Thailand

When my wife asked that question of me, on a recent drive to town, there was little hesitation before my answer. I had been mulling over a similar question of why I didn’t seem to miss the Ninja at all, so was ready with a reply. She was a little surprised, I think, when I quickly answered “no” to her query. As a supportive and caring wife, I believe she was just checking to see if I was still okay with the decision I had made. At least that was my take on her question, as she really didn’t seem to like riding two-up, so had no personal investment in the bike.I like to think I don’t make impulsive decisions. I may appear to pull the trigger and move on, but by the time it gets to that point, I have thoroughly vetted my options and made a choice. I prefer to look forward, and don’t as a rule, spend time missing things from the past. One exception might be that I miss being able to walk to a high-end health club and enjoy all their wonderful facilities. I would no doubt be in better shape than I am presently, if that could somehow be combined with my rural lifestyle.So my three year biker experiment appears to have run its course. I went to bike shows, bike shops, road in groups and with a partner for a while, but mostly I preferred solo rides. Northern Thailand has some really great roads for riding and I have covered them all, as both a cager and a biker. Along the way I discovered some things about myself. I don’t posses the rough edges and careless abandon that seem to be a biker prerequisite. I like to be comfortable and clean, indulging my love of nature in perfect conditions. I couldn’t get behind the whole live to ride and ride to live thing. For me transportation takes me somewhere. Armored up in my riding gear, I found it awkward at best, to get off the bike for a hike or a little photography. Long rides were fatiguing but hardly a form of healthy, beneficial exercise. I found that four wheel drive not only took me to places the bike could not, it delivered me in comfort and with toys and accessories to better enjoy the destination.Though I did not so much as drop my bike in all my outings, that is not to say there were not a number of close calls, on Thailand’s notoriously dangerous roads. I was helped by the fact that most of my driving experience was derived on Thai roads. What others complain about as being unusual, unreasonable and unacceptable, I see as simply normal and expected. Reacting early definitely helps.With all the accidents I have witnessed and all the wounded road warriors I have met, it became clear that it was simply a matter of time before I was injured or perhaps worse. For me the idea of living the rest of my life physically impaired was just not very appetizing and I am not yet willing to leave my wife alone. I know people who have seemingly adjusted to their situation but I question my own ability to do so.Then of course there is the Mt. Bike which takes me to remote locations while bestowing important health benefits. Usually I ride from home but in combination with the SUV the options are nearly limitless. The Trek can pretty much go anywhere I can hike to and covers much more ground in the same amount of time.To bring you up to date on my Trek upgrades, I finally replaced my seat post which was the last remaining original part. I had seen Thompson Elite posts online, and they came highly recommended by Lloyd, one of my longtime readers. Enquiring as to what was available in my local bike shop, Northern Bike, Peak’s wife started digging about on the lower shelf where they keep some of the high-end stuff which is not on display. Sure enough they had one Thompson that was the right size for my bike. Comparing it to other brands on offer it seemed much lighter in weight.Due to extremely hot weather my bike was on the trainer again so I fitted the new Thompson Elite and played with the adjustments. I was really impressed with how light it was, and minus teeth or groov

Leading innovators, top-level executives from international telecommunications and networking agencies are meeting this week in Mountain View, California, to celebrate 40 years of the Ethernet, a computer networking technology and architecture for local area networks (LANs).

A new battle is brewing between the government and the Bank of Thailand, with one camp pushing for an interest-rate cut to help the export sector and the other doubting the case for such a move.

Bangkok was yesterday chosen to host a race in the inaugural season of the FIA Formula E Championship for electric cars next year. The announcement came during a special unveiling for the first time in Asia of the fully-electric-powered Formula E car, witnessed by Alejandro Agag, CEO of Championship promoter Formula E Holdings (FEH), advisor to the Minister of Energy Pol Maj-General Lattasanya Piansomparn, and Chiruit Israngkun Na Ayuthaya, director-domestic MICE, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. The Formula E car will be demonstrated again this November in honour of His Majesty the King's 86th birthday.

Rural doctors, kidney patients seeking dialysis want minister Pradit dumped

New man on the job expected to handle tough questions gently, tactfully

The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) Tuesday established a joint committee to handle small schools in collaboration with local communities.

Most of the South was engulfed in darkness for 35 minutes from about 7.45pm Tuesday night following malfunctions at the main power station in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Kui Buri district.

At some point during the conversation with a taxi driver today, he casually mentioned that he was a fortune teller. Before I knew it, he pulled his cab off to the side of the road and carefully studied the palm of my hand. I felt relieved when all of his predictions about my future turned out to be favorable. His final words of advice were that I should massage the palm of my hand every day. If it brings me all the money, romance, and good health that he foresees, I'll rub it until it falls off.

Aim Sinpeng They're back on the streets again...this time holding "green" flags and "fists" as their symbol. The reborn sections of the Assembly of the Poor and former Yellow Shirts have learned expensive lessons from their share in the color-coded conflict: never forsake you own grievances for some lofty political gains. (Credit: P-Move Facebook) Is this a resurgence of true people's politics? Or is this old stuff in a new bottle? The People's Movement for Just Society, or "P-Move," took to the streets beginning on May 6 to call for Yingluck government's attention on decades-old problems of inequality, poverty and injustice. The 4-Region Slum Network, Assembly of the Poor's Pak Mun Dam, Land Reform Network, and Community Network for Social and Political Reform took the lead in their march to Government House while thousands more joined in over the following week. They came for the sole purpose of getting their voices heard at the next cabinet meeting on May 15. "We, the urban poor, the farmers and others in the agricultural sector have been gravely disaffected by the country's uneven development and unequal access to resources. We are never given the chance to improve our livelihood or reach our potential. It's not because we're lazy. We were just not given the opportunity. The only way to make a just, more equal society is to provide equal access to resources," proclaimed a P-Move leader. Their 19-point policy recommendation includes broad issues such as reforming the state, the power structure and the justice system. Other more specific demands include the issue of land ownership, dams, and natural disaster funds. Emergency issues that need immediate attention are temporary protection for those soon to be issued land title deeds, Pak Mun Dam, land bank and sustainable housing project. While this laundry list of demands seems all too familiar to those who have followed grassroots and NGO movements in the past two decades, such renewed mobilization underscores the stubborn persistence of these problems. Despite a "promise" from the government, P-Move was hung out to dry (again) as none of their issues were brought to the table at the cabinet's meeting. Yingluck also warned P-Move protesters, some of whom are in Chiang Mai, not to stage protest rallies near the upcoming Asia-Pacific Water Summit to be held at a newly minted Convention Center in the northern province. Direk Kong-ngeun, a representative from the Federation of Northern Region Farmers and a community leader in Ban Pong, Chiang Mai, ushered his disappointment with the government's unwillingness to consider their concerns. Direk, who himself was being charged for trespassing "private property," vowed to fight til the end. "If I were to be jailed to set an example, I would be willing to. If I could create salience for the issue of landlessness and raise awareness about the poor then be it." The faces at the P-Move rallies are too familiar. Some of the same groups joined the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - or the Yellow Shirts - to oust Thaksin since 2006. The 4- Region Slum Network, whose late leader - Suwit Watnoo - became part of the PAD's leadership was among the forefront of the renewed mobilization. Other anti-Thaksin groups, such as the Assembly of the Poor, was also prominent. Sulak Sivaraksa, the AOP's de facto leader (phoo yai) gave a speech on stage encouraging this grassroots movement to fight for the people. This re-mobilization of the people's sector indeed has two main implications. First, P-Move seeks to differentiate itself from the highly politicized color-coded movements of the Red and Yellow Shirts. It aims to rebrand its image as the "real" grassroots movement whose foundation rests on the true problems of the poor. They implicitly acknowledged the mistakes they made for joining the Yellow Shirts and allowed other groups with vested interests to "steal" their voices for their