Checked out of our hotel. Thanked our very friendly hotel staff for their hospitality and headed for breakfast. On the road for 6:45am and really flew along for the first 20km. We came to a T-junction on the road that had a sign for Tat Ton National Park with waterfalls....so we decided to have a look at it. We went 8km out of our way to what transpired to be a dried out waterfall....
We put this minor disappointment behind us and headed to Kaeng Khrow where we decided to stop for lunch. We thought that we would be able for another 20km but as it was "high sun" and we were running out of water and with no more towns within easy cycling distance, we opted to camp at the nearest and best location we could find.....Bingo!!! Just 10km outside Kaeng Khrow we stumble acorss a busy school which we "chance" asking them for camping water.... What materialised was something far greater...an invitation to camp at the school for the night. The 400 students of the school go absolutely nuts, pearing out of classrooms, giggling alot and screaming aloud at any of our pigeon thai. The teachers including the Head/Director (Phairin) offer us refreshments and make us feel totally at home.
They ask us to partake in a 3 vrs 3 game of "Dako" (Volleyball with your feet).....We played 2 games (The Irish Cyclists vrs The School's Regional Dako Champions).....Fantastic game....By the by....We lost both games valiantly!!!! After this, Phairin asks us to speak at tomorrow mornings school assembly. We all agree to do this. Phairin also gives us a dinner consisting of rice, fruit and omolettes. We are bowled over by the sheer genorosity by the school as a whole. We retire for the evening in the confines and security of the school grounds. See you in the morning.... |
