The monkey on the motorbike

Its amazing the things you see from a motorbike and on a botorbike in Thailand.

We were driving along and realised that the passenger on the back of this honda was a big monkey.

The guy kindly stopped so we could take pictures

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

Reflections

Reflections at the end of the day

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com/

Fireworks in North Eastern Thailand

this type of firework originates from this area

Made from bamboo

The hollow tube of the bamboo is packed with powder

there is a small hole in the tube and it is lit

stand well back

When it gets up enough steam

its launched

and boy does it fly

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

Sticky rice

Cow meeoh

Sticky rice

Is like a special variety of rice which is soaked fore ages then steamed for 20 mintutes

on this occasion over a charcoal oven

Its real sticky to eat, real tasty, and chewy,

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

Essan

We are up in Essan in the far North East of Thailand

The area is famous for its coutry music

This tour was organised by my father in law - who often runs trips to Wats and to visit monks in Thailand

I had seen a couple of Essan bands from the motor so was hoping to get a chance to see and listen to some traditional music - we did not have a chance to stop and listen,.

so i was getting dissapointed

So i wasn't ready for the reception we received when we arrived at our destination

Our tour bus stopped a kilometere before the wat and people we were visiting.

Everone from the village was out on the road

the band was in full flight belting out its thing

and we set off walking along the road following the band to the wat

The band walk along side a barrow, the barrow had big speakers and a big amp, and was pumping out the music. realy load

The music consisted of a rythmical electric guitar player pumping out a ping chica ping chica ping rythem

with loads of percussion and deathening drums.

most of the band were so drunk they could hardly walk but it didnt seem to effect the music at all

The young Essan girls danced and walk in a way that only young Essan girls can dance and woop and sqeeal

if i can figure out how to load music onto the blog i will add a sample

It was the wildest thing you can imagine

and being the farang i found myself a magnet for the girls and all the drunks, i was mobbed and had to be rescued by Pat and a head woman from the village.

Dinner time

Cooked on a charcoal barbeque

Its quite normal to eat outside in the evening there are many stalls selling delicious meals all prepared fresh

We had Chicken, some wee freshwater fish, squid

or how about the big freshwater fish caked in salt and then cooked on the bar- b-que

fancy a take a way then pull up to the kitchen on your honda place your order hang around then take it home to eat in front of the telly

somtam - spicy salad hot and spicy or sweet prepared in front of your eyes

Everything was brought to the table

a raised platform of bamboo and mats

We ate and they just kept bring more stuff

all washed down with a glass or two of beer with ice.

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

more pics for the farmers

nearest thing to mechanisation

Its hot backbreaking work harvesting the rice crop

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

The Rice Harvest

Its harvest time.

Everyones is out in the fields harvesting the rice.

there are a few mechanical harvesters, but the bulk of the work is done by hand, hundreds of people out in the fields cutting the rice by hand with sicles, a handful at a time.

Its then thrashed - by hand - in the fields on top of a huge tarpoline to catch the grain.

I went over to join them and give a hand - but i could only mange a couple of minutes and had to back away, i was sweating like a eejitt in the heat and getting dizzy.

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

Some pic for the farmers out there

Snapped a pic of this big white cow .

Everything is dry and there is not much grass for the live stock.

any way this one was tied up by a bit of string to a stick pocked into the ground and it enjoying a good feed of the grass.

funny thing is .... bit was its in the middle of the central reservation of the duel carrage way connecting 2 large cities .........

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

The old monk

We set off from BKK to Sopanburi to visit this venerable old Monk - Luang poh dii - translates to good father

the guy is 97 years old and very highly respected

It took us ages to find him and his temple we bought a heap of amulets for the shop and then went to find the man him self and ask him to bless the amulets

anyway the whole experience was really interesting but i have to say he wasnt in the least bit interested in us, but when your 97 thats ok by me.

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

Visit to a goverment Rice research farm

A visit to a goverment experimental rice farm,

When we go out to buy rice at home in the ~Uk we buy the boil in the bag American stuff or if its a special occassion a wee bag of Tika for £5

In the Big C super market in BKK there is a whole isle with nothing but loads of different varieties of rice to choose from. dozens of varieties and flavours

It all starts here on the farm

This place at Sopanburi grows new varieties,

We had a delicious lunch - too spicy for my farang palate but tasty

The guy in the picture is popping rice to feed to the fish they kept in big lagoon.

We were given a bag of popcorn to feed the fish and they came up out of the brown waters rolled over on the surface like big grey sharks and gobbled up the popcorn

http://www.motorcycletoursthailand.com

The school bus home from Inverness to Inverarnie was never as exciting as this..