Yesterday, uploading a video to youtube had not worked, I even let the PC on overnight, it didn’t help. So, I decided to finish video cutting while I tried different things to fix the upload.
At 8:30, everything was done, and I left.
At km25, I stopped to buy another sliced pineapple (9/10 points!) and something I regarded as sliced jackfruit, because I had read now it is the season and it is the best region.
When I tried some at my next stop, I was disappointed or even shocked.
The taste was sour in a way I dislike at mixed pickles, I needed three bananas to swallow half of that stuff and later, I made another stop at a streetfood/restaurant to get fried rice and egg and with that I could finish nearly everything.
(The rest was done on the restaurant of Sam Phraya Beach for lunch)
For me today was interesting that I was similar exhausted at the end of this day tour than normally after double- or three-times distance. This can only partly be explained by the continuously strong headwind, – this was not much better yesterday, and I did 95km. My theory is that to a certain degree you can really grow with the task and when 100km have to be done, 40 is only the beginning and when 45km are to be done, you have another feeling at 40km. So, I think that I built up less tension today and could feel weaker earlier. Besides that, the sun was stronger today.
And then I arrived at the National Park, passed by the visitor center and finally came to Sam Phraya Beach. At the barrier, they wanted the entrance fee and didn’t know about any arrangement of Pat, (Pat, a couchsurfing friend, who works in the Organisation of the Thai National Parks, had arranged an accommodation for me, and it should be enough when I mention my name.) I asked for the way to the office and they pointed somewhere. Everything in poor and hardly understandable English. I went there, a woman was cleaning the porch of a bungalow and sent me to the restaurant. The lady in the restaurant sent me to the office at the visitor center, ~5km from the beach. I didn’t want to believe it and tried it again at the entrance and now they also sent me back.
I was not exactly motivated to go again and even to go back, I had been prepared to stay there, to take a shower or a swim. But I did it. After 20min,I arrived at the office. In the visitor center the sent me to the office and in the office, they sent me to the visitor center. Time to make a call to Pam! Luckily, I got here immediately at the phone and could let her talk to one of those ladies.
Then Pam and the lady both confirmed that I really could go back to Sam Phraya, everything would be organized.
Back I needed 25min, because the wind had been even stronger. At the entrance, they still knew nothing, time for another magic call. Then, they sent me to the restaurant (they had said “letalone or letter-lown, but they pointed in the direction of the restaurant) and the lady sent me back to the woman at the bungalow and the woman at the bungalow opened exactly this bungalow for me, where she had sent me away an hour ago.
Soon after unpacking, I took a short swim and then a shower and then started my business as usual. But then I needed internet for uploading and that meant going to the restaurant. I got rice with vegetables, added some nuts/seeds and the remaining jackfruit pieces and let the internet work with my upload.
At the neighbouring table, a group of tourists were leaving, and they left half of the serving plates uneaten. I took one plate with vegetables, not 100% feeling ok with it but 100% sure that I don’t want to see all those things going to the dustbin.
Then I went back to “my” bungalow.
Meanwhile, Pat had organized a tour to the Kui Buri Park where I hopefully can see elephants. To safe time for that, I wanted to visit at least one of the 3 caves in the park today and had seen that they close at 4:30pm. So, I left again and headed to the nearest of them and arrived there at 4. But the officer told me it is too late, they close at 4 and it is at least an hour to go and come back. Ok, another 10km just for nothing and I went back.
The bungalow was warm to say the least and I sweated like in a sauna.
sometimes, I am not sure if photos of burned, scraped or sweating skin are ok, I just hope so…
But after a short shower it was better again. I cut videos and when I was finished, went back to the restaurant for a dinner/uploading combination. It was very dark, only 4 small street lamps and the light of the restaurant where to see.
At the restaurant, there was only a man now and I was the only customer. He asked if I want “eye” and as I before had heard “bee” instead of beach, I knew there could be something missing and “ice” was the correct guess. I had read that they close at 9. At 21:15, I was finished. First, I had wondered if the man would come to take the money for the food as a sign, that I should leave, but he just watched movies on his phone and when I asked, he told me that he would stay overnight. So, he was not in a special hurry to get rid of me.
I would have liked to make a video of those small lizards at the wall of the restaurant, but it would have been too tedious.
They always made some fast steps and then ossified again. And most of the time, just one of them moved. And after a while another one. And then the next. It gave the impression of a complicated animal variant of chess.