Final Riding Days…..for now…

Sunday: Pluviophile ☔️

The place I stayed in Sunday night was divine! I was greeted with coffee and toast and a sandwich for the road in the morning…now that’s what I call hospitality. I was greeted also with rain and wind, as predicted! Whilst the first thirty Ks were wet, it wasn’t too bad -it’s a quirk of mine (one of many I’m told!) that I ride best in the rain (hence ‘pluviophile’ 😊).

I made good progress – I found myself with only 60 to go and it was only 9 in the morning, but with impending monsoon type weather in the offing I simply wanted to be safe and get to Hua Hai even if that meant sitting in a coffee shop for a few hours….such is life 🤣

Sunday-Tuesday:
Lesson 7654…Read the reviews 🤣

There’s a reason a place you’ve picked is cheaper than comparable hotels in the area….the clue is often in the reviews of the place 🤣. Lesson 7,654 of this trip. I booked in to a small hotel in a town dominated by high rise hotels and resorts, which I hate. As I cycled down what was a car/moped free zone, it starts to dawn on me that this place is, well, situated in a part of town frequented by ‘ladies of the night…’ except here it seems to be morning, noon and night! But I had paid for the accommodation and in talking to the delightful old lady who was the hotel proprietor I was assured it was safe and not too noisy! Turns out she was wrong…,or deaf!

I was saddened by the sight of old men being entertained by young women. I felt like I was ‘one of them’ – older man on my own in this part of town, so I stayed in my hotel room and read my book and rested best I could. Thankfully the more sickening and hideous side of life here, of very young women being forced in to prostitution, was not visible tho I sensed that it was hiding in plain site for those that sought it. The whole place had an air of sordidness. I guess along with the temples, coastlines and rolling hills there is an underbelly which is an integral part of this place as those aspects. During my stay in Hua Hin I had really good opportunities to talk to cafe owners and locals about this situation and got some really good insights and perspectives which I had not considered before – didn’t always agree, but it’s humbling to hear the ‘word on the street’.

Tuesday: Don’t bother reading the reviews!

Such is the contradictory nature of Thailand that when I did remember to read reviews of hotels…..I discovered that are…. full of shite!! After Hua Hai I wanted quiet and rural, so found this raved about place beside a river half way to Bangkok. It was in the back arse of nowhere, but it had a restaurant and breakfast included so when I arrived I was delighted to see such a tranquil place with individual cabins. That soon turned to ‘you’re kidding’! Having booked in and got ready for a shower I looked around for a towel but alas…no towel. So I redressed and located the lady who booked me in….’No towels’. Oh. Ok. Oh, so when does the restaurant open? ‘No food- closed’ Oh shite, you’re kidding! So I put on my sweaty/wet cycling gear back on and buggered off before she had chance to tell me the bed was extra! After much searching I got myself in to a ‘homestay’ accommodation in the most divine part of Thailand I’ve been in – it was like a little Venice! And blow me down…,they had towels! But no food!

Wednesday- Bangkok.

124ks. I set off early to beat the heat and cleared 64k in two hours along what I now know was the motorway, where I wasn’t supposed to be 🤣. Then things got very messy – punctures galore, roadworks everywhere, and the traffic was, well, indescribable. I was thoroughly miserable. There simply was no enjoyment in trying to navigate, ride and have 360 degree vision, as any semblance of order disintegrated in to chaos, pure and simple. And dangerous. After more punctures I pulled on to the pavement on a side road and just said ‘I’m not enjoying this one bit’. Just then a young man approached to ask if I was ok – he owned the lumber yard I had parked up outside. He spoke English very well and, well, basically said ‘if you think that was hard you ain’t seen anything yet…,did you know this is the most dangerous road in the whole of Thailand! Actually, no, I didn’t! He showed me around his factory and we chatted for an hour. Then he said ‘I’ve ordered one of my staff to take you to where you’re going ….it’s simply too dangerous and soon you’ll hit toll roads and serious traffic. I didn’t hesitate! There’s being silly, then there’s down right stupid! As I travelled in comfort the final 30ks I could absolutely 100% confirm he was 100% correct – carnage. The roadworks were insane, the traffic off the charts. It took 1.5 hours in his car to do 30ks. He dropped me at the airport, I fixed my last puncture then rode to find my hotel, about 8k away. And even then I was stopped my traffic police because ‘you’re not allowed to ride on this road’. That was a problem as ‘this road’ was the only one which took me over the river in front of me’. I pretended to confirm I’d turn around and when they left….I rode over the bridge! My rebellious side is popping up more and more here! What was I supposed to do….get a fecking boat?

So….that’s the riding over with and to be honest after today….I’m not sorry. I’m going to box up Bob (yes, sad, I know, but my Bombtrack has a name…,to be said Rowan Atkinson style as Edmund Blackadder) tomorrow. A local bike shop has put aside a box for my trip to London.
Thanks everyone for riding with me. To be continued!

Finally want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Jill for hosting and posting these last few months.