Day 9

Hat Siao, Sukhothai – New Sukhothai, Sukhothai

Upon ravaging the entire breakfast stock the hotel put on the table, my belly and I are ready to go. It’s hot, it’s flat and I’m tired and uncomfortable. I don’t like the scenery and I don’t feel like talking to people. I just want to be on my bike. I suspect though it’s because of the language barrier which renders communication with locals nearly impossible. It’s quite frustrating to be honest, as I can’t bullshit my way around and need to speak the only internationally recognised language: money.

After 75 kilometres of soaking myself in water and drying up in minutes, I get to New Sukhothai, where I’m to wait for my CouchSurfing host, Pornpan, who finishes off at 5pm.

Since I get to the city at around 3, what better way to kill the time than with a good ol’ massage? Thai landscapes my not be to my liking, but Thai massage definitely is.

Pornpan shows up right after I’m done, with her boyfriend, on a motorbike (the basic means of transportation in the country). Luckily, when we go out to dinner, I get to ride ON rather than BEHIND one.

The couple takes me out to their favourite restaurant which, surprise, turns out to be Western-cuisine inspired. I hope nobody takes this personally but Thais better stick to their traditional food.

We talk about travelling and working opportunities around the world. Turns out that Thais have just a couple of days of paid leave. Basically, if you want to go and travel you have to quit your job! I am so grateful to be living in a holiday-generous Republique of France!

Km: 75.94 km
Tm: 3:56
Av: 19.2 km/h
TOTAL: 565 km

Day 8

Wiang Kosai National Park – Hat Siao, Sukhothai

On beauty, wealth & fame

Finally, my waterfall frustration comes to an end! 8 am they say? I spring out of bed at 7:30 am to be « at the gate » before 8:00. With my bathing suit on, I am prepared to do my own interpretation of the « Little Mermaid ». Except that with no one to impress, and the waterfall not overhanging, I just content myself with going up all the 7 stories: a truly breath-taking experience!

Upon the return to the base, I give in and eat the two plastic-toxic noodle soups I have from the evening before. The moment I finish burning out what’s left of my taste buds, Mr Daet, the ground guard, gifts me with some fruit. He seems sad to see me go...

Austral-bound, the weather is getting hotter and hotter with every kilometre. Temperatures going up faster and harder, the later I set off, the more I am to pay. “Suffering” being the going currency. Just like today. The road, under the sizzling sun, runs through parched fields of limes and pomelos. Alas, not even the thought of fresh, free, wholesome fruit can offset my sweaty torment.

This is one of those moments when I get pissed with myself for doing “n'importe quoi” (“fuck knows what!”) and envision dropping it all and quitting at the sight of the next hotel or train station. Thank God none of that is ever in vicinity for me to ACTUALLY decamp. For, and I really want to remember that, “everything passes and this shall pass too.” And it does and by the end of the day I'm a rather smug biker.

So what's with this beauty, wealth and fame business? Well, thanks to global economics, each Westerner is pretty wealthy by Thai standards. Beauty being my INNATE quality (right?!), the time has come for the FAME. And that time is today.

I stop for lunch in a tiny lost village: the owner wants to take a picture with me. Why not, right? It seems she was talking about me to her daughter all lunch, as I heard them practice “can I take a photo with you” they later use on me.

I stop for some iced coffee by a local market: all eyes turn onto me. I pretend not to notice by being DEEPLY interested in my drink. Some passers-by smile and even point fingers at me, while some others try to strike up a conversation (in Thai...). Am I being the popular girl, or what?

I stop for the night at a hotel and the managers' daughter asks for my email, phone or Facebook...

Is it me or have I just risen to stardom? Or is it my bike? Or my skin tone? I hear that Asians love whites, which can be easily confirmed by the stock of whitening creams and ointments local stores are filled with. Yeah, I must be the curiosity of the day as I don't think politically correct token White in one's social circle is at play here…

Km: 75 km
Tm: 4:09
Av: 18.0 km/h
TOTAL: 489 km

Day 7

Hang Chat - Wiang Kosai National Park

Chai helps me get out of bed by bringing me some breakfast. As always, it consists of unidentifiable, but tasty, food items. I think I fine finally broken into the cycling routine, as I’m out the door at 7:45am. I want to get to the nearby temple before breakfast.

The road that takes me there doesn’t differ much from any European countryside road, well maybe except for the rice fields and Thai writing all around.

Upon arrival at the Wat Phra That Lampang Luang I encounter what seems to be a local cycling group. Ok, so there ARE other people in this country who ride a bike.

I enter the temple, which is just like any other shrine I have come across, apart from one tiny old mysterious building with signs all around saying “ladies not allowed.” What is this, the Buddhist interpretation of sexism??? The warnings make me crazy, I circle around the the edifice debating whether to enter it or not. With no one around, it should be easy. But I’m at mine’s and different cultures should be respected, shouldn’t they? Even when they go against basic human rights? Well, I don’t go cry in outrage against the all-white male Polish clergy, do I? Or the almost all-white male government? No, I don’t.

It doesn’t mean I agree or support that, but I guess the difference is that the temple being 5 metres away from me, the discrimination is right there in my face. There’s no genuine reason why I can’t go in, except for what I’ve got in between my legs.

Those other forms of discrimination are a bit more subtle. Women can still enter the clergy (as nuns) and go into politics. This alleged equal treatment obscures the fact that all power positions in those worlds are occupied by men, who dictate laws and rules and only let women play so that they’re kept busy and away from any idea of rebellion.

Feminist resurgence apart, I do enjoy the rest of the ride as it takes me through some mountainous areas abundant with vegetation. The roads are empty and I have the impression of flying.

At the end of the day I bump into the first camping site and decide to spend the night there. It’s nicely hidden in the midst of a national forest and provides me with the natural tropical beauty I have been so longing for. A good day I say.

Km: 84.49 km
Tm: 4:55 h
Av: 17.1 km/h
TOTAL: 414 km

Day 6

Tha Sop Sao, Mae Tha District, Lamphun – Hang Chat

I am demotivated.

I’m not half way done but already pretty fed up with this trip. I feel physically weak and had I not had some WarmShowers hosts lined up, I would have absolutely nothing to look forward to…

But hey, it’s my HOLIDAY. I’m not sentenced to a punishment. I can stop whenever I want. This is why today I decide to focus on good ol’ visitin’. I spend half the day at a local market and half in an “elephant (care?) park”. They use “care” in the name, but given that visitors ride the animals, I say it’s exploitation. I feel really uneasy in there and, once again, find the confirmation that I should really be avoiding the (touristic) beaten tracks.

I hurry to my destination, Hang Chat, where a lovely host called Chai welcomes me with a poster on his door as if I were a VIP. I finally get into one of those typical houses that I see so many: with no doors, just a garage entrance for a car. It turns out the car gets parked on the ground floor which is a garage concealing a staircase leading to the actual housing space. Who would have guessed?

Km: 33.99 km
Tm: 1:46 h
Av: 19.2 km/h
TOTAL: 330 km

 

Day 5

Chiang Mai - Tha Sop Sao, Mae Tha District, Lamphun

Katie and Jared get off to an early start and so do I. I do my usual first 2 kilometres going the wrong way on a 4-lane motorway: there’s no changing sides before the faraway crossroad. The “joys” of entering any bigger city seem to be the same all over the world. I pull up at 10ish to a fab eatery and get the best breakfast eva! I’m ready to handle any number of temples that Chiang Mai will throw at me.

I leave the city southbound by one of many country roads. I don’t find the scenery very welcoming, so am just devouring those kilometres as fast as I can. I’m happy there are many temples to rest my longing eyes on, for I’m craving the beauty I can’t seem to find.

However, despite my efforts, I am not able to reach my preferred destination for the night. It’s only 6pm but it’s already getting dark and I still have over 30km to go. Maybe, on a country road, with my bicycle lighting in working order I would have tempted the beast, but the truck-heavy highway at night do not inspire me.

I try my luck at a police box to see if I could rest my head at the station (I hear other cyclists have managed the trick) but all I get is a 2-km lift at the back of the police truck to a nearby resort run by a phuying kham phet (in short, Thai’s “third gender” or, in long, a person labelled male at birth but growing up as female).

Km: 71.09 km
Tm: 3:58 h
Av: 17.8 km/h
TOTAL: 296 km