On the road to That Phanom.

 I woke early today due to the noise from the person in the next room, dragging his chair all around the place.  So I had my usual breakfast of banana bread and a roll washed down with water and was ready to hit the road at 7.30am.  It took some time to find our way out of the city but by 8am we were on the 212 highway heading north.

Because we had a short ride today to That Phanom we decided to take more than the usual breaks.  The total distance for today was 56ks.  The maximum temperature was 105 degrees, with an average temperature of 93.  Today's ride was along rolling hills with some shade from the overhanging trees.

After about 15 minutes on the highway I could feel morning tea calling.  We pulled into the 7/11 and had a steaming hot amazon coffee.  Back at home I'd be asked to pay around 4 dollars.  Over here in Thailand the same costs about $1.50, and you get a small cup of tea and a glass of water.  Now that's a bargain.

Back on the road and into this annoying headwind.  The whole ride today was into a headwind and even though the distance was not that great, we were glad to reach our destination by midday.  We decided to stay at a place recommended by Lonely Planet.  The place is called Kritsada Rimkhong Hotel which is down on the Mekong River.  For air con, Wifi and cable TV we were charged 16 dollars with breakfast.  I can only imagine what they're going to try and feed us tomorrow.  Might need a stop at the 7/11 for something hearty.

On a side note, the wooden structure in the photo above is the new type of small homes you can buy.  They look really solid and come with their own verandah.  Compared to some of the shacks you see in the fields, this would be a nice place for a small family.  I've no idea how much they cost. 

During the ride today we could see the damage the wind and rain had caused to the area.  All along the road remnants of trees were scattered everywhere.  Roadside stalls were being re constructed after being demolished.  The last 20ks of the ride was not good for cycling. It had no shoulder to ride on, single lane with cars, trucks and buses passing very close to us.  Thank god we had the mirror.

Once in town and settled into our rooms, a nice shower and washing the clothes was the next chore.  Later in the afternoon Len and I walked down to a restaurant just infront of the hotel.  It's situated right on the bank of the mighty Mekong River.  We sat in the restuarant having a couple of cokes and beer for Len, whilst watching the small dugouts with motors attached slowly making their way up and down the river.  It doesn't seem that anyone is in a real rush in this place.

During dinner we did get to meet an Australian guy called Greg who now resides in the town with his Thai wife and 2 year old son.  We had a really good afternoon with both of them.  The food was delicious as well.

It's now 7pm and the mosquitoes are everywhe4re in the room.  Might have to spray myself with some Bushman Plus insect repellent.  Just another plug for a company. 

Now to end off today's report, the photo above is of my sunglasses.  The device attached is a mirror.  Now I'm not into having things hang off my sunglasses, but I have to say this is one of the best inventions I've ever used in cycling.  They give me a perfect view of the traffic behind and what's coming up from the rear.  In this part of the world and even back home in Corrimal, I will never ride again without the mirror.

Len introduced me to the idea and he mentioned you can get them from a company called REI in American.  I think they're a co-op of some description.   Might have to contact them for sponsorship on the next tour.

So that's a wrap for today.  Until tomorrow, see you on the road to Nakon Phanom.

Safe riding.