Beasts in Jungle

February 16th: Si Prachan to Sai Noi District – 74 km

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Day 126

Not wanting to wander aimlessly in the intense heat at the end of the day, we researched some hotels and found one at a reasonable price of 500 Baht. However, when we arrived we were quoted twice as much. Maybe it’s the high season or maybe it’s because we were English-speaking tourists. We were in the middle of nowhere, on narrow broken concrete path, next to a drainage ditch, so we decided to keep on pedaling.

I had saved a lone hotel on the outskirts of Bangkok on Google Maps as a backup plan. It’s always a bit of a gamble when there is only one hotel on the map in the area. We have often found that it doesn’t exist and we have to keep going. We were fortunate to find a big “resort” at a dusty barren crossroads. For 580 Baht we got our own little love motel room from the future, from an 80’s perspective. Light pink walls, blue trim, green plastic carpet and a mirrored ceiling, no wi-fi, no window. Apparently this was a strategic location and the hotel was filled despite the high price and shoddy construction.

Later that night we were inundated by mosquitoes and we couldn’t find out how they were getting in. There were no widows and the door was closed. As mosquitoes buzzed in my ears and bit my forehead, I lay staring at the ceiling in the dark, when I noticed light coming in around our light fixtures. Basically we were in an interior room, with a single layer ceiling, under a large barn. This also explained why our room was still hot despite our air-conditioner pumping away at 20 °C. Our ceiling was just a 1/4 sheet of particle board. We lit a mosquito coil and managed to get 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

We would need the sleep because tomorrow we would enter Bangkok and we hadn’t planned on where to go, assuming we would have wi-fi due to the proximity to a big city. We needed to catch a 4:30am bus to do a visa run and that was all we knew. Why do we never learn to plan better?

February 15th: Chai Nat to Si Prachan – 80 km

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Day 125

Our constant struggle over choosing the most direct route or the scenic continues today. I don’t foresee either of the two winning in the end. Direct routes are along major highways where the roads are smooth, the shoulders generous, and hotels numerous. Sounds perfect except the most direct routes also have the most traffic, foul smells, and garbage. On the other hand the scenic routes can be faster although sometimes longer. A variety of scenery can make the distance feel shorter and urge on your tired legs to see what is around the next bend. However, this can also backfire and the scenic road can be so bumpy or narrow that you miss the scenery dodging pot holes or passing vehicles on narrow roads without shoulder.

Today we made the correct decision and were rewarded with vast green fields of rice in various stages of growth. Green paddies tinged with yellow were being drained in preparation for harvest while new vibrant, almost fluorescent green shoots stood in their pools of water. Each field depending on its development revealed a spectrum of greens only a painter could put a name to.

February 14th: Nakhon Sawan to Chai Nat – 63.7 km

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Day 124

Valentine’s Day! The only romantic fantasy we harbored involved an air-conditioned room and a cold shower. It was around 35°C today. We did make some wise choices which mitigated the heat. We started the day on a busy Highway 32 in the morning and turned off onto Route 1, a pleasant country road. We hope to follow this road and then Route 340 to avoid the famous and infamously busy AH1 which traverses all of Asia from Tokyo to Istanbul.

We didn’t realize that it was Valentine’s Day plus weekend until we tried to check into little hotel in Chai Nat and found that it was full. Apparently Chai Nat is a tourist attraction thanks to the Chai Nat bird park. We went further and found a place with only two rooms available, one for 900 and the other for 600. Looking to find a better deal we sprinted around the corner and found another hotel slightly cheaper but not nearly as convenient. Not bothering to cross the road when we returned to the last room for 600 Baht, we were lucky to secure a room as the love birds flocked in.

February 13th: Salok Bat to Nakhon Sawan – 53 km

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Day 123

Flat, humid, and noisy. We arrived before noon and we found that the closer we get to Bangkok the less we get for our money. We were lucky to find the cheap hotel for 380 baht. We are still on the outskirts of the city and everyday the prices get higher.

We have two reasons to go to Bangkok. First we have to make a visa run and second KFC. Cher who has never craved fast food suddenly wants KFC. I told her we would celebrate our arrival in Bangkok with a big meal at KFC. I also suggested that we could go to a restaurant and have a proper meal, but it seems that her heart was set on the colonels secret recipe. Our obsession with food is an unforeseen positive of cycle touring. I was in high school the last time I ate with such ferocity and voracity. Cher who never eats snacks and always shames me with her healthy diet has found a new love of snacks and deep-fried foods. Whether in a car or on a bicycle, fuel is our number one expenditure.

February 12th: Kamphaeng Phet to Salok Bat – 65km

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Day 122

On some roads we feel like an explorer discovering new lands, and on some we’re a commuter going to our 9-5. We are travelling on the latter today. Don’t get me wrong, AH1 has a wonderfully smooth surface, but it’s not the most exotic stretch of road. I took some shot of rice paddies, with the rising sun glinting off the surface but I was careful not to get the power-lines or billboards in the shot. This is why pure cycling tourers choose back roads. We want to see beautiful and awe-inspiring sights, and we want them to be between our climbing destinations to keep us entertained.

After we leave Krabi, we’ll be on a pure cycling trip until we reach Townsville Australia. I’ve contacted a youth center there in the hopes that we can mail our rope, quick-draws and other heavy climbing gear. Then we are planning to travel along the east coast of peninsular Malaysia purely for the sights.

On a side note, I almost wrote that we will pursue the road less taken, but we have only come across 7 other touring cyclists since we left. In our first 2 months we came across one. For the most part we are quite satisfied with our level of adventure, but for those reading this considering taking AH1, it’s fast, convenient, and direct, but it’s also noisy and not very scenic.

February 11th: Tak to Kamphaeng Phet – 70km

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Day 121

I’m not sure what fantasies we nurtured when we started this trip, but living the ascetic detached life of Chris McCandless is mostly boring, mixed with periods of excitement. We’ve read a lot of different blogs on cycle touring and many share their highs and lows, but few share the mid-level monotony. As Cher put it when she was vomiting while cycling in Taiwan during our test trip, “what’s the point, all we’re doing is endlessly pedaling, and we’re going nowhere.” Although now we’re nowhere near Cher’s almost existential crisis, we need other entertainment and have begun listening to podcasts and music while we cycle. We couldn’t have done this in China, where we were regularly dodging trucks and motorcycles. But here in Thailand with our dedicated motorcycle lane, we have plenty of opportunity to expand our minds. I’m renewing my commitment to learning Chinese and Cher has added a collection of science podcasts – including Stuff You Should Know, Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Star Talk and our all time favorite – radiolab.

Our new listening habit has many benefits, other than alleviating boredom. When you spend every moment of every day with the same person, eventually you don’t have anything new to talk about. Now we are living our separate intellectual lives and can share what we learned at the end of the day. Also we are learning again, and we can start to dissipate the cloud of mental stagnation that has been creeping in during the long hot days. Mornings are the perfect time for learning. As your heart rate increases, and your cup of coffee kicks in, you’re refreshed and alert.

Today passed quickly with more gentle rises and descents. Even though we were on the road by 6:45am, the majority of the day was over 30°C. Our southern route is leading us into warmer, humid weather. We are seeing coconut palms in greater number and trucks overflowing with mountains of sugarcane. We are growing more accustomed to the heat and with the addition of our new sun hats are prepared for the tropics.

February 10th: Wang Man to Tak – 47.3km

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Day 120

True to our promise, we are in Tak, sitting in our air-conditioned room without beer. Getting here was quite easy as we slide out of the mountains, down what I picture to be a very long series of undulating steps, each one just a bit lower than the other. Eventually we’ll reach a smooth plain in a few days. With the exception of headwinds, it will be smooth sailing. Even when there are mountains, Thailand is a wonderful place to cycle, with wide, smooth shoulders, largely free of debris.

For the last 2 months we’ve stopped in multiple bicycle stores and auto supply shops and have not been able to find a pressure gauge, but today at the Big C, which is similar to Walmart, we found one. I’ve suspected that the gauge on my pump has been malfunctioning but was unable to prove it until today. For 199 baht I bought a digital gauge and found that our tires were running around 45 psi when they should be at 70. 3 days ago I thought that something had to be wrong with my bike when I felt unusually sluggish. But it had been 3 weeks since we had ridden, so maybe I had lost my endurance. Now that our tires are correctly inflated, I can’t explain how excited I am. This has been weighing on me with each kilometer, hill, and pedal stroke for the last 2 months. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight. This couldn’t have come at a better time, now that we have 20 extra pounds of groceries.

We are finding more signs of prosperity. On the downside hotels are more expensive but on the plus side we are encountering large supermarkets on a regular basis. Although we prefer local markets to large corporations, we also like to eat. Local markets are becoming more and more scarce and we’ve given up on many of the roadsides food stalls which serve small, overpriced portions of noodles, fried rice and barbecue to both local and foreign tourists. When we shop at the supermarket, we are assured that we will be well fed for 3 meals a day, with snacks, at an extremely reasonable price. Our staples are oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, noodles and various types of canned fish and vegetables. We supplement this with fresh fruit and veggies whenever possible. The only downside is that we have to carry it, but at least we have the fuel to do so and properly inflated tires.

February 9th: Thoen District, Lampang to Wang Man – 54km,

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Day 119

Finally we are leaving the mountains behind. Just some gently rolling hills to make the riding interesting.

We were tempted to aim for Tak, the next major city 92 kms away but by noon the temperature was already in the upper 30’s and was at least 40°C by 3pm.

We stopped at the first hotel we saw along the road, and opted for a bungalow without air-conditioning and hot shower for 200 baht to save money, and then bought a beer for 60 baht to cool down when it was unbearably hot. We almost bought 2 beers, but decided against it since an air-conditioned room is only 350 baht. Tomorrow we’ll be in Tak, in an air-conditioned room without beer.

February 8th: Chumphu to Thoen – 83km

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Day 118

We gorged ourselves on free bread and butter today and paid the price. Both of us had stomach cramps. After living on the food from local markets for almost 4 months without any health issues, we had the runs from the hotel butter. It didn’t stop us though from covering a good distance over rolling hills. Most of our day went like our digestion – brown, and drab with lots of traffic.

We are starting to realize why they call this time of the year the dry season. We haven’t seen a drop of rain in months and all along the road there are burned bushes and even some active fires. Judging from the multiple signs that depict a fire with animals fleeing, I’m guessing that they are warning about starting forest fires and not instructing you how to flush game out of the woodlands for hunting.

Cher located a hotel right on the road, and after 4 hours and 45 minutes of pedaling we settled in.

February 7th: Mae Tha District to Chumphu – 46.3km

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Day 117

We woke up early to take advantage of the cool morning for our long ascent. Within an hour and some very cool temperatures we crested the summit, barely breaking a sweat and were breezing down the other side with our hands and feet numbed by the morning chill. Travelling south, the rising sun cast a shadow on the west side of the road, so we spent the morning travelling in and out of sunny spots during breaks in the trees, hoping to get warm, but not daring to stop while gravity was doing our work for us.

Since we were still getting back into cycling shape and my buttocks was aching, I wanted to stop early and we found a slightly expensive bungalow that offered free bread and coffee. I promised myself that we would abscond enough bread, jam, butter and coffee to make up for the budget.

Looking at our map there may or may not be a hotel at around 89 kms tomorrow, a little over half way to the next big town. Preparing for the possibility of camping we bought some instant noodles for dinner at the local 7-11, where Cher pointed out that I looked like a crazy hobo. I guess that’s a compliment and a relief to her parents knowing that I am willing to go the extra mile to scare off any would-be attackers.

February 6th: Chiang Mai to Mae Tha District, 2km West of Doi Khun Tan National Park – 58.5km

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Day 116

It seemed that the maintenance worked and the trikes were running smooth today. Nothing is more detrimental to morale than mechanical problems. We were still mending the relationship between us and our trikes and today, as we began encountering our first hills on loaded trikes, I couldn’t help blame my sluggishness on the trike. I stopped periodically to inspect the wheels but they rolled freely and I was guessing that the engine is to blame. It had little sleep and I fed it a half bottle of red wine the night before. We were both relieved to find a place to stay right before entering Doi Khun Tan National Park, where we previously had a 2 hour ascent on the way to Chiang Mai 1 month ago.

As we turn onto Route 11 tomorrow we’ll be out of the mountains for the next 800 km and in a new territory. Hopefully as we get closer to the ocean, the temperature will become more regulated. Starting at 15 degrees Celsius early in the morning, the temperature slowly climbed until 3:30, reaching its maximum of 41 c. Our tactics include setting an alarm at 5:30 am, getting on the road as the sun rises, and retiring for the day around noon.

February 5th: Mae On to Chiang Mai – 33.2km

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Day 115

Goodbye Jira! When we left, the owners came out to see us off and even woke up early to cook us a meal to travel with. We told them that we would come back and we don’t make this promise lightly. We love to travel and there are very few places we will return to but this was one. For the last 3 weeks our host’s hospitality and generosity have made us feel completely at home; we’ve had amazing climbing, a banquet of home cooked meals both from the homestay restaurant and the local market and all for around 500 baht per day total.

In order to get some bike maintenance done, we arrived in Chiang Mai by noon and stayed at Baan Say La Guest House, which is within walking distance to Jacky’s Bike Shop and Velo City. Jacky’s said they couldn’t true my wheel so we went to Velo City where they have a lot of high-end road bikes and they trued it for 100 baht. With my wheel tried, I could once again align the tracking of my front wheels, which must be accurate within 2mm. Our guest house was kind enough to provide me with a pocket measuring tape, which they said I could keep.

Taking advantage of the big city we decided to visit the international grocery store. We picked up several western delights to be consumed with a bottle of red wine. Loaded with pate, cheese, olives, smoked ham and gherkin spread, and a large fresh-baked baguette we hurried home. We quickly aligned my wheels before treating ourselves to our western fair. We’re not sure what we’re treating ourselves for, but we came up with several rationalizations, the Chinese New Year, a successful climbing trip, more than 100 days on the road. When there is no real work and we reap the benefits of almost every action, every day feels like a reward. It’s hard not to feel guilty about spending a little extra, but hey, we deserve it.