Travelling Asia as a Regional Manager
My first time to Philip Island and what a weekend. Everyday was different and even the cancelling of MotoGP qualifying and the crazy Saturday weather just added to the whole experience.
What a great place to to watch motorcycle racing! I will post my loitering paddock photos and stories later but here are some MotoGP photos from wandering around the track on Friday and the race on Sunday watching at turn 10.
As I now call New Zealand home (more than Thailand is presently) there has been a reshuffle of vehicles. I won’t bother you with boring details of cars and talk about bikes! In Thailand my beloved long serving BMW R1200GS has been sold which left budget for a new bike to explore New Zealand with.
Not wanting to rush into a decision I quelled my desires with purchases of bike related goodies as can been seen below:
Thankfully the task in New Zealand of choosing my new bike is somewhat eased with Cyclespot distributing all the brands I was interested in; BMW, KTM and Ducati. Not wanting to bore you with a step by step description of the decision process a cracking deal on a 2017 Ducati Multistrada won the day.
Living in the small little Whakatane town means Cycspot’s devlivery service was well received. I wait patiently for the van to delivery with it’s load of Italian goodness. Within an hour I was off for my first ride.
Woo hoo!
Early last year I spent an excellent few days out of Bangkok with David. He was on his BMW R1150R and I had my Ducati Scrambler loaded up for camping for the first time. Heading out west for a few hours from Bangkok is Kanchanaburi. Heading northwest out of Kanchanaburi is the Erawan National Park and further still the Sinakharin reservoir where we camped on the west side. Heading home involved catching the ferry across to the east side of the reservoir and back down the east side to had back into civilisation.
The first night we rested at a small resort by the river that connects the two dams, second night camping and the third night in Kanchanaburi. We enjoyed the company of several Soi dogs (stray dogs) during our travels, they all look similar, as they all do, but each friendly and just wanted to hang out with two bikers, maybe grab a bit of food and a few patsa !
Unfortunately the camp ground where we stayed at is now closed off. We understand the owner was operating illegally. I certainly hope he gets his paperwork sorted out with the local authorities as the site is a gem and he was a lovely man who joined us for a chat in the evening with stories and photos of previous ‘biker’ visitors.
The two ferries that operate across the two crossings at the Sinakharin Reservoir are fantastic. Although pontoons more than ferries, they are cheap, relaxing and reliable. The one of the east side is regular but if you ride consider taking the road instead for a blast of twitsty fun on two wheels.
The northern ferry crossing is less frequent and you may have to wait a while. But as ever in Thailand food is not far away, so relax, eat and wait. The restaurant there is great with birds and a few Soi dogs!
Enjoy the photos!
A fantastic weekend at MotoGP in Sepang, Malaysia. Just a quick selection of the hundreds of photos taken over three days.
Visited Sepang in Malaysia to watch a couple of days testing for the MotoGP teams prior to the 2014 season. For the spectator Sepang has many great spots to watch from. The only section of the circuit I have not yet seen is the section after turn two to before half way. But most of the circuit can be seen from about 3 locations in the main grandstand as you can see from the video.
An unexpected surprise at end of work trip to KL, Malaysia. The MotoGP boys were pre season testing at Sepang. Went early for my flight home and popped by Sepang with Sebastian before check in. The place was empty and was able to snaps some photos.
Shot with: Canon EOS M and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
