November 4, 2024
Nao Nam
Some days just don't go to plan. Today started off as to suggest everything was going perfectly until about the time we thought we should be approaching our destination for the day.
We had enjoyed a later than usual start to the day and arrived at the bus terminal about eight thirty. Asking around as to how to get to Nam Nao had us directed to well-used song thaew. We checked with the few passengers on board whether it was going to Nam Nao and then loaded the bicycles and our panniers on the back.
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We had to wait for all manner of goods, from fresh vegetables to motor cycle tyres and from dog food to frozen meat, to be loaded and we got going soon after ten thirty.
It was a stop-start journey with goods being dropped off at stops along the way. The climb up the mountain made us feel good about our choice to catch a lift and not to try and cycle up to Nam Nao. It is one helluva climb!
Eventually we arrived at the town of Nam Nao only to confirm what had been our suspicions for the previous ten minutes which was that we were miles away from the National Park. In fact, we were on completely the wrong road.
By now it was one o'clock so we decided to find some accommodation for the night and try and sort out a ride to the National Park later. One of the passengers on the song thaew spoke pretty good English and he said the police service office nearby was a good place to look for help. So after checking in at a rather expensive chalet and enjoying a simple lunch I headed down there to see what could be arranged.
The police officers on duty seemed mildly amused at my plea for help but nonetheless I returned to our digs with the instruction to be at the police station at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Hopefully they understood what I was asking for, which was a ride to the National Park in the morning.
On a brighter note, our digs have a deck with a lovely view across the hills. At twenty four degrees it is pretty cool up here with the light wind making it seem cold after the warm weather to which we have become accustomed. It didn't take long for both of us to be donning long sleeved woolen tops and I suspect our down jackets will be called into service this evening.
Today's ride: 7 km (4 miles)
Total: 1,846 km (1,146 miles)
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