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.