Pathum Thani to Kanchanaburi: 346


Statistics for today
Distance 139.10 kms 86.37 miles
Ride time (hours) 7.18 -
Avg speed 19.3 kph -
Statistics for trip to date
Distance 192.20 kms 119.30 miles
Ride time (hours) 11.39 -
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Friday, December 2nd, 2016

Today is one of those bicycle touring days where you slog from A to B so that you can eventually get to C. 346 is the highway number, it's 346 all day long from Pathum Thani to Kanchanaburi. If I wasn't riding on the left I could swear I was cycling on a Mexican highway through Queretaro or Puebla: flat, hot, chaotic, stuff burning in the distance... it even smells the same.

The hotel made me leave a 1,000 baht deposit last night. Only stayed in 2 hotels in Thailand so far but both have checked the room before I leave in the morning. I am pleasantly surprised, however, to discover that breakfast is included. I take full advantage of that perk.

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Rice paddies line the highway.
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Taking 5.
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Lots of this today.
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Monitor lizard, all 5 feet of him. Didn't have time to focus...
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Disappearing into the water.
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A guy on a motorcycle stopped to give me one of these. He spoke a lot but I didn't get much. I think he said "do you speak Thai" and "where are you going" because those things sounded vaguely like their Chinese equivalents, or maybe I was just imagining things.
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Crossed through a couple of provinces today.
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Not sure what that's doing there.

The headwinds pick up in the afternoon. I make the mistake of waiting to have lunch, then when the hunger hits I'm on a stretch that has no services. When I finally run into a 7-11 I'm ravenous: two sandwiches, a bag of peanuts, and a Snickers bar later I'm feeling vaguely human again. The road turns southwest for the last 25 kilometers which gives me somewhat of a break from the wind.

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Pictures of the royals are everywhere, especially of the recently-deceased king.
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First look at something not flat.
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14 dollars/night.

I drop my stuff at a residence/hotel/guesthouse kind of place and ride (eventually) to the river after getting thoroughly lost. I'm still nervous about riding on the left, I just have the wrong instincts. I have to keep reminding myself to think before navigating an intersection or crossing the road. Dinner sitting outside by the river: "hot Thai curry" (and man is it hot) with pork fried rice. Delicious and plentiful for only 5 dollars with drink.

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Riverfront with floating houses.
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I drank 5 liters of water while riding today and another 2 at night; and my legs are quite sore despite relatively easy riding. Unusual...it was hot but not that hot.