Ko Lanta Woke up with an hangover at first light, 80 empty Chang botlles around the tent, and I counted 710 Baht strewn across the tent floor and in my panniers from my little business venture last night - hmmm, maybe I’ll stay for another night here on the beach? I watched the sun rise over the hills behind my tent, it was a magical sight. I spent the rest of the day lazing round, filling in the ‘white-bits’ where the sun don’t reach. You get a lot of white bits cycling. I looked for a secluded cove that got cut [View Full Entry]

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Day 275, 2nd March Ranong - Kapoe - Khuraburi It was a fairly early start, and even though I spent 2 hours using the internet before Stephane was ready, we managed to set out at ten. Not far after cycling south of Ranong the dual-carriageway ended and the road became very rural again. We were heading into the muslim part of Thailand as mosques began to appear along with covered women. The journey onwards reminded me a little of Laos in a way - lots of wooden stilt buildings and hoardes of children yelling “Hello”! all the time. To the left [View Full Entry]

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Day 274, 1st March Ranong - ferry to Kawthaung and back - Ranong Yes, This is a Memorablog! So don’t think the following info is still valid - check before you go. Anyway, the point is (back to 2002) that this is the beginning of the last month that us guys will be cycling together. Four weeks from now, hopefully, we will arrive in Singapore and I’ll be booking a flight to jet off and see Kathryn - all being well? Nine months have passed since England - how time goes on, regardless of what we try and do to alter [View Full Entry]

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Day 272, 27th February Ta Hong - Chumphon - Isthmus of Kra - Khao Fachi We awoke at sunrise to a breakfast our Thai hosts had made us. The kids were vying for attention, so I showed them the “Severed-Thumb” trick which both freaked them out and amazed them. After eating, we said thanks to Jatupon, took some pics, promised to send them from home, and left at eight. Ranong was well within our capabilities today, but it was not to be. Thirty miles south near Chumphon the road headed west across The Isthmus of Kra to the west side of [View Full Entry]

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Day 268, 23rd February Hua Hin After a short sleep we were up for just after 4am and outside our pre-arranged meeting place, the Hilton, for our 5am departure to Phetburi by bus. We’d cycled through this town a few days before, and the filming was taking place there, in one of the king’s palaces. There were over 100 westerners recruited from different hostel and hotels. We had our breakfast and were told our parts. Stephane ended up as a French professor sitting in a prime position in front of the cameras, and I was a newspaper reporter in an ill-fitting [View Full Entry]

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Day 265, 20th February Don Tum - Samut - Songkhram - Khao Yoi The sun rose bright red above the palms. We had survived our tiger encounter, luckily. We quickly packed our soaking tents and followed the dusty track back onto the road, narrowly missing a bike-helmet-sized land turtle on the way. Although it was early the humidity level from the jungle was immense and we were soaked with sweat by the time we found the first place to eat, a cheap roadside café. We ordered ‘Khau-phat’ with eggs and veggies. The owner of the café spoke some English and confirmed [View Full Entry]

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Day 261, 16th February Muak Lek - Saraburi - Ayutthaya Awoke on the temple floor after the 6am prayers and shortly afterwards sunlight flooded the room. We ate breakfast with the monks - rice. But it’s strange what these Buddhist monks eat, I mean…I thought they were vegetarians but the eat fish and buffalo meat. Last night I saw some of them drinking beer and smoking cigarettes even! We got on our bikes and left just after seven, following the small track back onto the mainroad and then downhill most of the way. It became hotter very quickly as we entered [View Full Entry]

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Day 258, 13th February Ubon Ratchathani - Si Saket - Sikhoraphum Our group is finally breaking up. Nick who joined our bikepacker group in Beijing left us a week ago to go north, and Scott who I’ve spent 8 months cycling with disappeared a few days ago near the Mekong. Still no sight nor sound of him. We decided that he knows how to look after himself and not to contact the authorities. More decisions were made over breakfast regarding our future travel arrangements together, and it was decided that Rory was to speed off to Bangkok to get his ‘scrapings’ [View Full Entry]

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Day 256, 11th February Nam Thaeng - Pha Taem National Park - Khong Jiam Somehow I can’t imagine life not on-the-road. It’s a scary thought to think of the end of this journey. The most asked question from non-travellers in the last 8 months has been, “Aren’t you scared”? The answer has always been a resounding “NO”! They have obviously meant cycling and free-camping in developing countries. But now, the answer to that question is “Yes”, “I am scared of the prospect of being sitting at a desk all day doing a shitty job for t [View Full Entry]

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Day 254, 9th February Savannakhet - THAILAND - Mukdahan - Chanuman Woke up with a bit of a hangover but still managed to get my stuff packed up by 8am. We went off to the cheapo sandwich café and gorged on greasy egg sandwiches with chill sauce. Man! - I’m really going to have to cut down on my chill intake, it’s getting a bit ridiculous now, I’m putting chills or chill sauce on everything I eat. I’m sure I’m addicted to the stuff, and there must be some internal damage occuring with my guts somewhere! Trouble is, there are chillies [View Full Entry]

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