January 11th: Den Chai to Lampang – 88km
Day 90
We woke up early enough to be immersed in the morning mist. We passed by several light armored vehicles and bus loads of soldiers heading out, probably to quell anti-government protests in Bangkok.
We are now armed with 2 tablets, and have made good use of them. Many of the roads we’re now on have a wide shoulder, and many of the ascents are so steep that loaded tractor trailers are only crawling by us in the next lane. With these precautions in mind we have broke out the headphones and put on some tunes. Today we crawled up a 9% grade for 2 hours in the sun but neither of us minded as long as we were accompanied by our own personal soundtracks. Mine was Dr. Dog and Cher was indulging in a random selection which included Nat King Cole’s “chesnuts roasting on an open fire… ” which she did not skip.
Lampang is a tidy little town with little French row homes. We appreciated the sights as long as our stomachs would allow and although we found a night market, it was of the more touristy variety so there weren’t any cheap bags of food as we had hoped. If we were doing a city tour it would be a nice place to stop with a good mix of foreign and local tourists and some local students playing half-hearted local music. However, we couldn’t complain about the convenience of touristy cities – we found a grocery store and our favourite breakfast oatmeal. To the cyclist this is a powerhouse. There are few breakfast options that sit better and stay with you longer than oatmeal. I have a new appreciation and affection for oatmeal that would make Mr. Quaker blush. Just two more days and we will be in Chiang Mai!
