I didn't sleep too well last night. The air conditioner didn't work very well so the room was warm, and the bedding consisted of a very heavy comforter. I would have liked just a sheet to cover myself from the blowing air, but that doesn't seem common at the older Thai guest houses. So I was up and packed early. I went over to the 7-Eleven and bought some breakfast, and ate it outside as dawn broke. There was a fair bit of traffic, but no signs of life yet in the restaurants and food stalls nearby.

The ride out of Pong Nang Ron has a quick downhill where I lost all of the elevation I had gained over the past 2 days. Unfortunately, the road was under construction so it wasn't great riding, and there was a police checkpoint part way down the hill, and that caused a bit of a traffic back-up. The rest of the ride flattened out and was unremarkable. I missed the shouts of "hello" from the kids that I had gotten used to in Cambodia. Here I am just another farang on a bicycle.

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I stopped twice, once for coffee and another time for a cold drink, and lingered each time. I didn't want to get into Chanthaburi too early, and not be able to check into my hotel.

I had reserved 2 nights at the Hop Inn Hotel. It's a small chain in Thailand that is supposed to provide good, clean, comfortable accommodation at a fair price. I got in about 10 am, and waited about half an hour for my room. I'm up on the 4th floor, so I hope the street noise isn't bad, and the room is definitely clean and comfortable. The bathroom even has a glass separator between the shower and the toilet to keep the floor dry! I'm paying 650 baht/night.

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After getting cleaned up, I went for a walk around the city and had some lunch. The cuisine in the Chanthaburi district is supposed to be unique, so I went to Chantorn Restaurant, suggested in Travelfish, and ate some fried crabs with Chanthaburi noodles. The crabs were silver dollar sized, and I ate them whole. The waiter said it said it would not be spicy, but it had some chili, just the right amount of spice for me.

There are a few reasons that I booked 2 nights here. One is that it seems to be an interesting city not dominated by tourists. Another is that the weather forecast is showing 80% chance of rain tomorrow. Also, I'm headed toward the beach and don't want to arrive on the weekend. And lastly, I'm fighting off a bit of a cold, and want to take it easy.