Bangkok to Pattaya

Nov 6, Bangkok to Bang Saen, 73.3 Miles, Avg=12.9 mph

A tough day. We left about 7am heading east on Sukumvit Avenue. Sukumvit Avenue doubles as highway 3 and according to Jerry goes all the way to Pattaya. In the morning congestion we made good progress, at least compared to the automobiles and trucks. Sukumvit is a pretty wide road, with multiple lanes but at the lights the cyclist and motorbikes get to move between the cars up to the front of the line. The car drivers put up with this because they have to I suppose, at any rate we can pedal about as fast as the traffic on the crowded street. Jerry set a fast pace from the beginning, we reached speeds of up to 20+ mph. It was exciting dashing in and out of traffic, setting pace with the hordes of motor bikes and scooters doing the same thing. I saw very few cyclists and the local people I did see were moving very slowly. Later Jerry would warn me that local cyclists move rather slowly and often don't anticipate the speed at which we come at them. Something more to worry about. I was reminded of the riding I enjoyed while trying to keep up with Joshua and Guido along the French Riviera. In that case we had only two lanes on our small narrow winding road but the traffic was fast and the mix of traffic and cycling was exhilarating if not my normal desired cycling experience.

The highly urban intense traffic petered out after about ten miles. By that time the highway had two lanes each direction with a generous shoulder and signs indicating that bicycles and motor scooters should ride on the shoulder. It was a good road in good condition. The extreme left of the shoulder has some debris with its assortment of small threats to our tires, but the traffic has swept the surface in the middle and the right side of the shoulder clear. We stopped in Samut Prakarn for much needed snacks and some decompressing after the intense urban traffic. The road between Samut Prakarn and Chonburi was not rural but had much less intense development, even the occasional rice paddy. All along the way we were passed by thundering exhaust spewing trucks and buses but it wasn't nightmarish because of the generous good shoulder. At Chonburi we once again encountered intense urban congestion on a wide multilane road. Several times we had to cross several lanes of heavy fast traffic to avoid forced exits from the highway or to make a turn. On the east side of Chonburi we found a 'long cut' that Jerry knows, it's a bit longer but has less traffic and traverses the beach area of Bang Saen. Finally some peace and quiet, away from the black smoke of passing trucks. Bang Saen beach has a great number of beach chairs and umbrellas and a large number of small eating shops, separated by a very nice marble paved walkway, but very few guests. In fact, I saw only a dozen or so people who looked like tourists. Jerry says almost no foreign tourists come to this beach. The hotels here lack the facilities common for foreign tourist beaches but presumably have prices more appropriate for Thai vacationers. Back away from the beach we could see a large number of family bungalow type accommodations.

We had some trouble but eventually found Le Casa, the hotel at which Jerry had a reservation. They have very few guests so I had no trouble getting an expensive room. It's a very nice hotel but well away from the beach and even the rest of the town. In fact, I couldn't understand why they had a luxury hotel here at all. The town of Bang Saen is much larger than I would have guessed. While riding into town I saw no evidence of other hotels so either they don't display themselves in English or the town has very little accommodation this far from the beach.

I didn't have any success with my FindMe Spot tonight. I am just too tired to go looking for an open place where I might get a satellite fix. Thai towns don't have a central square like a Mexican town where you can stroll in the evening and find a bench to rest and use the spot device. I tried from the hotel balcony but the device could not get a satellite fix. I think I'll send a message while I am riding and then switch back to tracking mode after a couple miles.

I got rather sunburned. The heat and profuse sweating probably means I need to reapply my sunscreen more frequently. Jerry cycles rather faster than I prefer and I unfortunately I have not prepared for the distance either. Before the trip he wrote me that we would cycle about 25 miles per day. Now that I see the actual itinerary I can see that while we will average about 25 miles per day the first couple days will exceed that average by a considerable amount. I can see that I should have prepared better for this trip. I finished my second trip down the Pacific coast just a few months earlier and at that time was quite fit, easily able to handle a 75 mile day with a much heavier load suitable for fully self-contained touring. However, since returning I had let my training slip considerably as I enjoyed my grandchildren and relaxed around the house. Tonight, I am feeling the error of my judgment. Another day tomorrow and a much needed rest day in Pattaya, I may survive.

Nov 7, Bang Saen to Pattaya, 44.2 Miles, Avg=12.3mph

The cycling so far has little that I can recommend. I have now come just over 100 miles from Bangkok, almost all of it in a ribbon of fairly dense development along a highway clogged with truck and automobile traffic. We did stop at a beautifully ornate Chinese temple and an island devoted to sea turtles, and I saw some other Thai style temples from the road but did not take the time stop and visit. Probably the only good thing about the road is the ample shoulder. They have built their highway with the expectation that a wide assortment of vehicles would use it, from the odd ox cart to motor scooters and up to US style lorries. The road here has about an 8 foot paved shoulder for bikes and scooters. The steady traffic of scooters and even cars using the shoulder keeps the shoulder free of debris so avoids the main problem with the shoulder on US highways. So far, I haven't felt unsafe on the road, mostly because of the shoulder but also because of the slower speeds. The heat and humidity really weigh on me. It's not so bad while cycling because the passing air absorbs the sweat but as soon as I stop the sweat pours off my body soaking my shirt within minutes. My handkerchief has turned into a towel to dry my face.

The rest breaks are always fun because the friendly and curious Thai people. They are very curious about my bike Roadboy. I usually cycle to a soundtrack of gasps, laughter, and cheers, especially in the cities where the Thais frequently give me the thumbs up sign of approval. Often as scooters pass me the driver gives me the thumbs up sign and may even shout "good". As in Europe, my rear view mirror also gets some attention but not nearly as much.

I am struggling to adapt to the traffic on the left side of the road. Yesterday while searching for a hotel we stopped for directions. Jerry having gotten the directions got back on his bike and jumped across the traffic to the other side of the road and started cycling away. Well, it takes me a little longer to get going and while hurrying I forgot to check to my right (instead of my left) for oncoming traffic and rolled out in front of a car. I wasn't hurt, the car screeched to a halt just short of me but in the confusion I fell over away from the car, giving the driver and the audience quite a scare. I got up, dusted myself off, and took off after Jerry who by this time had disappeared. I couldn't find Jerry after cycling about a mile so I stopped to think about where to look for a hotel. I had not planned to stay at Jerry's hotel anyway because it's more costly than I want to spend. I was chatting with a local man who came up to talk about the bike when I asked if he knew any hotels. He asked how much I wanted to spend, I told him up to 900 Baht, which was an error. He immediately offered his friends hotel which, curiously, charged 900 Bhat. I was suspicious by this time and sensing my reluctance he informed me that no, the price was 700 Bhat Just as I was about to at least go look at the hotel Jerry rides up, saying he decided not to stay at the hotel he had reserved because it was too far from the action and thus was riding back south to search for a better location, and wasn't I lucky he had come across me like that. Lucky, I guess. I prefer to believe he came back looking for his missing cycle partner.

We followed the tout on his motorbike to the Sewasdee Sea View hotel which had rooms for 850 Baht including buffet breakfast. Jerry didn't find the room to his standards so went in search of more luxury, which he found a few blocks away. We agreed to meet at my hotel at 7:30am the day after tomorrow to go to the bus station for our bus trip to Bangkok.

I had a very nice Thai massage tonight, just the thing after two tiring days of cycling. At only 200 Bhat for an hour it's pretty hard for even a notorious cheapskate like myself to resist. I wouldn't say the technique was as good as the massage I had at the massage school in Bangkok but it was good, less expensive, and no 'special' services were offered.

Nov 8, Pattaya, rest day

Pattaya has a surprisingly small beach, probably 30 to 40 feet at the max, many parts smaller. I write surprising because people come here, I mean started coming here, for the beach. The beach extends about a mile in a pretty crescent shape with the space available almost completely filled with beach chairs and umbrellas, as many as they can pack into the space. Some of the chairs and umbrellas actually sit in the water. Old leathery sun lovers and young hard bodies alike use the beach to sit on chairs under umbrellas sipping drinks with an occasional swim in the water. They have built a very nice walkway between the beach and the street with one problem. When it rains the water pools up in rather deep puddles on the walkway, forcing people to use the street or other elevated sections in order to keep their feet dry. The other side of the street hosts restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops.

Some people describe Pattaya as the sex capital of the world. Started over 30 years ago by US soldiers on leave from the Vietnam war, the tiny fishing village has grown into a huge resort area with something for everyone. The north end has some more family oriented resorts with the south end given over to overt hedonism. Walking Street, at the south end of the beach, is a pedestrian zone lined with restaurants, jewelry shops, souvenir vendors, strip joints, go-go bars and beer bars. By 9pm it's hoping to the blasting beat of various recorded and live music sources and filled with gawkers and cute sexy girls luring men into one or another establishment. You can also see some Thai boxing there if you want, or eat a nice meal, or buy some jewelry. I was mostly surprised at the number of young western couples strolling the street. I hadn't expected to find it the scene for couples on tour from Europe but I suppose they were as curious as myself. The most interesting spectacle are the old guys with their pretty young girl friends. They stroll hand in hand, watching the scene like any other couple except they seldom talk. Talking it seems is not the basis of their relationship.

Down along the beach, the walkway that separates the beach from the street provides a friendly stage for the Thai streetwalkers to ply their trade. I walked the street curious about the uninhibited exhibition, so different but functioning for the same end as the red light district in Amsterdam. Of course there were a large number of gorgeous girls, standing, waiting, friendly, but there were a non-trivial number of chubby or homely girls too. It seems that the stroll could provide someone for every ones taste. The bargaining appears friendly and the encounters look like the meeting of friends who decide to go off together. I was never accosted or propositioned, if you show no interest then it seems you can walk the walkway unmolested. Any eye contact however invited a quick welcoming smile!

I had another very nice Thai massage. While enjoying the stretching and pulling I more fully appreciated the only request from Eri and Tim before I left. I asked if they wanted me to bring anything back from Thailand for them, as it had been several years since they had been there. They both said the only thing they really wanted was one of those Thai masseuses. The Thai massages offer soft soothing relief for tired legs and feet at a very modest price. An hour of Thai massage for 200 bhat, less than $6. Eri and Tim would mostly go together, and being together would only get a massage. Once Tim went by himself and was evidently offered something more. So far, I guess they think I'm past the appropriate age because I am not getting any offers for, let's say, special services!