November 2, 2016
To Kamphaeng Phet: The early bird does not miss the heat
It was an interesting night, and now I felt badly that I'd awakened the proprietor of the hotel in the afternoon. Cars would drive in, spend an hour or two and leave. Then the staff would clean the room, and before too long someone else would come and use it. I guess these facilities are Thailand's answer to the lack of privacy at home.
It did occur to me that I may have had more options for accommodation, and more regular services and 7-Eleven's with their air conditioning blasting if I took the highway. I checked the distance to today's destination, Kamphueng Phet, and it was 10 km longer on the highway, so I rejected that option. I did go with the Garmin option, which was a main road, and stayed to the east of the river.
I was up really early, but waited until daylight to head out. There was coffee available at the hotel, so I stopped and had some. It was instant 3 in 1, and the thermos of water was cold so it didn't dissolve very well. I choked it down and said thank you, and didn't disclose that I'd heated water with my immersion heater and had hot coffee in my room.
So I was on the road by about 6:15. The temperature was quite pleasant, in the mid 70's. However, with the humidity pegged at about 100%, I was still sweating profusely! I stopped at a 7-Eleven at about 10 miles, and had what had become my usual snack of coconut drink and a steamed bun. The coconut drink has chunks of coconut in it, and doesn't work all that well with the straws that are used for every cold drink here. School kids were out and about, and giving the store some business.
I was passed by several school buses, and the kids generally gave me a good greeting. By about 8 am it was getting noticeably hotter, and by 10 I was struggling in the heat. I stopped at another 7-Eleven, went in to cool off, but didn't actually buy anything. I went next-door and got an iced coffee. The cold coffee drinks are larger than most of the bottled drinks, and come with lots of ice.
I passed several wats today. If I was careful about note taking, I could tell you the names, but I wasn't.
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Then I made the final push into Kamphaeng Phet and the Three J's Guest House. This guest house was described on line as sort of a backpacker's hangout, but I'm the only guest here at the moment. It's sort of a funky place with bungalows spread out around a central area cluttered with elaborate wood seats and other paraphernalia. It gives it sort of a jungle appearance. I have to say that the layout of my room is exactly the same as last night. There is a bed that takes up most of the space. The bathroom is at the far end, with the shower first, and then the toilet, so once you have showered, you walk across the wet floor to use the toilet. The big difference from last night is the seating area outside and the general atmosphere. There is breakfast available, too, but not included in the 400 baht price.
After I checked in and showered, I took my laundry down the street to a self-service washer. I am going to take a rest day here, so the clothes should dry before I need to pack up.
I walked to the night market to get some dinner. It's a good market, and was already quite busy when I arrived at 5 pm, the official opening time.
Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 363 km (225 miles)
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