Sunday 11 January 2015
The plan today was to cycle to Soppong, about 44km away. The topographical profile appears to be a long uphill reaching above 1400 metres and downhill to our destination.
We took a relaxed breakfast at the hotel. David cleaned and waxed the chains which were covered with grit yesterday. We were on our way just after 8am.
We could feel that our legs were tired from yesterday's efforts and we were also carrying some food and water purchased from 7-11 last night. The first 16km were straightforward enough. It is encouraging to see young teakwood plantations along the way. We met 2 cyclists who whizzed past us with carbon bikes and backpacks and were envious of their light setup. In the next section, however, there were three nasty changes in the incline. These three steep sections really break your rhythm and two of them were even difficult to manage in our lowest gear. The first one commenced with a hairpin that lifted us up at least 10 m in altitude just within that one curve. We were relieved to reach the summit viewpoint. Thereafter, it was downhill all the way.
Tonight, we are staying at the Soppong River Inn, in an attap hut with balcony perched over the river. We are following the news in Paris with dismay and anger. We even noticed that the Muslim women at the night market in Pai were now fully blacked out which we have never seen before in Thailand except for the odd tourist in Bangkok.
Distance: 39 km
Total ascent: 1057 m
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