Day 11

Tambon Sai Ngam – Nakhon Sawan

Quick, quick, a horse for a quick breakout from the slimy road hotel. I leave as fast as if my pants were on fire, without breakfast, no coffee, nothing to drink. I know I’ll find a place with grub down the road and indeed, only half an hour later, I’m sitting with locals at a roadside eatery, opposing a morning market. I get whatever the neighbours are having and start the day with some rice and meat, cucumber and brown-tinted soup. Should have been enough, but as I’m also on my 10th day of cycling, my hunger has had time to transform itself into an insatiable beast and I NEED MORRRRE…. I see a pineapple-shaped lollipop and decide it fits my needs just right. Well, that’ll teach me, as it stings all my remaining taste buds and makes even water BURN LIKE HELL.

I decide to gun it, as there isn’t anything to fix your eyes on but vistas of plain nothing. Two hours into the desert of nothingness, I come across a water re-fill: small shop in the middle of nowhere. As always, my every move is being tracked by the owner and only once she decides I’m not an alien threat to her small business, she starts chatting me up. I’m so much of her own people that she gets comfortable enough to do her pedicure with me by her side.

And then, it’s back onto the empty field roads: long stretches of nothingness filled with headwind… The dread of any cyclist. After a dozen kilometres, I am really sick of it. Couple of dozen more and I’m on the verge of dropping it all. FUCK IT. I don’t care. It’s stupid. Why did I even come here in the first place? Why must I always torment myself with some grandiose adventure plans? Why can I not just sit on my but, like most normal folks do, and NOT MOVE A FINGER?

I’ve made a decision, I’m not continuing. I rest my arms. I surrender.

The next bus to Bangkok is in one hour. The local bartender tries to direct me to the bus stop and is 100-positive I’ll be able to take my bike aboard.

Well, I end up spending an hour looking for that freaking bus stop: going back and forth, asking for additional information at the bar, even trying to catch a ride with local police force. In vain. Nobody’s going my way and whatever buses seem to be passing by, do not stop anywhere within sight.

My gosh, Thailand hates me so much, it will not even let me give up and hop on a coach. I’m forced to continue cycling and, luckily, have some good music on to keep me going. With the right beats in the ears, the perspective quickly shifts and the loathed circular movement of the thighs magically starts to smoothly sail on its own…

I get to Nakhon Sawan, aim for the centre and stumble across a hotel resort. I get an extra-cheap under-the-roof room and, once I scrub off yesterday’s hotel’s slime, I hit the town. By night or not, the city tour does not impress me: Thai city solutions are really not my style. I do manage to taste something quite delicious at the local street market though: corn fryers sold by a beautiful lady-boy.

Km: 111.66 km
Tm: 6:04
Av: 18.3 km/h
TOTAL: 778 km