Main Roads! 3/03/2011: Saraburi to Sung Noen 121.37km

We had breakfast at our swanky digs, it was a little expensive but we got bacon, eggs, toast, fruit and a big cup of tea we had out of a soup bowl. It was a clear day and by 730 it was already 26C, the riding had a few decent hills and when I could I grab onto the side of the slow moving trucks, I did this a few times today on one occasion I had to let go to avoid crashing into Russell. The temperature by 10am was up to 40C, it was going to a hard one and by midday we stopped by a huge lake, the type the loch ness monster would live in. We had chicken and sticky rice for dinner but before we finished Russell had to go off in search of the toilet as he’s been having a touch of a leaky backside. We took a long break and all fell asleep on a shaded bench which is where we stayed till 3pm.

Setting off it was much cooler and I was enjoying it, but road works made this busy road insanely dangerous, the road surface had been taken off and left little slits in the road surface which our bike tyres didn’t like if we carried on we were certain to fall off and possibly into the path of one of the trucks. A solution wasn’t far away, we simply cycle on a part of the road that was being worked on, we just had to dodge the occasional stream roller or digger but it was much safer.

After an hours riding I think Russell reached his limit for the day. He was complaining of bad saddle sore all day which I know is painful so I had an element of sympathy and I think he needed to stop for the day. There was a passing motorcycle which was selling ice cream, we flagged it down and sat by the roadside having, well ice cream. I was trying to encourage Loon and Russ to camp but neither was keen on the idea, passing through a small drive through town I kept an eye out for a hotel as I think Russell needed it, I conceded myself it would probably be a hotel but I said only if it was less than 100baht. Just as we were coming to the end Russell stopped us and said he wanted to stop here and a passing motorbike took us a fair bit out of his way to a hotel which we would never have found for the reason that the signs were all written in Thai.

We tried to convince the hotel manger to let us all pile into a single room which was only 180baht between the 3 of us. He wouldn’t have it so we settled for an air conditioned twin room for 300 baht, I said to Russell and Loon I’d sleep on the floor as long as I paid less, so they paid 110 baht each and I paid 80baht or GBP1.60.