Well what an Amazing Month it has been so Far with Politics and Royalty playing there ever present Part ( “For better or for Worse” ) in Our Lives. The USA changed a Bush for a Black and put Him in the White House? New Zealand Finally Found the Key to Getting Rid of Dragon Lady Helen Clark!!! Unfortunately both Obama and John Keys have Inherited a Real Mess so lets Hope they do better than their Predecessors??? Helen Clark never did anything Good for NZ the entire time She was in Power, She just rode the Crest a Wave during a good Period Economically so in My View anyone would be better!!! I can’t say the Same about Obama and very much Doubt any Good will come of his Time in Power but i would Dearly Love to be proven Wrong???
On a Brighter Note i am Off to Bangkok tonight to Meet my Friends Flying in to Thailand for a 2 week Holiday. In My wisdom i thought why not take them to Pattaya for 3 nights first to let them recover from the Long Flight from NZ and also to Show them the Famous Pattaya Nightlife!!! Again My Best Laid Plans were Ruined, when we were organising this trip back in June we didn’t Know that the Entire Entertainment Scene was going to be Shut down for 3 days because of the Cremation and Funeral arrangements of the Grand Princess who Died a Year ago??? While I have Full Sympathy for the Royal Family and People of Thailand it seems a little Strange to Incur Such a Shutdown of an Entire Country with Little or No Regard for the Thousands of Tourists who are Spread throughout the Country and Provide so much of the Precious GDP for Thailand’s Economy??? But Who am I to Question their Wisdom???
To Make Matters Worse it is My Birthday Tomorrow the 14th and I was Hoping to Have a Great Time Bar Hoping with My Friends but alas that will be Out the Window!!! I will have reached the Grand Age of 47. Been a Long Road since starting my life back in 1961 on the Farm in Tahekeroa New Zealand!!! Well I would Like to Live a few More but in the mean time i will continue to enjoy as much as I Can, Starting with some Beers tonight!!! CHEERS!!!
I will Give a Full Report of their Trip in a Couple of Weeks so Keep well all.
Ian.

My Good Friend John Hamilton, Tropical John or just TJ to His Mates passed away Last Night. Wish Him all the Best on His Next Journey. He Called Me in June saying He had a Bad Headache and His Vision was a bit Blurry. I told Him to Get down to the Hospital for a Check Up. Unfortunately it was a Nasty Kind of Brain Tumour and even after Treatment there was Bugger All Could be done!!! He Put up a Fight till the End and even Retained His Sense of Humour until His Speech had Gone. He was a True Legend Well Know to many People in the Yachting Circles of  South Thailand where He helped out in most Sailing events including the Kings Cup and Samui Regatta, The Motorcycling Community of Asia where He has Toured extensively and was one of the most Prominent figures on the www.GT-Rider.com Forum and Made His Yearly Pilgrimage to the Malaysian Moto GP, He even Talked about Loading up His Tent and getting Elle to Drive Him there this Year!!! . Unknown to alot of People He was also a member of the Hash House Harriers of Thailand. Sad to see a Friend go in this way but i am Glad He has ended His Suffering. My Gratitude goes out to His ever Faithful Wife Elle and His Friends from Phuket who devoted all their time to His Care over the last few Months. A special Tip of the Hat and Respect goes to Noel Akers, I Salute You!!! Thanks to Simon for Keeping us all up here Constantly informed. He Passed away Peacefully while Sleeping early Hours of this Morning. Way to Go Mate!!! Here are a Few Photo’s of The Guy as I would Like to Remember Him:

He got around in His Time, This is Him when He Toured Colorado & Maryland on a BMW 650 Dakar

This is Justin, TJ & Myself in Chiang Rai getting a Foot Massage after we were Introducing TJ to the Joys of Off Road Riding. September 2007

Final One of Noel Akers and TJ on His Last Ride up here in Chiang Mai. They Rode back down to Phuket along with Simon. April 2008.

R.I.P Mate.

All the Best, Cheers Ian.

As My Cousin and Some Friends are arriving Next Week i had Planned to take them for a 4X4 Trip to Mae Hong Son. Because of the ammount of Rain we have had up until a week ago i thought the Smart thing to do was Check Out the Trail Condition first on My New Kawasaki KLX 250. After a Lunch in town with some Friends My Trip had Grown in Distance and Number of People. Now 3 Days with 6 Bikes and a couple of Guys taking a Pickup on the Road Carrying Our Gear!!! This Report Is Written By Mark Rossi, Well Done:

 The ride was planned out by Ian at the X-Centre. The original idea of the ride was to survey what state the wet season had left the dirt roads from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Song, and decide if it where possible for Ian to take a 4.W.D. group through later this month.
It seemed the local rivers where not the only thing swollen by the fading rainy season, our group soon had swollen to 6 expats on motorcycles, Ian, Dave Lek, Justin, Luke, Barry and myself plus 2 people in a pickup vehicle Jeff and Nigel tackling the 1834 bends to Mae Hong Song on tarmac acting as our service vehicle (thanks guys)

David Lek, Ian, Justin and Luke. Breakfast at the X-Centre and on the road by 9:30am

(CLICK to READ MORE)

Had a Visit Last week from the General Manager and some Staff of the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel here in Chiang Mai. They were on a Staff Recreation Day and Stopped in here at the X-Centre for a game of Paintball and a Few Laughs!!!

Here they are all Decked Out Ready for Battle!!!

After their Game I presented The General Manager “Nick Bauer” with a little Souvenir pack. Nick is a Real Great Guy and Well Known in the Hotel Trade and in the Local Community. Also Well known to all the Biking Fraternity for His Work on Chiang Mai Bike Week which His Hotel has Hosted for several Years.

Hope to See them again and Wish Nick and His Hotel all the Best for the Future in this Difficult Time.

Cheers Ian.

Well it is a Quiet Wednesday so here are some Funnies to Liven the Day Up!!! Sent to me from Friends, Enjoy!!!: And Don’t Call Me a Racist, Biggit etc etc as “It is all Fun till someone gets Hurt” Right???

Have a Great Day.

Cheers Ian

Police in London have found a bomb outside a mosque.  They’ve told the
public not to panic as they’ve managed to push it inside.

Two Asian heroin addicts have injected themselves with curry powder by
mistake - both are in intensive care.  One has a dodgy tikka and the
other
one is in a korma.

During last night’s high winds an African family were killed by a falling
tree.  A spokesman for Birmingham  Council said ‘We didn’t even know they
were living up there’

Two Ladies got talking in Heaven
1st woman: Hi! My name is Wanda.
2nd woman: Hi! I’m Sylvia. How’d you die?
1st woman: I froze to death.
2nd woman: How horrible!
1st woman: It wasn’t so bad. After I quit shaking from the cold, I began
to
get warm & sleepy, and finally died a peaceful death. What about you?
2nd woman: I died of a massive heart attack. I suspected that my husband
was
cheating, so I came home early to catch him in the act. But instead, I
found
him all by himself in the den watching TV.
1st woman: So, what happened?
2nd woman: I was so sure there was another woman there somewhere that I
started running all over the house looking.  I ran up into the attic and
searched, and down into the basement. Then I went through every closet
and
checked under all the beds.  I kept this up until I had looked
everywhere,
and finally I became so exhausted that I just keeled over with a heart
attack and died.

1st woman: Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer—we’ d both still be
alive.

Parvinder and Habib are London beggars. They beg in different areas of
the
West End .

Habib begs just as long as Parvinder but only collects 2 to 3 pounds
every
day.

Parvinder brings home a suitcase FULL of £10 notes, drives a Mercedes,
lives
in a mortgage-free house and has a lot of money to spend.

Habib says to Parvinder ‘I work just as long and hard as you do but how
do
you bring home a suitcase full of £10 notes every day?’.

Parvinder says, …. ‘Look at your sign, what does it say’?

Habib’s sign reads ‘I have no work, a wife and 6 kids to support’.’

Parvinder says ‘ No wonder you only get £2-3

Habib says… ‘So what does your sign say’?

Parvinder shows Habib his sign……

It reads, ‘I only need another £10 to move back to Pakistan’.

Why Parents Drink

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had
not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of
the main computers resolved, he dialled the employee’s home phone number
and
was greeted with a child’s whisper. ‘ Hello ? ‘

‘Is your daddy home?’ he asked.

‘ Yes ,’ whispered the small voice.
May I talk with him?’

The child whispered, ‘ No .’

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, ‘Is your
Mummy
there?’ ‘ Yes ‘

‘May I talk with her?’ Again the small voice whispered, ‘ No ‘

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss
asked, ‘Is anybody else there?’

‘ Yes , ‘ whispered the child, ‘ a policeman . ‘

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss
asked,
‘May I speak with the policeman?’

‘ No, he’s busy , ‘ whispered the child.

‘Busy doing what?’

‘ Talking to Daddy and Mummy and the Fireman , ‘ came the whispered
answer.

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through
the
earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, ‘What is that noise?’

‘ A helicopter ‘ answered the whispering voice.

‘What is going on there?’ demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again,
whispering, the child answered,

‘ The search team just landed a helicopter ‘

Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, ‘What are they
searching for?’

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle…

‘ ME . ‘

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