From Glen:








































One day we'll get there...

In the meantime, great to see everyone had a good time!

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Just in from Oz, a report on the event!

Horizons Unlimited Mini Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 8 - 9 2016

It was a beautiful weekend in Chiang Mai and while the evening air was cool the camaraderie between fellow adventure riders was as warm as I've ever seen. Over 30 riders, along with a great number of local travel enthusiasts, made their way to the Riders Corner, restaurant, bar and guest house to share tales of their rides while looking for information about new adventures and enjoying the good food and beverages available.

For all who gathered at the 10th annual HU Mini Meeting in Chiang Mai, the evening began with a surprise performance of Thai style dancing given by two of the cutest little girls, Allysala (Phil & Som's daughter) and her friend Phrao, made up in the traditional Lana attire of Northern Thailand. A welcome complement to the sumptuous barbecue we had all just consumed and a confirmation of how enjoyable our hosts have made these gatherings for many years.

Everyone had a chance to introduce themselves when the mic was passed, and while the may have helped, no one was shy. Just about every point on the compass was covered, with a good mix of local riders having varied experiences in the jungles of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, along with our volunteer photographer, Glenn Phuah and his partner wrapping up their tour out of Singapore. We had riders from as far away as America, Australia, Finland, England, Germany, Russia and points in between. HU Members, Dee & Pete were on their first Asian Motorcycle adventure from the Western U.S., state of Washington and the HU Mini Meeting in Chiang Mai was central to their plans.

Two audio-visual presentations were given along with a brief talk about how one man, Ernie from America, found a way to give something back to the less fortunate he had seen on one of his journeys. He was able to obtain a prosthetic arm, donated by an athlete in the States whose replacement was sponsored and bring it to Asia for a boy who could not afford to replace the one he lost. An epiphany he had after meeting and speaking with the donor about the boy he had met on a ride in Cambodia.

You may have read about our first presenter, Geoff Thomas on the HU site. His stories, after literally getting burned out of his home in England and travelling the world since, have made him a crowd favorite in past years. Geoff now spends much of his winters in Thailand with summers spent riding the woods of Northern California out of Boonville, a place where they make their own and speak their own language. Sounds like a good plan to me and I've experienced both. His presentation for this meeting focused on a ride he took across Russia, not surprisingly with meal stops at diners that became brothels by night and strangers who kept showing up at his remote campsites with vodka. It was a good presentation; the ride reports and road conditions were well represented along with some great photographs.

Our second presentation was given by Lynn Brown about his time riding the back roads of Laos. He gave a history laced 'show and tell' about a ride from Vientiane to Long Tieng. Once known as "The Most Secret Place on Earth", it was operated by the CIA during the Vietnam War with a secret airstrip known as Lima 98, a chaotic place during the war that’s now just a relic of itself and the history it holds. Having gone from a remote, sparsely populated valley to a bustling city by 1964, it became one of the largest US military installations on foreign soil with CIA spooks, mercenaries and Hmong fighters recruited from the local population. It was abandoned near the end of the war after the Vietnamese made it a difficult place to stay when they began assaulting it around 1971. It represents an interesting part of the history of Laos and the secret war they hosted while not being an "official" party to the US led conflict.

Lynn also included his travels through the nearby "Plain of Jars", one of the most sought after rides for those brave enough to risk an explosive or two left over from the war. According to Wikipedia, the U.S. Air Force dropped more bombs on Laos, primarily the Plain of Jars, than it dropped during the whole of World War II. This included 262 million anti-personnel cluster bombs. An estimated 80 million of those did not explode and remain a deadly threat to the population.
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Thanks Oz for the report and your own efforts to make a great event!

Undecided at this time, we'll post it as soon as we know!

there's always the Australian Meetings, they're nearby...

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com