Wednesday December 17, 2014, 236 miles (380 km) – Total so far: 7,595 miles (12,223 km)
Wednesday December 17, 2014 Three days 236 miles We have one more week before arriving in Bangkok and are spending the time cycling south. The last few days have been very easy as for the first time in many months the road is flat and the wind has switched from the south to the north so we have a very strong tail wind. There is a weather system bringing rain to Vietnam so the winds have switched here.
The guest homes have been nice. As yet we have not camped in Thailand due to the mosquitoes and snakes. It seems as though no one camps here because of that and the very inexpensive $8-$10 a night very clean rooms. In the evenings the mosquitoes come out with a roar. They are not large but massive in swarms. It is very muggy with water everywhere along with snakes. We don’t know what kind but they are small and are probably water snakes as we see many along the ditches, streams, and rivers.
I forgot to say that when we entered Thailand cars drive on the left side of the road like New Zealand. It took me a few days getting used to and I endured many “Dad, you are on the wrong side again” comments. But I am used to it now. The drivers are almost too courteous and will cruise by you very slowly sometimes. There is no honking at all like in China, Vietnam and a little in Laos. China is absolutely nuts with honking.
Chinese drivers honk excessively. They honk to let you know they are behind you, if the driver in front is too slow, if they are passing and they are in the oncoming lane they honk to let oncoming traffic know they are there. It really is very excessive and at first it drove me nuts at their rudeness. They will not slow down. At first I thought the vehicle horns were tied to the accelerator and if the vehicle slows down the horn activates. A fellow cyclist living in Chengdu said it best: If there was road rage like in other countries the population of China would be half.
On Tuesday we stopped to visit the ancient city of Ayutthaya which was the capital of Thailand until 417 years ago. The city was founded in 1350 when Thailand’s northern neighbors forced the government to move. The city is full of ancient temple ruins and only 76km from Bangkok. We found an excellent hostel surrounded by gardens.
