January 7th: Noen Phoem to Wat Noi Pho Thai Ngam – 39.5 km
Day 86
Semi-rest day. We are not really physically exhausted, but we are a bit weary. The on-the-go mentality is hard to maintain when the journey becomes monotonous. Accommodation is easy to find, the road is smooth and straight forward, and the people are nice enough to let us mind our own business. We only need to be the mechanical engines of our trikes. In some ways when the going gets tough, we get to be the pilots guiding our battleships through adventures, and at the end of the day every everything feels like a reward. Our previous 2.5 months were filled with little adventures and adversities that made most days satisfying, but since we entered Thailand, everything becomes easier. This is also the longest stretch that we’ve had in one country since we left Hong Kong. We might need to find some intermediate activities between the climbing destinations to spice up our pedalling.
