December 13, 2006
To Nonthaburi: Arriving in Bangkok
There are no other signs of life at our guesthouse as we carry our gear down and outside just before six in the morning. The bikes are locked up inside a gate that closes at night but Patrick lifts them over to the open lobby and out the front gate. We rig everything back up and start riding just before it gets light.
We have a good map of this area and although not all roads are exactly as shown on paper, we find our way down the quieter roads heading south towards Bangkok. We see a beautiful sunrise and meet a Geography teacher on a scooter who has turned around to talk with us. For about 20km we follow a wide irrigation canal, then we are dumped on a busy 8 lane road crammed with traffic. We'll have to ride this for another 30km into Nonthaburi. Krasin told us to meet him at the city hall.
Things get complicated when we start seeing signs to both "government offices" and to "old city hall." At first, we head for the government offices, but then decide this can't be it, turn back and try to find to find the "Old city hall". This sets up about two hours of cruising around busy city traffic during the noon time heat; not much fun. We ask for directions from a police officer who calls Krasin and then directs us back to the government offices. The map he draws us leads us astray. We end up at the waterfront, much to our surprise two women that were there when the policeman helped us suddenly show up again and help us out. About two hours after first getting here we return at the New City Hall. Patrick calls Krasin and he shows up around a half hour later. We have a quick lunch at the shopping center food court and then follow Krasin's car through the back soi's (alleys) to his apartment building about one kilometer from city hall. We were so close the first time....
Krasin has a small condominium on the second floor of this concrete box where he spends the week. In the weekend he and his wife, who lives somewhere else in Bangkok, head for their house in Chonburi. He will stay with a friend in the meantime. Krasin is a friend of Rachel's mother, he visited her home in Cowden, Illinois a long time ago and has kept in touch.
It is very comfortable, there is internet, TV, lots of DVD's, AC and so on. Krasin leaves us to rest for the rest of the day. We walk to the Carrefour shopping center nearby, buy supplies and eat in the food court. In the evening we catch up on our emails, watch a John Denver music DVD and Back to the Future III movie.
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Today's ride: 92 km (57 miles)
Total: 2,985 km (1,854 miles)
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