On yer bike!

I am by nature a restless sort of a person and even though I enjoy lolling about in the sunshine I eventually have to do something constructive or physical. The former activity usually involves walking around the outside of the house inwardly cursing that nobody seems to want to keep the place tidy, or that it doesn't matter that weeds, or are they exotic flowers, are flourishing vertically and horizontally. So without announcing my intentions I set about pulling up the weeds. I hadn't really noticed that there was a strong(ish) breeze, and even if I had I'm sure it wouldn't have registered on the Diggle version of the Beaufort scale where the wind blows hard everyday. However Khamma thought the wind strong enough to stop my activity because the soil would be blown about the garden and most of it would end up on the road. Even though I couldn't see the logic I could sense that she didn't really want me pull up the chili plants and the water melons she was trying to grow!

With this gentle subtle hint I decided I should expend my excess energy by going for a spin on Yo's mountain bike. After the tyres had been pumped up I jumped on and pedalled at a cadence that would have astounded Lance Armstrong had he been witness. The gear cable was broken resulting in a high 'fixed gear' and left the rider pedalling fast and getting nowhere at the same time. Undaunted by this latest set back I set off down the road matching my pedalling to the rhythm of the back brake rubbing on the sidewall of the tyre. When I tried to stop and realised I couldn't because neither the front nor the back brakes worked. My mind wondered whether I should be concerned for Yo's safety or whether this was just the way things are around Thamuang. You will be pleased to know that I settled for the latter theory basically because I doubt that Yo can actually get enough speed going that required him stop that quickly!

Scrunched up in the popular 'knees under the chin' position I made slow progress and attracted the attention of several locals who I am sure added this new sighting of Khamma's farang to their growing list of daft things that farangs do. I cannot resist my curiosity of seeing where paths lead to and soon found myself exploring a new area. There was a still calm and I could see herons and other small birds sitting on the backs of the water buffaloes. At a cross roads I found a road leading to a temple which was nestled in the middle of a small wood. Nobody was around but the paths had been freshly swept clean and the open temple was spotless. As I walked around I was followed by a very tame bird which I'm sure would have chatted to me if I was fluent enough in Thai. Eventually my peaceful and tranquil mood was interrupted when I came eyeball to eyeball with a large dog and decided that whatever else Buddha was doing to make this a welcoming place he hadn't quite got round to informing this mutt of his intentions. So I did what I always do and backed off with the hairs on the back on my neck bristling.

Peace and Tranquility

'Following me' bird

Back at the main temple I could have sworn somebody was chatting in the distance and as the dog had lost interest in me by now I walked towards where the conversation was coming from. Right in front of me was a cage with a beautiful bird chatting away in Thai. 'Sawat dee krap, sawat dee krap' or hello hello in English. Maybe Buddha was getting round to all the animals after all!

Suddenly the big dog reappeared with his mates and in an instant I decided I had enough and remounted the bike, put my knees under my chin and quickly reached maximum cadence in the style of Lance Armstrong. I will never get used to dogs.

Back on the trail I passed through many rice fields and in the distance could the see Owerrrouse again. Inspired by the mixed fortunes of the temple I called into the village temple to see what progress had been made on the area being constructed by the river for people and monks to relax and and contemplate 'Life in Asia and Thamuang'. I was warmly greeted by the senior monk who was fiddling around with some electrical works which contrasted with his deep orange robes and dark tanned body.

So after the spiritual and physical cleansing of my bike ride I returned to Owerrrouse refreshed and ready for a beer. The weeds are doing a great job in the garden and the wind has settled down so the soil won't blow away, at least for now. Ah, rural peace has broken out again in Thamuang.

Talking bird video