Day 2 (Bang Keao Beach - Phathalung - Mountain Pass - Trang)

Distance : 93km

Terrain : Flat roads, gradual slopes and up and over a mountain range, followed by wide roads leading into Trang.

Ride was better than Day 1's. Probably muscles beginning to warm up. 1st realisation : cycling once every few years is bad for body. Appetite beginning to come back after bout of constipation. Thai food is rather healthy. At least healthier than the junk that I've been eating in Singapore, especially for the past few weeks.

First stretch of the ride was nice. Wide roads, a bit hilly but that's ok. Paddy fields and mountain range in the background. I would have enjoyed the scenery better if it weren't for the nagging thought that the mountain ranges were very far away, AND I have to cross it eventually. We were actually crossing from the east coast (Ban Keao) to the west coast (Trang).



Cycling up the mountain range was crazy. I thought about the time when I was cycling through a mountain range in Hatyai. We took almost 6 hours to traverse 35km. Looking back, it was comforting to know that at least I wasn't risking being killed by flying off the winding mountain roads or flying over my handlebar with the potholes around each bend. Still, I thought we were crazy going through that mountain range. As though we have too much money and don't know how to spend than choosing to cycle across a mountain. Like who would have nothing better to do than say, cycle up and down Mount Faber 20-30 times?



The roadies all went ahead that day. That left Yun and I to take our time to reach the hotel. We even stopped to feed an elephant and take photos. It's quite nice to stop by little stalls by the roadside trying their local goreng pisang and sugarcane drink. Didn't LS...but that would also do my constipation some good anyway.



Reached the hotel eventually. Got backache and leg cramps in the evening. Not from the riding but cos' I was squatting there trying to wash my clothes. It's pathetic.

We went to town for dinner. The rest didn't have their fill and had a 2nd round at the pasar malam. I still didn't feel like eating. "Good nah" (quote Tic, the Thai Divemaster, 2006). At this rate, I'd be detoxified by the time I go back to Singapore.