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Published: January 11th 2011
Distance travelled -78 miles/127km
There are no words to describe how we’re all feeling after today. I was pretty flat and emotional this morning as I looked down the barrel of a 127km ride but nothing hit Kel and I both as much as the surprise visit from all of Khun Thew’s children from Yasothon Orphanage.
The children arrived this afternoon en route to Khao Lak where they will be waiting for us as we cross the finish line. For most of us this was the first time we’ve come face to face with the children and the reason for us making this 800km journey. Not a dry eye in the house as the children accepted donations of shoes - thanks to Scott arranging a donation from Ecko - gave hugs to the riders and were reunited with their beloved Khun Thew.
For most of us seeing a little boy no older than 4yo and being told that he has aids and they’re not sure how long he will live was heart wrenching and really brought home a lot of feelings specially for the Dad’s that are on tour. One look in the eyes of the other riders
in that one moment showed the impact that this journey has had on everyone. I can’t begin to imagine how we’ll all feel when we arrive at Baan Tharn Namchai on Thursday. Should probably go to Testco’s and stock up on the tissues tonight!
The ride itself was the longest of the 8 days and by far the hottest we’ve experienced. Combine the heat with the hideous highway stretches and you’ve got a classic case of WTF are we doing here? It’s day 6 and mentally one of the worst on tour so we were in for a big day.
The morning started off with the Chumphon Cycling Team riding with us to the second water stop. There’s something calming about riding next to someone who can not speak one word of English but just keeps pedaling to the same rhythm as you. At the first stop we came across a very friendly monkey who loved Kel and I. He ran up our legs for cuddles, tried to eat our helmets and even went so far as to take a swig of water from Kel’s camel pack. We wanted to take him with us too but Kel’s basket
Group photo
10 points if you can pick Kel and Claire outreally isn't big enough for all these additional traveling companions!
As the day started to heat up so did the energy in the team and by lunch time we were back on track. Those that were feeling flat in the morning pepped up with the help of some great conversations along the way. And if you were riding along with the Irish girls there was also some fun and interesting word games happening - quite sexual so we were told! But the biggest achievement of all and an indicator of how far Kel and I have come we’ve definitely found our legs and our home in the front pack! Kel even rode into one of the stops first which was amazing for someone that lacked very little confidence just a few days ago.
Some more long stretches of highway took us through small towns before hitting more dirt roads and some very extensive road works. At the lunch stop we saw a guy riding a motorbike with a 30 metre plank of wood strapped to it, not quite sure how he would manage corners but we imagine widely and slowly! After lunch we diced with bumps, pot holes
and gravel for about 10-12km before stopping for a quick water stop and heading towards our final destination - the beautiful 100 islands spa and resort.
Sadly this journey is coming to an end for us but not before some killer climbs. With just 156km to go the team is now preparing for our arrival in Khao Lak. We’ve been out tonight to stock up on washing powder, toothbrushes, toothpaste, talc powder, tissues, shampoo, conditioner and cooking oil for the orphanage, now just to get through the next two days.
Tomorrow is our last night and a very big day in terms of inclines but after today we’ve now got some inspiration to get us up those hills. And as a few people keeping telling us we have to just keep riding, just keep riding!!
Time to sleep, much love to all.
Nemo and Dory (Finding Nemo - just keep riding, just keep riding!)
xx
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Tot: 0.097s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 5; qc: 46; dbt: 0.0703s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Daniel Murray
non-member comment
day 7
hey girls! You are doing great! On both the last 2 rides everyone is flat after getting into Surat Thani, maybe it's the KFC or just the 127km day. But the next stop is one of the prettiest mountain resorts and the last of the long days! Everyone here who supported you is behind u driving u on!