Thailand
(11)635
Km – 11 Days21
August – 26 August 2017
21
August - Vientiane, Laos – Udon Tani, Thailand - 87 km
I
departed Christian’s place, dropped the key at his work and cycled to the
immigration. Seeing I already had a Thai visa, a simple stamp allowed me into
the country. No sooner had I crossed the border and rain came pelting down. It
rained hard enough for me to seek shelter, luckily it soon cleared, and it
became a comfortable ride to Udon Tani.
There
wasn’t a great deal of venturing off-road as the heavy rains from the past few
weeks left practically all rural roads muddy or washed away. Nevertheless, the
few times I did were a pleasure. I enjoy few things as much as biking along country
lanes in the company of villagers on their fixies. The rain further caused
ponds and dams to be filled to the brim, and farmers were fishing and
harvesting lotus flowers.
The
Kings Hotel was a no brainer as the place was inexpensive and offered air-con
and hot water.
22
August - Udon Tani – Namphongkao – 105 km
I
couldn’t find any decent minor routes, and the main road was a tedious affair.
Finally, I uncovered
digs in the small village of Namphongkao and had plenty of time to attend to
outstanding matters. I even did laundry. The problem with stopping early was I ate
non-stop.
23
August - Namphongkao – Kaeng Khro police station - 120 km
The
ride to Kaeng Khro turned out quite enjoyable. The thing about cycling is that
generally, riding is more fun than writing about it or reading about someone’s
ride. I largely followed small paths through tiny settlements and landed at
Kaeng Khro, where I camped at the police station.
24
August - Kaeng Khro – Chatturat - 85 km
I
packed up my tent under the watchful eyes of the villagers and police. They seemed
to find the process intriguing. I was convinced I was becoming a hermit, as all
I wanted was to be out of the public eye. I felt sluggish: maybe it was due to riding
into a headwind. I thus called it a day in Chatturat, as there was no point in riding
if not enjoyable. I treated myself to a room at the Ratchanee Place Hotel, as I
was desperate to get a shower and charge my devices.
I
hated having a destination; it seemed I couldn’t enjoy myself if I knew where I
was heading. Still, I’d to get to Bangkok; the sooner, the better.
25
August - Chatturat – Tha Luang – 128 km
I
was up surprisingly early and pedalled out of Chatturat. At first, I followed Route
201, but it turned out somewhat monotonous. I thus veered off but found the
route hilly and into a headwind, a sure recipe for
a slow ride. I even biked past a wind farm, not something one often encounters
in Southeast Asia. I was surprised at the size of these turbines as they are considerably
larger than they look from afar.
Not
long afterwards, I encountered a long descend and soon sailed into Tha Luang.
The wind and the hills made challenging riding, and I was starving when I
reached Tha Luang. So I bought two meals (green curry and stir-fried rice), a
piece of cake, a packet of crisps, a Pepsi and beer. Then, with all dangling
from my handlebars, I settled for the first digs came upon and spent the
remainder of the evening devouring my rations.
26
August - Tha Luang – Nong Khae – 110 km
Not
a great deal happened during the day, and the hilly parts were the most
exciting. Once on level ground, not a significant amount of interest occurred.
I could’ve turned off Lopburi or Ayuttaya, but I’ve been there a few times and
opted for the more direct route to the capital.
27
– 31 August – Nong Khae - Bangkok – 93 km
I
emerged to bucketing rain; mercifully, the weather subsided. However, it still
made a messy and rain-soaked ride into Bangkok. I slinked into vast and bustling
Bangkok along a canal (or klong as it’s known). Not only was the traffic light,
but it also gave a great insight into the life of ordinary Thai people.
Temples, markets and stalls selling banana hearts abounded. I pedalled past
bizarre shrines, giant Buddha statues, houses precariously balancing on stilts
and people fishing, making use of “Chinese fishing nets”. Smoke billowed from
barbecue stands selling tiny slivers of meat and rice wrapped in banana leaves.
With
almost 30 km to go, I’d to leave the canal and followed the railway tracks
where they were busy constructing an extension of the Skytrain—all making an
easy ride into the Big Mango. Finally, I returned to my old joint, and it felt like
arriving home. I love Bangkok with all its madness, tourists, narrow alleys,
food vendors and mobile clothes carts.
There
were heaps to do before meeting Tania on her ride to Hanoi. But, first, I needed
to take the bicycle for a service, stock up on essentials and take the bus to
Pattaya to sort out a few things at the condo.
Once
all was done, I returned to Bangkok, where I found Tania ready to roll.
