2017 2017

Day 8 of my tour of Thailand by motorbike. I drive over the most amazing mountains I've ever crossed between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The fog is thick, it's freezing cold, I'm wet as hell from being once again assaulted by Thailand's torrential rain. But I'm loving it. I find a village on top of the highest mountain peak and investigate. I then soldier on down the other side towards Chiang Rai. In Chiang Rai I visit the city's number one tourist attraction; the classic White Temple and talk to some local Thais around town. This former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna is a relatively small city but proved rather lively 7 days a week.

Day 10 of my tour of Thailand by motorbike. I leave Nan to trail along the border with Laos, over mountains, waterfalls and through pineapple farms to Loei. I take the longest route possible and spend 9 hours driving until it gets pitch black. I don't arrive at the rubber farm before after sunset.

STALINGRAD, RUSSIA: The city that changed the course of European as well as world history is today known as Volgograd. The Germans had over a Million men here at the peak of the conflict in late 1942. The Soviets poured in considerably more. The dream of a German empire died here at the banks of the Volga river. The same banks instead gave birth to the dream of a Soviet empire. This is where it all turned around for the Soviet Union. The victory here propelled the Red Army forward to re-conquer the territories lost in the the 1941-42 season and eventually all the way to Berlin. The historical significance of Stalingrad was palpable as I touched down at the airport. The rest is not history as they say but in the film above.