Another bike ride around Bangkok’s airport
Yesterday, I went for a 25 km bike ride around Suvarnabhumi Airport (Pronounced Sue-wanna-poom).[note]I don’t understand why the Thais don’t do what the Chinese have done when using English lettering. The Chinese spell the name in English with the right pronunciation, which makes sense, if one wants to get the pronunciation right. The Thais have been talking about doing this but, so far, have decided against it. This makes pronouncing words, like the airport name, ridiculous and impossible.[/note] The last time I wrote about this course was in February 2016. Just after that ride, the course closed and went through a massive renovation to increase the size of the track and add amenities like a series of restaurants and some shops. The roadway was widened to allow for a blue set of lanes for regular riders and a purple set for semipro and pro riders who are traveling at very high speed. The purple lane is also for ambulances and other emergency vehicles to use. It’s a pretty amazing setup. The operators also added lighting for night rides, which are popular because it gets way cooler once the sun sets.
In order to get on the track, you need a special wrist band that acts as not only an entry device but also allows for payments to be made at the various restaurants in the entry pavilion.
All I can say is that the day was hot with the track temperature reading at somewhere around 42ºC. But there was also a very brisk wind, which was great when it was pushing but very tough when heading into it. Anyway, the ride was fun. [note] when the wind was pushing. [/note] There was also, I have to point out, a special Spirit House for the track, shown on slide 7. The Spirits in this House make sure that the riders stay safe. That has to be a pretty big job, which is why the Spirit House seems pretty large.
I thought I would show you some pictures of the new course just to give you a sense of the layout of the place. Enjoy the ride.
42 degrees?? Oh just lovely…
It could have been worse. It could have been 52°
What a beautiful blue – could almost create a convergence of ground and sky, together with that vibrant purple!
Regarding that “safety” Spirit House: I think we should borrow the idea and use several of those on Québec roads, especially on our icy, slippery nights. A contrast, of course, with the 42 degrees.
I agree that we should have safety Spirit Houses by the sides of our roads. It would be costly, as Spirits tend to be very expensive to maintain, but lots of roadside Spirit Houses could help keep the roads safer. I also agree that the blue chosen for the track is nice, as is the purple. It’s good that the shade of blue chosen isn’t too dark as the track would have been even hotter with a darker blue.