November 20, 2022
Pulled toward the heart of the world
Khanu Woralaksaburi to Khlong Khlung
Dear little friends,
The bare-breasted girl tile on the bathroom wall looks familiar, I think we’ve seen her on other resort bungalow bathroom walls on previous trips. Hi old pal, I think. Good to see you haven’t aged a bit.
| Heart | 5 | Comment | 1 | Link |
Let’s be clear here. The so-called “resorts” we stay at are sometimes mainly love hotels, rentable by the hour. The ubiquitous “24 Hours” signs seem to have mostly disappeared but the ones we have chosen are far from seedy, they have a lot of garden plantings, are spotlessly clean, and provide a locked door, a hot shower, air-conditioning, and a small refrigerator to chill our water bottles in.There is always a tv but Thai programming is the worst, mainly shopping channels and Korean soap operas, so we don’t indulge. Oh, and WiFi! Gone are the days when Thai WiFi was the worst in SE Asia, we’re on 5G networks all the time and thus far have not lost any of our facilities.
Before the reader gets all prissy about love hotels, consider the average Thai household of at least three generations in a small dwelling often made of thin wood walls or no walls at all. This is not prostitution for the most part, it’s married couples getting away from the kids and grandma for an hour or two. Separate primary suites are a luxury for only the extremely rich here. Love hotels keep the adorable baby supply going.
| Heart | 8 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We bid farewell to the bare-breasted girl and set out at first light. We had 7 or 8 miles on a busy road, heading east toward the Ping River, before we could turn north onto a rural road. The forecast was for sunny weather and I had my screaming yellow Columbia fishing shirt to keep the sun off of me. There was only one problem: it was like being wrapped in a shower curtain and I was the sweatiest I’ve ever been in my entire life. I have a ridiculous selection of shirts with me on this trip and I had picked the wrongest one.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 2 | Link |
1 year ago
The busy road was Sunday-quiet for the most part but had zero character or shade and the traffic that was out there charged by at rocket speeds. It was a relief to turn north onto the much quieter road, so quiet it was almost desolate. We have a favorite sort of rural road and this really wasn’t it but it was better than the highway. I don’t know, I was really too sweaty to think clearly.
| Heart | 6 | Comment | 0 | Link |
I was also going through my water very quickly. That’s a sign I need to add electrolytes so we stopped at an empty schoolground and poured some Pedialyte powder in, some fruity flavor that is nauseating in times of normal hydration but goes down like the elixir of life in the condition I was in. How was I ever going to get to our day’s destination? I couldn’t even think about that.
How we deal with personal discomfort is always going to be a work unfinished, isn’t it? On the other hand, it’s not just being tough or sucking it up, you have to be smart and not crap on your health by getting heat illnesses either. The schoolyard was adjacent to a temple grounds so Bruce pedaled off to find a hong nam. Peeing is not an issue for me in this heat, believe me. It doesn’t even cross my mind. So I sat on a whimsical strawberry stool on the kindergarten playground and gloomily contemplated my prospects.
| Heart | 6 | Comment | 2 | Link |
Pedialyte is great stuff though. I felt better almost immediately but still wanted more something or other so we pulled into a noodle place and they made us some chicken soup complete with two blood cubes each and a bonus chicken foot thrown in. The soup was delicious but Bruce surreptitiously tossed his foot into the tall grass while my cubes and foot sat unmolested in my bowl. Several large farm trucks thundered by and the nice noodle guy motioned us to continue on the rural road we had come in by, not to cross the bridge to the busier road. Good advice.
| Heart | 6 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Oh, those last few hot miles can feel so long. But suddenly we were crossing the bridge and skidding into a row of green bungalows, much earlier than a normal check-in time. The very kind staff took one look at our bedraggled beings and found us a newly cleaned room and it had it all, a fridge, the shower, the a/c, the locked door. My yellow sopping shirt was on the floor, I’m standing under the shower with the water on tepid to cool my stupid head, feeling so damn lucky, so sheltered, so cared for, revived.
For those who think I’ve been doing a lot of whining, you are absolutely correct. It’s Thailand, it’s hot. But I’m loving so much of it as well. My crazy pad prik keng with squid. The errand run into Tesco Lotus (now called Lotus’s wtf?!), the boy wiping down our table and bringing us ice, the birds calling us back to the heart of the world, on a road that is sometimes lined with flowers, and sometimes is not.
Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 227 miles (365 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 16 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 5 |
First the wise and essential attention to safety, health, and well-being.
And on the other side of suffering, profound awareness of and appreciation for all that goes unnoticed by those cruising along in the lane of comfort.
1 year ago
I just came across this journey and it's a great read. I especially like the title and it gave me some inspiration for the next journal.
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
Boobs!
1 year ago