Short ride and back to island life

Well had my alarm all set to go off at 5:30am this morning and it did and I turned it off and must have gone back to sleep as the next time I looked at the clock it was 6:30am. So jumped up through on my cloths and everything, I was 1 hour behind schedule. I decided the night before that Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan and Ko Tao were going to be my next ports of call.
Checked the room then because I was still half asleep checked it again, the thing is on a bike is you don’t want to have to go back for anything. On the bike and down the road, feeling hungry already, need some water as well. Stopped and picked up 13banana’s for about $1dollar NZ and got some water. First breakfast taken care of. Had about 60km to ride by 10am to get the ferry to Ko Samui.
After yesterday my legs and mind were feeling good, so after inhaling 6 banana’s and some water I was cruising along, o yes to save time I eat while I rode. I had been given directions the night before by a Swiss guy on how to get there using the back roads it cut off some 10km which is half an hour bike time.
So there I was cruising the back roads which means dodging pot holes while trying not to be run over by the passing trucks. Thailand is different from Malaysia in that sense, Malaysians will give you enough room that they nearly do a head on were as Thai’s don’t give you much room at all. One thing they do do is beep the horn as they come up behind you. Gives me the willies but at least I know there coming.
Any way life is different in the back country, the trees are closer to the road so I had some shade which was a nice change from the searing heat of the motorways. The traffic does come closer to you but there is less of it and I don’t get as many hello’s. This is because they are so shocked to see me go by they just steer at me opened mouthed.
I did bump into the Khanom mountain bike club going out for a Sunday ride, they had some nice bikes there and asked me if I wanted to come along. I said yep but you have to ride my bike, they did not seem so keen after that. They were out for their 8km ride, alright guys go for it, I have already done 24km and I’m not even started. I did not say that of cause. Was told I have about 35km to go so that was better than the 47 the signs said. Like Malaysia Thai’s sign posting is just as bad.
So after some photo’s I was off again, back out on the open road, just me my bike and a few hundred cars. Sweet, the rest of the journey was pretty good there were even some hills beautiful hills not steep hills but hills I could let the bike roll down and it would not stop. Heaven.
On the way had finished off all my banana’s, there smaller than the ones we get in NZ but a lot sweeter. I arrived at the ferry 10 minutes before it was about to leave, no extra charge for the bike, sweet, so on I rode and left it with all the cars. Now the Swiss were going to be getting this ferry to but no sign of them.
The boat trip out was nice, the land around were you catch the boat is hilly, I think it is limestone that shoots up out of the earth covered with cliffs and vegetation. It’s kind of like a pirates cove paradise. I’m sure if you were a pirate it would be a good place to hang out and wait for ships to come passed. I got to relax for an hour and then we arrived at the island. The guy in charge of letting everyone off the boat let me go first which was nice of him.
The search for accommodation had begun, I head north up the island as boats to Ko Pha Ngan left from up there and I did not want to far to go when I had to catch my next boat. I am now in a guest house not too far from the beach paying way too much for a room that on the mainland would be loads cheaper. The things I have to do for Island life. I am right in the middle of the hotel area though.
Before I finish for the day I had a bigger hill to climb today on the island, now for all you bikers out there do not go over what I estimated to be around 60 to 70km/h with a trailer, it gets the wobbles if you go to fast, added a bit of excitement to my ride anyway.