I am not sure what to say about today. It started out very quietly and ended with one trip to the hospital (Rich), one bout of overheating and no eating (Laura) and breaking out of a bathroom (Jim). So maybe I will just start from the beginning!

Up early is the going to be the motto of this trip. Because the sun is so hot, we all decided we wanted to get as many kilometers under our belt before the real heat of the day began. We left the quiet resort town of Mae Ram Phueng Beach and headed off towards the Chaolao beach. Woody is a good leader and the pace was nice and easy. Several kilometers down the road we stopped at an area where some locals were fishing. It was interesting to see them freeing the crabs from their nets. I have great admiration for these people and the hard work they do. They use crochet type tools to free the crabs from their mesh nets and then put rubber bands around the claws. No gloves and they squat all day long. If the crab is too small, they will throw it back into the water. If the carb is dead, they will throw it away.

Without the use of a computer, I am not able to tell how far we have gone but about an hour down the road, we rode to a small town and negotiated a ride across the canal. It was rather comical to see all our bikes on this small wooden boat. I am sure there were life vests somewhere! The area we were in was heavy duty fishing and we got to experience the inner workings of the large fishing boats first hand. I think the people on the boats and docks were just as fascinated with us as were with them.

Leaving the docks, we road through the little town built on stilts. Even the “roads” were built on stilts above the water. Very primitive by my standards but everyone looked rather healthy. It was fun saying good morning to everyone and taking pictures. The old people are fascinated by our digital pictures and the kids love to run up to us to say hello.

The one thing I am loving about Woody is his knowledge of what is around us. He is always pointing out interesting landmarks and identifying all the foliage as we go along. And there is a lot of foliage! Foliage on steroids! Those house plants that you have in your house? Trees here in Thailand! And the fruit is so succulent. Of course everything is fresh and can grow to a full season before being harvested. We pass through many fruit plantations on this ride.

Our first disaster of the day struck us about three hours into the ride. I have played this scenario over and over in my mind wishing I could take back the 30 seconds that turned this trip into a 3 person ride. Rich had been wanting to take a picture of a Thai cow since we landed in Thailand. We came around a corner and there was one on the side of the road. As he reached back to get his camera out of his jersey pocket, he hit a speed bump in the road and went down. I was right behind him and as it was happening I remember thinking, “Rich, don’t do that” but it was all over in a matter of seconds.

At first he said he broke his collar bone but then he was able to move his arm. Then he figured he either separated or dislocated it. Either way, Woody and Mr. Suko were deciding which hospital to take him to. I of course was both upset and mad. Mad because Rich never looks where he is going and upset because he might be spending the rest of the trip in the van (or worse) and this was the first day! Off he went and on we rode in silence for several kilometers. Luckily, Mr. Suko was giving us updates all the time and luckily the hospitals are very good here in Thailand.

Without our support van we were on our own to get water and snacks. Janie and Jim were willing to front me some cash since without Rich, I had none. (Won’t let that happen again!) It was getting hot and some of the roads were rather busy. The sun was coming out strong, my mind was wondering what was going on with Rich and this damn bike was heavier than anything I had ever ridden in my life! I was getting slower and slower and hotter and hotter. I was sucking down water like a fish but the sun had already done its damage on me. Somewhere around 60K I was done in and thought I wouldn’t make it to the lunch stop. Everyone was very nice about my breakdown and Woody said it was only about 5K more to the stop. Those were the longest kilometers I have felt in a long time. I was never so happy to be off the bike.

We had a welcome surprise at lunch when Rich and Mr. Suko met us there. According to the doctors, Rich did not break anything, thank God! They took x-rays, assessed the damage, gave him some pain meds and $117 later he was on his way. Just like home! Rich did believe he separated his shoulder and got a sling later that evening. Right now he is just going to take it easy a few days and see how he feels. I have to admit it has put a little damper on the trip for me. I will miss having my best bud and riding partner for the next few days. But Rich is upbeat and wants us all to continue to ride.

One thing Woody doesn’t do is rush us through lunch and for me that was okay. I needed to recover from the ride. I had waited too long to eat. Janie had given me some shot blocks and that helped a bit. I had a good breakfast but that was at 7:00 a.m. and it wasn’t until 2:30 p.m. when we finally sat down to eat to eat lunch. Way too long a time for me! Lunch was good, no doubt about it! We had several seafood dishes and a soup. Rice of course is compulsory as is some kind of fruit for dessert. Poor Rich and Janie, no diet Coke. I asked Woody why no diet Coke and he proudly patted his stomach and said Thai people don’t need diet! And he is right! I think I have only seen a handful of “over weight” people and I am not even sure of they were Thai.

It was only 7-8K to the hotel so I decided to hop back on the 2-ton mountain bike and ride her on home. What a beautiful ride along the coast but that came with two rather hefty climbs and a nice downhill into the resort parking lot. Sunburned rather badly, tired and sore, I hobbled to our room. I am not so sure who looked worse for the wear, Rich or myself. What a couple we make!

First things first, I had to get out of my shorts and I am lying in my birthday suit on the bed when there is pounding on our door. Rich came out of the bathroom, I wrapped up in a towel, opened the door and there stands Jim, his hand wrapped in a towel and blood all over. Oh, my God, what now? This day was turning into a major train wreak! There are these spring locks on the doors to the bathroom from the outside (don’t ask me why) and when Jim went into the bathroom to take a shower the door locked behind him. These doors are pretty flimsy but the bolt at the top was holding strong. With no way to call anyone and not wanting to spend the night in the bathroom, Jim broke the glass in the door in order to reach the lock and set himself free. Broken glass, cuts on arms, he was a mess. Again, luckily it looked worse than what it was.

All disasters aside, it was a beautiful ride. We are really getting to see how the Thai people live and work. It is not a way of life for me but I have a deepening respect for what they do. Woody took us to a wonderful restaurant for dinner and it just washed away all the troubles of the day. Unfortunately Rich is still not riding but maybe in few days. I am pretty beat up and know that what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger?!

Tomorrow is another day.

Richard here. I guess I will always be the adventurous kid who doesn’t always pay the closest attention to his surroundings, it’s all about the photo shot or the view. I have always been the risk taker who needed to climb to the top of the tree, look over the edge of the cliff etc. I love to explore and learn and will keep on being me. The trip to the hospital was a good experience and shows that the right national health system can work. The doctor saw me in the emergency room, ordered ONE x-ray (not our 17 angles from four sides at home), and then read the x-ray to see if more were needed. He then did a second more complete physical examination of my sore areas and range of motion and with a big smile told me it was nothing major. Just a pretty good contusion. I am pretty sore in the upper chest area and while I can easily lift my arm over my head and extend it there is some pain with it. Hopefully in a couple of days I will be riding.

Link to today’s photos

Click on Comments to leave a comment