We intended to lie in a bit this morning because the planned route to JB Place at Ban Phaeng was only 50 kms, However, we still woke up at five o'clock, no alarm clock needed, and while we were having our morning tea and coffee we noticed a bit of thunder and lightning. Within an hour we had a small storm with a tiny bit of rain, hardly enough to settle the dust. All looked good for a seven o'clock start when suddenly the wind picked up from the north and one helluva storm broke. To cut a long story short, we eventually got away after eleven and had a relaxed ride on a mix of the 212 and riverside roads down to Ban Phaeng. A lot of the riverside roads had turned to mudbaths.

Some time after three o'clock we arrived at JB Place on the 212 just outside Ban Phaeng, another good option for a night gleaned from CGOAB, and spent the first hour getting the mud off the bikes (mainly because I couldn't find a hosepipe and first wasted 45 minutes washing using the spray from a bicycle drinking bottle).

Despite the mud, today's ride was very enjoyable with lots of birdwatching along the way. The weather was mostly quite cool (I guess in the low to mid thirties) with lots of cloud cover so it was nice not having to hurry because of the heat.