To Ban Khlo Khlang: Meeting the British expats

December 26, 2016

Last night turned out okay. One of the benefits of changing rooms was that I could pick up the WiFi signal iny room. It was quiet enough that my earplugs worked. The family that runs both the hotel and restaurant were friendly, but didn't speak much English. My question about where the market was located was answered with 7-Eleven, so I went to the 7-Eleven hoping to find the market nearby. I was unsuccessful. I ended up eating both lunch and dinner at the hotel. The restaurant didn't open until 8 in the morning, though, so I just had some yogurt and coffee in my room, and left at about 6:30.

I was surprised to find another 7-Eleven just a half kilometer down the road. It was big and new, and I stopped and went in for breakfast.

The 7-Elevens have a good assortment of frozen meals, and will heat them for you. Most don't have a seating area, but this one had 2 seats and a counter next to the window. My Thai omelette with rice was actually pretty good. This was the first time I'd resorted to the frozen meals, and now I know that they're a good option.

When I finally did get going, I immediately ran into a warning about a hill. Fortunately for me, it was a downhill.

First sign that today's ride will not be flat. This turned out to be a very small hill, but there was a bigger one later in the ride.

And before the hill there was a khmer-like structure on the other side of the road. I'm not sure what it is, and would have looked closer had it been on my side.

This downhill was short, but I knew there was a long one coming up.

No, I didn't see any elephants. I'm not sure what this sign says, but there were other signs with elephants a km or 2 down the road.

New service station, shop area still under construction.

I got into Ban Khlo Khlang about 10:30 and found Busby's Resort, the bungalows I had found online. I thought about continuing on, but didn't want to get to the Cambodia border today, and didn't know of any accommodation before Aranyaprathet. In retrospect, I'm sure I would have found some.

The Busby Resort. It looks nice on the outside. The insides could use some work.

I got a bungalow for 500 baht. It has AC and a hot shower and fridge, but no furniture besides the bed, and isn't the cleanest it could be. In the first one I was shown the toilet was running. Not a big deal to me, but the proprietor thought I should take another. The second was pretty sparse and could be cleaner. The third had a used condom in the toilet. Interesting in a country where you can't flush toilet paper. I took the second one.

The proprietor is an Irish guy. He said he is only here a few months each year. There are some locals who manage it when he is gone. When I arrived, there was another British guy having coffee (there is no restaurant) and chatting. I talked with them for a bit, then got cleaned up and went into town for a cold drink. There I met the British guy again, talking with another British guy. These are expats who have settled here because they married Thai women from this town. We talked for a while, while they consumed uncountable cans of Leo beer. One thing they suggested was that I take a look at the house being built at the next intersection. I took my bike for a very short ride, and the house was worth a look and a picture.

New house, still under construction. Is it a tortoise or a turtle?

It's being built by a Swedish expat.

There was also another set of bungalows next to it. They are brand new, and I imagine cleaner and in better shape than where I am. They are also less expensive, if I understood the sign correctly. Oh, well. It's hard to know what's around the next corner. I need to look around a little more, and try to find someone to talk with before choosing a hotel.

I went to the market to try to find dinner. There wasn't a lot of prepared food, and the hygiene didn't look great. So I went to a restaurant across the street, and ordered khao pat moo, fried rice with pork. That's exactly what I got, no vegetables, no egg in the fried rice, no sliced cucumbers on the side. While I was finishing up the owner of the resort came up and sat down, and asked how it was. I told him it was tasty (which it was) but short on vegetables and the expected egg. His Thai wife came by, and asked the cook about it. Then there was a long excited story, translated for me, about how everything was used up and her son who has a drug problem took all of the money so she couldn't buy more eggs and vegetables. So when I left I happily paid her 30 baht for the stir fried rice and pork, and hope she buys some eggs and vegetables with it. I had heard from the British expats that there is a big drug problem here, mostly crystal meth.

Another cyclist checked in here. He is a Dutch guy, and has traveled in SE Asia quite a bit. He said there is challenge in the Netherlands to ride 500 km between December 25 and 31. He tried to meet the challenge in 3 days here in Thailand. He was 20 km short when he arrived at the resort, so dropped his bags and went out and did the extra 20 k. He rides through the heat of the day, trying (and succeeding) to get some distance in. I explained that I'm the opposite. I don't want to be out frying in the sun, and am happy to put in a shorter day, see the countryside and small towns, and cool off in an air-conditioned room in the afternoon.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. One of the British guys is driving to Aranyaprathet, on the Thai side of the border with Cambodia, and has offered me a lift.

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Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 2,107 km (1,308 miles)

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