321 ADVENTURE THRU THAILAND, LAOS AND CAMBODIA (4-16 January 2016), Day 1 - Papa lost his nuts

Lunch with Prim

Arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport

Ubon Bliss

Odd Sized Luggage means lugging yourself!

January 4th is the first day of school for Singapore and Malaysia. Marking the end of the holidays and Monday, the start of the work week,  VT and Claudine set off from home at 6 am. In anticipation of a severe jam, they were pleasantly surprised when their hired private car cruised into Departure Lane just before 8 am.

Breakfast was at the "1983" coffee shop. VT had a big breakfast of Nasi Lemak served with fried chicken, fish and egg. Claudine could not resist her favourite Kaya toast served with a chunk of cold butter and half boiled eggs. Together they downed their breakfasts with hot milk tea.

With so many hours to burn, VT went window shopping leaving Claudine with her app chats and social medias. After an hour, they reckon time ticks slower in the 80's!!! They moved out of the time warp to present day, checked in their bikes and moved on to another cosy area for yet another retreat.

KC checked in at 9.30am. He passed through immigration after a short chat with The Choongs. He was bent on breaking down his USD into smaller denominations. Hence, he went hunting for more money changers.

After awhile, there wasn't much going on in social medias. Claudine tried a snooze. She felt like a modern day gypsy traveller, bent over 2 chairs with a half feet gap in between! She managed a half conscious state of slumber for 20 minutes!

When the muscles will take no more of the twist and stretch of a circus contortionist, Claudine got up. She spotted Alvin, Celia and Frank at the Tiger check in counter at 10.10 am!

Hurray! More company!!!

As VT hurried over to help with the bike boxes, greetings were exchanged. Meanwhile, Claudine received a most thoughtful gift, a silk travel blanket from Mr and Mrs LTF! This will prove to be very useful on Day 5.

Everyone were already informed of Alvin's medical condition. Coming home from Japan, a few days ago, he had carried 10 days worth of shopping on top of the already heavy luggages. Suspected slipped discs on L3 and L4, he had even gone for traction the day before! We could only pray for the best.

As some of us had not had breakfast, we proceeded to the airport's staff canteen for a quick bite. Ying Chang our other LTF team member dropped by with wife Doreen. He had to sit out this trip but came all the same to give us moral support!

It was a brief get together. While everyone chatted away, Celia and Claudine gobbled down bak chor mee, yet managed some decent conversation. Frank bought everyone drinks. After that, there were the usual hugs and goodbyes just before immigration. Thereafter, we stepped through passport controls and left our "Macgyver" and his glamorous wife behind.

Papa Mike met us at the gate but KC only came in when Tiger air was starting to board the passengers!!!

On flight, Celia walked the cabin distributing mua chee from Japan. She was made chief stewardess by the LTF team. Best tasting mua chees around!

Suvarnabhumi airport was super crowded! Immigration was packed and would have taken us 1 hour to clear, had we followed the usual queues. Thankfully, we were not ordinary travellers. With Celia's and Frank's APEC cards, we were whisked through at the special lane!!!!

The next few hours was a flurry of events....To the conveyor belt to pick up Papa's bags....To the odd size luggage counter to pick up our bike boxes....Contacting Prim, Alvin's beautiful "adopted" sister from Bangkok....lunch with Prim...

We had another big task at hand before lunch. Checking in for our next flight to Ubon Ratchathani was the taller order! With 7 bike boxes on 4 trolleys, we made 2 merry go rounds in the overcrowded airport before establishing there was only one visible lift with a long queue!

VT's suggestion of running the bike boxes on the travellator was agreed by all. Frank and VT were designated jobs on the receiving end while Papa, KC and Claudine sent them up. Halfway on the job, there was a huge confusion as the boxes were going up faster than what VT and Frank could cope! The boxes were also clogging up the walkway. Celia and Alvin were the coordinators and in charge of the panniers. Then, there was the issue of who is looking after the boxes at both ends!

The worst was Departure Hall was 2 levels up!!!!

When we finally got to Thai Smiles' Check in Counter, we heard loud screaming and cheering. No wonder the airport was so crowded!!! In the house, was a Korean pop group that only Celia recognizes. Sadly, they did not get the accorded fan attention from us!

Our next order was to move our bikes to the odd sized luggage counter. Since Celia's, Frank's and VT's bike boxes were slightly damaged, we wondered if it will survive the second leg! Thankfully, VT had brought masking tape for mending.

The most lovely and beautiful Prim met us for lunch. With everything checked in, we could finally relax and enjoy our lunch at S&P Simply Delicious Restaurant inside the airport.

Thai Smiles truly made us smile! Sausage and cheese bun with your choice of drinks were served on that short flight. Mr Bean was showing on the small overhead inflight TV. Toilets were clean.

While we boarded on a bright scorching day, we now arrive at Ubon Ratchathani in darkness. Nightfalls very early in this part of the world.

The airport at UR was small but traveller friendly. There was a water dispenser at the baggage area. Toilets were clean.

We found ourselves a small quiet corner at Arrival Hall to assemble our bikes. Everyone worked quietly except for Frank and Papa.

Frank was a nervous wreck. He broke his tube valve while trying to work his pump. Alvin calmed him down and between Alvin, KC and Claudine, they managed to get his tyres pumped up.

Papa screwed up either during packing or unpacking. He lost a hub nut on his wheel. Chief engineer, KC declared the bike unfit for riding. With that, Papa had to repack his bike into a bike bag and hitch a taxi ride to the hotel.

Meanwhile, the balance of the team rode the 5-6 km to the hotel with a minor hiccup at the traffic lights. VT had to stop to tighten his handlebar while Celia waited with him. We later regrouped further down the road and and managed to ride to Ubon Bliss Hotel with no more incidences. We arrived just as Papa's taxi came to a halt at the lobby!

The Ozzie team came out to greet us! The Howards and Meadows had travelled to Kuala Lumpur the night before, briefly slept at Tune Hotel before starting their second leg to UR in the morning.

Greetings were exchanged. Introductions were made. Group photos were taken. Briefings were given.

Then... Dinner on the streets! Noodle soup with meatballs, Pad Thai and to top it up...LTF's favorite....7 Eleven fare!!!

THE VERY SOUTH THAILAND RIDE, Day 9 - Heading Home! (5 to 13 August 2015)

Checking in at Krabi airport

Parade

Happy with a Tuk Tuk ride

HOME

The team met early for breakfast. Breakfast was a choice of really good Roti Prata, Nasi Lemak with fantastic rendang chicken or curry chicken downed with yet another cuppa Cha Ron and free hot green tea.

The shop is just a stone throw away from Lada Hotel. Turn right upon exiting the hotel, turn right again at the T junction. Managed by Malay Muslims, the food tasted very much like home for Claudine.

After breakfast, Alvin intended for the team to take a group photo by the river, with Krabi's iconic statues of Crabs and Eagles. To our surprise, there was a parade by the school children in honour of the Queen. The children were dressed in the most exquisite and colorful costumes. There was a band too!

We happily clicked away, taking photos of them, and with them. Sadly, we had to leave before their march was to start.

Back at the hotel, Tee and Na from Champion Bike Shop were already waiting for us. They brought along 2 helpers and a pick up truck. After a quick introduction, we loaded our bike boxes into the truck.

The team then, went up the hired tuk tuk which was to take us to the airport but not before a quick stop at Champion to check out their wares. It was still not opening hours but Alvin's smiles and charms convinced them to work the extra hours!

So, the team all trooped into Champion Bike Shop at very "special" hours. George bought some bottle cages while Papa Mike carted off something. As for the rest of us, though we ogled over the items, we could not part with our Bahts. "Special" hours does not necessarily mean "special" price!

Tee and Na escorted us all the way to the airport. Such are the great hospitality of Thai people.

We made quite a spectacle at the check in counter. 10 people with 10 huge bike boxes. Had they been musical instruments, we would have received higher regards. Alas, they were just bicycles and thus we were regarded more like traveling gypsies, all dark and browned after 9 days of touring!!!

THE VERY SOUTH THAILAND RIDE, Day 8 - The mini deluge (5 to 13 August 2015)

The "Act"

Krabi

The very peculiar, KC

Foldies in bags

Our ride to Krabi

KOH LANTA - KRABI

When strange creatures start appearing in your room, you can guess something not quite right is about to happen. The day before, Claudine found a giant millipede resting in her outhouse shower. Celia too, found a giant spider in her bathroom.

True to fact, in the morning of Day 8, every one in Mook Lanta woke up to rain and a river of Cha Ron down below. Claudine's toilet clogged up because of the back log of water from the sewer. She waited until the water subsided to about half the bowl, then tried flushing again. This was a terrible mistake!!! The tank kept filling up the bowl with blue water till it almost spilled over. Thank goodness it stopped when it reached the rim!

Thanks to Internet, social media and smartphones, we witnessed the violation of YC and Lance! While resting on their verandah, they were shot by a sniper from across their chalet!! The perpetrator had the cheek to post his conquest on whatsapp!

Alvin and his Samsung!!!

All packed and with nothing more to do, we rendezvous for breakfast. Again, George and Wendy were already seated. This time, Papa Mike is back with a vengeance. He ordered a Full English Breakfast and sat.............................away from Claudine!

Alvin tried using the common toilet near the kitchen. But someone beat him to it!  He jumped out, disgusted and frustrated!!!!

At 10.15 am, our minivans arrived. The drivers refused to come all the way down to the lobby. The roads were flooded and merged together with the drain to form a stream. Small stones skipped down the slopes washed by the rapids.

Donning whatever rainwear available, we carried our bikes from the room to the lobby and onto the minivans. Five bikes and five passengers for each minivan. Each minivan costing 3500 baht for the journey to Krabi.

We left our cosy Mook Lanta.

We went back on our ferries. Ferry crossing on a rainy day can be troubling.

We passed by our fried cempedak stall.

We turned left and stopped by a petrol station. Potty break and fried cempedak in the rain. The batter from this stall was hard but we relished them all the same.

We reached Morakot Pool.

Walking from the car park to the park entrance, we passed by many stalls peddling food. YC suggested buying some food for a nice picnic upstream. Many of us bought boiled corn but the corn were big with rough kernels. Alvin bought a packet of fried rice.

We soon found out that no food are allowed in the park. Many of us threw away our half eaten corn. 7 of us ate from Alvin's styrofoamed box of fried rice.

Barefoot, commune living, daisy chaining.... If this is the hippie era, then 7 of us were French kissing each other from a spoon!!!!

Tickets to the park are 200 Baht for foreigners. We have to subsidize the local bathers!!!

Papa bagged his food but that too was not allowed. Unable to throw away the food, Papa stayed behind to finish it while we trekked ahead.

Dirt road, 1.2 km through rain forest in an otherwise flat terrain, we arrived at the pool itself. As August is the rainy season and also low season, there were only about 20-30 people bathing in the lukewarm waters.

The pool itself is very big with a diameter of about 20 meters based on my own estimation. Other people may beg to differ! It is possible to swim a breaststroke here as the bottom of the pool is not cluttered with big rocks. The depth is about 4 feet from the center to the rather flat and  smooth giant boulder where the water flows over and cascades down.

The pool's vastness, depth and lack of rocks at the bottom all gives the impression that this pool had been dug to create an almost perfect swimming pool. The other ends of the big pool are not explored so I can't tell much more.

Do be careful!!! Walking to the pool itself is a slippery experience!!! The guards told us to keep our slippers on so that it is less slippery.

When most of us were inside the pool, KC decided to take a group photo. He said, "Jump to the count of 3!"

We did.

As we flew out of the water, VT's spectacles flew too!

Catch!!!!

He caught hold of it but one of the lense fell into the water!!! Thankfully, he found the lense!

We dipped. Nobody actually swam. All of us tried a massage by the cascading waters. Claudine tried too until she felt the water thugging on her bikini bottom!

After awhile, we got out. The changing room was decently clean. The toilets are as all common toilets we have visited so far....squat toilets with no flush but a pail and dipper plus a basket for dirty tissues. Using the toilet takes some special skills. You risk slipping into the the hole and you risk the porcelain toilet breaking under pressure. There were 3 shower rooms with cold water from the taps.

We returned to the minivan via the wooden boardwalk. This is an equally long walk at 1.4 meters through swamp, ponds and the flowing stream. Walking with one good vision gave VT a headache. Eventually, he removed his spectacles and walked like a drunk.

Our final leg to Krabi was spent mainly in a state of half consciousness, snorting and listening to Papa Mike's "loud discussion with his Lord!" There were times when Claudine stirred to see a seemingly awake YC.

We arrived at Lada Hotel around 4 pm. VT and Claudine dumped their bags and started their search for a spectacle shop. They found 3 Top Charoen optical shops with girls dressed in too tight nurse's uniforms. All 3 shops could not repair VT's glasses. All 3 shops explained that since it was the Queen's birthday no technicians were available. On their fourth attempt, they found Sawang Optics, a family owned optical shop. VT's spectacles were repaired for a paltry 30 baht!

That called for a celebration! They found, by the five foot way of Maharaj Soi 4, near the optical shop, a most delicious Thai Laksa. This is a noodle dish of fish soup cooked with coconut santan. All tables were laid with an assortment of fresh raw vegetables like taugeh, basil, long beans and kiam chye to go with the Laksa. The portions were small, meant for a pre-dinner snack but the greedy couple topped up the meal with hot fried chicken.

Meanwhile, Alvin had gone out recceing for dinner. Map in hands, he sprang on the couple at Utarakit Road which runs parallel to the river. Papa Mike, Lance and some others however, had gone to the night market for pre-dinner snacks.

We met again for dinner at Le Gateau, a cafe with a French concept on Utarakit Road. Everyone agreed the food were good and reasonably priced. Less than 160 baht for a burger which comes with only 10 fries in a small cup.

When we finished dinner, we walked 20 steps to the right of Le Gateau for Cha Ron by the five foot way and delicious roti prata with bananas, fried crispy and drizzled with condensed milk. This is otherwise known as pancakes in Thailand!

Later, we head back to our hotel to pack our bikes. Our adventure ends in Singapore the next day. Our very resourceful friend, Alvin had made pre-arrangements with Champion Bike Shop to deliver 10 full sized bike boxes to us at 100 baht each. We were grateful Champion had thrown in pre-used cable ties, fork holder, cardboards and foam which makes our packing so much easier.

When packing was done, the sweaty bunch of men went next door for massages. Instead,  Claudine and VT escaped to their room for a good shower.

The night did not end yet for some. It did end for George, Wendy and Celia but the remaining greedy bunch scoured the town for supper. They tried the night market food just next to the hotel. Claudine and VT could not stomach another round of pork satay so they found themselves a sit down shop just next to the night market. Parked inside this shop are old motorcycles and bikes. VT ate a good spicy chicken noodle soup while Claudine ate wantan noodle that doesn't taste like any wantan noodle she has eaten before but still good.

When they were almost done, the rest returned from the night market to join them. They left just when the Thai national anthem was played over the loud speaker. Many peddlers stopped to stand in respect. So did we and our fellow boy girls that we have been ogling the whole night!

When the anthem finished, we left for more food. We walked to Maharaj Road. There were a lot of street food here. Alvin chose a stall opposite Volk Supermarket. KC had wantan soup, Alvin and Papa too ate some noodles.

We then walked further down Maharaj Road. We went in to our favourite 7 Eleven store. This time it is microwaved corn which never disappoints.

Still going strong, we turned to Maharaj Soi 4 again but alas, the Thai Laksa was already closed.

We went down Soi 4 to ogle over a bike shop. The streets were dark, the bike shop closed but yet we looked through the glass windows!

We turn again to Utarakit road that leads to Khongkha road with its predominantly Malay food peddlers. They were already closing.

Alvin was still bent on a takeaway for Celia.

Finally, we settled back to our roti prata with bananas shop. Alas, they had run out of bananas and Celia had to make do with prata egg ......... that is after the group had had yet another cup of Cha Ron!

THE VERY SOUTH THAILAND RIDE, Day 7 - Leisure Day in Koh Lanta (5 to 13 August 2015)

Our ride

Diamond Cliff Beach

Mrs LTF at Mook Lanta

Amoi

KOH LANTA

Claudine woke up to a rainy morning. She got down from her comfortable bed to creaking floor boards. Having slept on a rock hard bed at Yamawa, the mattress at Mook Lanta felt heavenly though there were subtle imprints of the many bodies that have slept on it.

Without her spectacles, she was caught off guard when she entered the bathroom! The airy outhouse shower was strewn with leaves, blown in the night before. She had thought they were buffalo leeches!!!

Brushing her teeth was like playing a game of peek a boo! Being an eco resort, Melissa had installed water saver taps. The tap spilled out water then trickled before spilling out again. When the water gushes out, quick cup your hands together!!!

It also seemed like the wash basin was built for very tall people. Standing at 165 cm, it was hard to constantly tip toe. Adding to her woes was the mirror which was placed at the side.

While there were many faults to the bathroom, the room was cosy and romantic. Built in a Malay design of wooden walls and teak furniture, it had a modern twist with a wide sliding door that opens up to a nice verandah. Here, one can spend hours reading a book or just sitting on the deck chair, soaking in the magic of Mook Lanta.

It took awhile to wake VT up. Finally, at Mook Lanta, there were English language programs! VT had spent the night surfing the channels.

Breakfast at the resort was served at the open verandah near the lobby. As it was still drizzling, Claudine and VT donned their wind breakers and walked gingerly on the raised concrete platforms that connected all the chalets together. 4 feet below were a mixture of mud, cow grass and pools of water.

When they arrived, George and Wendy were already seated. The rest of the team slowly made their way in. KC looked rested. Celia had given him ear plugs the day before. Papa Mike's "frequent nocturnal conversation with his Lord" had been keeping KC awake!

The resort is really value for money. It serves a good choice of breakfast from an ala carte menu. If the 3 choices that comes with the room rate is not enough to fill one's tummy, just top up the difference for a bigger meal. This gives a person a chance to eat good quality food without wastage as opposed to the many inedible buffets!

Melissa adds on a thoughtful touch by providing complimentary tea and coffee throughout the day. A water dispenser behind the registration desk gives one free refills.

Breakfast though was a bit confusing. There's English Breakfast, Light English Breakfast and Full English Breakfast! Claudine ate Papa Mike's Light English Breakfast by mistake. He had to make do with oatmeal and banana and the meagre English Breakfast meant for Claudine.

Accessing the situation, Celia took pity on Papa. She offered Papa her bacon and sausages. Papa took only half a sausage so the balance went to the resident dog.....but not before George sucked out the salt first!!!!!

When breakfast was done, it was still drizzling. The idea of a round island tour on scooter was scrapped . Instead a pick up truck was called for . VT was the only one who brought a driver's license. He was made driver. Papa Mike took the front passenger seat. Size does matter ! George, Wendy, Claudine and YC climbed up the cargo area. The rest took the back seats.

Our first stop was by a beach. We were the only souls there.

When we got back on the pick up, Lance was conned to the cargo area. No safety harness, he did not feel safe. So after our next stop, Alvin took his place instead!

Our next stop was at a roadside stall. The BBQ smoke and smell of pork satay lured the ones in the cabin to conspire for a stop. Indeed it was a good stop. Best pork satay and papaya salad!

Alvin now sits at the open cargo area.

We went to the Old town.

We shopped for hammocks. Our group bought 4! The shopkeeper promised to give Papa Mike the same discounts if he returned the same size in future! Perhaps she has a fetish for fat men???

While the boys shopped, the ladies went to the stall across the street for many rounds of ice blended fruit drinks. Lance and Alvin scoured the street to check out some old hotels.

Then, we went for lunch in a restaurant a few doors away from Hammock House. The food there were terribly watered down. Watered down green curry, watered down tom yum gung with no flavour of lemon grass!

After lunch, we continued our round island tour of Koh Lanta. As we moved along, Claudine caught a whiff of fried cempedak. Coincidentally, VT made a U-turn. But he drove past the stall! Claudine banged on the glass screen for him to stop. She was not giving up on her fried cempedak!

As we were a little off the stall, Alvin gallantly escorted Claudine to the stall.....

Krakkkkkkkkkkkk....went his pants!!!! 

Nobody would have known as the truck was noisier than the sound of the tear! But he
blurted it out anyway!

We ate fried bananas and cempedak by a shop's five foot way while it drizzled. When we were done, we continued our tour.

To make up for our terrible lunch, YC took us to Diamond Cliff Beach Restaurant. He was here previously with his family. We spent a lazy afternoon sipping coffee, chatting and playing with our phones.

VT dozed off while KC was recounting tales of his adventures at sea with beautiful Russian women, barter trading and Moscow. Tried as we might, we could not get him to tell us if he had broken any girl's heart. Bored, we went down to the beach.

Getting down to the beach was a harrowing experience. The rough, uneven and big steps were a challenge. The beach itself has rough sands. The magic though lies in its colony of hermit crabs. According to YC, there were just as many on his previous visits.

Over here, Celia unleashed the inner child in her. She spent a long time building a little alcove to imprison her hermit crabs. By the time we left the beach, there were at lease 10 in her little enclave!
Celia also showed us how to conduct a hermit crab race. Twice, Alvin's crab won the race!

Besides hermit crabs, there were also small baby crabs. Lance tried catching one but they were too fast for him. But nothing was too quick for VT. He caught one and in it went to join Celia's crabs.

After a lovely time, we left. We all trooped back to the Hammock House as it was about to close. Lance had an afterthought to buy a hammock!

After the purchase of yet another hammock, we went back. The ride home was a long and winding one. Almost reaching Mook Lanta, Claudine felt sick. She turned to throw up. Thankfully, the pick up came to a halt. It was the turning to the dirt road leading to our resort. With that, everything went back in!

Everyone dismounted except for Papa Mike and KC. VT drove them to a nearby pharmacy. KC's chin was still looking like Desperate Dan even after more than 24 hours on topical antibiotics. Apparently, he had contracted some sort of infection.

We went for dinner at May's Kitchen. This place was recommended by Melissa. The BBQ pork ribs were superb. Sadly, there was only 1 left for our party of 10! Because of that, we have a fusion dinner. A mixture of BBQ and Thai. Besides the pork ribs, we had BBq chicken, an excellent fried Kai Lan, egg omelette and sour soup again.

After dinner, we walked the town. Papa and Wendy bought ocean packs bags from the stores.

We ended the day on yet another round of 7 Eleven's food. This time, besides the staple ham and cheese croissant, we have expanded our taste bud to microwaved corn!!!!

THE VERY SOUTH THAILAND RIDE, Day 6 - Century Ride (5 to 13 August 2015)

Free water and ice are always available in Thailand. No matter if you just order 2 drinks, the hospitality is the same!

The ongoing construction of the bridge to Koh Lanta

Bigger ferry

 Cupcake, Tern D16

Welcoming sign

100km

PAK MING - KOH LANTA

We started out at dawn powered by a light breakfast of "Yu thiau" bought from a stall across the street. 2 baht for 1 "Yu thiau". While our local ones are foot long, the ones sold in South Thailand are all 3 inches and lacking in salt. If the length of a "Yu thiau" is to represent one's manhood, then our fellow Malaysian and Singaporean men are vainly egoistic!

Today's route is mainly scenic, passing by villages and plantations. Previous day, Alvin had voiced out many times that we need to clock 60 km by noon or we'll have to start searching for alternative mode of transport. He added that we will have 2 ferry crossings so we must not be late!!!!

With these thoughts hovering over us, burning "Yu Thiau", plus the crisp morning air, we rode fast. Alvin almost went into warp speed but stopped short when his Da Brim flew off!!! YC, Claudine and VT saw it flying but were not quick enough to catch it. Instead Lance was the one returning the doughnut to him.

Our proper breakfast stop at Sikao came quickly! Everyone were surprised we managed the 10 km in such a short time. Breakfast was a terrible dim sum of sausage Siew Mai and the sorts, decent pork porridge and decent kuih-muih. We downed this with Cha Ron and the usual complimentary hot green tea. It seems Celia has not learnt that coffee in South Thailand is unpalatable to us. She pushed her's away!

After breakfast, we rode out again. A light drizzle cooled us momentarily. We rode for another 10 km or so before stopping by a shop opposite a school. Drinks from the shop, rambutan from the stall a few feet away.

We made a detour via rubber plantations.

It drizzled, it stopped.

We returned to the main road.

We made another waterstop.

George went to the side of the shop, opened an orange ice box and helped himself to the cold water. He bathed Papa with icy cold water too until someone asked....is the ice box meant to hold seafood????

We rode out again.

Our next stop was at a bamboo and thatched roofed stall. We only ordered 2 large bottles of soft drinks but were served with ice and cups to go around! Jugs of drinking water were placed on the table for us. Such was the excellent hospitality of Thai people.

When we left, the stall owners beamed us wide smiles while the 2 DHL courier men continued to dine. We can only guess their consignments will be arriving "Dua Hari Lagi"

After riding a few kilometers, we turned left to the whiff of fried cempedak. Claudine, VT, Alvin, Celia and Lance stopped for the hot fried food. The rest skipped the snack. Even, Papa Mike!

As the food was piping hot, we took our time.

Then, we gave chase!

Lance was designated to pull everyone. We rode in a peloton.

After what seemed like 15 minutes of mashing the pedals, we saw 2 cyclists ahead. But the visions disappeared when we turned a corner. Alvin, Claudine and VT wondered if they have seen ghosts.

It was another 5 minutes before the ghosts were busted!!! One rider in bright yellow and another in chili red!!! Papa Mike and YC!!!

According to Alvin, we made yet another stop at a lousy Malay shop with a muddy path to the toilet. Claudine has no recollections of this at all.

Just before noon, we arrived at the drive-thru for ferry tickets. 60 km down our belt. We bought the tickets for Koh Lanta. 35 baht per person, per bike for 2 ferry crossings.

Then, we searched for lunch.

There wasn't many options for lunch at the ferry terminal. Most shops does a grab and go concept. The only place for a sit down lunch was back up the hill, 30 meters away from the terminal.

There, a petite lady took awhile to understand our orders of 7 fried rice. She kept insisting there were 10 of us! When she finally understood that some of us are sharing, she went on to prepare our food.

She took forever!

She took such a loooooong time that Papa, KC, Wendy and George dozed off. Lance who was at their table, sneaked off to join the other non-sleepers.

While the waiting takes forever, the eating was quick. Soft lumpy fried rice were served.

Then, another long wait for the bill.

Pen in one hand, exercise book in the other, our little lady does a profit and loss account, followed by a balance sheet!!! Debit, credit ....

When she was finally satisfied, we paid the bill.

There were no time schedule for the ferry. The ferry loads, the ferry sails. When it gets to the other embankment, the ferry unload, then reload for the return journey.

We boarded the ferry.

We bought local ice cream from a spunky young girl on a motorcycle with a side car. The ice cream comes in a cone topped with roasted peanut. We could not identify the flavour.

When we reached the other side, we rode for another 20 kilometers to the next ferry terminal. Beside this embankment stands a half built bridge. We suppose this ferry service is entering it's sunset days.

Our century ride ends at Mook Lanta Resort after a second lunch in the town area and discovering that there will be no boat services to Krabi during this low season. But that is another story to tell!

As for dinner, we walked out to a restaurant called Ta Tha Ta. Craving for western food, we overlooked that we will be served spaghetti in tomato sauce and pizza from a frozen pizza base! I suppose, with the laid back charms of Mook Lanta we had let all our guards down.
So the unfulfilled few, spent the night eating great ham and cheese croissant and all that works from the 7 eleven store nearby!