August 15, 2019
Day 12 - A Fresh Restart?
Bangkok to Chachoengsao
It happened to be my birthday today and conditions were making this an excellent day for the short ride to Chachoengsao. I would be meeting my Muslim friends there again (Husna and her husband) to update them on the trip. They had volunteered to celebrate my birthday. In light of all that had happened on this summer misadventure, they were instrumental in helping me see this plight in a better perspective. They helped me laugh about it and add more cheer. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe they had been sent by God.
It was a very easy ride out of Khaosan Road and towards a pre programmed route that would connect with the highway to Chachoengsao. The traffic was very light for some reason at first one person cheered me on just past Khaosan for riding a bicycle, I felt quite encouraged by that.
There was construction all along the route which might be connected to the new BTS line they are building to Pattaya. At any rate to avoid the roadworks I rode up onto what I thought was a bridge only to discover it was almost 5km of elevated roadway that sailed overtop of all the congested mess below. This was awesome but surely forbidden for bikes so I got rather worried and just pelted it out.
The road got more and more congested and for the second elevated bypass stretch I thought it best not to take it and just slog it out on the ground instead. Overall though I was enjoying this a lot and moving along well.
While on the highway I stopped to take a break and saw on my phone that someone had tried to call me over 8 times. This seemed odd so I pulled off the busy road and down a dirt path where it was quieter and I could actually make a phone call or hear it ring.
It was the Chinese visa center trying to reach me. I tried to call them back but each time I got a voice recording. Here I was supposed to be enjoying the holiday and on my birthday no less but stopping ever few km to call some visa center and worry how to get back to a country I didn't even want to go back to.
My riding buddy James earlier had been right when he said prior to this: "I can already tell you're not looking forward to going back to China"
But all that would have to wait. On arrival at Chachoengsao I found a decent hotel and then my Muslim friends were expecting me and going to celebrate my birthday with a big feast. It also happened at night. The tradition of feasts after sunset is a good one any time of the year. The dinner was a really magical moment, and I was deeply touched by the hospitality. This was exactly how I wanted my birthday celebrated, on the road, and with people who could understand all that I was going through on the journey and the ongoing search for meaning in life.
They really helped me understand the concept of 'inshallah' which helped change my perspective on all that had happened so far. They helped me realize that not everything goes according to my plans but God has a will for what is happening in this current situation. That could simply be building human connections with friends who really care and would prove even more helpful and hospitable the next day also.
They wanted to hear in detail all the updates about my trip since the last visit, and we also got talking a lot about two things: condos and visas. As for the condos and Prateep, we discussed that at length and then the husband came up with an idea. He said, "I can drive you to Pattaya tomorrow with a rental pickup, then together we go to the juristic office and get to the bottom of what's going on. Also there is an Italian friend I can introduce you to. It's far better that we do this as a group rather than you doing this by yourself. If it's true that you've been denied access to your own condo then for sure we'll need to get the police involved. The law is the law. But let's talk to them first."
I said, "You really don't need to do this guys" but they insisted. We talked about Prateep again and concluded this condo agent is a smart guy but is deceitful. He is using his brains for cheating and is essentially a bad person who only cares about money. I was told not to worry too much about the loss, that firing him and getting full access to my condo was the priority and God would deal with the rest.
The plan seemed good and I'd then meet Husna tomorrow at noon outside my hotel.
Besides the awesome people here, one of the best things about Chachoengsao is that it's a quiet and peaceful Thai town located midway between Bangkok and Pattaya. After awhile, Khaosan Road or Walking Street will wear you down and it's sure nice to get a break from that.
Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 2,250 km (1,397 miles)
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