Isaan By Motorbike
Travel Journal of Spider March 2008 - Day 2
DAY 2 Tuesday
I woke up at 6.30 am, ready
for the next day. Well almost ready for the next day.
After even the smallest amount of Sang Som the next
day can be a dreadful affair. Sang som is not my friend.
Feeling rough as a dogs arse I slowly got ready for
the ride. My former sickness had been enhanced by the
Sangsom and the disturbed sleep.
I sat with my friend and her mother
outside of the house in some kind of shed, a posh shed,
but still only a shed. A few people started coming and
going, money was changing hands – a lot of money. It
turns out that this shed is some sort of primitive style
bank. The local people seem happier to hand over the
money to the old ladies than to the farmer’s bank next
door.
Before I left I got a massage from
a nice old lady. Well I thought she was friendly until
she started inflicting great amounts of pain on me.
The thought of a nice loosening massage before the next
leg of my travel was a good idea. This woman was giving
me a full deep tissue massage. Not a Thai style massage,
but nevertheless it was ranking up there with the most
painful massages I have ever had. After my pounding
I said my thank yous and farewells and got on my bike.
This was to be a much shorter ride
than the day before. A lot easier of my ass than the
day before.
The scenery was parched; clearly they
haven’t had rain here for a long time. Endless straight
roads cut through the barren brown and yellow. The sky
was the cleanest of blues – no clouds to form any difference.
The fields for km after km were arid.
This patchwork of tessellating blocks stretched on and
on. It must have taken many generations to create this
myriad of tiny fields. All adjoined by irrigation channels
simply awaiting the rainy season to bring them back
to life.
Cow herders were tending to their withered
beasts, searching for shade from the searing heat of
the mid-day sun. I was doing the same, rolling along
the deserted asphalt. I found a disused petrol station,
perfect. I took this opportunity to take a lie down
in the shade and let the midday heat pass me by.
On on. I was not sure
how long this leg was going to take. On the map it is
a much shorter distance but in reality – this is
Thailand and things
can be very deceiving. I opened up the throttle and
got a boost along the way. Before not too long the road
took a welcome change. The road changed from the long
straights into a twisting turning snake.
As the road ascended through the hills
I noticed a couple of dinosaurs on the side of the road.
I had to stop and have a look. Full size, a diplodocus
and tri-ceratops. These marked the entrance to a small
picnic area close to Kalasin. The name of this small
place is Pha Cliff. It is a place where the King Phumiphol
of Thailand
stopped to take a rest and some food in 1954. The Pha
Cliff is a now a small picnic area. There were 3 or
4 small shelters there to take a rest or a refreshment
break. These formed the edges to an expansive car park.
The far edge of the car park is the cliff itself. It
overlooks a now very brown valley. The view was wonderful;
it was easy to see why the king chose this blissful
place to take a rest from his travels, sitting within
the shelter of the trees, looking out over a beautiful
valley.
Back on the road again I saw signs
for a waterfall. Yes, this was good news. This was better
than good news. A chance to completely cool off in the
refreshing waters. There could be nothing better at
this time. After another 25 minutes of driving I eventually
got to the waterfall. The whole place was deserted.
Not a soul to be seen anywhere, even the guard station
is vacant. Awesome, the whole place to myself, maybe
a bit of skinny dipping or something.
Well not really, as you can see from
the photo it is now simply a beautiful rock formation,
no water to be seen, not even a drop. What did I do
to deserve this, well it is the height of the dry season.
On to Sakhon Nakhon to find myself
a room and a pharmacy. I looked around at a couple of
places; the ones in the guide were far too expensive
for what I was looking for. I wanted a place to sleep,
maybe with aircon but definitely with a hot shower and
a flushing sit down toilet.
After a while I asked a local guy where
I could find the Araya 1 guesthouse. I was directed
up the street, then helped in to find the place. It
all looked ok from the outside, 180 baht for an air-conditioned
room, no view to speak of but it is just a pit stop
I’m not looking for a luxury room.
The room – time locked in a movie.
The whole guesthouse must have been featured in the
lonely planet that time forgot. A meagre write up. A
less than meagre room. I was too tired to look for another
place by now, feeling ill and tired I just wanted to
relax. I checked into the place, I didn’t survey the
room before I paid up, big mistake. The cockroaches
had already packed up and left for better accommodation.
The newest thing in the room was the toilet; the next
was the towel rack. The silver lining to this cloud
was the bed. Possibly the most comfortable bed I have
ever slept on. I sank into its loving arms.
For food I wanted something ferringue.
I opted for pizza. Nice on the stomach, easy to ask
for. Not very traditional I know but it was to serve
a purpose. A visit to the pizza parlour gave me a nice
head twist. It was 2 for 1. What the hell do I do with
the next pizza; I knew I would only be able to manage
around half of the first one, OMG. I managed to eat
three slices of the first pizza then donated the rest
to the ladies in the opticians in the adjacent shop.
I took the three remaining pieces of pizza back to the
guesthouse and gave them to the som tam party that was
happening in the lobby.
Back in the room the bed awaited my
return, so nice to sink into softness after the day's
ride.
Motorbike
Travels in Thailand Day One | Motorbike
Travels in Thailand Day Two | Motorbike
Travels in Thailand Day Three | Motorbike
Travels in Thailand Day Four | Motorbike
Travels in Thailand Day Five | Motorbike
Travels in Thailand Day Six
