A Road Trip with the ‘G’s’

I was contemplating other titles like ‘Coping with the Gs’ or “Getting on with the Gs’ but Road Trip sounds best as, it really describes an almost 800 kms journey up and down the Andaman Coast of Southern Thailand with the G’s.

Who are they, these Gs, you ask?  In short the Gs are my parents, both with a combined age of  158 years, which makes me a half century young too. ‘G’ started out as short for geriatric, a none too nice term for sometimes grumbling/feuding parents.

I take full blame for wittily coining it. It has stuck on with my better half and me, as a reference code word when referring to mum and dad. We now regard the letter G as a  loving term, without any sarcasm, well almost.

When their words and deeds defy logic or rational thought, we usually take a deep breath and say, “It’s the Gs”  Just fall back and accept come what may.  More micro managing with whyfores and therefores will only lead you faster in to G-hood.

There’s even a G 1 and G 2. (Not to be confused with Canon Powershot cameras)

When their moods are nice and correspondingly their offsprings will be too, G is uped a few notches to Genial Grandparents, though in a single blinding moment any one G can become ‘Grumbling’

With the meta out of the way here’s a look at the G’s and Us on a road trip.  All of 6 days, it’s trails and tribulations had a special added element, just to keep things in balance or add to the potent mix of grumbling, sighing and gereral well being of the non Gs, seated up front.

It’s Mom’s friend from Church, 80 year old Aunt Dorothy. Recently widowed, she has all the power of a single woman again, but we found her to be genial, confident, courteous and all round very nice to ‘be with’ (Much to Dad’s instant consternation and impatience, mostly because, she’s not him. Mom has her own special patented brand of G-ness, it’s a bit delayed, in that I’ll hear the negatives and my shortcomings in the following…..months!)

Just to recap, we had done another road trip in the Thai north in 2009, with the third party being a mum in law from Malaysia. People say I am brave, but I have to be as I hold almost all the cash, keys to the car, hotel choices and maps in my head.

Of course there are many compliments too  from friends who do not have the time nor patience to carry out  such a long, taxing 1300 kms cross country trip 24/7 with their own special set of Gs,  but see that 2009 trip was much too long, 13 days. I blame myself for wanting to explore new cycling routes. We have halved the duration now.

This is Road Trip V 2.0 and I’m getting smarter.

Click on photos to embiggen.

G’s require and deserve full service airlines, none of those delaying, no show, no water, no nothing budget airlines, because YOU WILL hear of any screw ups, months down the road

Cheap wheels for 6 days, brand new with 4000 kms on the odo. Grazed a low kerb once, with lots of screaming

Get used to signs like this, really

200 kms north of Phuket near Khuraburi town, we hit the motherlode. Dad spotted a durian stall in the shade 100 m away at 70 kmp/h

Making ourselves at home

It was nice of the durian lady to offer us drinks at her house. Actually she wanted dad to marry her and live there

Not too hot tom yam goong for anyone, apparently

Happiness is a cheap haircut @ Thb 60 or $2.00. Ladies were at the hairdressers getting a shampoo and massage. I just drive back and forth and back again

Grimy Ranong Municipal Market where we had a good breakfast. No complaints, surprisingly. How can one when the porridge costs 80 cents a bowl and you tiao at 10 cents a pop ?

As non backpacker-ish as possible and still only at $30 or so. I have good connections, www.chinotelphuket.com

G’s are attracted by pharmacies who really love them because of bulk purchases and not so much for Dad’s mercenary ’till the last drop of blood’ bargaining style

A short leg stretch at one of the many Thai back country bus stops. These places are also good for short naps when one has a 120 km day on a nice bicycle

Aunt Dorothy brought old photos of herself and daughter. It’s a G thing

At the Ranong hot springs, the water was Godsent, as the massage oils and air-conditioning at a nearby spa had Dad’s legs a little ‘frozen”

Hahahaha

On vacation, bacon, ham, eggs, coffee are ingested without regard to what the doctors ordered. That goes for me too, but I also do luggage up flights of stairs, and traffic control, so it’s OK

Lots of pit stops for coffee and cooler climate

Thanks to my dear Coleen for all the help, as she looks all shopped out here, and it’s only 10 am !

Dad catching a breather at Soi Romanee, a former brothel district for Phuket’s tin miners

Dont bargain too hard, that’s a sharp knife ! Durians in Phuket town were 3 times the price from the upcountry stalls

Just a week from returning, Dad’s fondest memory of the trip was my navigation skills without a map. (I had cycled the road to Ranong and further north, in May last year) and his many durian feasts. Not much else. While I credit Mom for holding hands and helping Dad across busy roads, packing his stuff each night, taking medication, and even edging him on to marry the durian lady with much laughter all around. That’s so like our Gs doing things that will bewilder us once in a while.

Trips like this seem to bond the G’s for a while, before they get back to their set ways back home. Having to co exist with each other in a different enviornment, does bring out the best in them, and we know that a 3rd party friend or relative nearby always makes them think twice about making a scene.

Mom is looking forward to another trip next year while Dad in his own impatient way, says why not next month, we’re not getting any younger. I don’t blame him as he used to disappear to Thailand for 2 weeks each, and  did that 3 times back as recently as 2009.

Even I don’t do that no matter how many nice bicycles (and a very understanding wife) I have. The last 2 years have not been easy what with insomnia and having to walk much slower with a walking stick. (I’ll have mine in carbon or titanium please)  2010 was a zero travel year for him (visits to hospitals don’t count) and it does, to put it bluntly, suck not being able to go where you want to. If an ageing G says, “Sh*t, I haven’t gone to Thailand for more than a year” I’d better have a back up plan.

That was said with much anger and frustration compared with a sadly poignant admission, “Christopher, I don’t think I can travel alone anymore” upon our return last week. We all know he shouldn’t anyway, what with some memory loss, he might miss his return flight or easily fall prey to some con artist, but this is one sad truth that all of us will have to face someday. ;-(

Latest intel from Mom says Aunt Dorothy is keen to play 3rd party again. Wow, that soon.

I sort of have a Road Trip V 3.0 in my head, but I must also have some kind of bicycle in the back of the car, or back in the hotel, maybe cycling around at midnight in a strange town, to delay the onslaught of my own G-ness.