Double up...

I am updating this cycleblog everyday and the pics there are better quality. This blog will be updated once in a while after  i arrive Koh Lanta.

My whole tour is on the worlds biggest and best cycle-blog:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=11209&v=5i


I got 6000 readers there!

I got 8 pr day here...


Morten

 

Lots of km,one snake and some dogs...

Had some nice restdays in Cha Am and Hua Hin! Watched POOL and ENGA!

Lots of beers and good food!

Then came a long day at the office out of Hua Hin

 Planned to go 75 km to Sam Roy Yat and then i went mad!
Was cruising along some beautiful beaches and enjoying a lot. Sightseeing! Passed the national park at Sam Roy Yat,and it was just depressing 30 km trough shrimpfarms. Did not even want to check out those beaches. Then i lost my way and was back at the HW 4 and ended up "in the tunnel" racing along the highway! At some point i decided to do a left turn to find that nice coastal road again,but ended up going north at the 4020 rd. Back on the highway again after a 5 km detour.... Tried once more to find the beachroad but was lost again...... Another detour. (well,i announced i would do my best to put in some extra km due to what i lost in the north,anyway,and today i di it...) Then back on the highway 4 i saw signs " Prachaup Khiri Khan 42 km,and i was like "what the hell,lets do it" Did 140 km in 6 hours with an average 22,25! All total 6,30. Madness! I guess thats what some rest-days can do. (even if i had too many cigaretts and drank alot of beers...) Peaking! Prachuap Khiri Khan is just beautiful! I am on the main beach at the Sun Beach Hotel and have a beautiful room with seaview,swimming-pool and good wifi for 900 bath.
Stayed 2 nights and did a nice  sightseeing in the aerea. I will come back here!

Next up was Ban Saphan,and i had a hell-day!!!!

 Took a lot of wrong turns today... Not really sure what roads i was on in the end,and made the wrong choise going all the way here. Should have stopped at Ban Krud,but wanted to get closer to Chumpon.

 Had a snake-incident! I saw a snake and thought it was dead cause it was kind of flat behind its head. Then when i got closer it curled u...

p and raised its head! It looked like a small Cobra!!! I unclicked my spd's and passed it with my legs as high as possible! Shit!!!!

I have tried to identify the snake and it is possible it was a Sumatran Cobra! There are some of them down here... It is a spitting cobra,and the bite is poisinous as well. They can spit you in the eyes from 3 meters! I was going in ca 20 km/h,and that was my luck,i guess. I wear some cool sunglasses,of cause,so it might not have damaged me if it had time for spitting....

Then in 3 different occations dogs attacked me! At one time i had 3 dogs really going for me! One acutally was biting my bag on the trailer and slowed me down while another one was going for my leg! I pumped as many watts as i was able to and did some zigzagging! When the dog on my trailer lost its balance and let me go i was safe. Shit!!!

2 other incidents with straydog also,but not as close as this one...

What is it with dogs in the south? I did not have this problem up north!

Already from the first minutes today i did feel i was low on energy. Did 122 km in the end,but needed 8 hours. The wrong turns really wore me out in the end....

Now i am fine,had a great italian home made pasta and enjoying some good redwine at the Sunrise Bungalows at Bang saphan. Italian owner. 

 

Been resting here today. The place is ok,but i would preferred Ban Krud....

 

I will have a weapon tomorrow! Bamboo stick!

 

Next report possibly from the Andaman coast!

 

 

Ubon-Sisaket and a giant step to the sea!

Ubon-Sisaket was 63 more km in the tunnel.... Fast and hot!

And boring....

The 226 was bigger and had more traffic than i expected...

And i got fed up...

So yesterday i took a train-ride to Bkk and a minivan to Cha Am to start my southern loop.
Will rest a few days before i start again on saturday.

Now i am enjoying the best seafood in Thailand and relaxing by the great pool at Bann Pantai Hotel!

:-)

 

Udon! Going west!

Been some long hot days from Mukdahan trough Amnan Charoen. The resting day did me good,even if i had too many beers with an aussie and some locals...

2 legs of 80 km going fast on flat nice road! Average 20,6 and 21,6! Moving now!

Mostly i see my front wheel and my speedometer,and it is madness. I am cycling trough some nice places,but i am completly in the tunnel.

I am enjoying! I like to move fast. It was part of the plan. But it is not the way to go if you really wanna experience Isaan. I have seen some nice small sleepy riverside villages,and some great nature,but basically i have passed all the highlights racing....

3 days to Korat now,and i will pass 1000 km soon. From Korat there will be the 5 hour trianride into Bkk and then i look forward to cycle the south! Cruise along those beaches on good roads,staying in bungalows on the beach,swim in the ocean!  :-)

Next update from Korat or possibly Bkk.


 

Going south!

Had 2 long days going along the Mekong. Left Ban Pheang without a possible hangover. I skipped the wedding.....

The ride to Nakhon Phanom was great! The 212 is good here,with nice shoulder to ride on.
Some nice landscapes and even the 7/11 along the route! (aircon and cold Gatorade...)

Checked in to the nice Viewkong Hotel and got myself a riverveiw room with aircon and balcony for 500 bath.

I decided to drop my camping-gear and some spareparts to loose some weight here. Wanna go faster now. And there will be no camping. The camping-gear was ment to be an emergency-thing up in the mountains of Laos.

So the bellboy at Viewkong helped me out and took me to the postoffice and i shipped it all to Koh Lanta.

Ban Phaeng-Nakhon Phanom was 97 km. Did it in 4,50 and average was 19,5. Fast!  :-)

Left Nakhon Phanom early next morning and the 212 got better than ever! 4 lanes divided and a great wide shoulder! Just cruising very fast along this beautiful road and within 2,26 i had done 50 km to That Phanom. There was a Tesco at the crossroads,so i ha a great lunch in aircon!  :-)

Going out from That Phanom i refilled with cold drinks before i started. And i am glad i did...

The 212 was suddently a nightmare! 2 lanes and no shoulder. And traffic was bad! Buses and trucks passing me with 30 cm clearence! It felt like i would be sucked into the slip-stream and be hit by the next car everytime they passed me! And against me came traffic overtaking in full speed without noticing me at all!
I stopped to put on my Hi-Glo reflective vest,but it din not help...

So i did 30 km of hell!

I was thinking buddists would loose some good karma if they killed a cyclist,but maybe i am wrong. I will have to ask Buddah....

Well,suddently i was back in heaven: 4 lanes and a 7/11.

Last kilometers into Mukdahan was just painful,but i was so pumped with adrenaline i pushed on hard to get there.

Arrived and checked into the Submukda Grand. Nice room for 500 bath. Balcony and wifi again.

Distance: 104 km! Time: 5 hours! Average: 20,7 km/h!

Watch out Bradley Wiggins!

I am having a rest-day here. Flood-reports are coming in and they are catching crocodiles along the road i planned to go.... Snakes floating around.....

So i am heading east now,more or less. Goal is Korat in 7 days,and then i will probably do a trairide to Bkk and Petchaburi. 400 km. Planned on only doing 200 km by train,but...

This means i will end up with more than 2000 km when i arrive on Koh Lanta.

I think that is quite good. Its my first long bicycle trip,my first solo-trip,it is rainy season and i am happy.

Problems? Still the neckpain. Found an ointment in the pharmacy that helps a bit...

Next report possibly from Ubon!

Long hot days along the Mekong.

Really been rolling last days! Made a quick move trough Pon Phisai and Bueng Khan  and am now in Ban Phaeng. Did 220 km in 3 long hot days on the Rd 212. Mostly flat and nice along the Mekong,and good for cycling.

There are some smaller roads who probably could be nicer,but i have been in "the tunnel".
Meaning i am just focused on making progress. Been doing an average of 20 km/h last 3 days! This is my goal,but so far i am not able to do it more than 100 km a day and not more than 3 days in a row.

Was considering going on today,but rumours are there are no guesthouses before i am in Nakhon Phanom,wich is a 100 km ride. I need a rest-day,basically.

Why rest? Well,i guess the most important thing is to keep in my mind that i am 53 and i did not do the best preperations for this kind of cycling..... I will pick it up enroute! And i have problems eating enough food. I really cant force myself to eat when i am not hungry. So i am loosing weight. (3 months in the gym melting off...) But i guess i will have some good portions of Tom Yum and Som Tam today on the wedding.

 South of Bkk you will see me racing to Koh Lanta!

Ban Phaeng is just another sleepy village along the Mekong. Not much tourism,but i met a few farangs (you should know what a farang is by now?)

One of the farangs is actually getting married to one of the local girls today,so i am invited in a wedding this afternoon. Will wear my wrinkeld shirt and long trousers..... Not shaving!

The cycle and the rig is preforming great! All works very well. The tires? Well,i cant belive i did not have a puncture so far. I have been cycling in some rough conditions and over broken glass and all kinds of bad stuff for normal tires. But the Schwalbe Durano Plus is still rolling. Did not even re-punp the pressure so far!

Problems so far is then just the normal stuff for long-distance cyclists:

Pain!

Normally starts in the neck region,then shoulders,then my hands get numb slowly,and then my feet is getting overheated and my toes are boiling.

Cycling is painful. But as long as my knees and ancles are ok i have no worries. And that ass is greased up everymorning! :-)

I feared the uphills on day one. I did them!
I have feared stray dogs. They all run as hell when they see my strange rig come rolling!

I did really not have anymore fears. But some worries....

They all seem to be trailng behind me now!

Next report further south in Isaan.

Nong Khai and the way from there

Been 2 nights at my favourite guesthouse: Mut Mee in Nong Khai. Great chilled place!
Got my bike fixed( speedometer and brakes) and serviced after all the beating it took last week.

Going on along the Mekong tomorrow and will follow the river to Mukdahan. Seems nice,with small villages on the bank where i can spend my nights and great nature during my days on the cycle.

Route is Phon Pisai-Bueng Khan-Ban Pheng-Nakhon Phanon first days. (its all on google maps)

Weather is great and today was a interesting day here in Nong Khai with the big River Boat competition. Lots of long boats rowing heats all day for a trophy. Lots of people and life on the bank!

Next report from Nakhon Phanon.

:-)