Today was the day I had been looking forward to for some time. Today we began the ride but first we had to get out of Bangkok and drive to the coast on the Gulf of Thailand. I am not sure why Buffalo Tours decided on picking us up in the height of the Bangkok rush hour but they did and we ended up sitting in lots of traffic. The ride to the coast would take us three hours and luckily we were in a nice cushy, air conditioned van.

Our guide’s name is Woody and he is a wealth of information about Thailand. He is from the northern region of Thailand called Chang Mai and speaks all the dialects of Thai (about 6), a bit of Laos and English. He says in school, English is compulsory along with other languages such as French, German and sometimes Russian and Chinese. Woody is also a part of the Thailand Cycling Club, where he used to race but now just leads tours throughout Thailand. It was interesting to know that the reason we are switching bikes and tour guides at each border is because only country specific tour guides are allowed to conduct tours in their respective countries. So Woody is Thai and he cannot conduct a tour in Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam. If he was caught, he would spend minimum one month in jail and fined 100,000 baht ($3,000 USD). Doesn’t sound like too much money but the jail time along would be a deterrent!

After a short nap in the car, I awoke to find us nearing our coast hotel. Yeah! Almost there...not! We drove through some areas that Woody says are very popular with the Bangkok crowds, mainly because there are no farangs (foreigners) but also because it is cheap and only 3 hours from the maddening town. Farther down the road we stopped for some lunch at a roadside noodle shop. I figured that since Woody said it was okay to eat there, we were going to be fine. And thank God Woody was with us because no one spoke English. That aside, the food was delicious. We had a pork noodle soup with vegetables, a nice cold Pepsi (no diet because the Thais don’t need diet anything!) and a traditional Thai coffee for dessert. Thai coffee is strong espresso style coffee with condensed milk. A bit sweet for my tooth but when in Thailand.... The breeze off the ocean made for a rather enjoyable lunch stop all around.

Our hotel for the night was situated across the street from the beach. At first it didn’t look like much but out the back of the lobby were some nice little buildings that housed either one or two units. I am not sure of the hotel rating but the Shangri La it is not. Don’t get me wrong, I am not disappointed because after all we are in a small coastal town and not the “in” area where all the rich and famous flock to, which is a-okay with me. After four days in Bangkok, I am ready to embrace the peace and quiet.

The plan of attack, according to the Woody man, was to unpack a bit and then do a 32K shake out ride on our bikes. Our bikes! Yeah! Finally! We opted to go with the bikes provided by the tour to cut down on the baggage and less wear and tear on our nerves (or Rich’s because he does all the mechanics). Buffalo Tours provided for us mountain bikes with big ol’ fat tires. Definitely not the sleek road style bike I am accustomed to but I will make this work. We brought our own pedals so we could have clips and cleats. I am not sure if helmets are mandatory but we brought old ones of hours which we will leave behind at the end of the tour so Laura can have more room for souvineers. I am also hoping to leave behind some body fat that I have accumulated over the winter!

In Thailand they drive like England, on the wrong side of the road! I will have to keep my wits about me but since we are following Woody, I will have to hope he knows what he is doing! We also do not have computers on the bike so for someone like me that is obsessed with know my speed and how far we have gone, this will be a real challenge. I am sure Woody will tire quickly of me asking, “Are we there yet?”

We rode rather conservatively since we didn’t want to show off too much. Actually, pushing this mountain bike down the road with big fat knobbies will be rather humbling for me. (Richard here, for the bike geeks, Merida Matts aluminum hard tails with low end 8 speed Shimano/Suntour components and no lockout on the fork. Reasonably new so they ride OK but weigh 30+ #’s. (Definitely not my Record equipped BMC Pro Machine!) These bikes ride like tanks and the fat tires are a lot to move down these roads. Oh, well, it is what it is and there’s no turning back now.

I got a taste of what we will be experiencing heat wise. It is okay when I am moving but stop and the flood gates of sweat open. Woody of course is cool as a cucumber. Our driver, Mr. Suko, rides slowing behind us and is ever ready with fresh fruit and water. I did reasonably well with the 32K but I got a little chaffing and am hoping it doesn’t turn into anything.

I got my first Thai massage after the ride and it was a delight. Thai massage incorporates stretching in to the process and it was nice to get the knots out. And to top it all off, only 250B or $7.50USD...for an hour of luxury and I mean pure luxury!

The topper to the day was the dinner on the ocean front. Woody ordered for us and I was a bit skeptical and dully wrong! We are in a coastal region and it is known for its abundance of seafood. Some good eatin’, drinkin’ and laughin’ all night long. Tomorrow we begin the ride. For now, I am going to sleep and sleep well.

Link to today’s photos

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