Freedom Found on 2 Wheels

We moved into our new place today which feels amazing since we are now closer to the school and we were looking forward to getting to know the neighbourhood.

This is our street which is a dead end around the corner at the end. We are the grey fence on the right.

The streets are organized by number but not the way they do in New York...or any other city. We live off 174 soi (street)  Ramkhamhaeng in a complex called The Villa which is a mix of expats and Thais which we really like. We are also a 15 min walk to soi 164 which has all the local shops you need, including a bike shop which was our second priority today. Imagine that 164 and 174 are 10 streets apart and parallel....it's kind of like that with chunks of the grid missing. Soi 166 has all the food stalls and vendors and is also a great place to go.

Soi 164

We settled in (5 min) and walked down to Soi 164 (we know the backroads now) to buy bikes at where else...Perfect Bikes. Yes, that is what it is really called and he has a mix of new and secondhand bikes and has great service from when we heard and experienced.

Perfect Bikes Store

Perfectly patient and waiting for Pad the owner to fix his bike with a much longer handlebar stem and seat post. Apparently, he is a little taller than most Thais. The first one I tried, I took down the road and up a side street where I collected 4 dogs who nipped at my ankles all the way back to the main road. I felt like the Pied Piper. I don't know what Vince did, but the next time I went down that way, they ignored me. 

Of course, life revolves around eating and when everything is written in Thai you basically point to something that someone else has ordered (no pictures at this one) and hope that they understand your broken Thai for "not too spicy". Since this is a local place I took a picture and I can show it next time i want it.....until I learn the name. The bag is rice. eating with a spoon and fork is becoming second nature to us.

My new wheels!! It was the same price as a new cruiser bike with smaller wheels and I wanted the bigger ones for stability. It has a built in lock for the rear wheel which  both impressed and intrigued with me. He told me that it is a Japanese bike and they are great at the little detailed things. When I asked why it was the same price as the new one he laughed and said "made in Taiwan".  It is an 8 min ride to school and aside from a few manhole covers that could swallow a bike whole, it is a safe ride through Perfect Place.

Vince's new wheels. Check out the length of the seat and handlebar posts. 

We had a great night ride tonight over to a teacher's house who had collect "stuff" from leaving teachers and wanted to get rid of it. We got a laundry basket and a couple of pots which was helpful.....and not easy to balance on the bike. There were 6 of us, with all the bike lights etc we could muster doing a balancing act the whole way home. Good fun and great to have some for of transportation. The scooter will be next...not for in the but for heading out into the country....or whatever lies beyond soi 184 since we have not been further.