Once my laundry was done, I checked the internet and saw that I had
received a reasonable offer for my house in Cape Town. This was
enticing, as it would allow me to continue cycling for a few more
years.
I stayed in Phitsanulok the following day to print, scan, fax, and sign
documents.
Phitsanulok – Nakhon Sawan - 146 kilometres
Cycling the northern regions of Thailand was utterly different from
only a few weeks earlier when I struggled up steep mountain passes
and nearly froze my butt off in China’s high mountains. By now, the
weather was hot and humid and the road good and pancake flat.
Reasonable distance was made past rice paddies, temples and
vendors selling cotton candy (roti saimai). Roti saimai (pronounced
say may) is a Thai-style candy floss or cotton candy wrapped in a
sweet roti. The thin silk strands are spun sugar and usually come in a
rainbow of colours. The crepe is extremely thin, and I understand the
colour green is from Pandan leaves, widely used in Southeast Asia for
flavouring.
Each country presents unique challenges, and I suffered from a heat
rash and was covered from head to toe in mosquito bites. Towards
the end of the day, we once again pitched our tents upon a lawn next
to a petrol station. The mozzies came out and had a royal time
feasting on us around dusk while washing pots. The clanging seemed
like their dinner bell.