Another wild and interesting two nights as 61 serious adventure travel motorcyclists from as far away as South Africa, Canada and Brazil gathered both evenings at The Rider’s Corner www.riderscorner.net , Southeast Asia’s motorcycle traveler’s touch point. Some were so intent on attending they hobbled to the meeting with broken legs on crutches to share in the evenings adventures, as seen in the first photo below.

Friday evening Horizons Unlimited attendees and local motorcycle enthusiasts were welcomed by The Rider’s Corner and Golden Triangle experienced expats with a fun filled night of storytelling and rumor quelling that included an hour of free . While at one table a group discussed the recent and projected changes in government regulations that had severely changed how overlanders could transit Thailand, at the next table another group shared their awe over the new map of Laos that had just been released, cited as “The only and best map you’ll need for traveling in Laos.” The new map was shown to be “advertising free,” laminated for long use and very detailed, the result of over 15 years of researching roads, tracks and trails in Laos. The new map, second picture below, was available from The Rider’s Corner or Moto Asia www.motoasia.bike


At a third table travelers exchanged tales of how they had managed borders, paperwork, fake Internet news, bad people and corruption within the motorcycling communities they passed through as they had circled the globe.


A moment was taken to recognize the passing of motorcyclists who had crossed over to The Other Side or wherever their souls or memory may have landed while on motorcycles since last year’s meeting. Newbies to Southeast Asia and piloting motorcycles were reminded that while doing so may be interesting and fun, it is also very dangerous.


Among those welcoming the attendees were two motorcyclists who had successfully circled the globe, pictured above. From Great Britain, Geoff Thomas (left in photo # 3 below) was the Master of Ceremonies for the HU Travelers Meeting and he shared not only his expertise in motorcycling around the world, but also his success as the published writer of a well acclaimed book about his adventures. One of the laughing points was how traveling writers and advanced motorcycle adventurer journalists often lose focus of time as they ride and write, one needing more than one watch to remember days and times for publisher deadlines.


Image #4 below, Gene Lee and Neda Skific-Lee, from Canada, gave an interesting slide show Saturday evening of their 2 ½ year motorcycle ride around the world, which they were still doing while passing through Chiang Mai. Their travels can be seen on their website www.ridedot.com/rtw


78 year-old Brausch Niemann, from South Africa (in photo # 4 below, second from the right) and his wife Sheila had ridden to The Rider’s Corner for the HU meeting on a newly acquired Thai motorcycle, their ingenious way of adventuring around the Thai new government rules and regulations requiring foreign motorcycles and overlander vans to be escorted by local guides with a pre-approved travel plan. Brausch was surprised by the group and the Rider’s Corner owners Som and Phillip Gibbins with a birthday cake and candles after his wife leaked the secret that the day was her husband’s birthday.


In the photo # 6 below, The Rider’s Corner “Big Boss” owner Som Gibbins was seen taking a few minutes away from the busy evening BBQ and restaurant operation to watch the slide show from the seat of a motorcycle. She and husband Phillip were again thanked for their donation for the use of their restaurant, bar, parking lot, and AV equipment for two nights for the Horizons Unlimited event. Each year they unselfishly donate their facility to the attending motorcyclists, bicyclists and overlanders, as well as donate to some limited hospitality for the swillers and spillers in one “Welcome Travelers!” evening crowd from the local Motobike Riders of the Golden Triangle “Top Secret” Society. Both Som and Phillip are avid adventure and travel motorcyclists themselves but take the time out from the prime riding time in Thailand during this annual meeting to facilitate the event.


At the close of the meeting it was announced that there may be a different format for a possible Horizons Unlimited Mini-Meeting in 2018. As an example of how the story telling might be expanded to include tales of “shame and fame,” a factual story was recounted for the attendees about how “R1 Peter,” did a wheelie in front of a group of crammed tourist bars to entertain the sidewalk sitting/standing crowd, which happened to include several local Thai police. His stunt ended with him crashing his R1 and breaking his collar bone. The attending crowd gasped while the police clapped, the police thinking the crash had been part of the show. R1 Peter, sitting in the HU audience, laughed as hard as did the rest of the audience, but yelled out, “It was an R1, not an R2!”


Last image below is of The Golden Triangle Rider’s Corner in Chiang Mai, Thailand, often referred to as “base camp for motorbike, bicycle and overlander adventuring in the Golden Triangle.”

Posted for the HU Mini-Meeting Team 2017, authored by Ozzy Song, or aka "Ozzy 2" at The Great Around The World Adventure Rally www.rtwmotorcycleadventurerally.blogspot.com

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