Wednesday, October 8, 2014

STR Adventure Day 4 - To Ranong! Well... almost. 75km


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We woke up to pouring rains but that didn't deter us as it just meant we could eat at Greenview's excellent restaurant once again for breakkie. They made excellent rice porridge which we all enjoyed thoroughly. The rains continued and when it eased a little, we took the opportunity to fly downhill to Kuraburi, some 10km away.

It was great to be on the road again this time at a faster than average speed thanks to gravity. As we entered Kuraburi, we were blessed to be welcomed by a huge procession of school children all dressed up. I believe it was some Royal festival, perhaps the Queen's birthday.

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With loud music and lots of pomp, we were taken in with the excitement together with the large crowds, all lined up on both sides of the road. It is moments like these that make touring so special.


We stopped at the local 7-11 to top up our supplies and proceeded to a local cafe to enjoy amazing coffees and teas. As usual, we were greeted with much curiosity and warm smiles. The clouds were still dark and the roads still wet but that not deter our caffeine-nated spirits that were so bright and high. Our ambitious aim was Ranong, straight up north along Highway 4 for another 110km.


The ride up for most part of the morning was excellent as the rains were light and intermittent. Despite the slight rolling hills, we were able to move along at a good speed. I appreciated the wide bike lanes, not that they were needed as traffic was almost non-existent and that made for a most pleasurable ride.


The heavens soon began to pour about 30km into the ride and we had to take shelter at a Muslim family's house that had a small business selling drinks. The kind lady offered us unlimited supply of mangosteens and was rather shy about taking pictures. With the rains pouring, we were literally stuck there for hours but the family didn't mind it one bit. We appreciated their warm hospitality very much.

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We decided to press on as the rain was relentless and cycled till about noon when we chanced upon a lovely resort for lunch. Business was obviously slow during this low season and the first question the staff asked was would we need rooms. We didn't but we do need a big lunch! What fascinated in this restaurant were the owner's collection of 2 Harley Davidson motorcycles and a postie bicycle.


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As we were taking off our footwear, poor Pete realised a very slimy leach enjoying a Bloody Mary on his account. That got everyone to check themselves thoroughly! A simple flame thrower courtesy of KC's ciggie lighter soon solved the problem. Strangely, that didn't affect our appetites one bit.

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With our bellies full, it was hard work to be on our foldies again and it didn't help that we were greeted with a climb. Poor George realised Wendy's water bottle was left behind in the restaurant and turned back, accompanied by our good ole dynamo powerhouse KC while the rest of us pressed on.


With the weather getting a bit challenging, we were not making good time. Riding in the rain and sometimes muddy roads really took a toll on our bikes.  We encountered some road construction too that caused some delay. Our goal to hit Ranong today was fading as it meant riding in the dark, something we were not keen to do. So we aimed our sights at Kapoe, not knowing if there were any hotels in this small town.

Pic KC

We took a break at a coffee shop and waited for George and KC to catch up. However, after 30 mins we got really worried and Ying Chang turned back to look for them. As he set off, there they were cycling with bright smiles coming around the bend. Apparently, the ever friendly George had a chat with some soldiers at the road block.

Riding into Kapoe at about 5pm with heavy rains, I got KC to wait for the rest while I went to scout for hotels. At the 7-11, a very kind lady hopped on her Honda scooter and led me to one. It was really hard to communicate as the hotel staff could not speak any English. That hotel turned out to be unsuitable and as I rode back 2km to town to meet the rest, my Bike Friday hit a patch of slime on the road while making a turn. Before I knew it, I was on the floor in amazement. Tried standing up and the road was so slippery I fell again. Really thank God that none of us who had spills were injured! Gingerly, I picked the bike up and met the rest of the gang taking shelter at the local goldsmith shop, drinking hot teas and munching happily on fried chicken.


While waiting for our sumptous dishes to arrive at dinner, Ying Chang and I went to check out a newish place called DD Resort. This is located about 1km from the town centre at the back of the big school field. We struck gold! It was spanking new and ran by a lovely Thai family. I immediately paid a deposit and returned excitedly to the group who were just about to start eating.


Everyone was so happy to check into DD Resort as we all had beautiful chalets. Most importantly, we could wash our bikes and gave it a much needed lubrication. The 3 single boys shared the VIP one, and that had large, comfortable beds with cold aircon. We somehow managed to un-VIP the room with all our hanging laundry but no one minded one bit.


Though we didn't quite make Ranong today, it was perfectly ok as we were not in a race. Such is a beauty of a tour, where sometimes it's great to just go where the wind blows or in our case, where the rain falls.

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