Oriental Offerings - Reincarnated

[KruJoe]

MaeHongSon city* is tiny and probably the most remote town. It's tucked away in the Himalayan foothills in the far north-west corner if the country. It has a few worth sharing...
 

 

Rather unusual door set-up on this Hilux...

 

 

...complete with body-coloured driver.
 

 

 

 
If I had a guest house here, the sign would look like this one:
 

 
Next door to our guest house:
 

 
Ma_KJ loves an early morning walk while everyone else is snoozing. At breakfast she was telling me abut an old Subaru she'd seen across a rice field, so we went and found it again:
 

 
Another old Hilux. Oh well. 
 
MOAR step-thoughs:
 

 

 
Pa_KJ's knees feature again.
 

 
Hairnet's next ride in the foreground:
 

 

 

 
I guess door furniture isn't easy to find here - this was the handle on our sliding bathroom door!
 

 
The local ice cream man:
 

 
Out in the sticks, actual cars are rare, it's all pick-ups and little bikes.
 

 

 
What a view!

[Asimo]

Need a "wish I was there" button.

 

When did Honda step-throughs get telescopic forks? Liking that box-body sidecar.

[KruJoe]

During the 1980's I think, maybe 90's. Many older ones have been upgraded though, especially those used in the mountains. Leading-link front ends are far from ideal off-road - I should know, that's how I learnt to ride! (Back on the farm in Yorkshire.)
 
More northern delights from Chiang Mai:
 

 

 

 

 

More later

[Bucketeer]

Fabuloso!

I am marking you down for taking a year to update though.

 

I've just been having a look through some images of the MaeHongSon area. WOW.

[KruJoe]

What can I say Alex? I'm a bad lad.

 

Aye, MHS is spectacular - it's well worth exploring for a week with a rented Honda Wave / CR250 / Toyota Soluna / Fortuner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KruJoe]

Earlier in the thread, someone confused a Fortuner for a  Merc ML on a rear 3/4 view. Compare and contrast.

 

 

Chery QQ:

 

 

 

 

Miss-matched beige, wobbly stripes and jaunty tide-lines. What's not to like?

 

[KruJoe]

 

Look what's lurking behind:

 

 

Lovely.

 

 

But not as lovely as...

 

 

Catch of the day, nach.

 

 

I could eat this for breakfast, all day long.

 

 

Yummy.

[ChinaTom]

Fabulous part of the world. Once again, I find myself having been standing a few mountains away from you (although not at the same time). We were reccy'ing a few sites in Kayah (Myanmar) and tried to get back to Thailand via a road that locals promised would get us to Mueang Pon. I think the border has moved since they last went. Road turned to track, track turned to forest. Back we went...

 

I am so envious - my next trip to Thailand will be BKK only

[Skizzer]

Wow.  I was going to say I like the beige Lancer with the cat piss tarp and the Fiat 132 best, but have fallen in love with the little 60s Mazda (800?).  It's perfect in every way.

[Spottedlaurel]

That 132 is a fairly early one isn't it? Looks to be in decent nick.

 

Good to see the Datsun 1200s in everyday use.

[KruJoe]

Let's have a go at a short vid. Captured last night by Mrs_KJ from the pillion of our borrowed scooter:

 

 

I share the roads with these numpties on a daily basis. Nobody was hurt this time, so "mai pen rai" (nothing really matters).

[Bucketeer]

I was waiting for the concrete truck to reverse back over the stricken bike just to finish things off.

 

I love learning little phrases in foreign languages like mai pen rai, I'll be using that a bit I think.

In return, have boli me fara (bo-lee-mu-farra). It basically means 'I don't give a shit' in Bulgarian but brilliantly it's literal translation is 'my lighthouse hurts'.

HTH

[KruJoe]

"My lighthouse hurts" LOL!

"Mai pen rai" is ace, we use it all the time here.

 

"Here" is currently suburban Bangkok, this time it was a 10 hour drive south from Chiang Mai. Thus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old 850 behaved perfectly on the trip down, and three-up, sharing LPG costs, it's the cheapest way to travel. Comfy too, not an ache or twinge from the leather armchairs.

 

 

It's very rare for us to make the journey and NOT happen across some nasty-looking incident.

 

 

It's not surprising having seen the silly risks people take on the roads here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the local handy-man's chariot.

 

 

Based on a Tiger Joker, which was a short-lived local copy of a Honda Wave step-thru.

 

 

More later, tat-fans.

[KruJoe]

Here's a fact for you, Thais don't use the name "Bangkok". Usually they call it  Krungtep (à¸à¸£à¸¸à¸‡à¹€à¸—พฯ).

In full, it's the longest place name in the world: 

"Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit"

(à¸à¸£à¸¸à¸‡à¹€à¸—พมหานคร อมรรัตนโà¸à¸ªà¸´à¸™à¸—ร์ มหินทรายุธยา มหาดิลà¸à¸ à¸ž นพรัตนราชธานีบูรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สัà¸à¸à¸°à¸—ัตติยวิษณุà¸à¸£à¸£à¸¡à¸›à¸£à¸°à¸ªà¸´à¸—ธิ์)

[listen - click here]

That translates as "City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra's behest".

 

The Thai establishment really loves its ceremonials, but any normal person you talk to CBA with it. They much prefer "sanook" (having fun).

 

 

 

 

Bike shite aplenty:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These little two-stroke step-throughs are still a fairly common sight outside the main cities. This one is still working as a taxi:

 

 

Most new bikes these days seem to be four stroke fully automatic twist-and-go jobs.

 

 

A nice surprise.

 

 

Away from the rat-runs around Bangkok, it's pleasing still to find some old gems in the wild.

 

 

 

 

 

I may have shown you this Holden before... it doesn't move much.

 

 

This Crown too...

 

 

 

My love affair with Isuzu KB's continues.

 

 

Another factoid for you: Thais often say "Ee-loo-loo" instead of "Isuzu". It's easier, apparently. And "sanook".

[Jon]

Well, I did have intentions to update my spotting thread but now I've seen the recent efforts of yourself, spottedlaurel and Barrett (and I'm sure bucketeer is overdue some content), I've been blown out the water, really. Nice to see so many familiar things and many other not familiar bits and despite following from the start, I'm still surprised at seeing oddball Aussies, despite them being so close* for export.

 

I'd wager that the rural Camira wagon won't have to wait long before it's one of the very last; they're very thin on the ground here and supply evidently still out-strips demand!

[D Spares & Tyres]

I saw a mint 4 door Allegro in Bangkok a few years ago.

 

In beige with dark tints on the windows ☺

[Spottedlaurel]

Do like the Nissan Cefiro (last photo but one), and the green Corolla looks rather neat.

 

The baby blue 160B/180B (610 series) in the first batch has wheels off the later 910 model.

 

Well, I did have intentions to update my spotting thread...............

 

Please do!

[KruJoe]

I do like a nice early Cefiro too, and I was seriously in the market for one before I bought the Volvo. The problem is, they've almost all been riced up to buggery by wanna-be drift yobs. It's sad, they're a good-looking thing.

 

Tom: I've spotted a handful of Allegros over here, but not a beige one!

It's weird to think that I'm more likely to spot oddball European stuff over here (where it's always been rare), than back in the UK where it was once much more common. I'm thinking Aggros, ADO16's, mk1 BX's, XM's, Renault 9's, 504's, 305's 405's, W126's and Stack-lights, and BMW E12 5-series, and 2002's.

 

Jon, keep at the spotting and don't let us put you off! NZ spots are always good to see. I may even get down there myself at some point - I've not yet visited my brother and his family who moved out to Wanganui about 15 years back!

 

Talking of Camiras, I saw this Chiang Mai registered one again today in Bang-Bua-Tong, near Bangkok.

 

 

I don't think I shared these pics before, they were taken when I first spotted it in Lampang province, on a previous drive south from CM to BKK.

 

 

It's instantly recognisable due to its beautifully* grafted in light units.

 

 

The rears are from a Triton...

 

 

And I'm thinking Accord for the fronts, thought I'm not 100%.

 

 

The front looks ok I reckon, Vulg would be proud, but the back's gopping. Still, it was a nice surprise to see it again today, so far from home.

 

For reference, here's a more original one from my image library:

 

 

Mitsubishi Lancer wheels on this one.

 

 

Oh, and the red one at the top of this page.

[Jon]

Those JD/JE Camiras were absolutely gopping but the original JB like my old one was never much of a looker, especially compared to the Cavalier/Ascona. I'm not sure what to say about the modified one; the front is improved (not difficult: see above) and the rear sort of looks OK from directly behind but that rear 3/4 shot is just tragic. I'm guessing it's as much vanity to do these mods as it is trying to make life easier finding replacement lenses.

 

I'll see what I can fish out for an update but the supply is dwindling.....

[hairnet]

à¸à¸£à¸¸à¸“าช่วยบอà¸à¸‰à¸±à¸™ เวลาที่ดีที่สุด ที่จะเยี่ยมชม

 

ไà¸à¸¥à¹à¸„่ไหน คือ kopat จาภเชียงใหม่

 

132 WANT

[forddeliveryboy]

 

That makes all the other stuff look a bit un-cool. Great pic. 

[KruJoe]

Apologies for my tardiness this winter. Blame Leo the leopard and my general CBAness.

 

Here's a dump of spottings from the centre of Thailand, starting with a mega-rare blobby-626-shaped Ford Telstar.

 

 

OMG KB Station Wagon want.

 

 

 

 

Our 850 in good company at the LPG pump:

 

 

Lovely.

 

 

At the back of the same filling station, another odd-ball, a not-Mazda Proceed Ford Courier:

 

 

Loads more to come!

[Supernaut]

 

What's that? It's awesome. Seems to have a Nissan badge (I think) but I don't recognise it.

[KruJoe]

 

That's a Mk1 Cefiro, that's what I was talking about...

 

 

 I was seriously in the market for one before I bought the Volvo. The problem is, they've almost all been riced up to buggery by wanna-be drift yobs. It's sad, they're a good-looking thing.

 

 

Here's another distinctive motor I've seen at both ends of the country:

 

 

It's running a big, snorty, intercooled dizzle. Yum.

 

 

A grey import N-Box, a current Kei offering from Honda:

 

 

 

 

 

800's, Corsas and Escorts were always a bit odd-ball here, all are becoming rarer now.

 

 

The new range of Chinese MG's are more common here than in the UK, but this MG5 was a new one on me. It'll be interesting to see how the sales go, and how long they last in this climate.

 

Next, we're heading back north to Chiang Mai.

 

 

 

[KruJoe]

Hold on, I found a few more from Bangkok!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These multi-storey super-highways around central Bangkok are quite a thing to experience. Driving them (at night especially) is like being in a bloody video game.

 

 

Next episode: back north.

[hairnet]

khob kun

 

must save money must travel

[KruJoe]

Yo grot-spotters, we're back in Chiang Mai where scenes such as this lurk around every* corner:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're welcome.

 

 

You may notice the borrowed dashcam I'm trying out. I will trawl its saved files to see if there's owt worth showing you.

L8RZ!

 

[Uncle Jimmy]

Great stuff! I may be mistaken but the 240 is a 264?

[Felly Magic]

It looks like Partridge has a copycat around there, with the knobs drawn on that K10 Micra

[Skizzer]

Fab. That 'facelift' Camira is beyond wonderful.

 

à¸à¸£à¸¸à¸“าช่วยบอà¸à¸‰à¸±à¸™ เวลาที่ดีที่สุด ที่จะเยี่ยมชม

 

ไà¸à¸¥à¹à¸„่ไหน คือ kopat จาภเชียงใหม่

 

132 WANT

At last, a post from hairnet that we can all understand!