bkk - nong khai - vientine

officially the first leg of this silly bike trip.
I dragged my bike to the train station with out much time to spare, and of course I go all the way across the train staiton carrying the bike taken apart to be told to go to the opiate side to pay a bike fee (90b) then have to go to the exact opiate side I was just at to board the train, by the time i got to the correct car I was a sweaty frazzled mess. (had some old honkys look at me weird and ask if i was lost)
at first i was amazed how very light the bike is, and how light i'm traveling, by the time i got to my seat i felt like i drag a boat anchor the whole fucking way!
anyways got on the train, bunggied my bike into a lugae rack and fell asleep rather early. in the morning me pulled into nong khai, this time I was a bit less than gracefully getting the bike off the train, but finaly got it out, together and started peddling myself the 25k or so across the thai lao friendship bridge to Vientiane. it was an ass long hot ride but not unpleasant, I was trying to take it easy still need to used to riding again, and didn't want to make myself too sore.
navigating is easy enough so far (though i didn't get a chance to pick up a map in Thailand) but it's easy enough to say the next city's name and point in a questioning way.
it seemed my tires had gotten quite low on air, and my bike pump is ass tiny, really only for emergency's, got a tiny one that would fit into the rear racks support tube. but there are many motorcycle shops that are kind enough to add air.
I tryed to get to the Laos geograpical instuatue, or some such place but think i missed it by about 5min so now i have to wait till after the weekend to get a map.
probably ok, seems like theres a storm rolling in anyways.
I've got a new sim card for my phone seems my last Lao sim is dead, unluckily that meant i missed meeting my friend at his folks house which is the opiate way from Vientiane from the bridge that enters the country. got set up in the guesthouse i normally stay here (wow it's pouring down rain, glad I decided to bring my rain jacket to laos) next I need to go get water bottles, cut the tops off and put the feet of my bed into them with some water to try and keep out the bed bugs.
eek, ok pooped out.. that's all for now, going to go try and get music on my newly restored iPhone.

today

went for a second ride around the banglumpoo area of bkk, wasn't too exciting, just dangerous, and hot. but i was out riding just to ride with no goal, last ride was to the stadium to pick up some boxing gear so I guess it made more sence.
if nothing ealse i'm getting the seat slighty broken in, the bike computer seems to be working kinda. but i still haven't found a southeast asia on bicycle lonly planet, which is odd because there are a ton of street venders selling lonly planet copys out here.
now it's becoming quite aperent that i need to get a front and rear tail light. was hopiing to save some cash and 1/2 ass it with a head band light on the bars and a small led fasher i found, but they don't seem up the task.

fixy fixy

got into BKK, and needed to get the bike fixed, the rear rim was still so bent it was quite unrideable, not to mention the fact that the spokes were sticking into the tubes and poping them.
I pulled the bike out of storage, carryed it in the baking sun the 15min to my guesthouse and unpacked it. seemed to fair the trip rather well.
I got it put back togeather, and after about 20 min of trying talk taxie drivers into driving me and the bike (a fustrating ordeal) i was off towards china town to a biek shop.
the first bike shop i got to was quite fancy.. da ja vu.. i think i already told this whole story..

so..

I bit more back history to try to catch up-to-date.
before I left the USA I tryed to get some miles on the bike, but with bent /untrue rims that rubbed on the breaks it was a bitch, I tryed to true them, but failed rather spectacularly! making one of the ass wobbliest rim you've ever seen. (this was out of the trail after i blew out a tube)
but in the end i was able to go out for about 4, hour long rides, and got a chance to true untrue and trueish my rims again, adjust the derailers and breaks a few times to get a better understanding of how they work.
and rigged up my seat post rack, including modifying it so i could add tire spoons, a patch kit, and a air pump into the main support tube of the rack.
added a water bottle holder (which i'm preaty sure will break) a bicycle computer which sometimes, kinda works.. a small bag that holds some tools, a tube, and an eye dropper of oil.
I threw on some over priced pep boys reflective tape (yea I'll look like a tool, a risk i'm willing to take!)
I round my spokes were popping my tubes, so with out getting to test the new brooks seat (or break it in at all) I pulled the bike apart packed into a shipping box and throw it in my truck!
(the guys at el camino bike shop were nice enough to save an old box for me so i didn't have to buy one at the airport)
(also got the tip from bonefinder to wrap the rear derailer with bubble tape)

bla, more later

start..

ok, here it goes...
I'm gonna bike my way through some of south east Asia.. but i'm not a high fluting bike snob. a bikes a tool, not an excuse for a personality. ok....
I've already dealt with way too many people way too proud of themselves because what bike they ride ect.. kinda makes me want to puke on them.. ok that's out of the way..
lol
so I was about to head off to Asia to travel: http://noble-matthew.blogspot.com/
and train boxing : (blog not set up yet)
at the last minuet I was offered a free bike, my father bought a bike on a whim and never used it, and now due to old Martial art injury's can't ride.
so I asked some Friends for tips, ordered up some bit and pieces on the net. and now here i am in Thailand with a bicycle.
still not sure if it was a huge mistake or not but we shall see.
so here's my plan..
train Muay Thai in BKK for a week or so, go to Chai Nat where my friend Pee Voot is being ordained as a monk, back to BKK more training and get the bike repaired (lol kinda fucked it up before i left the usa.. opps) more boxing, then go down to Kho Tao island. then to Sisket to a friends village (close to the Cambodian border) for thai new year, back to bkk to take care of a few last things then start biking south towards Malaysia, in Malaysia I have a contact to train with.. other than that it's all up in the air and i'll just play it by ear.
I'll be trying to travel light. so no pannier racks, just a backpack. sadly this means I'll probably have to ditch 90% of my boxing gear as well.
I'll pretty much only have a change of cloths, tiny eee pc to blog with, steri pen (water purifier) and some bike stuff.
anyways. just wanted to get this blog started, it should get better, lol. we'll see.

bla bla bla

test