{"id":6261,"date":"2016-12-05T07:25:33","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T07:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petesadventureride.com\/?p=6261"},"modified":"2017-01-01T13:08:06","modified_gmt":"2017-01-01T13:08:06","slug":"thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.petesadventureride.com\/2016\/12\/05\/thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"Thailand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday 4th December 2016<\/p>\n

\"flooded-nakthon-si-thammarat\"

drone vies of Flooded Nakthon Si Thammarat<\/p><\/div>\n

The day did not look promising and the forecast was worse. I was heading north with no clue where I may end up that night. I didn’t really experience much rain for the first few hours, however, \u00a0I was always riding on wet roads. I’m thinking that I had timed my departure just right. That thought evaporated the further I went and the rain started getting more persistence. I even stopped and put on my jacket. I thought, I might as well just keep on riding, I wasn’t going to do any sightseeing or basking in the sun on some idyllic beach today. When I reach Nakhon around 1:30 in the day, I was pretty wet. I was about to get even wetter. Along the way I could tell there must have been a lot of rain overnight as along the side of the road and the road itself was well inundated. Kids were playing on rubber inflatable toys in their front yards. Guys were throwing out fishing nets along the side of the road.Don’t know what that was about. When I hit the main drag in Nakhon, I also hit wall to wall water. Traffic was still moving in both directions and it was getting deeper. I wasn’t till I saw some bike riders who I knew to be ahead of me coming from the other direction that i figured all the traffic coming from the other direction were probably those who had also turned around. I reached a small bridge which was above the flood level and stopped to take stock. I wasn’t sure the bike or me would be able to negotiate any deeper water. So it was my time to turn around, hopefully find a hotel and wait it out. What I found was probably the most welcoming an tastefully designed and decorated hotel I have stay at thus far. I didn’t mind being stuck here. In my room I tried to find more on the weather forecast. I would seem there is more to come so who knows what my movements will be tomorrow. Sleep is my next trick.<\/p>\n

Monday 5th December 2016.<\/p>\n

When I woke this morning this morning it was still raining a bit and totally overcast. I was on the net trying to find something about flooded roads, weather forecasts etc so I could decide my course of action. First things first, shower and breakfast. Great breakfast in the delightful dining room. By this time, the rainfall had increased enough to decide that I was staying, I think the nice breakfast helped. The rain I can handle, flood waters I can’t. I’d rather be stuck here than in the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n

I had to head off, on foot, and find the bank to pay Ms Thip for the Thai permit. I knew I had kept the poncho for a reason. By the time I reached the mall, 500meters down the road, it was raining cats and dogs. The bank didn’t open till 11:00am so I hung about in the mall. I found a new sim card for Thailand and for something else to do had an ice cream. Transferred the money to Ms Thip and waded back through the flooded roadway to the comfort of the hotel.<\/p>\n

Tuesday 6th December 2016<\/p>\n

Reluctantly I forced myself to leave this luxury. The rain had eased and the water seemed to have receded a bit around the hotel so it was back to the road which is alway out there waiting. I hoped the flood waters had gone, but no, the main road through town was just as flooded. I pick on a road which ran parallel a bit further from the coast thinking that may be OK. It was better, although still flooded but not for a far. I made it to the other side. I managed about 50kms before the thunder and rain started again. Stuff it… all my gear I had dried out during my lay day. As the day progressed it just got worse.While wet weather gear is normally OK in short spells eventually it fails around the edges and capillary action comes and you are wet outside and in. Had to go through many flooded roads, some manned by police, most not. It’s those cars and trucks coming the other way that drown you. It’s like someone has thrown a bucket of water over you. At one stage I diverted off the main road as I was sick of the trucks and the spray they produce. It was getting a bit freaky. I stopped for a break in a small town and eventually found a lady to give me some coffee. I was also soon presented with a couple of pork dumplings. Very yummy.\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite the rain I managed to keep on riding. Couldn’t get any wetter. Eventually it was time, the next available accommodation would be it for the night. Saw a little place with separate bungalows and checked in. Lack of any Thai was a problem. So was the TV which boasted 100 channels, not one in English. Plus despite having WiFi it would connect. Luckily my hard drive had one movie on it that I hadn’t seen. With all the humidity, none of my gear was going to dry out before morning. Dinner was a choice of cup of soup or noodles from a packet. One good thing was that there was beer and coffee.<\/p>\n

Wednesday 7th December 2016<\/p>\n

Woke up to more thunder and pelting rain. I wasn’t going to stay in this, no wifi no TV I could watch, bungalow. All my gear already wet so I just had to go. I knew the weather further north was drier and my goal for the day was to find it. Rain lasted for a couple of hours and then dry roads. I made he most of it and on boring flat, straight highways, I clocked up nearly 400km before arriving a Ratchaburi. Not a lot to say about this place, very uninspiring.<\/p>\n

Thursday 8th December 2016<\/p>\n

A day of no rain. The road to Ayutthaya was 10 lanes wide and total strip development. Boring as bat shit. Found a hotel in the middle of town and settled in. I wanted to stay a couple of days to explore the old capital of Thailand.<\/p>\n

Friday 9th December 2016<\/p>\n

This is some of what I found. I explored Wats all day but only managed about 5. The town probably has 4 times that but a wat is a wat is a wat. Some were ruins most of which were destroyed by the Burmese many centuries ago. Some were still in use with newer additions.The whole place is pretty fascinating probably I found it so as we don’t have such antiquity in Aussi.<\/p>\n\n\t\t