I was going to start with the traditional motor racing command 'Start your engines please gentlemen', but it would not have done justice to the females who drove today.
The final packing of the car. Everything fitted and we had room to spare. The work and thought behind our chois=ces seems to have paid off. Day 1 on the road and we have not run out of clothes yet, nor found anything that we needed but was missing. Still a bit of work on the patterns and organisation as there was a bit too much walking back and forward with loads.
Lined up ready to leave Bangsean Beach , in Bangkok
A lot of excitement as we were actually start our journey to Abingdon. A small start, but a significant step to Prachin Buri, 130 klms NE of Bangkok with an afternoon spent exploring the Khao Yai National Park, known for its rain forest, elephant and tigers. Unfortuately we had to be content with the rain and rain forest. We were met in the NP by people from the MG Factory PR agency who spent the afternoon taking photos of the cars and doing a couple of interviews which will be used to promote the brand in Thailand. It would appear that it needs all the help it can get. Last year, the second year in the country, they sold 9000 cars, but a big jump from 200 in their first year.
Lined up for MG Factory phot shoot in Khao Yai NP
The good news is that we successfully escaped Bangkok traffic, all cars ran well and we arrived in one piece and the convoy intact.
A few niggles here and there: my brake lights seem to be working intermittently, my CB radio seems to have less range than others (not a problem as I'll just drive in the middle of the pack) and the low beam on the headlights is a bit high (easy to adjust, but we weren't going to drive at night any way).
An 0800 start tomorrow means that I probably won't get a chance to fix these issues first thing, but may have some time when w reach Siem Reap in Cambodia - our first border crossing.