Great day today. It started well, as I looked for some breakfast in the first few kms. I stopped at a roadside stall and asked what they had. One lady spoke some english and I ended up with chicken curry, vegetables and a nice latte.
As I was eating, some of the local monks dropped by to collect their daily offerings. The six ladies who ran the stall then bowed their heads as the monks chanted for a few minutes.
I learned a powerful lesson here. 😁Usually, I’d go to the busy food stall because if it’s busy, it must be good but the service can be pretty gruff as well. However, if you go to the quiet food stall run by a bunch of ladies, you get great service, plenty of food, and you’re fussed over ! They were happy and joking the whole time – great fun.
I got some water and muffins a few kms further on, at 7-11 and set off. Apart from some climbing, the day was a cruisy 69kms. It looked like raining through the hills, but the clouds parted as I rode through. The thick clouds and rain then chased me all the way to Chumphon which meant I had a tailwind and cloud cover – just perfect riding conditions in this part of the world.
I’m staying 2 nights at Thung Wua Laen Beach just north of Chumphon. It’s very different to the Andaman coast at the moment, as expected. The sea is very calm and the beaches are clean.
Tomorrow is a rest day and I have the perfect place for it. I have a bungalow 30metres from the beach. While there’s rain expected, I’m expecting swims, a nap or two and some reading, oh, and lots of eating too !
I’ve got to plan out what happens next. I’m not sure if I can extend my 30 day stay here, so I’ll have to either do a border run somewhere or simply head to Cambodia. I’ll work that out tomorrow.
