Day 74: Pak Nam Tha Krachai - Surat Thani - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

April 5, 2018

Day 74: Pak Nam Tha Krachai - Surat Thani

Routing: #4112, 2007

If my right pedal wouldn´t have broken I wouldn´t have had very much to report as both roads used are certainly ok for cycling but no lasting memories either. Except there is another excellent noodle soup stall exactly at the 46 km stone of the 4112 but that´s more a reminder for myself when I go along here next. And - listen,listen! - the headwind came to my advantage today. The #2007 is under serious roadworks for the first 10 km and as they completely removed the asphalt it is an extremely dusty affair. But! As the wind was coming from the sea - as it has done since I left Samut Songkhram -the entire dust was blown away from me.

Now back to the pedal. It didn´t come out of the blue and has been annoying me ever since the last few days in Cambodia. It made that clicking noise but I could eliminate it with some lubrication. I addressed it to Ma at Bok Bok Bike in Bangkok but he couldn´t manage to open it and check the bearings as the pedals are 12 years old and certainly worn. He had no replacements in stock and I decided to try my luck. I had thought through the worst case scenario - an entire failure - and decided there would always be a chance to get an ordinary pedal instead of the SPD click-pedals I am using.

There is a German saying "Glück im Unglück" which translates into something like "luck in bad luck": I was approaching Surat Thani town center and there is a very last bridge to be managed. WhenI got out of the saddle for the steepest bit it made a mighty bang and the pedal was gone. Not literally but it wouldn´t move anymore. I managed to get the bike over the peak of the bridge and then stopped to check my options. Which was either going straight to the hotel and look for replacements later or find a bike shop first. With the help of the most useful shop-finder on bicyclethailand.com I saw that the "Cafe de Bike" was just round the corner and I managed to get the 50 kg vehicle there with just using my left leg. As I walked in they were having lunch but moved anything away to help me first. I had very little hope they would have the Shimano PD-M324 in store but I thought they might either order them or I would take some ordinary ones for a start. The lady decided to come outside with me as she didn´t understand exactly what I was asking for. She had a look what was needed but was more fascinated by the size of the fully loaded vehicle. She tried to lift it - failed - and asked whether she could take a selfie with me and the bike in it. "Of course you can! But could you then have a look about the pedals too, please?" Three photos later she walked back into the shop, kneeled down in front of a cabinet and came up with exactly the pair I needed. I could have hugged her but considered that inappropriate with staff and family around and decided to articulate an emotional: "Oh that´s good, they are the right ones."

15 minutes later I rolled down to the My Place @Surat Hotel, where I have stayed twice before. Happy to be here for three nights as I really like the hotel and Surat Thani itself. Why? The town simply feels good and is full of excellent, genuine food options, the two nightmarkets - one more or less next to the hotel; one down at the nightboat pier - in particular. I might even have to extend my time here as there is a massive tropical storm moving into Thailand and I will certainly sit this one out if needed.

The typical setup of the fishing villages along this coast: palm trees, palm trees, some colour and the wooden houses. Absolutely love cycling down here

Two messages in this one: a) No ideal swimming if you are taller than Danny de Vito // b) The wind is still coming the same way

On my way south I decided to ride past the Samret Inn where I had originally planned to stay last night. It is a very well kept bungalow resort 300 m inland. Down at the sea from the resort are several seafood restaurants, this one looked the most appealing to me. I think I will have at least one night there when I come back to this region

A last few kilometers along the shore....

....before I had to move inland to the #4112 where the only visual attraction was manmade

Bird chirping competition. I was absolutely fascinated how emotional the guys got when the judges gave away the points

I like that sort of stuff! They even put a bicycle on the board which they knew from asking whether I would need an airport shuttle. I have to look after my valuables though with a crook in the house

The entrance to the excellent nightmarket in the vicinity of the hotel

Nightmarket 2 down at the pier. I love sitting on the elevated terrace observing the buzzing atmosphere when freight and passengers are loaded for the departures to Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao from 10 pm on

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 5,528 km (3,433 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	4
Comment on this entry	Comment	0