Coasting in Coastal Thailand

Perhaps the best way to ride from Shanghai to Singapore is to cut out the first 6000 or so kilometres. Of course by doing so, a few countries and their sights, smells and sounds are also cut out along with dirt, gravel, mud, roadworks and reams of chaotic traffic that my fellow riders have encountered and survived. Seems like this ride has mostly been about survival, and not everyone has. But enough of that, here I am on the road again. Nervous, true, but protected with my brand new leg protector kindly and patiently made by Mark Randall and Wade at a prosthetic and orthotics business in Port Melbourne. I even got to be a leg model, as Mark had never made one like this before and he took a snap in case he might ever need to again.

 

I arrived in Thailand a few days prior to meeting up with the group at Hat Chao Samran, a village on Thailand's east coast. I spent my time at a beachside resort, swimming laps and reading crime and thrillers in the company of mainly Germans and Brits enjoying their couple of weeks in the sun. The books have been most educative, and the Massamam curry very very good.

 

 

Loved meeting up with the group again and enjoyed the warm welcome. Only a day of riding then another rest day. With a modicum of nervousness I set out and am happy to say completed the ride with a minimum of fuss. A couple of troublesome dogs, some heavy traffic - we were riding along Highway 4 - and a lineup of school children that stretched for at least a kilometre come to stand and pay homage to some member or members of the royal family as they were driving by, most likely in a car with tinted windows - summed up the two and a bit hours it took.

 

In the afternoon we took a trip to a national park to see elephants. Much driving to get there, then a rickety drive in the back of a pickup truck along red dirt roads. Our reward was sighting four elephants grazing in the forest, one less than twenty metres away. This wildlife was augmented by innumerable dogs, roadside chooks and possibly a striped small cow. Another highlight was dinner in a cafe owned and run by a Calabrian, so the pizza tasted good apparently, and the pasta was excellent.

We have another rest day coming up in six days time when we cross from the east coast to the west then head down to Malaysia. I'm hoping to ride 60 or 70 kms for a few days until I pick up a bit of fitness, but I guess my riding will depend on traffic and confidence.

 

Posted with Blogsy