The Wobblin’ Sprocket

The Auction is ON!

Ready, Set, Auction!

The Auction to benefit Big Brother Mouse will start in just a few days. There are even more items that have come in that are yet to be added to the list.

The auction will be on-line. All you have to do is register. You can watch items, enter proxy bids, do searches for items, etc etc.

It is all set to start this week. Sign up for the Far and Away Newsletter to make sure you get the official notification. You can do that on the main Far and Away website.

Big Brother Mouse Auction Items

As mentioned in the March Newsletter, there will be a silent auction held to benefit BBM as part of the Annual Wine and Cheese Party of the Officer’s Club of the Canadian Embassy. The event will be held on the evening of May 31, 2008 at The Canadian Embassy in Washington DC.

Here is a list of what has been donated for the silent auction so far:

1. Two Round trip air tickets: Air Canada from Wash DC to anywhere Air Canada flies to in Canada.
2. One night at the Hyatt Regency Chicago
3. $200 gift certificate to the Jumeirah Restaurant in NYC.
4. $100 gift certificate to the Capital Grille Restaurant in Washington DC (next to the Embassy).
5. $100 gift certificate to Coeur de Lion Restaurant in Wash DC
6. $100 gift certificate to Cafe Oggi in Mclean, VA
   
7. Three emergency medical kits (Thanks Wayne!)
8. Four VIP passes to E - Street Cinema
9. Four Tickets to “Lion and the Mouse” at the Classika Theatre
10. Two Nights at the Hampton Inn near the convention center in DC
11. Food Basket from the Alberta, British Columbia Office.
12. Performance Posters from the Kennedy Center
13. Two tickets to any 2008 Production at Metro Stage - Alexandria, VA.
14. $100 Gift Certificate for the Avenue Grille in the J W Marriott Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave.
15. A take away Gourmet Vegetarian Meal for 4 ($100 value) from Gail’s Vegetarian Catering.
16. $100 Gift Certificate for Brunch for 4 at the Bombay Club.
17. $90 Gift Certificate for a massage at “The Teal Center”.
18. 2 - $25 Gift Certificates at “Uncle Julio’s”.
19. $100 Gift Basket from Cafe Mozart
20. Signed first edition of The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith from Politics and Prose.
21. Two tickets (front row seats!) to a Washington Mystics game. Thanks Jane!
22. Dinner for two ($100) at Ristorante Tosca on F Street in Washington DC.
23. Two tickets ($92) to Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Valid until December 11, 2008. Wednesday and Thursday only.
24. $50 Gift certificate to The Phoenix shop in Georgetown.
25. A night at The Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach and breakfast for two at The Terrace Restaurant ($139).
26. Full seven course dinner for a Party of TEN at Marrakesh ($300)! Eaten with your fingers while watching a belly dancing show. (Sunday through Thursday)
27. Book: The Black Canoe - Bill Reid and the Spirit of Haida Qwaii by Robert Bringhurst
28. Book: Canadian Pacific - “A stirring tribute to “The World’s Greatest Travel System” by Greg McDonnell
29. Book: Alberta -Images by Daryl Benson
30. Brunch for four people at the Tabard Inn DC.
31. Deluxe Bamboo Cheese Board Set - Value $40.
32. Book “Répertoire des fromages du Québec” - Value $30.

****
The generosity of the people and organizations supporting this is incredible.

****

If you have something you can donate, please contact Chantal Briere (chantalbriere@hotmail.com 202 380 7078) or Bob Thompson (bob@farandawaycycling.com 571 275 2814)

From Mat and Mo

…..who we met on the road in Laos. They went on to Vietnam then doubled back into Laos again going from Dien Bien Phu to Odomxay to Pak Beng and then upriver to Houyxay.

Hey Bob,

We have safely landed back on US soil and are in the middle of babysitting our two nephews and one niece for a week - talk about adventure!!

Just wanted to thank you again for helping us assemble our own mini-tour de indochine. We had a blast going back through Laos. The funny thing was that right after leaving Oudamxay we missed the turn to Luang Prabeng and found ourselves on the road down to Pak Beng… we were enjoying it so much that we just kept going that way! We took two easy days and had a nice afternoon in Pak Beng, which is actually quite pleasant before all the tourists arrive from the boat…. we took the slow boat up river to Huay Xay, which was quite enjoyable as there were only like 10 people on the boat. After some time shopping in Chiang Mai we took the train back to Bangkok and began heading home!

Let me know if you have any more questions about that route.

Thanks for putting us on the newsletter list! Keep in touch and we’ll talk to you soon!

Mat (and Mo)

Red Wine Kills Bad Bugs

There is plenty of wine in all the places we travel in Europe. However, wine can be a little tough to come by in some of the other places we go….like Laos and India. Nevertheless it can be had anywhere with a little bit of searching. Graeme, who has been on about every tour, appreciates wine and is always able to track some down.

Most people are aware that studies have shown that 1 or 2 glasses of red wine each day can be good for your heart, but did you know that red wine can also protect you from food borne illnesses i.e., “bad” bacterial bugs?

This is real news for adventure travelers! Now when you go to eat in a distant and remote place that seems a little dicey, there is added incentive to have some merlot with your “meal”.

Sorry white wine fans, red is the only wine with this power and the reds providing the most “protection” are cabernet, merlot and pinot noir.

Watch the Video Report

Big Brother Mouse to visit Canadian Embassy

On our last Lao tour we met up with Sasha Alyson, a retired publisher from Boston, who set up Big Brother Mouse (BBM). BBM publishes and distributes books for Lao children.

http://www.bigbrothermouse.com/

Phet from Elgin, IL had made me aware of Big Brother Mouse when she bought a Lao Cycling Jersey in support the Vangtang school project. Phet had learned of the school project from Dara at Voice of America. Dara had interviewed me several years ago for a VOA broadcast after an article on the Laos tour had appeared in the Washington Post. It’s interesting how circuitous some of these links become. One thing leads to another and another and another……

What I did not know is that Sasha is a cyclist. I had stopped by the BBM office but he had not been in. Later on I was cruising around Luang Prabang on my bike and a guy pulls up on a bike and introduces himself….it turned out to be Sasha. We chatted for awhile and I invited Sasha to join our group for the bike ride the next day from Luang Prabang. And he did. As a result we’ve gotten to know more about BBM and the effort going into putting books into the hands of Lao children.

We will partner up with Sasha and BBM during our future visits. There is a need to get books into some of the more distant villages and we generally travel to places outside of BBM’s reach.

Chantal has also come up with the brilliant idea of sponsoring a silent auction for BBM…….and she has obtained the enthusiastic support of The Officer’s Club of the Canadian Embassy! On May 31, 2008 a silent auction will be held as part of the the O’Club’s very popular and well attended “Annual Wine and Cheese Party”.

That will be a wonderful opportunity to socialize, sample great wine and cheese and generally have fun while raising some money for a good cause.

Far and Away will of course contribute some stuff.

Drop me or Chantal a note if you have something that you would like to donate to the auction. It can be anything really. It’s a good opportunity to unload that Wayne Gretzky autographed puck that is taking up space in your closet…….

Bob@farandawaycycling.com
Chantalbriere@hotmail.com

A Big Bad Blade

What to bring back from Laos? That’s always a good question.

I never would have even noticed these for sale at a roadside stand had not Dana caught my attention as she was examining something that she said her significant other could use for a little roadside clearing work.

In Lao it is impossible not to notice people walking down the road with machete like knives that they use for whacking who knows what. It is so very foreign from what we are used to that it takes a while to adjust to it. Your first thought is: “hey, that little woman could lop my head off with that thing!”. The reality though is that everyone just turns and smiles at you as you ride by. Carrying a big blade in Lao is sort of like walking down the street with an umbrella anywhere else.

So how better to remember Lao than stocking your kitchen with a big ol’ Lao knife?

At home, you’d be shopping for a fine German instrument that is perfectly honed with a handle made of of the finest oak. Well, in Lao you buy a hefty, manly blade that has streaks of what looks like tar on it and appears to have been struck by hand with an anvil. I’m not sure how they are made, but I’m fairly certain no machine is involved.

The handle of the baby I bought is water buffalo horn. I measured the length of the entire knife and it’s a whopping 17 inches long. It’s hefty. It carries momentum and I can whack and chop pretty much anything with ease. It holds a sharp edge really well too. It makes a great pizza cutter. The top of the blade is thick enough that you can easily press on it with your free hand.

Somehow it seems the perfect metaphor for Laos…made by hand…water buffalo horn handle that doesn’t quite conform to the blade……completely and totally functional and, when you are wielding it, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time…way back. I love this thing.

They left behind everything……

I love the kids in this! Peter N made a few short vids before his camera gave up the ghost.

Thanks Peter.

Mat and Mo…..Back to Lao!

Hey Bob, I hope you made it back safely to the US!!!

First of all, Mo and I had a BLAST riding with you guys! We really appreciate your hospitality and it was tons of fun hooking up with your group… it definitely made those climbs go faster and the scenery more enjoyable!!!!

We are in Hue, Vietnam right now and scrapping our plans to head down the coast via Highway 1 - the traffic is CRAZY!! really no fun to ride in, scenery is nice but we value our lives.. so we’re thinking about heading north and going from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu, then maybe even crossing the border back into Laos at Tay Trang and riding down to Oudom Xay…. my question is, have you negotiated this border crossing?? Our map says it “may not be open to individual travellers” - have you ever had a problem crossing here? Is this indeed where you cross??

Anyways, thanks again for everything on the ride, I hope you made it home okay and are becoming jet-lag free!!!

Peace

Mat (and Mo!)

Pics from Julie

Message from Julie:

Hey gang! I’ve posted a small selection of my favorite shots from our trip to this web album. I don’t know if you can download the images or not. If not, let me know and I can send you high resolution copies of them. Sorry Bob, I don’t have a group shot of the kayaking. My bed has never felt so good!

Julie’s Pics

Keep in touch.

Julie