Beasts in Jungle

March 2nd: Song Phraek, Chai Buri to Krabi – 66 km

Beast / 3 comments

Day 140

We woke up groggy having just taken multiple naps as opposed to sleeping thanks to our horrible room and the heat. I got up several times to re-light our mosquito coil, which was just barely keeping the mosquitoes at bay. I had several bites on my forehead. Skipping breakfast, we left quickly well fed on dreams of a Krabi vacation. In the last 4 and a half months, we have pushed ourselves quite hard. When we were not cycling, we were climbing and vice versa. Every now and again we took a rest day but normally those days were spent doing maintenance or laundry. I know it sounds ridiculous since this appears to be one long vacation, but after covering the last 1,500 km, or 937 miles, from our last climbing destination – Crazy Horse Buttress in Mae On, with just one rest day out of 25, we need a vacation.

We arrived in Krabi and took the time to scout around for hotels. We found that there are some great values to be found here. We went crazy and got a air-conditioned room for 700 Baht right next to the market and restaurants. Our eastern parents will join us tomorrow for the next 10 days. We plan on doing some snorkeling, fishing, and jungle tours, and of course eating.

Krabi is ideally located, quiet and it still has local flavor. We went out to the night market and found large crowds of locals, with clusters of tourists. Prices are fantastically cheap considering it is a tourist destination. Scanning for food, we found one section without a single tourist. Locals were serving themselves curry over noodles and seating themselves around platters with a variety of vegetables. After observing for a moment we dove in and had an excellent meal, although extremely spicy, for 40 Baht. The restaurant operated on an honor system. You walk up and grab a bowl of noodles, scoop your choice of curry, and pay when you leave. For dessert we had fresh coconut ice cream. We may need larger vehicles to accommodate our increased weight when we start the next leg of our journey.

March 1st: Ban Na Doem District to Song Phraek, Chai Buri – 70.5 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 139

With temperatures exceeding 38°C / 100 F, we had to make a decision – either stay at the little horrible place we were at or keep moving. It was so hot that dogs who chase us in packs in the cool morning hours, barely lifted their heads to note our passing. On our map, this was the last hotel that we saw before we arrived in Krabi, which is another 65 km away. Google maps was already 10 km short, probably not accounting for the multiple hills we climbed today. Despite the fact there wasn’t any air-conditioning and the room wasn’t really enclosed, we decided to stay.

It’s amazing what heat, thirst, and hunger, and exhaustion can do to your perspective. Standing in the shade compared to being on the road was such an enormous relief that we failed to see the smeared walls, cracks in the masonry, large enough to let geckos come and go freely, the drop ceiling close to the tops of our heads sealing in the heat and the single small window which let in only a trickle of fresh hot air. We reasoned that it was cheap and would be good for the budget and got ready for some cold showers, then the water wouldn’t turn on. We attempted to leave, and had our helmets on, but just as we were ready to demand our money back the water turned on.

Once the temperature reaches 38 or 39, everything the sun touches continues to radiate heat well into the evening. We took a walk around the corner to take our minds off the heat and found an air-conditioned hotel 30 meters away for 400 baht. Cher was melting by this point and was certain this was some time of cosmic practical joke at her expense. We debated relocating, but we would have to pay for the 3 hours we suffered at the shit hole already, so we decided to tough it out. The main problem was that our room received the low sun of the late afternoon, while the permanent residents had chosen the rooms with the most shade throughout the day. So while they were relieved by the setting sun, our room continued to radiate heat well into the night. We were sweating until about 10pm, and then at 2:30am we were freezing cold. We huddled together under our blanket, no larger than a beach towel, and slept until morning. It was the first time in months that we could not wait to get out of the bed.

February 28th: Pa We to Ban Na Doem District – 65 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 138

Waking up at 5:30am was early enough for the past couple months, but the seasons are changing. We woke up at 5:00am today to get on the road just as the sun was rising. Cycling in the early morning is invigorating. Traffic is light, roosters are crowing and most importantly it’s cool. We started fast today and even with some small hills and headwind we averaged 18 kmh.

Scenery was pleasant at times, but since we were back on the highway, it was quite noisy and there was a fair amount of garbage, roadkill, and noisome smells. However it was incredibly smooth which made an enormous difference in efficiency. Cher saw a couple of monkeys, which are used to pick coconuts, hanging out on the back of a pickup truck. We also saw some fighter jets coming in to land as we passed a Thai Air Base.

We arrived around noon and checked into a love motel. We’re not sure what the business plan is for these places and we wonder if they expect to have normal customers coming to stay. Our room has 2 enormous pictures of naked couples in “affectionate” positions. We are not put off by their decor since the non-love hotel we saw before this one cost 550 baht. Here at the love motel, we have WiFi and air-conditioning for 350. I wouldn’t let children play on the floor but it’s clean enough. Arriving so early we ate lunch, did laundry and had a nice siesta before dinner and will be back in bed before 9. We are like an old couple, but when you working sleep is the one thing that you miss most and since this isn’t a job, we have sweet sweet regular slumber.

We are only 2 days of peddling from Krabi, and looking forward to staying in one place for the next couple of weeks. Cher’s parents will be there the day after and we are looking forward to some relaxation and family time.

February 27th: Lang Suan District to Pa We – 65 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 137

Even without air-conditioning, we both woke up cold and had to turn off the fan in the early morning. Although by 6am, the low sun was heating up our room and by 7:30 when we finally got on the road it was already hot. We took a gamble and headed out on the back roads today.

We had not only entered a new climatic region, but also new cultural region as well. Passing through some small towns and villages we saw tiny Mosques, and men and women in Muslim dress. We saw a couple of teenage boys wearing long skirts and women wearing the hijab. I even heard the Islamic call to prayer vibrating through the lush vegetation from a distant house. Even though we were technically on the Malay Peninsula when we entered Chumphon, we are only now beginning to notice small cultural differences. This is because the tiny little roads passing right in front of local houses gave us brief glimpses of the people there. Not that we would have missed them, because we received many loud friendly calls and an invitation to get some water and food.

The back road we were following made an abrupt turn to the east which would have taken us 20 km out of the way. In an attempt to stay south, we took a detour on a small paved road. Along this road we had an amazing view of some excellent overhung limestone cliffs, large enough for hundreds of climbing routes.

Our amazement was short-lived as our narrow paved roads eventually turned into impassable dirt tracks, we saw a pick up truck unable to make it through. We back tracked several times in attempt to return to the original back road. We eventually gave up and returned to Highway 41. Still 15 km away from our destination I finished my water.

We stopped early at a set of bungalows not listed on our map and debated whether to stay or keep going. At 500 Baht they were expensive but they were quite nice for the price. Our main concern was that we didn’t have any food. We asked the owner where there was a place to eat and she indicated that she would drive us to the 7-11 down the road. We couldn’t argue and moved in. When we returned from the store the owner gave us 2 more bottles of water, 2 Coca Colas, eating utensils and a hot water heater to use to make our noodles. Her hospitality made our stop here well worth the price. On second thought we came out on top, we always do, as long as we have health to power us and the freedom to travel.

February 26th: Chumphon to Lang Suan District – 66.6 km

Beast / 1 comment

Day 136

We boogied today and arrived at the destination for the day around noon.

Back on the highway, we enjoyed the extremely smooth shoulder and flat terrain, but that was about it. We have started seeing more fruit for sale and stopped to purchase a little pineapple for 10 Baht and a very large bunch of little bananas for 40. We had the pineapple cut for us and devoured it on the spot. Now that we are in a more rural areas we are seeing less supermarkets and that is just as well, now we have more fruit in our diet.

We found a little row of rooms without air-conditioning nor hot showers but we did have Wi-Fi. We don’t miss the air-conditioning, and the cold showers are welcome after a hot day. If you do get a bungalow, remember to find one in the shade since bungalows have little insulation and the little rooms with low ceilings concentrate the heat. The motel or hotel style rooms are much better, especially if they have a high ceilings and good air flow. We made sure to choose the room in the middle of the row as opposed to a room at one of the ends. Since we rely on open windows, several mosquito-infested nights have taught us to double-check that our screens don’t have any holes or gaps.

We worked diligently and finished updating the blog and uploading photos. I’m sure as you’ve seen we do get behind and after a hot or stressful day typing is not high on my list of priorities so I put it off as long as possible. Cher has much more self-discipline so she shares some of it with me by gentle scolding and spanking. I do enjoy logging our days. Without weekends, work, or any social life everything has a tendency to blur together. We also hope that this will entertain some procrastinating at their desk, let others know we are alive and well.

February 25th: Don Yang to Chumphon – 56 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 135

We took Route 4021 to 3253 to 2301, all back roads today.

Everywhere we looked and smelled we witnessed the bounty of the jungle. We saw jack fruits, persimmons, tomatoes, durian, papayas, coconuts, bananas, and pomegranates. We were amazed by the variety of fruit that grows seemingly year round and with very little effort. Much of them appeared to be wild and were mixed in with weeds along the side of the road. When there weren’t fruits there was a wall of dark forest which bordered the road, giving us shade well into the late morning. We ascended and descended small hills, sometimes with small curves in the middle and a light breeze blew when we didn’t move fast enough to make our own. We reached our goal for the day before we even felt that we had begun. In short it was perfect.

Perhaps we hit upon some well-kept secret we shared with another pair of touring cyclists we passed, or maybe we were just lucky. We arrived in Chumphon and at the first place we stopped, we found some nice clean little bungalows, with wi-fi for 350 and called it a day. We could have gone further but sometimes when the day has given so much we find that it is best not to get greedy.

February 24th: Kamnoet Nopphakhun to Don Yang – 67.9 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 134

Not too much to impress today, and I didn’t have the energy to ponder anything. I attempted to learn some Chinese but soon gave up. My legs were heavy and I was tired. On the other hand Cher was fine and bopping along in front as I trailed behind. When you feel strong, your loads are light, and you imagine every moving part is gliding along with optimal efficiency with each smooth stroke. When you’re beat, you wonder if your bags are too heavy, your tires are low and why am I doing this. It’s the difference in outlook that causes the most stress between us. However, over the long run we are falling in and out of sync but like the moon and the sun, when we do align we are stronger pulling together.

We pulled into a small town around 1:30 and began looking for a room. We found 2 places in town, one room with a fan and a cold shower for 250 and another with a fan and cold shower for 300, neither with wi-fi. We could have had air-conditioning for 400 but decided it was a bit much. It was nice to be in a small non-touristy town and to be literally unplugged. There was only one socket in the room, so we saved our batteries. Our cold showers and a well placed fan actually made the room comfortable enough to take a 2 hour nap. Hopefully we will both get a full nights sleep and be aligned in the morning.

February 23rd: Prachuap Kiri Khan to Kamnoet Nopphakhun – 77 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 133

Tropical! Travelling as slowly as we do, we aren’t normally too surprised by changes in vegetation or climate but today we were. Somehow in the last day we’ve entered a tropical paradise. Groves of coconut palms, and pineapple plantations cover much of the flat ground before meeting rows of jungle clad hills in the distance.

When we started today, thick dark storm clouds began moving in. Although tempted to stop to put on our rain covers, we kept on moving and we were rewarded with a cooling sprinkle. Although Cher is not a fan of rain, I was overjoyed to have clouds and rain. We’ve had almost nothing but hot sunny days for the last month. That coupled with uninspiring scenery has made it difficult to get motivated at 5:30 in the morning. A change in scenery and weather are great for morale.

When we started from Mae On on February 5th, 18 days ago, we had 1380 km or 857 miles to reach Krabi, but now we are only 407 km / 252 miles away. In just 7 days we will have completed our longest section with only one rest day. Our trikes are running smooth and our legs have adjusted to the daily routine. Now that’s a reason to celebrate, but we’ll wait until we arrive, as multiple beers are not yet within the budget.

February 22nd: Pran Buri Khao Noi to Prachuap Kiri Khan – 76.8 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 132

The rain is gone and the heat is back, although it’s much less intense. Route 4 continues to provide us with a regular sweep of overhanging trees giving us shade well into the afternoon. As we started heading east towards a beach side resort area, the trees became scarce and the heat was intense. We wistfully eyed some fluffy clouds on the western horizon, and although they were picturesque, they did not give us any shade.

We entered the beach area just after noon and were happy to find that it was a mainly local tourist area with very affordable rooms. A room on the beach with air-conditioning and wi-fi cost 490, but since we are watching our budget we found a place for 350 a kilometer away from the beach. We then shared a beer, for purely practical reasons, Cher was thirsty and I was hot.

February 21st: Tha Yang to Ampho Pran Buri Noi – 89 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 131

We’re getting started later and later every day which has corresponded to the slow decrease in temperature. We also spent 15 minutes searching for the owner of the hotel so we could return our key and collect our deposit, but she was nowhere to be found. We did find 2 bags of money left out in the open in a gazebo near the entrance. We took out our deposit and left a note. People in Thailand are quite respectful of personal property but we doubt that leaving bags of cash around is a common practice.

After a night of rain, we woke up to a dark mass of clouds and for the first time in a month had a nice cool morning. We cruised at 21 kph for the first hour, making very good time before Cher pointed out that the clouds would let loose. We pulled over under the extended awning of a furniture store to put our rain covers on just as the rain began. It came down suddenly in a powerful rush covering the streets in an inch of water within just a few minutes. Even with rain gear it was too much to set off in. While we waited for the storm to abate, Cher chatted with the store owner, who was also from China. We were invited to rest a bit and she served us green tea and coffee. Cher was finally free to chat in her native tongue and I was happy to have a hot drink and watch the rain. Cher said I was awkwardly quiet, but maybe it was just strange not to hear me talk for an hour.

We thanked our host and continued on in the rain. With the memory of sweltering hot days still fresh in our minds we took off without putting on our rain gear. We pulled over in 10 minutes, goose fleshed and soaked to put on our rain jackets. Our route took us along the coast where we saw a great number of western tourists and high-rise hotels staked out on private beaches. In addition to the expensive high-rise resorts there were also a number of budget bungalows, but since it was early and cool we decided not to stop and make the most of the day.

We missed our turn in the rain and made a short detour before returning to Route 4. In a short while, high rises were replaced by huts and we were out of the tourist area. Highways, which were once a tumbling cascade leaving the cities, settle into a gentle current. That is where we are now, until we come to the next glacial city.

February 20th: Samut Songkhram to Tha Yang – 65 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 130

We were off the beaten track today. Our circuitous route took us through several fishing villages where we had glimpses of people going about their day, fixing nets, loading bamboo, or dropping their catch off at roadside fish stalls. We did have some stiff briny breezes, but as our path quickly changed direction, we had equal breezes at the head and tail.

As we headed back onto the main highway, storm clouds began to move in, the wind picked up. Although we expected rain at any second it didn’t come, but it did provide some dramatic scenery with leaves blowing into the road and palms trees bowing in the wind.

Getting away from the crowds is always a good thing. There was much less garbage on the roadside. However, I was happy to get back on the main road where we can always find conveniences of civilization. We found a very clean little hotel right next to a Tesco supermarket. Cher suggested we look around for a cheaper place but I was unwilling to leave an easy source of copious calories. Speaking of which, we have noticed that many Thai are quite plump, and we both think it’s the prevalence of grocery stores. You really do get a lot of calories for your baht. Although spending a similar amount at a Local market will leave your belly full, fresh food just doesn’t have the same caloric density of processed food. Which is why we’ve gone as far as to choose hotels because of their proximity to a Tesco.

February 19th: Bangkok to Samut Songkhram – 74.5 km

Beast / 0 comments

Day 129

We reluctantly got out of our extremely comfortable luxury hotel bed and navigated our way out of Bangkok. Although we heard a lot about the protests, we must have been in the right area at the right time, because we didn’t see one protester. As far as we could see, much of the city was going about its business as usual. Getting across the city was difficult during the morning rush hour, and often required us to cross 3 or 4 lanes of non-stop traffic to access an exit ramp or make a turn. This could have been exceptionally difficult, but as a result of many very considerate Bangkok drivers who stopped traffic and waved us through, we were able to wend our way out of the city with our nerves only mildly frazzled.

One hour later we were free of the city and navigating the highway system, where exit ramps led to overpasses with no shoulders, and the left most lane regularly changed into a u-turn or exit lane. We spent a lot more time on the highway than I was comfortable with, but we made it far enough out of the city and soon we were on salt fields.

During our trip we pass a veritable landfill along the roads. This is especially true around urban areas and even in some rural areas. Much of the trash collects in roadside ditches and streams. We regularly see people fishing or irrigating their fields with this water, which has led us on more than one occasion to avoid eating any local fish. In one of these road side drainage ditches filled with garbage and what smelled like raw sewage, we saw a man taking some small fish out of a net. We were amazed that fish could survive is such sludge and then horrified that they were being consumed. A few kilometers later we saw his roadside stand where he was drying and selling them. We won’t be eating any local fish jerky for sure.

I’m not an environmental activist, but it’s difficult to not be alarmed. We later passed a river with several large-scale shrimp farms, fed by these same ditches. I could continue since these rivers really do go right into the sea, but I’ll stop there for now. It’s an unsettling experience to peddle for 2 months in 4 different countries in feverish heat and to never be able to jump in one river to cool ourselves, never mind filter and drink the water.