Day 107, 105km. By Amy:

Today was a long day along a progressively more undulating road through fields of tapioca plants. Lots of brightly painted jalopies full of tapioca plant roots passed us at regular intervals with their deafening two-stroke engines. 

We stopped at a little town which seemed to be in the middle of an electoral campaign complete with fireworks which we enjoyed, then ate yummy (but spicy) fish soup at a packed restaurant with funky live music.

A Jalopy

Day 106, 28km. By Chris:

After a short distance we spent most of the day exploring the Phanum Rung Khmer ruins (like Angkor Wat but smaller). The main phallic shaped temple was on top of a hill (a small extinct volcano) which Amy was displeased about, but after weeks of boring flat roads I was very happy to see a some kind of gradient again.

We were going to stay in a hotel this evening, but as we rode over the top of the hill, the scrubland looked ideal for a spot of camping so we struggled through spiky trees and scratchy bushes to get to a small clearing. I quickly regretted suggesting this because the place was full of plants that made me itchy and so many mosquitos that I sacrificed one of our older drinking bottles to avoid going back outside the tent when I needed my evening pee.

Day 105, 91km: by Amy

This man is frequently seen on the mud-flaps of many Thai, Laos and Chinese trucks

 (Looks like the lead singer of the Bee-Gees to me)

. He seems to be their version of the American reclining chrome lady.

 Does anyone know who he is and what he stands for?!?

Today we took the main road to cover some distance (the smaller roads were longer and convoluted). Unfortunately this meant a day with trucks and SUVs zooming past at warp speed. Thankfully there was a hard shoulder/moped lane which we utilised. Lunch was the highlight of the day sat by a lovely reservoir and I finished it off with the most spicy curry of the trip so far. Chris happily had non-spicy pasta.

Day 104, 78km: by Chris

Come morning my left ear-lobe was swollen and Amy's right eye was puffed up as though she'd been punched. The culprits were still trying to escape our room, struggling to stay airborne with abdomens bulging with stolen blood.

The scenery has not changed and it is dead flat. Lunch was eaten in another roadside shelter where a woman stopped to give us 20 green bananas still attached to half the banana tree.

 

Bananas are heavy until they ripen. This will be a good weapon if attacked by dogs.

 

 This means I'm going to be lugging them around for days and days until they ripen, but free bananas are always gratefully received in any state they might be presented.

We found a cheap motel in the evening where I sat bunged up and snotty with a cold, feeling sorry for myself.

 

 

A Thai roadside shelter

Day 103, 55km:

It was overcast and a bit cooler today which made cycling much more pleasant. Since we had planned a relatively short day, a detour was too tempting when we saw a sign to a waterfall around lunchtime.

 

 

The waterfall was a pretty affair with a paddling area and picnic benches in the shade. We made perfect english sandwiches courtesy of 7eleven and rested until the heat of the day had passed before cycling the rest of the distance through flat rice paddies and rubber tree groves to Khun-Han. 

After checking into a motel we went to see the towns one tourist attraction: a temple coated in glass bottles. It was the vision of the abbot and over a million bottles were donated by the towns people to make it come true. Even the pictures and sculptures were made of bottle caps! Recycling at its best.

A temple of clarity

Day 102, 73km: by Chris

Amy was annoyed that it took us 2 hours to get ready again this morning complaining that we'll be cycling in the heat of the day. Unfortunately, 'the heat if the day' runs from 10am to 3pm. Luckily for me the park warden came up and talked to us for 20 minutes so this time he got the blame. We cycled through farmland all day, drank more ice slushies at lunchtime and passed rubber tree plantations in the afternoon. The roads were noisy with tractors-on-sticks, trucks without silencers and teenagers on irritating popping scooters. We were going to visit the ruins of a big temple but it was closed for political reasons but they let us camp at the entrance gate next to a picturesque lake with lovely views of the orange sunset reflecting in its glassy surface. Idyllic, if it wasn't for the mosquitos and the fact someone arrived to turn on a noisy pump right where we were sat.

 

The latest weapon in the Amy-vs-Sun conflict.

Day 101, 15km: by Amy

We cycled the short distance into Phu Chong Nayoi national park which is apparently an unmapped area of jungle at the border with Laos and Cambodia with a large waterfall at its centre. 

We pitched our tent near the visitors centre (again for free). And cycled off map-less to explore the park . Because we'd seen a scout group and a double decker bus full of Thai tourists heading for the waterfall we took a smaller trail and spent most of the day relaxing by a little stream off the beaten track. 

We cycled to the waterfall later in the afternoon. where we cooled off in the plunge pool at the bottom which was full of fish who liked to nibble feet, like a free foot spa. However, being ticklish I stuck to paddling. Chris got his goggles out and dived in. However, by then the fish were not interested, until he started offering them Oreos.

 

 

A Shlongalolo (giant millipede)