| Distance | 62.10 kms | 38.53 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Ride time (hours) | 3.31 | - |
| Avg speed | 18.7 kph | - |
| Distance | 1,209.10 kms | 751.24 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Ride time (hours) | 60.79 | - |
Tuesday, December 13th, 2016
A woman pretzels me to pieces in a Thai "massage". It feels more like a Rolfing. Tight leg muscles she says, yup I suppose long-distance cycling will do that to you.
I resolve to take it easy today. No really. This time I mean it. And I sort of do.
Breakfast at the hotel is brilliant: fried eggs and lots of stuff I can't name, consumed a mere 20 feet from the full-moon tide ocean that is almost breaking on the hotel's lawn. Lots of bowing and thank yous with the staff on the way out. They are incredibly friendly; authentically so.
It is soon apparent that I'm in for another day of extreme heat. I don't know why this surprises me, virtually every day I've been in Thailand has been hot like this.
I don't have to set rubber on a highway all day long. I meander down back roads through various types of tree plantations, the occasional mosque or wat or tiny village. Lunch consists of a big bag of fried banana sold by an adorable young lady in Muslim garb. She must be unbearably hot wearing all that in this heat while standing in front of a fryolator.
As soon as I reach my hotel I drop my stuff in the room and go straight to the beach for a refreshing swim.
I ask the woman running the hotel if she knows anyone who does Thai massages. The French guys sold me on the idea. She knows someone, says it's the real deal and not just a codeword for prostitution, so I give it a try. Ouch! This woman really works me over. At various points she is putting all her weight into pulling me this way and that, pretzeling me, digging her fingers into my legs and pulling my muscles. She says my legs are really tight and gives them extra attention. Well that would make sense given all the cycling. I can barely walk when it's over. I feel like I'm made of rubber as I wobble back to the hotel. I suppose I'll find out tomorrow if it's been a good or bad thing.
