Thailand - Page 4

With Shannon on her way back to the US and vivid memories of an exceptional wedding fresh in our minds, we left Chiang mai heading south toward the lesser traveled provinces in Thailand. We were loaded with about 60 lbs of gear including a tent, sleeping pads, books and clothing. This was about one third of our combined gear weight from our previous trip. Lampang, our first stop, was 100 km and two formidable hills away. At the 30 km mark, we stopped for a Pad Thai (traditional noodles cooked with egg and any combination of other things) breakfast and discovered what would become a near life saver for the rest of the trip, canned Nescafe coffee. The stuff tastes like one of those frozen cappuccino beverages at Starbucks, costs pennies and is sold everywhere. We tried to always keep a couple in our bags for those days when hot coffee couldn't be found.

Fueled up, we were off again. The roads in Thailand are in very good condition with consistent and wide shoulders designed for the ubiquitous scooters. The scooter culture translates well to the cycling culture so the drivers all appeared very courteous allowing plenty of room while passing even on the short sections of road where no shoulder exists. After about 60 km we were faced with our first serious climb on our loaded tandem. Climbing on a tandem is difficult. Climbing on a loaded tandem is nearly as much fun as plucking nostril hairs. The first day had about 1500 feet of climbing on two hills. We were tired, but satisfied arriving at a great old teak guesthouse on the river in Lampang. A bite to eat followed by a walk along the river and we were ready for bed. The guesthouse manager alerted us that the road south was quite a bit hillier than the road we were on that day. With this thought and the increasing daytime temperatures in mind we decided to wake up early.

From Lampang we rode a grueling 90 km to the small town of Den Chai. We had about 6000 ft of sometimes very steep climbing including a single 2000 foot climb that averaged 9%. We overestimated our average speed and ended up missing lunch as this was the only stretch of road on our trip that didn't have a place to eat. We arrived in Den Chai sore in the buttocks, tired, hungry, thirsty and with no idea of how to get to a guesthouse. We stopped at the first food stand we found and ate whatever 2 fingers held up would get us. Some chicken and a type of salad were set on the table and we ate one of the best meals of our trip - though the salad had enough hot peppers to kill 5 grown men. We inquired about a guesthouse but because of the language barrier were unable to get any kind of response. Further up the road we stopped at a gas station and in our best Thai asked for a guesthouse. Immediately a young boy asked if we could follow him and he hopped on his scooter to guide us to the only guesthouse in town. In spite of the fact that we were sleeping in an establishment that was geared towards discrete visits from people paying for more than just a bed, we slept soundly.

We both awoke very fatigued but more importantly with really sore buttocks. We decided to take a train and bus to a town called Loei (note: the pronunciation of this town would be like adding an "L" in front of the sound you make when left with nothing else to say "uhhh" and then the slightest "ee" sound at the end). This would get us out of the really bad hills and give our backsides a day off. We arrived in Loei at midnight and as is usually the case, the bike suffered some damage. The rear derailleur was wrapped backwards around the cassette and the chain was lodged between the spokes and the cassette. I had to take the cassette off to dislodge the chain but the derailleur was bent and never again would it work as designed... but we made do. Again we were guided to a guesthouse by the kindest of local residents.

Rested and less sore all around we woke late and made the quick 50 km ride to Chiang Khan in just under 2 hours. Here we met the Mekong River (Mae Nam Kong in Thai) for the first time. We navigated to a wonderful guesthouse right on the banks of the river and spent the rest of the day lazily staring across at Laos, reading and eating local goodies. At dusk, a layer of haze lowered to cover the treetops as far as we could see. Awaking early, the haze had now lowered to obscure everything and cool the air. With no sun and a dense mist we made our way at a moderate pace across the river bank hills, through the dense jungle, in and out of tiny farming towns. We were now headed east with the Mekong to our left and the jagged hills of Laos as far as we could see beyond. The good roads held up the hills were much smaller but just as steep. It was the best riding, the nicest people and the tastiest food we had ever experienced.

Anyone who saw us, took the opportunity to break from their work and yell "hello" to us. It was warm and friendly and slightly excited. We always responded with the same "hello" or the Thai equivalent "sawa ti krapp" (or for Lisa "sawa ti kaa"). As if the riding weren't reward enough, we would finish some days with a wonderful Thai massage. At around $4 per hour, it is hard to turn these down. Drinking water was sold everywhere for around $0.15 per liter. Meals cost around $1 per person in restaurants or $0.50 on the street. Most guesthouses cost less than $8 per night while many were less than $5 (room for 2 people). The larger cities all have supermarkets with American and European style items to sooth even the most homesick traveler.

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