Ranong

Arrived 8/4/2011

Ranong - one of the bigger desolate
buildings I've seen

The supposed to be shorter day – felt long and tiring hopefully some fitness will kick at some stage.  I have decided I am a Mule.  Slow, steady and carrying a lot of weight for no real reason.  There are some differences between us I like to think - hopefully I'll still be fertile after all this riding!  Saw another cyclist and had minimal gear.  I think I’m learning the hard way of the need to pack light.  I am now thinking that maybe it was fate that I broke my speedo as it is rather depressing looking at the speeds I go! Life ay! All very depressing… but I have an air con room and had a massive feed.

The big archways and shrines for the King and
Prince pretty impressive.  You'll find them in the
 middle of town, on a corner and half way
to nowhere along a highway

Apparently Thai people never sleep.  All night there is music cranking and the people in the next room sounded like they were yelling at each other.  And if they do sleep, they get up at 5am.  Just chill out and sleep a bit people! 

I was tempted to get some fries from a cafe today.  I withstood the urge and had a pork and flat noodle soup instead - similar.

A nice evening run along the Ranong River

Kapoe

Arrived 7/4/11:

The first proper day of riding - 115km, 15km longer than I wanted and that was pushing it. A slightly tenderised bum and hungry by the time I finally arrived a Kapoe.  The up side is a shorter day tomorrow… well, we’ll see how it goes.  Had a wee spout of afternoon monsoon rain.  Found a shelter sat, snoozed and waited half an hour before it eased off and starting clearing. 

Pull!

I was put to shame today.  Came across a Danish fella who had started riding 6 months ago from Denmark and only had two rear panniers and a tent strapped to the carrier.  How he managed that I have no idea but has made me think about the kitchen sink that I brought!

I also had the treat today of seeing an elephant in action.  All roped up hauling a massive tree up a bank to the side of the road.  It was pretty impressive.  A couple of wheelies then it managed to pull it up – very powerful.

I think I made my first friend in Kapoe if only for about 5 minutes. Wondering to the local market and a kid drives past asking "where you go?" "market" jumped on and he took me there.

Taking pissing in the shower to a new level.

Takua Pa and Khao Sok National Park

Arrived 5/4/11


So I thought it was interesting / difficult enough to get around Khao Lak but that place is set up for tourists.

My first day of cycling an easy 30km into Takua Pa.  Started riding realise my speedo was broken – I had crushed the cable, idiot. I hadn’t even started riding and I had already broken something and something pretty helpful and important. Oh well shit happens.  Stumbled across a bike shop in Takau Pa and with many gestures got a new speedo and with even more difficultly I asked to pump my tyres up more with a floor pump.  Wow that was a hard to explain.  Mai kow jai, mai kow jai (I don’t understand) the lady kept saying.  Tyre – pump – me use? How else do you break it down! So I just grabbed a pump and pointed then two guys came out and did it for me, sweet.

Sorting accommodation: “Room, two nights? Me, two nights stay. One, two nights.  Tonight and tomorrow.”

And I have a room.

Dinner.  “Do you have a menu?”

“only in Thai.  Chicken?”

“Yes, fried rice” – token white boy

I need to learn Thai quick!

The night market works well though just point and take who knows what you get until you eat it!

There it is hiding in the greenery

Khao Sok National Park:

Khao Sok National Park was alright. I made the mistake of not allowing enough time to actually get over to the lake and see the renowned krast landforms that I wanted to see but I'm sure something else will come along later.  Instead I just took a guided walk through a section of the park with Adam (probably has another name in Thai...).  Communication was a bit of a struggle.  He'd rattle on about something and I'd pick up a couple words then simile and nod while he waited for me to answer.  "...sorry what did you say?" Classic. He knew a good bit about the place and happy to grab everything. Some funny creatures in there and I was lucky enough to see a Black Monkey - although very briefly.  Spiders (not a fan), Cameleons or similar (lizard things) and flying lizard things and lots and lots of bamboo.

I was told just to hold its tail as it bits
"not bad, not poison, but it bite"

I also got to experience my first belt of monsoon rain, luckily undercover.  A wise man once told me that when it rains it pours, and it poured.  Then the sun came out and hour later, sweet.

Ginger plants apparently,
well the roots of them.

"ah Adam, there's an f 'n' big spider on your face." 

The flying lizard. 

Some of the Krast landforms. I think the ones
on the lake would be a bit more impressive

Rain

Similan Islands Diving

Hold the mask and regulator and other hand on the
weight belt.  Perfect example if do say so myself.

3/4/11


Took a one day dive trip with my own personal instructor - Kate.  I was pretty much a natural under water apart from bobbing up and down not controlling my buoyancy very well and almost resurfacing too quick, whoops.

Breathing under water is pretty cool and there's some cool stuff down there!  Naked statues that have been thrown in - I thought it was a dead body to start with!!

Hey look it's me! Yea I'm so pro just look at that breathing.  28 degrees underwater but funny enough you still get cold after a while.

Fluffy eyed rock worms

Rock worms.  These fellas are choice. Fluffy, bright yellow, green or blue, black or white creatures they just hang on rocks with big bulging eyes sucking up the goodness of the ocean.  Swipe your hand in front of them and they disappear into the rock. Endless fun really.

Next up was some shrimp.  These bad boys played around on the rocks and when you put your hand up to them out they come, jump aboard and start eating your dead skin. I would have easily run out of air before they would have finished with me.

When you're diving deep down
and you see something brown...
that's a moray

Local Cuisine

The claw

Yes this is a chicken foot.  Apparently they cook and eat every part of their food.  So it ate.  Tasted much like chicken foot, very crunchy and not much meat. Interesting.


Also sampled a local deliciously and big black beetle similar size to a nose.  Take one beetle, remove wings, fry and eat. Kind of like a strong satay / peanut butter taste. Again, no surprises, very crunchy (seems all weird foods taste like peanut butter). Satisfied a curiosity.  I will have to try and get a photo or find a picture of one.


Finally found the bug (I think) 3 months later.

Right: Toilet, Left: Bum Gun

Although reasonably unrelated (but maybe related - what goes in come out) let me introduce you the "bum gun".  Point, aim and clean. I wasn't the most comfortable using this so took back to the conventional way.

The Journey over and Khao Lak

My tropical rainforest outside my room 

What you have all been waiting for…

After endless hours of flying I acquired numb bum syndrome and by Singapore had loose bowl movements - I’m thinking it was the aeroplane food.

I arrived in Phuket to 30 degree heat at 10pm not really having any idea what I was doing.  It was great to have the familiar face of Kate to arrive to.

I woke up in a tropical rainforest.  Hot and sticky but haven’t experienced much rain yet just annoying NZ drizzle.

Power lines are everywhere road rules don’t apply just indicate and pass and others should move.  Somehow it manages to work.

Breakfast day 1: Kate introduced me to local cuisine - sticky rice, chicken and some other random meats embracing the local culture.  Breakfast day 2: eggs, bacon, toast and museli bit of a cop-out!

Boxed up housing and flash trucks.  Hi Kate!

I have managed to make myself cry, sweat, get a runny nose and have my mouth on fire all at once after eating what I thought was a piece of capsicum on a kebab.  It was definitely a chilli and apparently a mild one. Shit!

There is loads of stuff happening everywhere all pretty full on taking it all in there are even little night insects that flash an orange light! I think the only thing I haven’t seen so far is a lady man lady.

Ferry Crossing

If you are here run like mad!

If you are watch people run like mad!

Without a motor...

Tsunami Memorial - Police boat washed inland

Thai style scaffolding

Raw prawns, cabbage stuff, garlic and sauce.  Surprisingly good!

Treehouse lunch - we were about 7m above ground on a deck

Fitting power cables wherever you can....

Local market.  Open chickens anyone?!

Wee Budda Temple found outside or around most people's houses.
Farang man. (white man) 

The Trial Run

All geared up and ready to go

Story time!  The trial run.  A test run was a must before getting away to see what kind of punishment I am going to get myself into and the big question of seeing how the bike rides!  After faffing about week after week gearing up the bike I finally organised myself for a two day trip on the second to last weekend I’d be in NZ – things needed to go right!

The loop: Springs Junction – Camp at Lyell - Inangahua - Reefton then back over to Springs Junction.

Maruia Falls and drink refill

Packing consisted of most things I could find that would weigh me down and I think I succeeded in doing that.  I could barely lift the bike once loaded…maybe not a good sign of what it will be like on the actual tour.

Wanting to be at Lyell.
Ended up about 3km down the road 

So at Springs Junction I jumped on the bike – wobbly to start with, I blame the weight throwing me around not the fact I hadn’t ridden for about two months! The bike coasted beautifully hitting up speeds of 25kph on the flats - this is going to be a slow ride, carbon road bikes don’t prepare you for this.  Any hills or mounds I was knocking it down into second and slowly crawl my way up.

Food: Easy. Take few snacks for each day, hit up a dairy or some food place on the way for dinner and a wee restock of food if needed.  Reality… no dairies or food between Springs Junction and Lyell (camp site about 15km out of Inangahua) so dinner was a slice of cake, 4 biscuits and a pear.  Stoked.

The much needed traffic light
controlled one way bridge in the
 middle of nowhere 

Second day I had more success. Stocked up on food at Inangahua, took a wrong turn and went a little bit the wrong way before finding the main road again.  Not so promising getting mildly lost in your own country!  Reefton for lunch then up the never ending Rahu saddle before a sweet descent into Springs Junction.  Maxing out at 55kph downhill!

At the end of the ride it had been a general success.  I had a sore ass and understood how slow cycle touring will be.  The bike was awesome it just its owner that needs to get fit.

The long awaited Rahu Saddle.