As I was checking out, the people at the Riverside Guesthouse asked me what I’d like for breakfast. Turns out, it was included, and superb. I think the owner is German, and that may explain the nice coffee. So, I was fuelled up and ready to go without the usual effort of finding something I like.
Today was a simple ride with a pyramid to climb in the middle. For some reason, I thought yesterday’s ride was supposed to be harder, but it turns out that they were similar. That’s annoying because you’re riding along wondering why it’s so difficult and why there seems so much further to climb. 😁
Yesterday’s was more fun, because of the winding road and views and today, I was on the main road 11 almost the whole way. So it was almost a case of just getting the day over and done with. I suppose every day can’t be surprises and beautiful scenery – but it wasn’t bad at all.
At one point, I wondered why there were so many trucks parked at the side of the freeway with drivers standing around. Up ahead, the police were checking trucks and going through their loads, so 30-40 trucks had just stopped. I wonder what they were transporting ?
Luckily, there was often l a quiet secondary road beside the main road, but they were equally boring. Even the climb was tedious. I rode happily on the wide shoulder, but with 10kms of the climb to go, the shoulder was taken up with branches and foliage that had been recently cut back.
I saw an army of whippersnipper and brush cutter wielding workers out today working on other parts of the highway. It must be a big issue here as everything grows so quickly.
The last part of the climb was the steepest and therefore the slowest, but I spent most of it in the lane with the big trucks. And they were fantastic, giving me lots of space. I passed a few of them on the downhill which was exhilarating. When it started to sprinkle, Hey Presto, the obligatory coffee shop / bakery appeared. It was top shelf.
It was on a dairy farm and the coffee was great, but the whole place exuded quality. By the time I’d finished my coffee and croissant and seen all of the waitress’s family pictures and holiday snaps, the rain had stopped and I was off, for the last 20kms or so.
I stopped at a noodle soup place in the middle of town, and the Kway Teoh was so good, that I had two bowls. “Please sir, I want some more” came to mind.
Fully refueled, I booked a hotel 2kms out and rode there. I spotted some coffee shops, restaurants and a much needed massage place nearby.
The massage was brilliant. I explained that I’d cycled more than 7000kms since March, so the lady came up with a plan, verifying the cycling specific pain points (100% success rate) and then sorting things out. It was the most painful 90 minutes of my life with many concerned looks from the inflictor of the pain. She recommended some additional stretches and a tiger balm like ointment. At least I’ll smell differently if I ever find a pharmacy who stocks it 😁
Dinner was absolutely forgettable (1st time in Thailand), sleep came very quickly but the local dogs were up to no good and noisy for most of the night.
