I said my goodbyes to the people at the hostel. And there were hugs all ’round. Never had that from a hostel before !
What a fantastic two days. The owners treat everyone like family, and it makes for an exceptional atmosphere and very happy people.
I cruised out of Ayutthaya on quiet narrow roads which are fun but full of dogs. Most were asleep or uninterested but one old dog wasn’t happy with me, so I quietly dismounted and walked past. One turned into six barking muts, and that was fine too… Until the big dog came out and bared the dentures. I got out of there backwards as fast as I could go. And that was the end of my dog mojo for the day.
Further up the road, I saw a big storm coming so I rejoined a larger road in case I needed shelter. Then a nice coffee shop appeared, so I stopped and had a great coffee, as one of the heaviest and sustained rainstorms I’ve ever seen, slowly went by. There’s no way I could have ridden in it, so it was perfectly timed.
I then wanted to get moving before it got too hot so I did the next section on the larger road. There was no traffic but importantly, no dogs.
A few km up the road, a lady rode past on her motorbike and stopped, waving a plastic bag or something at me. It turned out to be a disposable poncho that she was offering me. I had to explain that I have one. How nice !
It was really very warm when I got to Lopburi and to the guesthouse. They have a great restaurant and do smoothies too, so I was in heaven.
Unfortunately, those were the highlights of Lopburi. After the rain stopped, I ventured out and walked around from one unremarkable ruin to another. I think the macaques are a tourist drawcard here, but I’m not sure if the locals like them. From my grumpy old man perspective, I hate the disease carrying scavengers.
On the knee front – it was definitely sore today but not too bad. However, the ride was an easy flat 67 km spin and I think it’ll be fine in a few days.