Day 29: Cheese Biscuit hunt

Day 29: Cheese Biscuit hunt
Thailand: Surat Thani to Don Khaw. Actually i dont know where am i
Distance: 84.7km
Time on board: 6 hours 2 mins
Cumulative distance: 1537.1 km

The hardest part of the skate is the start of the day. Forcing myself to get up from comforty bed just to push another 80 odd km, that is insane. Honestly, who would want to do that. Once i get on my board, all these feelings goes away and i am back to my zone. In life, the toughest part is always having to make the first step.

Had roti canal for breakfast and passed by Tesco lotus supermarket. Finally i got my Magic Cheese biscuit. Yummy and filling. Good for snacking during the breaks. I gave up on bananas cos down here, weather is too hot to store bananas on my pack, by the end of day, bananas turns out mushy. Hence i stick to cheese biscuit. Been searching for it over all 7-11 in surat thani.

Got off the main route 4 and goes on the secondary road 2007 to get out of Surat Thani city and connect to road 4112. Google map suggest a shortcut using an unnamed road, life is an adventure, so why not. You never know what road you going to get. Well it turns out to be potholes filled concrete road. Therefore i have to walk most of the shortcut, which mean it is not a shortcut to me. End of shortcut goes back to road 4112 hurray. Stop by a drink stall and the owner gave me 2 bottles of water. I only took 1 due to overweight backpack.

Road 4112 follows along the train track. At some point, i spotted another cycle tourer in the opposite direction. He is from UK and started from bangkok and going to singapore.

At 45km, stopped for lunch. Can't seem to communicate to the stall that i want glass noodle soup. She just made me maggie noodles instead. Oh well, just eat it. Google map suggested another shortcut and it looks good so i decided to take the risk again. This time, it is smoother than 4112 and without the traffic. Happily push paddled for 8km before connecting back to 4112.

My best part of the day is after 3pm. My speed seems faster despite the heat. I sort of know that i am reaching my destination, hence my morale boosted up and so i sped up. Pass by Wat Don Khaw but i headed to beach first before returning to the monastery to seek permission to hang my hammock. This time, i hanged my hammock outdoors so i can see the stars. Had two serving of pad thai rice for just 80 baht. Total expenditure today is just 206 baht. You do the maths.

Town of Bang Sai, in Chinese dialect means shitting

Another British cycle tourer

Day 27: Logan, end of legacy

Day 27: Logan, end of legacy
Thailand: Bang Sawan to Surat Thani
Distance: 85km
Time on board: 5 hours 57 mins

Cumulative Distance: 1452.4km

Slept well in my hammock despite the dogs barking all night. Now after touring for so long, i am starting to dislike them, prefering pussies now. Had my cheese biscuits, really filling and tasty. Got off bang Sawan, and continued into road 44. Since there is palm tree plantation separating the dual directions, those motorists, not wanting to make a U-turn, started going in opposite direction into my shoulder lane. Pretty irrating as i had to look out for them.

Into 15km, road turned bumpy, my worst nightmare for several km. Still hurting from my sunburn shoulders, and facing an uphill, i succumbed to temptation, hitch a motorcycle ride up the slope, only to realise smooth road is just down that slope. If only i can bear a little longer, who knows. You are having problems, you dont know when it will ever end. Sometime it ends up ahead soon.

Continued riding, soon police car tailed behind me. They were encouraging me and taking photos. Thai police were very nice and friendly actually. Trying to uphold friendly road safety image in Thailand.

46km, passed a petrol station with food stalls, i immediately jumped at it for early lunch at 11 am. Who knows when is the next stop.

55km, passed another petrol station with 7-11. Took an hour nap from blitzering heat at 1pm. Back on the road at 2pm.

By 4pm arrived at Surat Thani. Checked into Capsule hotel. 120 baht from Agoda booking. A small capsule bed, wifi and warm shower is all I needed. No frills and cheap.

Found cinema that finally shows Logan in English soundtrack. I find it amusing, before the show starts, everyone must stand for king's anthem. I shouldn't say any further as criticising Thai royalty is an offence. Logan marks the end of Wolverine series, is rather different from most superheroes action film. Logan descipt how superheroes deal with old age and obsurity. I guess one day we will grow old and it is how we leave our legacy. I know what my legacy to be like.

Another rest day tomorrow

Another Friendly Highway Police

Surat Thani City Pillar Shrine

Finally Found my lost brother

I am on the way

Capsule Hotel in Surat Thani

Bang Sawan road

Day 25-26: Shit Happens, The world is my toilet

Day 26: Shit Happens, The world is my toilet
Thailand: Krabi to Bang Sawan
Distance: 75km
Time on board: 5 hours 19 m

Cumulative distance: 1367.2km

Yesterday spent chilling at Ao Nang Beach and ended up having sun burn on my shoulders. In the evening, met up with Jason Martin, cycle tourist whom i met on the way to Krabi previously. He brought along his hostel mates and a couple from Germany is actually running all the way from Singapore to here. Insane! I thought i am the crazy one already. They ran with a wagon attached to their hip, which allows them to carry 30kg of load. Maybe i should do that too. However, their wagon broke mid way and so they bought a bicycle. They took turns to ride and cycle and alternate hourly. It took 6 weeks for them to get here.

Today woke up with sunburn. Bad mistake not wanting to sun block my skin. The backpack seems alot more painful on my sunburnt Shoulders. Today's skate is really painful. Struggled on the first hour as i felt that burning sensation on shoulders pressed by my backpack.

30 km on Road 4, i crossed over to road 44 to Surat Thani 125km away. Road 44 was rather pleasant, middle of mountain ridges and palm tree plantations. Traffic was also rather light. However, it was constructed as an express road connecting Surat Thani and Krabi, meaning it bypass towns, resulting in barren land. For entire 20km, i skated and found nothing. No shops and eateries. A car stopped and offered me a lift. I was tempted to accept given my burning shoulders. But i refused, wanting to skate all the way. I recalled one of my catholic mass, Father henry talked about carrying our own burden of cross as Jesus did. This is my burden of cross, my test. Everyone in life has to carry their own cross, it is how we do it. Over centuries, buddhist monks walked in their pilgrimage. Now modern time, travellers walked, cycled, inline skate, skateboarded and many other ways just to explore the world. It wasn't easy at times, we faced challenges all the time but it was rewarding as well when we got our reward or overcome the obstacles.

Stopped at a shade, heard a stream of tiny waterfall. Left my backpack and board on the road shoulder and ventured into forest in search for waterfall. Just few hundred metre, found it. Of course i took a dip amidst hot humid weather and refilled my water using Grayl water filter. Just fill it and push it down.

After 47km, finally found eatery out of nowhere. Grabbed opportunity for lunch cos i don't know when is my next meal, given the barren roads. Continued my way, shortly after, shit happens. Literally shit. Stopped by the roadside, grabbed my emergency toilet paper and found a tree to poo on it. Good thing i thought of bringing toilet rolls from my hotel.

Life is like having to shit along the way, you better be prepared with toilet paper cos you never know when you need it.

At 70km, got off road 44, and switched over to Bang Sawan. Next town is 40km away, not sure if i can reach before sunset given my condition. At 3.30pm, arrived at Bang Sawan and found monastery to stay over. Not the best comfortable accomodation, but it is free, and they are kind enough to accept me in.

Tomorrow is another 80km to Surat Thani.

Ao Nang Beach

The Voyage

Camping 

Harvesting Ants for food. Yummy