Sukhothai Sojourn - The Other Sida of the Story

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Saraphi
Knows how to use the parking brake
Posts: 157
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 5:40 am
Orga / RP numbers: 6834

Sukhothai Sojourn - The Other Sida of the Story

Post by Saraphi » Thu Nov 28, 2019 7:02 am

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Those of you that followed the link in my previous thread will know the event was pretty successful and enjoyed by all. But there is usually another side to every story, this is mine, seen from the cabin of my XM.

Early on Friday morning Ian, my co-driver and his wife, drove to my home, leaving their car behind after pilling their luggage into the Boot of the Silver Shark and our adding cold boxes containing cheeses, dried fruits, wines, glasses, tablecloths, plates and assorted other bits as we were providing all for the Saturday Wine & Cheese fundraiser. They were traveling with me as his neurologist had advised against him driving his vintage manual (column shift) Benz over such a distance.

We left at 8.45 to drive 20 odd minutes to the rendezvous on Highway 11. It was a damp and rainy morning so I elected to avoid the main traffic and use the country lanes to reach the highway. At one point we needed to manoeuvre through an intersection that involves crossing a road, then immediately over a single line railway track and then another road. We paused to see all clear through the drizzle, passed over the track and halted before crossing the second road. A motorcycle was approaching from the right, he also stopped at the junction, then decided to accelerate away. He did this with great style, sliding the bike away from him to the left, immediately under my front bumper whilst he sprawled in the middle of the road. No damage to him, minimal to the bike and gouges and scratches to the bumper. This is Thailand, we smiled at each other, gave gentle shrugs of resignation and went our separate ways.
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Saturday Morning, Photo opportunity at the Park Entrance

Next Day, following our successful tour of the Historic Park we were heading out for lunch. By this time Nonglak my co-driver’s wife had taken over the driving as I had undergone the removal of a skin tumour on my upper right shoulder a few days before, making it a little painful to wear a seat belt and my co-driver was also feeling the strain. We arrived and Nonglak parked under a nearby tree on the grass verge. After a fine but light meal we left the premises to find that the XM had enjoyed a further meeting with a motorcyclist who had apparently ridden too close to the rear offside quarter and had left oil and dirt stains from hand prints and their clothing together with a few scrapes and grazes from the bike’s plastic panels.

It was during this second day’s run that I noticed that the XM was starting to suffer from an increasing tendency to show what I can only describe as ‘clutch slip’ particularly going up the gears and most evident from 3 to 4. This was hardly noticeable at first but did increase in frequency during the trip – to the extent that it did slow down our progress and make both Nonglak and I a little apprehensive, of the will it, won’t it kind.

On day three we set off for home after a good breakfast on a more direct route than that we had travel led down on. This was a route we had used before so we knew that there was a point where we would travel across country from one fast highway to another using a poorly maintained forest road about 2 kilometres long. Our next stop was a coffee break where we found that the potholes on the traverse had defeated the near side side light which was hanging loose and way out of it’s socket! It seems that it had previously been broken and stuffed back in there by the P.O. with the aid of some adhesive tape, We bought a roll of the same and repeated the remedy to get us home.

Today’s update: It cost me the equivalent of a hundred pounds to have the bumper taken off and fettled and sprayed whilst the gearbox was out. The gearbox itself was sent to a specialist workshop where the box and brake with refurbished and a service exchange hydraulic unit bolted on. Cost for this about 1200 quid but well worth it as now as smooth as can be and much more responsive on kick-downs. The damage to the rear quarter was less than we feared, when all was cleaned down it needed no more than an application of T-cut and a polish.

Here are a couple of photographs, after the last one I will write how one of our members faced a possible painful death.
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Saturday Evening Gala Dinner. Our youngest member,17, Front Right.
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This last picture shows Co-driver Nonglak by the trusty XM. It was at this spot that we all assembled to learn some curious facts about two small adjacent temple buildings.

Member Rik vB parked his Alfa under a tree and on stepping out of the car found that he had trodden on what seemed to be a newly formed ants’ nest. Nothing daunted and shaking off the few ants that had the temerity to sting him he joined us at the temples and drove back with us all to the resort. Within an hour h was in acute discomfort and finding it difficult to breathe, so much so he drove with his wife and Thai speaking friend to the A&E department of the best private hospital in town. On learning what had happened he was admitted immediately to ICU and given a course of injections – “plenty & painful” as he later described it. 'Another few minutes and we could not have saved you' was the diagnosis.
Kept in overnight as he required 24 hr. observation and repeats of the treatment, he eventually was allowed to go back home, but not to drive, other kind participants of the tour formed a sort of honour guard and brought him and his car back in convoy. The near-death aspect of this upset was confirmed two days later by his company doctor and he is still self-administering the medications as this goes to press.
A lucky man indeed
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1995 XM S2 2.0i 16v - but with lots if Y3 bits
1995 Xantia 2.0 Exclusive

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