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7-12 August - Bangkok
 The 8th arrived,
and it was time for Tania to return home.
Shortly after
handing in my camera and lenses for repair, I received an email
from Canon stating that the repair work was going to take three
weeks.
I was at a loss
for what to do next, so I rented the room I was in for a week to
give myself time to think. I soon got bored as, after a few days
running, I picked up a bit of a running injury (arghhh) and
could not even do that in the morning. My camera was also my
only toy, and I, therefore, had little to entertain myself with.
I had some clothes repaired, did the laundry, and spent more
money on a rear rack bag. I always say that, if bored in
Bangkok, it's one’s own fault, and indeed there was plenty to
do, but I was not motivated to do much. Sometimes I just
vegetate!
After much
deliberation, I finally decided to head for China, as I could
still have a few months of relatively good weather up north. As
it is easiest to get a Chinese visa in Vientiane, Lao, the plan
was to cycle to the border, via a route I have not cycled
before, and hopefully, by the time I get there the camera will
be fixed. The plan was to bus myself back to Bangkok, collect
the camera, bus back, and then cross the border into Lao, get
the Chinese visa, bus myself to Kunming, and cycle a route I
have not cycled before.
I hope it all
works out. In the meantime, I had my hair and feet done, had new
sunglasses made, and made an appointment to take the bicycle for
a service.
12-17 August -
Bangkok
The 12th of August
was a public holiday and the Queen’s birthday. Massive
celebrations were held all over town, but in light of the recent
bombings, I thought it wise to stay away. The touristy Khaosan
Road area had a heavy police presence, but
 I still did not feel
comfortable there. Instead, I decided to walk to the MBK
building, which was not all that far away if I just walked
straight, but with all my wandering about, it took nearly the
whole day to walk there and back. I returned with a new
Panasonic Lumix compact camera with which to entertain myself.
As I pushed my way
passed garland makers, food vendors, and begging bowl-makers to
the modern and busy MBK building, I once again realised just how
fascinating and diverse Bangkok is. The walk back was rather
enjoyable since I took the wrong turn and ended up amongst the
people living next to the railway line. What a fascinating area!
I found my way out of there with the help of the residents as I
would never have managed on my own in that maze of narrow
allies. Judging by their reactions, I don’t think any foreigner
ever goes there.
The most amazing
part of my walkabout with the new camera was not the camera but
the fact that I found, right here in Banglamphu, a small
community of holdouts famous for making and selling fireworks,
breeding fighting cocks and making elaborate birdcages. The 50
households comprising the Pom Mahakan community have been facing
eviction for years. In the meantime, life goes on as normal, and
the area is still the place to go to in Bangkok to buy
fireworks, although now, the fireworks are made in and imported
from China. Some of the original homes are now well over 200
years old, and I understand that, in the old days, people from
southern Thailand migrated here and brought their skills of
making zebra dove and red-whiskered bulbul cages with them. In
the centre of the community is a 200-year- old fig tree that
people believe can protect them (it had better start doing its
job). The oldest house in the community is a beautiful wooden
house with a high ceiling. The house belonged to a gold
merchant. Apparently, he had collected gold dust by buying
clothes and rugs from gold ornament shops, then burnt them down,
collecting the gold. How fascinating and to think that all of
this was right under my nose, and I'd never known about it.
I was more than
ready to roll out of Bangkok and could not resist having one
more plate of wanton soup from Hong Kong Noodle. The plan is to
bus myself back to collect the lens when ready, but it seems
that the universe has other plans for me. The bike shop is still
waiting for a derailleur jockey wheel from SRAM. It, therefore,
seems that I will be here for at least another day or two.
Arghhh, I’m not good at waiting; I guess I’ll just have another
plate of dim sum then.
Phew, the bike
shop messaged to say I can collect the bicycle tomorrow, bless
them! Bok Bok Bike is the best touring bicycle shop in
 Bangkok, trust me!!! Time to head out of Bangkok as I’m not to be trusted
alone in this city!!! LOL
Before picking up
my bicycle from the bike shop, I first made a turn in Chinatown
for a final plate of dim sum. As always, I was amazed how
one
can go from the most touristy of areas, where busses are parked
two or three deep, to an area where people are still carting
their wares in woven baskets and all that in a space of two
blocks. I kept walking past traders burning offerings for a good
day of business and passed shops selling incense and paper
offerings for that very purpose. On I walked past food stalls,
richly-decorated Chinese temples, and boy monks on their way to
school. It is indeed a fascinating area.
After I had
stuffed myself with dim sum, I headed in the opposite direction
to collect my bicycle. I nearly did not recognise it as it
looked brand new. Bok Bok Bike is one of the finest touring
bicycle shops in town, and I’m always surprised at the effort
they put in. It’s time to head out of Bangkok; I will bus myself
back to collect my camera lens when I get word that it is ready.
18-19 August –
Bangkok – Kanchanaburi – 100 km
I finally left
Bangkok, and instead of cycling out of the city, I thought it
would be a good idea to take a taxi for 25/30 kilometres.
Whether that was worth it or not, I’m
 still not sure. In any
event, I was dropped outside the city and then continued on my
way. I was still very much in the traffic but eventually found
smaller roads.
I love these rural
roads as they take one through some weird and wonderful places,
to such an extent that I landed up at the local dumps (LOL). On
a day when I should have felt full of energy, I had a most
terrible day on the road. I had zero energy, aches and pains
everywhere, suffered leg cramps, and generally felt unwell. I
hoped I was not coming down with something again. I pushed on
regardless and reached Kanchanaburi just as the food stalls
started coming out, but I did not feel hungry and was more
interested in finding a room and lying down. At least in that
department, I was in luck and found a bungalow at Rainbow Lodge,
right on the river Khwae, and all that for 250 Thai baht.
20 August -
Kanchanaburi - Suphan Buri – 100 km
Before leaving, I
first stopped at the famous bridge over the River Kwai. I did
not think it all that scenic and can understand why South
 Korea
was chosen as the location for the movie. At least it was a much
better day on the road; I think partly because I had a tailwind
instead of a headwind, and partly because I spent the entire
previous day eating. I also invested in some multivitamins; not
that I believe in them very much but just in case they actually
do work. Whatever it was, I was flying along past rice paddies
and fascinating ruins dating back to the Ayutthaya period.
The terrain was
mostly low river plains, and therefore pan-flat, making for easy
cycling. In U-Thong I stopped briefly to have a look at some old
ruins and was astonished at the history of this part of Thailand
(U-Thong was the first king of the kingdom of Ayutthaya reigning
from 1350 to 1369, and the district is named after him). After
that, I continued to Suphan Buri.
At first, I
thought of camping somewhere along the road, but once again it
turned out to be such an interesting city that I turned off into
the town past the very striking Pillar Shrine with an immense
statue of a dragon. Apparently, the shrine was once a Thai-style
wooden shrine but later renovated in the Chinese style. Today,
it houses a four-handed god Vishnu, worshiped by both Thais and
Chinese. I easily found
 a room but was fooled by the appearance
of the Mind Hotel. From the outside, it looked very nice, and I
only had a very quick peek at the room, and because it was a
ground floor room with air-conditioning for 400 Thai baht, I
thought it a bargain. Once inside the room, I realized that it
was not the bargain I thought!!! The curtains were so old, they
were in shreds but still something I could live with. It was the
bed that got me! The mattress was so worn that when I sat on it,
I completely disappeared (LOL). I wanted to take a selfie, but
you would not have been able to see me! The Snow White bedding
was in no better condition than the curtains, and I feared that
bedbugs would be part and parcel of the deal.
21 August -
Suphan Buri – Sing Buri – 81 km
Before I left, I
popped into a few temples. First up was Wat Phra Rup. It is said
that the temple dates back over 600 years and that the rather
large, reclining Buddha statue has the most beautiful face in
all of Thailand—umm, I’m not so sure of that one. Next was Wat
Phra Srirattana Mahathat, which was once situated in the heart
of the old city and still houses a few lovely ruins. Wat Khae on
the outskirts of town is home to a 1000-year-old tamarind tree,
or so they say. The tree is now
 rather spread out and adorned
with Buddha statues (as can be expected).
It was an
exceptionally nice day because the entire route to Sing Buri was
on rural roads and, although blistering hot, was an absolute
pleasure. At first, I followed a river, and it was a fascinating
ride through rural villages going about their daily business. I
was kept company by butterflies and dragonflies as I cycled past
rice and sugarcane plantations. It would have been a perfect day
was it not for a puncture. Fortunately, I’m quite good at fixing
flat tyres by now and was soon on my way again. As always, I was
amazed at all the interesting things to see in the countryside.
It was a day filled with very ornate temples and Buddhas, one
larger than the other. I passed buffalo villages and the
Monument of Bang Rachan Heroes, built in honour of the villagers
of Bang Rachan who bravely fought against the Burmese army in
1765. Every day I learn something new. Unfortunately, I forget
it just as quickly.
22-23 August –
Sing Buri – Lop Buri – 30 km
What a surprising
day it turned out to be! I left Sing Buri with the intention of
heading out in the direction of the Lao border, which was about
560 kilometres away.
The route I chose
looked like it had little in the line of facilities, so I made
sure I had all I needed and was ready to camp along the way. I
set off through the market area and soon found myself on a small
rural road along a canal, which was beautiful. The closer I got
to Lop Buri, the more I started dreaming about the food at NooM
Guest House! Just like that, all my plans went out the door, and
I turned down for Lop Buri and headed straight for NooM Guest
House.
Lop Buri, or
Lopburi, is an ancient town with plenty of old ruins, and the
old city is still occupied by ordinary Thai people living and
working amongst ruins dating back to both the Khmer and Ayuthaya
periods. Even though I have been here a few times, I still
marvel at the idea that you can cycle into a town and slap-bang
in front of you is a 600-year-old temple with its resident troop
of monkeys. Even more remarkable is that people live amongst
these ruins, and one can see them jutting out behind modern
buildings. It is therefore not strange to find them forming the
main roundabout in town. Remarkable! I spent the rest of the day
eating, doing laundry, and fixing punctured tubes.
My laundry only
got back quite late so I stayed another day doing very little.
24 August -
Lopburi – roadside camp – 96 km
I felt amazingly
good; it must have been all that eating I had done. It was a
lovely ride, at first along a canal and then along Route 205. It
was not an area where much was happening, except for farmlands
and small villages. There was, however, more than I had
expected, with plenty of roadside stalls and shops to keep me
fed and watered.
In the afternoon,
dark clouds started forming, and soon I could hear rumbling, the
tell-tale sign of an approaching storm. Soon big drops started
falling, and I took shelter in a nearby police booth. Although
there was no one there, it looked well used. After looking
around, I discovered a perfect camping spot behind the building;
it was undercover with an electrical point. On the other side of
the building were two toilets, one with a large
 drum of water,
and that, coupled with the fact that there was a small
restaurant right next door, made me decide to camp right there.
It was still fairly early, and I had only done 96 kilometres,
but it was such a good spot that I could not pass it by. I asked
the lady at the restaurant for permission to camp, and it
appeared that I was not the first one with such a request, as
she understood quite well what I wanted. Ideally, I would have
loved to have done another 20 kilometres or so, making it two
even days to the next town.
I set up camp, got
a beer and a mosquito coil from the restaurant, and at around
18h00, I was called to join them for supper. How sweet of them,
and how interesting the food was! A salad of fresh green beans
and bamboo shoots was served with fried fish, a pork and cassava
dish, as well as an omelette, accompanied, of course, with rice
and a very spicy chilli sauce. The food was delicious, and once
again, I wished I spoke the language.
25 August –
roadside camp – Ban Kok– 106 km
I was up early as
my camp was next to a busy and noisy highway. I packed up, waved
my family from the restaurant goodbye, and headed for the misty
hills. The road stretched out in front of me, and once again, I
had that feeling of an immense
 sense of freedom. The road is my
home, and I was happy about it.
At one of my water
points, a lovely Thai couple stopped and said that they had seen
me along the road the previous day and wanted to inquire where I
was from and where I was going. Where I'm from is easy to
explain, but where I'm going is not always so. They kindly gave
me their phone numbers in case I ever needed help in Thailand.
How sweet of them!
The weather looked
threatening all day, and at around 15h00 hours, there was no
escaping it anymore. I waited the worse out under one of the
bridges and then continued to the next town. This time, I took a
room as I was dripping wet and started feeling cold. Afterwards,
I took a walk to the market to get some food, and I felt that I
was the main attraction in town. LOL, maybe I was as I’m not
sure if any farangs ever stop in Ban Kok!
26 August – Ban
Kok – Kaeng Khro – 108 km
Some days, I can't
get myself going; if it's not one thing, it's another.
Yesterday, every 10 kilometres or so, there was something I
wanted to adjust. Then, I stopped to take some pictures and then
I popped in at a supermarket, and before I knew it, it was
midday, and I had done hardly 50 kilometres. Not that I was much
in a hurry as I had received an email from Canon, and it sounded
like they expected to repair the lens only after the first week
in September! I'm less than 300 kilometres away from the Lao
border, so I will be dragging my heels for the next few days. I
also could not make up my mind as to what direction I wanted to
go, and after passing by Chaiyaphum, I took
 Route 202 but then
changed my mind, turned around, and headed out to Route 201.
The path I chose
crossed a beautiful part of Thailand with rolling hills and
rocky outcrops. The day was blistering hot, and not a cloud
could be seen in the sky. The mushrooms sold at roadside stalls
were a clear sign that I was in a wooded area. A road sign
indicated a 1000-year-old cycad forest, but it was 45 kilometres
off the road, and I was not sure whether it would be worth it,
so I continued on.
As I neared Kaeng
Khro, clouds moved in, and soon it started raining. I asked
around for a room, and after much difficulty, I was pointed in
the direction of SK Place, a lovely hotel with good quality
rooms behind the local school for 350 Thai baht. The local
corner restaurant provided the usual noodle soup and beer. All
this happened to the great amusement of the locals, as no word
of English is spoken in this town. Not even the word “hotel” was
understood! Sometimes it’s really nice to go into a room and
close the door behind yourself, just to be out of the public
eye. There is no hiding if you are a farang woman on a bicycle –
you stick out like a sore thumb, and the entire town is aware of
your whereabouts.
27 August - –
Kaeng Khro – Ubolratana – 109 km
It was a typical
day on the road in Thailand. Rice fields, sugarcane plantations,
 temples, Buddha statues, and cattle with very long ears
abounded! I passed the ever-present noodle and chicken barbeque
stalls, after which I turned off and headed in the direction of Ubol Ratana Dam. What a magnificent ride it was! With the dam on
the one side and a national park on the other, it was a very
scenic ride.
Tiny villages,
where the main roads smelled of cow dung, lined the road, and
farmers looked up in surprise from their afternoon naps as I
cycled past. I thought of finding lodging overlooking the dam,
but that, unfortunately, did not work out. However, I found
perfectly good digs in town at the Reaun Araya Spa; so called,
due to a rather nice swimming pool. Sometimes I live the good
life!
28 -30 August –
Ubolratana – Udon Thani – 115 km
I first had
breakfast (included in the price, how nice) then loaded the bike
and slowly made my way to Udon Thani—not that I initially
planned to go there, but that was where I landed up at the end
of the day. Three times I got rained out and had to take
shelter, and as I cycled into Udon Thani, the heavens opened up
again. This time, I had no patience for waiting it out, so I
donned my bright orange poncho and pushed on into the city
centre—cape flying in the wind like I was some superhero.
 What a mess it
was! The streets were totally flooded, traffic came to a
standstill, and shop owners were frantically trying to divert
the water away from their doors. I was in search of a hotel but
had no signal on my phone and could not, in any case, risk
taking it out in the heavy downpour. Hectic stuff. Eventually,
it was safer to push the bicycle along; even then the water was
getting stronger and stronger, and I feared I was going to
disappear down some hole! Phew, what a mission it was!!
Eventually, I found the Kings Hotel, where one can get a huge
room (albeit on the worn side) for 270 TBH; I was more than
happy for the warm shower and dry clothes. Time for a beer.
I spent the entire
day eating! I started with a huge plate of Thai curry from the
market in the morning, then continued snacking through the day
on doughnuts, chocolate brownies and pastries. As the sun was
setting, I was down to my last bag of fruit, and had no
intention of giving up, and intended finishing it off before
nightfall.
31 Aug – Udon
Thani – Nong Khai – 54 km
I only woke after
08h00; it must have been all the eating from the day before that
exhausted me! Fuelled by an excess of calories, I flew down the
road to Nong Khai, which was only 50 kilometres away. Nong Khai
is a border
 town (with Lao) and is a pretty location on the
Mekong River.
All the way, I
practised the speech that I was going to deliver to Canon on
arrival in Nong Khai. The repair work on the lens was only
supposed to take two weeks, and it was now nearly a month. I was
ready for them!! Nevertheless, it was once again an enjoyable
ride past huge Buddha statues, feather duster and broom
salesmen, and delicious coconut stands. The juice of these
roasted coconuts is wonderfully sweet, as cooking concentrates
the natural sugars, as well as loosens the flesh. The meat can
easily be peeled off and eaten without the need for a spoon, and
I was still chewing on it a good couple of kilometres down the
road.
On arrival in Nong
Khai, I headed straight for the Mut Mee Guesthouse, as it is
famous for its good location on the Mekong, its large variety of
budget rooms and its lovely garden restaurant. What more could
one ask for? However, the speech that I had so carefully
practised along the way, came to nothing, as there was an email
from Canon, stating that my camera lens was ready for
collection! Hallelujah! They must have heard that speech
coming!! There and then, I jumped on a tuk-tuk to the train
station and bought a ticket on the night train to Bangkok.
1 September -
Bangkok
The train arrived
at 6h00, which was right on time, at the Bangkok station. The
MBK Centre (where I was headed) opened at 10h00, so, first, I
had a cup of coffee at the station and, then, walked the two
kilometres or so to the city centre.
It was still too
early when I reached the city centre, and I decided to have
another cuppa at Starbucks. I strolled around the mall, amazed
at all the products that were on sale. I picked up the lens and,
then, headed to the Human Body Museum, a truly bizarre place. It
is easily one of the weirdest places I have ever visited. There
were 14 dissected human bodies on display, and I found it to be
a wee bit disturbing, seeing them life-like but without skin!
Weird! I spent a whole lot of money on things that I needed and
on things I did not need at all (but, at that time, I thought
that I could not live without); that’s what happens when one
wanders around shopping malls. My train back was, again, the
night train, so I had a whole day to kill in Bangkok. As always,
Bangkok never failed to amaze as I strolled past sweet-smelling
flower garlands, street musicians and a one-armed lady, who was
noisy, selling small birds for release. Back at the station, I
had a shower for 10 TBH, drank more coffee, and updated my
photos. |
