Day 5. Thurs 24/01/13 Ray and I go AWOL. 82.3 miles to Thung Song

Had a very frustrating day today. Just 82 miles so I thought I would finish early and get a massage. Not to be. Set off as usual after sunup and made good speed. There are 7/11 along this route so no problem with food and drink.  Ray was feeling the heat so I said I would wait with him and let our group go on, big mistake.  We had lunch together then left to do the last 20 miles but he then went on to have 3 flats. The truck came out looking for us so by this time Ray had had enough and decided to take a lift. I said I would cycle on my own, 8 miles, to the hotel. Now there was a headwind and a bit of a slog in the heat. Arrived at 5.00pm, briefing at 6.30pm so no massage for me. Poor Ray but tomorrow it could be me. Still extremely hot and humid, we are soaked through within half an hour of starting. Feeling fine and coping well. Good stuff.

R: Must be the EPO kicking in. Loved that comment. 

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Day 4. 23/01/13. 94.8 Miles. 6hrs 24 mins.

A very hard day to Surit Thani. First of all Hetty had 'ants in her pants' literally. She left her washimg outside on a chair last night and it was crawling with ants. We shook, swatted and swore at them but to no avail, eventually put her clothes in a plastic bag and tied it tight. I've a feeling they will join us on this trip for some time!!!! What will 'Hetty Do Next'. Left at sun up to make the most of the cool morning. Poor Spike is showing signs of fatigue, some of his gears have started missing. Have tried to adjust them, bit better but not perfect. Hope he survives the trip. I noticed an immediate improvement today, normally it takes my muscles 10/15 miles to warm up but right from the start I felt good. Also the jippy tummy I felt coming on yesterday has gone. I had to force myself to eat yesterday but was starving today. Had superb lunch at roadside restaurant, very few people speak english but we get by. Sometimes we don't know what is going to appear on table. Was practising my Thai in a shop and the old lady sitting in the corner must have been so impressed that she ran after me with a bag of local fruits. They carry everything on their bikes so saw no problem. The fruit was lovely but I had to dump most of it.

It was 37* today, very oppressive. From 1.00 to 3.00 it was just heads down and get it done. After 81 miles where the truck should have picked us up we were told the Police had moved them on and they couldn't make it. We had to do another 13 miles through Surit Thani, not good. Once showered and changed made quick recovery. Had lovely Korean meal tonight, all you could eat cooked at your table followed by ice-cream, all for 299 B, about 6 pounds. Bliss. We all look out for each other, 2 of the group had a bad day, really struggling with the heat.

Thanks to everyone for messages of support. Andrew: I'm afraid this isn't a scenic route, so a bit disappointing on that score, hopefully it will improve in Malaysia. Going well