Week 16

Day 106

Saturday 12th October 2019

Home Stay in middle of nowhere to Tak.

Both feeling ill, we managed to get up and load the bike having first fixed an inner tube and mended the puncture from the night before. We both managed some dry toast and set off backtracking slightly - and after the final bit of hill, we descended to Tak through a beautiful National Park. The views were amazing - forest and mountains stretching out in front as we sat on the bike pedalling only when we had to.

Thailand is so much more affluent then Myanmar. The difference is obvious with the housing and numbers of cars, but also as we entered the town we saw a Tesco. Taking advantage of the air conditioning we bought various medications - including stuff for my saddle sore, (which I haven’t bored you with but which is pretty uncomfortable), and we even found a packet of Tesco digestives. It was very exciting. Armed with antibiotics and digestives we headed into town were we found a hotel - were we are resting hoping to recover to ride tomorrow!

Day 107

Sunday 13th October 2019

Tak to Mae Kularb.

Set off early fuelled on digestive biscuits, toast and antibiotics on new tyres and with spare inner tubes, which we managed to find at a local bike shop. I also have a new pair of shorts - it’s nice to have a pair without holes!

It was raining as we left Tak and headed through the last of the mountains into the flat heading south towards Bangkok. The rain was refreshing- slightly over refreshing when it poured down - but a nice temperature for the first couple of hours before it got incredibly hot .

Thailand is so different to Myanmar and India. Some of the big US brands lined our route, including KFC and 7/11 - it has almost a North American feel to it. There are wooden houses as we travelled through the countryside, but most are more affluent. There are more cars and fewer motor cycles. We have also seen people who are over weight (especially in the Tesco food court) something we didn’t seen in Myanmar.

We did pass pagodas and monasteries which look more oriental than those we have seen so far.

The countryside is litter free. We saw community groups dressed in yellow shirts ,(which seem to be a thing linked to political belief and support of the Thai Royal family), coming together to maintain the environment at the side of the road including litter picking.

We passed fields growing what looked like cannabis - I’m sure it was medicinal.

We then hit the highway and it was heads down to catch up a bit of mileage after, hills and terrible roads. We stopped regularly to complain about my waves of and Raz’s stomach cramps. As Ann Stock pointed out we are a bit like a pantomime horse - me with the at the front