was working there...Military, and they were Pissed...
They wanted the phone...I said No...agreeing that I would show them the photos and they could direct deletion...
(The Reset...Erase All Contents and Settiings would have happened if I was forced to turn it over...)

They finally cleared me to leave...
Then I get stopped at the Checkpoint that Waved Me Through earlier in the day...
Mug Shots...photos of my Passport...Interrogation...
They'll probably be turning it over the the Thai Police...I hope it takes them until after the racing this weekend to track me down...
LOL...I'll be changing hotels and using cash...Just In Case...

Funny that they told me to Come Back When The Hostilities End...
I told them I know how to use an M16 if any shooting starts...


The Hotel is Very Nice...


Here's a photo of the Controversial Riding:


The Memorial is up at the "top" of the lake.
Thailand is "up"...Cambodia is "left"...Laos is "right"...(of the heavy lines).

Leave it to the Thais to come up with a Unique and Fun Race Day Rider Introduction Parade:

https://www.youtube.com/live/f9uSwmgAaSE?si=AisjPj94nnklnfHa


Glad I spent the better part of 5 days over 2 weekends seeing this Up Close...but I prefer watching in my underwear in my Easy Chair...

AMA has had Sound Restrictions in place for Dirt Bikes since probably the late-60's...MotoGP should implement something as the Rules and Bikes change in '27...even with Ear Plugs these bikes Rattle Your Brain...They are Shockingly Fast...no wonder they are going down in Engine Displacement next year...

Easily 20000+ km on bikes in Thailand...
2500+ km in Nepal (on the worst roads...with the worst respect from drivers...)
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 5000 km in India...

Like the title change says: One More Day and a Wake-Up and I would have been home with 24 crashes on the Kawi and a few on the Honda in Nepal...
No Injuries...very liitle damage to bikes...

But, some Numbnut Thai decided he needed to ride on the wrong side of the road going around a blind curve...
I'd estimate the closing speed to be 50+...

I went into the bushes to avoid him...the ID10T went right...double Numbnut...
Clash of Titans...(LOL)

I'm OK...other than a big gash in my left arm...probably some nasty bush did that...

The Kawi was surprisingly OK...only a few cosmetic scratches in the front fender and right fork...and a bent to heck brake pedal...oh, and a broken Clutch Switch...

The bike is already repaired (by me)...

My brake pedal punched a hole in his engine...as he picked his up, it was gushing oil...

Dude looked at me like he expected me to pay...He's lucky that I'm Just Ready To Go Home...I picked up my bike with a few expletives and rode off...

Conveniently forgot that I injured my left leg in India...

Been seeing Horror Stories about Gas in the US...
Glad to see RC is still under $5/gal, rather than the eight-something displayed on the International News...was hating the thought that the refill would cost double the Car Rental...maybe I should change the rental to an E-car...???

Final Odo reading from the Kawi...my primary ride...but there were 3 others...



Most of the rides I did...



Zoomed in on the area where I lived...
The green shaded areas are the Forest Parks where I spent most of my time off-roading...