July 11, 2019
Day 2 - We're Getting Roasted Here
Suntara Wellness Resort to Chalet at Junction 304/359
The morning sunrise at the resort was absolutely sublime. The resort is right beside the main river that runs through Chachoengsao and is one of the rare quiet spots where you can enjoy a retreat. That I certainly did, and once again had one of the best night's sleep I can remember in awhile. The temperatures were cool, the birds were chirping, and it was all in all another fine Thai holiday.
For only $35 in low season it was impossible to give this place a pass. Inside I found a fitness center to boost strength training. Outside of course, the swimming pool. Even during the high season in January on my two previous visits there were few guests and the place was never full.
The main reason for coming here is it provides the peace and clarity to mull over some rather difficult life decisions. Isn't that why everyone comes to Thailand?
The last time I came here was to mull over whether I should break up with my ex. These kind of decisions are never easy to make. But with the clarity of thought and the retreat away from all sorts of distractions at this wellness center, I was able to make the right decision, however painful it was to do. Now what I'm facing is whether to pull the plug on my working in China, and if so, where to go next. Not easy to figure this one out, but at least there was some solidly good productive time in which to make some progress.
[Update November 2022]: Almost 3 years after covid with no signs of the harsh policies letting up in China, I now find myself at another very similar crossroads. What I've learned over the years is not to make key life decisions during times of stress or desolation. Normally you'd have a chance to visit Thailand or a more peaceful place and work the problems out over there. But we no longer have that option with the travel restrictions and the closed borders. There are going to be some very difficult life decisions made in the next few months. If you have followed along this journal the context is there. Once there is an outcome to all this dilemma, that journal will conclude and I'll start a fresh one.
So this morning the friendly desk clerks helped get me checked out of the hotel. They recognized me from earlier trips and were super happy about the fact I was doing this trip on a bicycle and wished me good luck. As I pedaled away I looked back and saw the Suntara Wellness Resort gradually fade from view. As it faded, I wondered when I would come back here again.
On the road it was sunny and clear, and it would stay like that all day. There wasn't much traffic at this time and it made for some easy progress south on Route #315, even though there was some bits of construction. I first backtracked about 28km to a place called Phanat Nikhon where a bit of GPS work had me meet up with my friend who was taking a break at some park in the middle of the town. He looked beat already and he had cycled about a similar distance from his lodging in Chonburi the night prior. We got going after some delicious watermelon stops.
I had a route programmed on some rural roads to eventually connect with the Cambodian border but about 5km on the start of this road, that was immediately kaiboshed. I was told, "This road is lame man. I can see why you like to get off the beaten track and stuff, but we really need to stick to the main roads."
Fair enough. I found a route towards #331 which is the main road out of Pattaya that eventually meets with #359 and that goes all the way to the Cambodian border. Doing so meant we stopped off for lunch at some ramshackle restaurant at a traffic light. By then the sun was just beating down mercilessly and the break was needed. The people must have seen our condition and gave us a VIP room which was air conditioned and had nice couches and everything. Several of the customers from the non-VIP section kept looking at us kings, including a married woman who kept flirting with me and stealing glances when her husband wasn't looking.
We two kings ordered a lot of food and waited for ages when it didn't come. When it finally did, they gave us the wrong food and forgot one of the items. Language barrier at its finest. Eventually it was all sorted out and we got going again.
By now the sun was its highest point and totally beating down on us. We were going on the main road in the perfect direction for a tailwind, but the "full strength" of the wind didn't help as my friend was totally beat and the stops were averaging by now every 3km or so. It ended up getting quite frustrating to be honest, as I wanted to max out this tailwind but I could always see my buddy falling further and further behind so I'd scout out a place to stop and then wait for him to catch up.
Meanwhile when he did, the stops would turn into longer and longer snack breaks, even more consecutive full meals at restaurants. Unfortunately there was no way we were going to meet the initial target of arriving in Siem Reap by the weekend. I had re-budgeted 5 days being conservative with about 80km cycling days, but we'd be lucky to crack 50km for a day at best, even with a tailwind.
I began to reassess my options and think it best if I just powered on ahead and let my friend catch up. That was a mistake. He was a beginner and leaving him behind to fend for himself was not a nice nor feasible option. And what if there was mechanical failures or even an accident? As much as I wanted to get some more distance in, it was only the proper thing to do to look after this guy.
During many of the roadside stops, my friend would pour water over his head and face and try to cool down. He finally took me up on the offer for sunscreen. At one such stop he had had enough and said to me, "That's it man, I'm fucking done." He just lay there on the grass beside the road for over 5 minutes and it was clear that this tour was becoming too much. Finally he got up and spoke into his phone, "Nearest hotel". According to Google that wouldn't be for another 5km away and that was too many.
However, there were many other chalets on the side of the road that weren't listed on Google Maps and I knew there should be one fairly close ahead at a gas station, so I spurred him on with this information. The gas station was barely 2km away and we got there, upon which point he lay down on the ground again and several passerby in cars were looking at us with great concern. I said to him, "Who does this shit anyway" and he replied, "Only those who are fucking insane, that's who."
It was definitely time for a stop for the night. I had seen one and led the way, and he immediately said, "Good eye!" when the chalet appeared into view that wasn't marked on the maps. We cruised on in and got two VIP bungalows for about 500 baht each and proceeded to chill as the temperatures got cooler again.
After some much needed chilling out we decided to grab dinner at the gas station when the sun went down. At this point my friend remarked, "This is the time we should be riding, in these temperatures." Indeed it made sense. You crank out the distance before 10am or so, take a long siesta, and keep going for the second shift of cycling after 4pm and into the night. Basically in that way, for the 6 hours of the hottest midday heat, you're out of the sun.
But the problem is that if you're starting early, you can't chill in the morning and do nothing. If you're cycling late into the night, then yes it's cool but you're worried about finding accommodation. Anyways you do what you can.
The gas station dinner was awesome, and we just totally pigged out at a Black Canyon restaurant and ate whatever we wanted. The music was blasting cool tunes and the vibes were great. No worries if it was too hot today, we'll take another crack at it tomorrow.
Today's ride: 86 km (53 miles)
Total: 547 km (340 miles)
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