October 31, 2016
To Nakhon Sawan: Another hot one
I got rolling at about 6:30 this morning, but stopped in town at the market. It was just over 2 miles from the hotel, and I was glad I hadn't tried to walk there for dinner last night. I could have ridden my bike, but it was due for a rest after 2 days in the heat.
The market was lively for early morning, and quite colorful. It had a parking area overflowing with scooters. I added my bike, and went looking for some breakfast.
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I ended up with a sort of pancake, folded in half with coconut and some small black seeds and lots and lots of sugar in the middle. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but you do what you can do sometimes. I also picked up some bananas. I was puzzled that all of the bananas were green, and figured that the people selling them knew something that I didn't know, so I decided to give them a try. Note to self: don't buy green bananas. There were plenty of ripe yellow ones for sale along the road later on, but I was carrying my green ones. I've verified that they are not edible, and will likely leave them behind. What do all the local people do with green bananas? Maybe they're better cooked.
There were quite a few monks out collecting their morning alms. I was a little surprised that they were pushing wheelbarrows for their collection. Maybe it was food for a larger group, or maybe it was to last several days.
After the market, I found my way out of town on some small roads. I rode past a lot of rice fields, in various states of growth.
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I think the smaller roads don't radiate as much heat as the larger ones. Once I hit a busier road, I got much hotter. In fact, I stopped at a 7-Eleven for some AC and a cold drink, and when I came out, my Garmin registered 128.5 F! Granted, it was on my bike, parked in the sun, but it was hot.
I've stopped for the day in Nakhon Sawan. It's a big city! The traffic is crazy, similar to Bangkok. I headed to the P. A. Thani Hotel, which I picked out on-line based on a central location and reasonable price. It's 590 baht for a single with breakfast. I don't know what P.A. stands for, but there are several hotels here with those initials in the name.
I walked around town a bit after showering and cooling off. There is a big shopping center nearby, the Big C. The first floor is almost entirely a food court, with all sorts of things on offer. Then there is a large department store upstairs, and all sorts of smaller shops on the other levels. If I needed anything, I'm sure I could find it there! Except perhaps for bike parts.
And that reminds me that I did make a purchase today, some UV protective arm sleeves at a 7-Eleven. I should have brought some from home, but didn't, and these were a bargain at 99 baht. We'll see how well they work. Maybe it's sort of an exchange, as I discovered I left a pair of socks at the hotel last night. I have plenty of socks, so it's not a problem, but they were a pair I liked a lot and were almost new. It's too early in this trip to be losing things!
Today's ride: 47 km (29 miles)
Total: 224 km (139 miles)
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