An Adventure Across Thailand on a Bicycle

[llz]

Good luck GT and please keep on with the great reports ...

On Christmas day you will arrive in Hua Hin and if you feel homesick, head for the gay places and the boys will take care of you ...

And then you will enter the most scenic part of the Tour along the Ocean ...

Cheer up !

 

[Guest]

Ride from Ratcha Buri to Petchaburi (47 Miles/75 KM)

 

The ride today was supposed to be a quick one but we opted to take a few back roads instead of the major highway that runs through the area. What the did for us was add on about 15 or so KM to the ride. It was a much more scenic route and quite enjoyable. I had it in my mind to ride fast today so I led the pack all day long. I was feeling great about that. Then, to my right, there was this enormous beast of a lizard. It looked like a dragon and was about as long as my leg. I swerved around it and screamed like a girl. My heart was beating so fucking fast, it was a wonder I didn't have a heart attack. My breath was fast and my adrenaline was flowing. The lesson I learned: Never lead the pack. Animals and dogs always go for the leader but not when they realize there is a pack of bikers. I then slacked off and let the real men lead. My 80 km of leading came to an abrupt end.

 

Once at the hotel, a few of us decided to go to to the royal palace and take the cable car to the top. Petchaburi has a long history.

 

http://www.lostinthailand.com/thailand/Petchaburi.html

 

The walk up the stone walkways was beautiful filled with trees and monkeys. Todays monkeys were MUCH more aggressive than yesterdays. The ones today went for anything plastic or that looked like food. It took a water bottle away from my friend and when he reached back to get it, the money showed his teeth and was ready to pounce. I wanted to get the hell out of that area and keep walking. No water bottle is worth 30 days of tetnis shots. LOL

 

The temples and palace was nice to see but they were not in great shape. It would take so little to make this one of the most beautiful places in Thailand. It has the potential but the buildings need work and so do the walkways. Still, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. Just don't take any water or food with you.

 

Ride from Petchaburi to Hua Hin (55 Miles/88 KM)

 

A group of Hua Hin met us today and rode with us. Today was the first day we hit the ocean. It was great to see and simply beautiful. I put my toe in as I knew that it was a long way to arrive here from Chiang Mai. We saw some of the most massive salt fields I have ever seen. They seemed to stretch one for miles and miles.

 

Cham Am is where we ate lunch at a place called the Chicken Ranch. It is the only gogo bar in the area and the owners rode with us today. We had quite a few Thai riders today. As we passed by the beaches in Cham Am I thought of Jomptien. It reminded me a great deal of that area when it had lots of trees. There were few falangs I saw on the beach but there were many smiles around all over.

 

We stopped at the Environmental Center for the area where the Princess started growing Mangrove Trees. It was a nice tour and the buildings were great.

 

I opted to stay in the Holiday Inn outside of town so I stopped there after the tour today and got some needed rest, a nice jacuzzi tub and a swim in the pool. This hotel is wonderful and very reasonable. The lobby is stunning and the staff is great. I am really glad I stayed here to get a bit of rest before the day tomorrow.

 

We ate dinner at California Cantina across from the Sofitel. It was good for the Xmas food but the Tex Mex is about as regular as you get in Thailand. It was not bad but it was not authentic.

 

The city of Hua Hin is great. It is bustling and tons of good restaurants and bars and things to go. There were a great deal of people out and the streets were full as were every restaurant.

 

I want to 4 different gay bars and did not find one boy I would take back with me. Perhaps there is a secret to finding a boy here but in one night, I would not discover it. Overall, I was really impressed with this city. If you have never been here, you must spend a few days here. Some of the resorts are fantastic and you will keep busy with the many attractions. We were stopped on the road twice with the Royal motorcade and I'm told that is quite common. This the the main residence of the King.

 

Onward we move!

[Guest CaptainSwing]

I've been lurking on this board since it started but never bothered to register before. I felt compelled to join just so I could see your (terrific) photos and add my sincere thanks for, and appreciation of, this wonderful series of posts. This is one of the most interesting and rewarding threads I've ever read on a Thailand board. For my sake, if not yours, I hope your trip lasts indefinitely! Many thanks and best wishes.

[Guest]

I've been lurking on this board since it started but never bothered to register before. I felt compelled to join just so I could see your (terrific) photos and add my sincere thanks for, and appreciation of, this wonderful series of posts. This is one of the most interesting and rewarding threads I've ever read on a Thailand board. For my sake, if not yours, I hope your trip lasts indefinitely! Many thanks and best wishes.

 

 

Thank you so very much. Greatly appreciated. But, for my sake, it will end soon. My ass can't take much more. I feel like a sexy boy in Rikers Island.

 

 

Ride from Hua Hin to Prachuab Khiri Khan (73 Miles/117)

 

Hands down, today was the most scenic day of the trip. We rode in and out of some amazing rock formations and mountains but the majority of the day was on the beach. At one point, we were so close to the ocean as the waves hit the rock wall, it splashed on my leg. It was invigorating to ride to close to the water and hear the beautiful sound of the waves.

 

We stopped at a little bed and breakfast outside of Hua Hin and it was a treat. The owners had the home built of teak wood up north and then they transported the home to here. As foreigners can't own homes, they can take with them what they put on the property after their lease. This couple had made some beautiful design choices in the home, it was made for them, taken apart and then trucked here and reassembled. It was a great home. They also have about 7 or so cottages sitting around a large pool they rent out. I think they said about 5k a night for a cottage. It was a very peaceful area with little to no traffic and reading and writing would be so easy there. I told them if they got good Internet, I would book a month with them. The compound was slightly off the ocean but the wind was great and no air conditioners were needed. We looked into the cottages and they were stunning. A mosquito net covered each bed. A large tub for the bathrooms and I mean large. It would easily fit me and GayButton and 2 of our closest friends. LOL

 

http://onusa-retreat.com/

 

Later in the day we stopped at a temple that was right in front of the rock cliffs. I loved it. It was delightful and impressive with wonderful ornate designs. We had our water break there. The director's wife had to be in Bangkok today for business and this was her first day not to be with us. Since she was gone, boys will be boys and they decided they wanted to blow up a bicycle tube and let it explode and capture it on video. I didn't see the excitement but it did bring a lot of laughs and smiles. At the same time, if the wife was here, she would have moved us along quite fast. I am sure when she sees the video, she will give her husband a dirty look. But, it was all in good fun and good for a quick laugh.

 

Along part of the road today there were monkeys again that were just roaming the roads. It is odd for me to bike and see monkeys just hanging out on the side of the road as if begging for food. I felt like I was in Sunee Plaza with the boys asking for 20 baht. The only difference is that the monkeys really wanted food as opposed to 20 baht for something else.

 

I had stomach virus all night last night and again today. I was in and out of the toilets and using a Thai Toilet has a new meaning when you have to go every 30 minutes. I took 2 Imodium and hoped that would take care of the issue but it didn't. As the day progressed, it got worst and I finally got into support vehicle and took a nap and laid down to try to settle the stomach. There are always 3 support vehicles with us. If anyone needs one they are there. One is the lead car that gives the way, one is in the middle and one after the last rider and called the Sweep vehicle. I am usually in front of the last one. The poor boy who drives that usually looks only at my ass for the entire day. If that does not make him want a woman at night, I don't know what will. The stomach sickness, combined with a late night last night had really drained me of my energy. I did not find any boy I wanted from the bars but I had met one on gaydar and I called him and he came over for a bit. It was about 3AM before he left and then my wake-up call was at 5:45. It was a very stupid thing to do and I learned my lesson today and wont get distracted again.

 

I got a call from the ex last night. He is out of money and wants to come see me. The intelligent man inside says no, but there are just some guys you can't say no to and he is one of them for me. It broke my heart to even talk to him and hear of his troubles. He did not ask for money but I sent him some for the trip to visit me in the next day off which is tomorrow. We were together for many years and no matter what, I my breath still shortens a bit when I hear his voice. He is too proud to ask for help and he had enough to last him a year. It is now all gone in less than 3 weeks. He was able to spend more than me and I am not cheap. Even with that, when I heard his voice, I wanted see him. What kind of sick hold is that? I have not been able get him out of my mind since the trip started. I have monitored his spending online and know that something is up. I guess even a hurricane could not keep my heart from running towards him when I hear him. I am not sure if that is a sad thing or a wonderful thing but it is a good thing for him and I am sure a bad one for me. No one else has ever had this hold over me. Only him. Why? How do I disconnect? How do I move on? I think it would be easier for him to move forward than me. I can't seem to do it no matter how hard I try. This trip has been VERY hard for me but it is no where even close to saying no to him when he says he wants to come see me.

 

We stopped for lunch at a local place right on the beach. It had a hammock and I got in it to relax a bit. It was so lovely to sit there with the wind blowing and the sound of the waves. I did not want to leave for a few hours but was only there for about 10 minutes. We had a group from Hua Hin that rode with us and we treated them to lunch. For about 25 people, the cost was 700 baht. A great view of the ocean, the wind blowing hard and 25 people eating all they wanted for 700 baht. Where else on earth could this happen?

 

One constant on the trip is my phone has been ringing of the hook from boys in Pattaya. They seem to be hurting with lack of business and need a helping hand. I try to tell them if they would come and give me a hand each day, I would help them but they don't understand that so the conversations are short. I have had to deposit some money in bank accounts along the way and it is a real pain in the ass. Why? We are usually in such small areas that we don't have the access to my bank. When we are in an area with them, by the time I shower and we go eat dinner it is after 9PM and I can't make transfers then. I should have left my ATM card with my friend in Pattaya so he could assist when needed but I didn't even think of it.

 

Getting into our city to spend the night tonight there was hundreds of watermelon stands and other fruit vendors. They were all stacked along side the highway door to door competing with each other. I could not even being ti guesstimate the number of watermelons I saw but they looked wonderful and red and ripe. Part of the fun of a ride like this is seeing the locals in action. In areas like this, you get to see them stare at you as you go by, yell hello which think is actually meant to say, come inside and buy a watermelon.

 

 

As we were traveling along the water in and out all day there was tons of boats for fishing along the way. There were also several fish ponds I saw today. But, the road along the ocean made this area perhaps one fo the most unique and scenic days I have ever seen. It was something I can barely describe and words or pictures will never do it justice.

[Gaybutton]

A large tub for the bathrooms and I mean large. It would easily fit me and GayButton and 2 of our closest friends.

It must be the size of an olympic pool!

[Guest]

Day off today and we had a good time. Sleeping late would have been nice but it was a long night for me. The ex came into town for the night and was supposed to get in at 2:45 on the train but it got delayed and he took a taxi most of the way. He did not get in until 6AM. We chatted and he slept for a bit before we met up with the group to go to the Burmese boarder. On Saturdays they have a market and they let the Burmese people cross over to sell items. It reminding me of a very typical Thai market but things were much cheaper. I enjoyed the market. The rest of the group hit a nice beach but the boyfriend and I went back to the hotel to relax and enjoy. I had a nice time with him and it was great to see him. He has school on Sunday so I put him in a taxi back to Pattaya. That was the only mode of transportation that worked for him to stay with me most of the day and get home in time to go to school. The taxi cost 4500 baht and took him about 6.5 hours.

 

I really enjoyed this city and will be back to visit it again. Hadthong Hotel is nice, clean and cheap and they had fast Internet. The Internet was 250 baht for 6 hours of fast wiwi and that was enough for me to 2 days. We ate dinner each night at a little restaurant next to the hotel and it was good food. I had the Sea Bass both nights and enjoyed it. They have a beautiful temple that took 4 times longer than the one in Chiang Mai to go up, I went up today but forgot my camera. The view was spectacular.

 

If you want a nice relaxing town with few farangs, modern conveniences but very Thai style, you must give Prachuab Khiri Khan a visit. I found it lovely and beautiful and the view from my balcony each morning was breathtaking!

 

[Gaybutton]

I'm having trouble deciding whether some of those pictures are of gardening tools or medieval torture devices . . . .

[Guest laurence]

I got a call from the ex last night. He is out of money and wants to come see me. The intelligent man inside says no, but there are just some guys you can't say no to and he is one of them for me. It broke my heart to even talk to him and hear of his troubles.

 

There are three explanations; drugs, gambling, or squandering for him being out of money. By giving him more money you are only making the situation worse, but then you know that. Many of us have done the same.

If you really want to help him/them change your phone number and end it.

[Guest]

I'm having trouble deciding whether some of those pictures are of gardening tools or medieval torture devices . . . .

 

It was a little of both. They had long knives and weapons and many things for the garden. I played with and tested a few and they were strong and sharp.

 

There are three explanations; drugs, gambling, or squandering for him being out of money. By giving him more money you are only making the situation worse, but then you know that. Many of us have done the same.

If you really want to help him/them change your phone number and end it.

 

Yeah, I know. No drugs or gambling but the squandering is his forte. He did not tell me he was broke. I watched his activity online. He gave a good explanation of the money and part was family debts and part was his trying to do his own business to make money. In the end, it really doesn't matter to me as even if it was a herd of water buffalo, I would most likely believe it. Truth is that he has me where he wants me and has for a few years. Like I said, it is an odd hold that no other boy has had on me. I think his mom might be a voodoo witch. That is as good a story as I can think of. Even if a flock of angry butterflies had stolen his ATM and whisked away the money, I would have said, "Really? Those damm butterflies are horrible honey."

[KhorTose]

I would have said, "Really? Those damm butterflies are horrible honey."

 

I have an old boyfriend that I often give money too and help out. He too has this hold on me that I can't quite shake. I do not think I have ever heard the words angry and butterflies used together before, that is quite a concept. Do you ever wonder if you may be harming that old boy friend by baling him out all the time. What if he never learns to take care of himself?

[Guest laurence]

(KhorTose @ Dec 28 2008, 08:22 AM)

I have an old boyfriend that I often give money too and help out. He too has this hold on me that I can't quite shake. I do not think I have ever heard the words angry and butterflies used together before, that is quite a concept. Do you ever wonder if you may be harming that old boy friend by baling him out all the time. What if he never learns to take care of himself?

 

Amen to what you write KhorTose. I had an ex who, by helping him, I did so much more harm. It was not until I cut him off entirely that he finally began to take control of his own life. Then there were others who were just leaches to be plucked off and squashed.

[Guest]

Ride from Prachuab Khiri Khan to Bang Sapan 75K

 

Every day we get a daily sheet with the directions for the day. I am going to type them in so you can see what they look like. I won't put all days on there as I don't think it is fair to give away all the routes the team has chosen after many years of work.

 

Leave hotel facing beach and turn right toward the Air Force Base.

At end of road turn right along fence and turn left into Base.

At 1.5K.M. turn left at T-Junction and then turns right to go over air strip.

Take Group Photo in front of Air Force Base Statue.

Continue along beach to let until the mountain and then cross over the other beach on right and cross over air strip again to the other end.

At T-Junction turn left toward Aow Manao.

At 7.5K.M. exit Air Force Base and continue Straight.

At 8.7K.M veer left at fork and go through over road.

At 9 K.M. veer left at fork (police station on left)

At 14 K.M. turn right at end of road and turn left at T-Junction.

At 15.6 K.M. turn right and continue on winding road (RxR X-ing)

At 18 K.M. turn left on HWY 4 SMALL WATER STOP

At 31 K.M. turn left on small road torn Huay Yang Beach Resort.

At 33 K.M. turn left on new road toward Huay Yang Beach Resort

 

YaDa YaDa YaDa for 76 K.M.

 

The funny thing is that for the entire 75K.M. I did not see one road sign so I had no fucking idea where I was at any time. I kept up with the pack and saw where they turned in order to make the trip.

 

The Air-Force base was a lot of fun and beautiful. The officers quarters were right on the ocean and it seems like a nice little life. It was quite fun to actually driver over an actual air strip Thank goodness no landing planes.

 

The roads today was so hard to travel. We were on and off dirt roads with major potholes and with my ass sore from the visit of the boyfriend and then the bumps on the road, my ass was in major pain.

 

Part of the roads today were through vast coconut groves. The roads were small and the trees covered over the roads. I was worried that I would be that one in a million that a coconut fell on and killed. Imagine that, I made it through the highway with speeding cars and trucks only to be killed for by a coconut. That would be a truly sad ending. Luckily, it did not happen.

 

Along the way, we encountered a group of monks marching on the side of the road. There were over one thousand of them. I do not know what they were doing or where they were going. They had a police escort in front and behind. They were all smiling and saying hello to us. I would love to know their story of their journey today but I did not get to find out.

 

As we were riding today a herd of cattle had a stamped right through the middle of our group. I was left behind waiting for them to move over to the other side of the road. These cows are very common every day and I have seen thousands of them along the way but never running in stampede form. I was a bit scared again as the ones with horns seem to look me in the eyes as if to say, I'll be back for you.

 

When we got into Bankrut, the mayor and city officials met us and greeted us. It was very nice and they had cold water for us and we chatted with them about our ride. It was such a nice gesture.

 

A local man who is friends with the director of the ride owns a local Italian restaurant. He had a feast prepared for us and gave us free all you can eat pasta buffet. It was wonderful. It is often hard to find good Italian food in Thailand and this little shop knows how to cook it. I think they had the best lasagna I have tasted in Thailand. The place is called Kasama's. If you are in the area, stop by and have a meal. It is excellent and reasonably priced. We ate dinner there again tonight and I had an American meatloaf special and real mash potatoes. They were just like home. Great food and great people.

 

The hotel we are staying at is to die for. It is simply spectacular. I am in my own villa and the swimming pool was a must. It is right on the beach and they have a full restaurant and massage place and gym and WiFi. The room I have has 2 beds and an outdoor Thai/Bali bathroom. The owner gave us a great deal as she likes our charities but I will return on my own. It is called: http://www.keereewaree.com/

[llz]

Still one week and you will reach the finish line in Phuket (through the short but very steep road leading to Patong ... ) ; hang on it there, you are doing it ...

[KhorTose]

I went to the URL for that resort and it does look nice. It is a little pricey, but it looks like a great place to get away from everything. I have to ask, are they gay friendly? They seem to cater more to the family scene.

[Guest]

(llz @ Dec 28 2008, 11:41 PM)

Still one week and you will reach the finish line in Phuket (through the short but very steep road leading to Patong ... ) ; hang on it there, you are doing it ...

 

Thanks. That hill in leading to Patong is my worry. It is short but steep and tons of traffic.

 

(KhorTose @ Dec 29 2008, 01:44 AM)

I went to the URL for that resort and it does look nice. It is a little pricey, but it looks like a great place to get away from everything. I have to ask, are they gay friendly? They seem to cater more to the family scene.

 

 

They are friendly to me and I have flirted with all the male staff so I think so. But, it is mainly built for Thais. The welcome letter is in Thai, the room things are in Thai. I don't think they have tried to market to farang. I may be wrong on this but all the bungalows I have seen are with Bangkok Thai couples and yes, many families. We are a group of single party guys and they loved us and were very welcoming. As I was walking back from dinner last night I met a group of Thais staying here and we chatted about the ride. They asked to give a donation to the charities. As you see from the prices, these are not poor Thais that stay here. We are in the very low price bungalows and that is what my photo is from. They are nice and very comfortable and less than 4k baht a night. I am sure they gave us a discount as this is the nicest place we have stayed and the owner is supportive of our charities. The entire town council came out to welcome us and the city was very friendly and many seemed to know we were in town.

[Guest]

Ride from Bang Sapan to Chumpon 115k

 

After a night at an amazing resort, I should have known todays would make up the other end.

 

Today's ride was without a doubt the hardest day of the trip. It was long and hard. The roads were rolling hills and mountains. It was up and down all day long. The up part is the hard part but going down is pretty amazing. I was hitting about 10KM going up and down I reached over 55 at one point. It was a hard day on the legs but it was beautiful. We were again in and out of the beach areas but always within smelling distance of the sea water. Sometimes coconut trees were between us and sometimes other farms.

 

Today's ride was over 115KM and it was hard from beginning to end. There is no question I am the Weakest Link as I was rolling in often 20 minutes after the other riders for the rest stops and lunch. The uphills were just really really hard for me to get up. The more ass you carry, the harder it is to get to the top of the mountain. There were times when I wanted to get out of my shoes and just walk to the top but I keep pushing and made it. The longer the day got the harder it became to get the energy to rise to the top of the hill. Every time I would see on in a distance, my head would drop in frustration and my whole body would tense and brace for the hill to come. I am sure the driver of the support vehicle behind me laughed quiet a bit as I kept cursing to myself and shaking my head. I hope there were no families around that understood English at the bottom of each incline as I don't want to teach children my New York pissy queeny curse word phrases. I could just hear my friends saying, "don't be such a drama queen. Shut up and peddle." I did but I needed practice with my slang vocabulary.

 

The resort we stayed at the Chompon Cabana is nice but they destroyed my wheel to my new Samsonite unbreakable luggage. I don't know what the fuck they did to it but I was not a happy camper. After a long day, to have your luggage destroyed just was not a good topper to the day. If I were a drinker, I would be knee deep in a bottom of Jack Daniels still.

 

I had to go into the city to get some stuff at the bike shop and ate in the city and had a nice time. The city was quite large and busy. I met a few guys and chatted and had fun. I am sure one would have gone home with me but he was a bit toothless and shy. The shy part was not my worry.

 

The Internet at the hotel was horrible. Trying to deal with Thais in the service industry in cheap hotels is the same as talking to yourself in a mirror. For 2 days, I have been unable to get anyone on the night shift to understand that they don't have to turn the Internet off at night. All I get is no work. I try to tell them, yes, not work because you turn off but the ones I am dealing with are totally clueless and end up having to call the manager to get permission to hit a button. The only way I got it working today was when he was on the phone, I sneaked and hit the button myself. Then, said, "Hey, it works now. Thank you so much."

[Guest travelerjim]

Ride from Bang Sapan to Chumpon 115k

GT...

 

This has to be considered the best "quote of the 2008"...

such a truism to remember when times get tough.....

 

"The more ass you carry, the harder it is to get to the top of the mountain".....

 

Thanks again for keeping us updated on your ride!

 

tj

[Guest travelerjim]

Hello GT..

 

I saw this today and thought of you as you trek across Thailand...

 

"The Biker"

 

A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, 'Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.'

 

The biker pulled over and said, 'Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want.'

 

The Lord said, 'Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind.' The biker thought about it for a long time.

 

Finally, he said, 'Lord, I wish that I and all men could under stand women; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, why she snaps and complains when I try to help, and how I can make a Woman truly happy.'

 

The Lord replied, 'You want two or four lanes on that bridge?'

 

----------------------------------------------

 

When it comes to understanding Thais and the bf's actions (and inaction) at times...

maybe - just maybe the Lord could build us a bridge or two :-)

 

Keep up the great spirit you have in your ride for charity!

 

tj

 

[Guest Jason105]

(GayThailand @ Dec 30 2008, 06:41 AM)

Ride from Bang Sapan to Chumpon 115k

 

GT:

First of all, what an adventurous, not to mention courageous soul you are!

Secondly, how generous of you to share this amazing trip with those of us who cannot or would not take such a journey.

I am grateful that Traveler Jim linked to your story.

I started reading and following your progress and did not stop until I got to your latest post. All morning I have been fascinated, amused, and totally impressed with your dedication and determination.

Once again, Thank you for giving us an exposure to Thailand that is incredibly interesting.

Hopefully, the joy of the journey will far outweigh the (literal) pains in the ass!

All the best.

[Guest]

Jim and Jason Thank you! It is much appreciated!

 

 

 

Ride from to Lang Suan 88KM

Long ride. Rolling hills. Big Highway. Big Buddha. No pictures as I packed my camera into the suitcase.

 

Ride from Lang Suan to Surat Thani 76miles 122 KM

 

We were met by riders from both Lang San's bike club and Surat Thani's club. The Surat Thani's club showed up on a converted baht bus with all their bicycles on top in a hand made bicycle contraption. It was a fun ride today with a few hills at the end but mostly flat and farmland. I had a break today by a rubber farm and took a few pictures. I find the process interesting and was told by one of the Thais with us that the owners of the farms are very wealthy but the workers are paid 100 baht a day. The process for making rubber is interesting as they drain the sap from the trees in a curvy motion where it all flows into a cup and is collected into buckets and sent away for processing. I have been told that rubber is important to Thailand and that the country is the 5th largest exporter of rubber and that most tire companies have factories here. As I have been riding through massive farms of rubber over the past many days, I am not in the least surprised.

 

A donut man saw me and followed me to the water break. We all made his day with buying him out of all the ones he made. For only 5 baht each, it was a bargain and after 44k, it was needed!

 

The people along the ride day are gorgeous. Beautiful faces and smiles. I had 2 boys on a motorbike ride by and say hi. I said hi back and winked. After a few minutes they circled the other direction and came back by. Again we all said hi. They did this a few times and then rode the motorbike by me and chatted as best I could. No doubt they wanted a Farang and no doubt I wanted them, just the timing was not right. To be honest, I wasn't sure at first if they were interested in chatting or if they were vultures waiting for me to die on the road. Vultures circle and then attack. When they came up on me the last time, I felt like they wanted more than to eat my meat. Thank goodness!

 

I love teasing the Thai riders. They are so funny at times and they often try to take off fast and do like over 40 plus km an hour and it is very fast for me. At the beginning of the day we all start out together until they make their move to get up to 40km an hour. When they do this, they go by me in a pack of 4-7 and I smile and as soon as they ride by, I kick into high gear and go to the right and pass them saying in Thai, fast fast. Their mouths always drop. I can keep that up like 1KM at the most but I love to watch their first reaction to this big fat Farang passing these physically fit Thai cyclist. They figure I am just playing with them and soon pass me again and stay ahead the rest of the way. But, it is an ice breaker and fun to watch.

 

Thailand is amazing and the food and crops that are grown here is simply incredible. We seem to have been in such massive pineapple, rubber, watermelon, coconut, jackfruit, etc orchards that my eyes have been unable to see the end of the lines. I would think that it would make it very easy for Thailand to be very self sufficient.

 

I have noticed over the years the obesity rate for Thais is increasing and wonder if this has to do with the preservatives that are in the food they are now eating as opposed to the natural ones they use to eat. AND, of course the soda. EVERYWHERE we see the people drinking coke and fanta and of course at night beer. I doubt that there is little if any education spent on nutrition in schools or the communities.

 

I have also noticed that the people here are friendlier than closer to Bangkok. That was true in both directions. The closer to Bangkok in both directions, the less friendly the people became. Where we are are now, there is not a motorcycle that passes me that doesn't say hi. There is not a house that doesn't all come out to say Hello Hello. Most of the time it is a double hello and not a single one. Not sure why but I say it back. Hello Hello. Perhaps they see how big I am and think I am 2 people and need to say it twice.

 

The hotel last night was clean and wifi and OK. It was 500 baht a night. Most of our hotels have been very reasonable and clean. There is so much to see in this country outside of the major cities. Plus, it is really really cheap and fun!

 

I have a bad chaffing on my legs. So bad that I had to get in the support vehicle today after about 90 K.M. I had to go to the hospital at night to have it looked at. It has been bad for about 10 days now but it got to the point today it was so painful that I could not stand. I should have gone to the doctor before but they will all say the same thing, keep it dry. That is impossible on the ride. I have only a few days left and then I'll let it heal. Along with my hand. Today though, the entire feeling went out of my leg and it stayed asleep the last 20 K I did. It was a very odd feeling but I knew at that point I was in trouble. The hospital I went to was called Thaskin Hospital and it was fine. They gave me creme and about 5 different pills.

 

Testosterone is high with the riders. Not with me. I think my estrogen level is high and i have a VERY low tolerance for pain. I hate it and am a real pussy. Many of them said, "yeah, I have the same chaffing but it will go away after the ride." I just said, jeeze, you guys are brave. Me, I wanted to be airlifted to Bangkok Pattaya just because of a little chaffing. I wasn't sure if the insurance I got from TravelerJim would cover the airlift or not so I bypassed it.

 

One cute Thai rider got a bad charlie horse and I offer to massage him and he declined. I promised him I would let the happy ending be his option but still he declined. I guess not all the guys from here are as friendly as the two boys on the motorbike.

 

We are coming to the end of a long trek and our few days into Phuket. I am excited to see gay people but more excited to see a good hotel and room service and not leave my bed for a few days!

[Guest]

Ride from Surant Thani to Ban Ta Khan 122KM

 

The day started off raining and it was a mess. We got soaked and then for 20 KM the splashing of the trucks on the road throwing mud and gook all over us. We were a muddy motley crew today.

 

This was a beautiful day as we rode through Khao Sok National Park. We had a water break at a local cave that went through one of the mountains and into a lake where kayakers were gathering and going down the river. There were many Thai tourists at the cave and it was a nice break. The ride today was full of another day of uphill and downhills. The ups were hard and the downs were amazing.

 

The day was supposed to be 101 KM but when I got to that point and wondered why we were taking another water break, I found out the directions were a bit off and we had another 20 or so KM to go. When you plan for one milage and need to do another one, it kind of sets you on the wrong path.

 

The highlight of my day was almost being eaten by a German Shepherd. It was very large and I didn't even notice it until the support truck behind me blew his horn and I turned around to find it at my heels snapping. It scared the living shit out of me and I put my gear in high and peddled as fast as I could to get away from the beast. It kept up with me barking and snapping at my heels. I thought I was going to die. I was yelling for help but no one was there to hear me. The truck just followed along and watched. I got my bike up to over 35-40KM with a slight incline and my heart was beating so fast from the ride and the fright that I am lucky I did not have a heart attack. The dog stayed with me for over a Kilometer. I was pissed that the driver did not catch up to me and run the bastard over (the dog, not me). But, then I remembered he is Buddhist and does not kill anything. I guess the philosophy was that if I was eaten alive, that was my fate and if the dog was to die, it was his fate. When I realized that the support vehicle was going to do nothing, I unlocked my left foot and kicked the beast in its head and it slowed down enough for me to get ahead. I am sure I am thought of to be a mean man at that point but I didn't know what else to do. Once I got so far ahead of it that it was not in vision, I kept going about another 1 or 2KM and then I stopped and the driver came up to me and I asked for water. My legs were so weak I could not stand without wobbling. He brought me a 1 liter of water and I guzzled it nonstop. I was just lucky he didn't want to water the dog as well to give it more energy. All in all, this was the starriest thing on my ride and honestly, it did really change my mind about dogs in general.

 

The hotel we got to was in the National Park. It looked OK from the outside but once in the rooms, I could not believe it. A shower with a tub of water and a Thai toilet, no air con, no internet, very very very basic with a mosquito net to keep out the bugs at night as you need to leave windows open for keeping cool. Well, that was not me. So, I got a car to take me to Phuket as we have a day off the next day and I did not want to stay at a place with no Internet and no air con. I could not get one taxi in this area so the director offered to drive me into Phuket. It was such a nice gesture and much appreciated but that is the way he and his wife are. They bend over backwards for every rider, ever day. It was just such an amazing thing for him to do. I felt bad for the director and his wife as they were promised different rooms but the management of the hotel gave them away even after months of confirmations and deposits. I did not mind getting the hell out of dodge and into a nice hotel in Phuket. I didn't get in until around 10 and I was tired so I ordered in and only slept. I have the next day free and I'll go to a few bars at night and then back to the ride for only 2 days of riding.

 

To date, my health is not good. Partly my own fault. The run with the dog fucked up my knee as I was not used to that pace and the effort so hard and intense. It pained the rest of the way. My right hand still hurt from the first days fall (and a few after). My left hand has a middle finger that is totally numb. My chaffing is still bad and I am hoping the rest for the free day will heal it and let me work for 2 more days. With all of this, I am still having the time of my life. It is an amazing journey and I am so glad I came on board for it.

[Gaybutton]

Didn't the driver have anything to say about why he didn't help you? Unless he was blind, he had to have realized what was going on. You're lucky. I'll bet one of the things nobody on the trip anticipated was the possibility of being attacked by a crazed dog.

 

[Guest]

(Gaybutton @ Jan 2 2009, 02:38 PM)

Didn't the driver have anything to say about why he didn't help you? Unless he was blind, he had to have realized what was going on. You're lucky. I'll bet one of the things nobody on the trip anticipated was the possibility of being attacked by a crazed dog.

 

He only said he blew the horn to warn me. LOL But, as he told the story in Thai to the other Thais they all were laughing so hard their faces turned red. So, perhaps, he was laughing just that hard as the scene unraveled.

 

We actually anticipated dogs and this has happened many times where the dogs run out and bark but they always back away when we pass their house. This one just continued the assault.

 

The dog did not surprise me too much as I have been barked at a hundred times but never like this and never snapping. I think it smelt the smell from the mud and perhaps other shit from the morning on the muddy roads and wasn't sure if I was competition for him or a human. The scent was most likely not one the hotel liked when I checked in either but they didn't attack me.

[Gaybutton]

(GayThailand @ Jan 2 2009, 03:07 PM)

as he told the story in Thai to the other Thais they all were laughing so hard their faces turned red. So, perhaps, he was laughing just that hard as the scene unraveled.

 

 

I'm glad they all had such a good laugh at your expense. Really funny . . . watching a frightened man being attacked by a vicious dog. Too bad the dog wasn't able to get you and start tearing you apart. Then they all could have gone into hysterics.

 

I suppose if it was a Chihuahua going after you like that, I would have thought it was funny, but a large dog that meant business . . . I fail to see the funny part.

[Guest]

(Gaybutton @ Jan 2 2009, 03:38 PM)

I suppose if it was a Chihuahua going after you like that, I would have thought it was funny, but a large dog that meant business . . . I fail to see the funny part.

 

Honestly, at the time of the experience, I didn't see the funny part either. But, when all was said and done, I am most sure it was amusing when I was telling the story to the other farangs and they were all laughing as hard as I was and I know the Thais wanted to hear the story as well and they also had a good laugh. No harm was done in the end. But, you are right, had it been a Chihuahua, I would have found it more funny too. I also don't think my speed would have been as fast. Thai dogs are friendly. Much more than in the states and I think this has to do with them being raised by a community. But, this dog was in the middle of nowhere and I am sure didn't know who or what I was. Covered in mud from the morning ride, soaking with sweet, and cursing. I just think it was fate he came after me as he let all the others pass ahead of me with no incidence.