RIDE DAY: Bangkok to Ayuttaya

Thewet, Bangkok to Ayuttaya
Distance: 80.99 km
Cumulative: 81.3 kmAvg Spd: 16.2 km/hMx Spd: 34.5 km/h
Ride Time: 4h59m
Ride Notes: One street dog gave good chase at about 70km into ride. So HOT and then met up with a guy selling ice cream from his scooter, pulled in late, directed to great guest house by local, city festival going on as I arrive
I rode out of Bangkok on the weekend when traffic is supposedly lighter. I didn't see that, but what I did see and experience, after many hours worrying about how I'd actually do it before just doing it, was how much safer I felt pedaling in crazy Bangkok traffic than I ever do riding in Marin or have in Orange County. Traffic moves fast, there's a lot of it, but there always seems to be room for bikes: trucks, buses, taxis, tuk tuks, SUVs, cars, pickups, motor bikes ALL make room for bikes on the left shoulder and there is a dedicated space on the shoulder (with decent smooth pavement) for bikes, carts and slow moving motor bikes. A quick snapshot I wrote on a break:


Friday night Bangkok traffic

as bad as Los Angeles traffic

at it's worst

I basically spent 60km riding on the shoulder of a very busy highway. I put ear plugs in to make it less harsh on the ears but it was pretty harsh on the lungs. Riding into Ayuttaya, I experienced, yet again, Thai kindness as a woman who spoke no English had me follower her on her motor bike to the most lovely guest house on the river after I asked her where I could find one. The guest house accomodations were quaint and meger, but the location couldn't be beat, 100 meters from the train station, 10 meters from a ferry across the island and a lovely deck to sit out on and watch the river go by:

A coconut drifts
down the Chao Praya
from Ayuttaya

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orange full moon
floats over Ayuttaya

with ten lanterns

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ten lanterns

float above the festival
joining the stars
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sparks cascade
from ten ascending lanterns
our hopes rise

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With a little kiss of tr

avel luck (again), I happened to come into town during the big celebration 

of the history of Ayuttaya and the ruins were BUMPING at night with multiple parties and festivals. From techno stages and undulating bodies to a traditional historic "light and sound" presentation inside on of the temples (I went to this), there were SO MANY thai people partying down and celebra

ting this historic ancient capital of the province. This was a very inspiring setting which drew many poems out of me:

kitten perched

on temple ruins
orange cat, orange moon

another evening spent watching

bats pour from the ancient palace

(woops, the only film I have is filmed vertically)

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street dogs enter
the ancient palace for free -
I pay 50 baht!
it's fair consideringthe life of Thai street dogs

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may my dreams
drift down the Chao Pria
with the water cress

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haggling for pennies
on principle that I'm
not just a farang
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green pomegranates
weigh down thin branches
Christmas in Thailand

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orange moon
orange juice
illness abroad sucks

Regarding this last one, the cold I had been fighting off for a couple of weeks and which I brought with me to Thailand finally caught up to me and I spent a good amount of my time in Ayuttaya sleeping. I feel better now, but when I woke, I felt quite reflective and I believe it inspired a more observative state.

I would return to Ayuttaya in a heart beat, by train (with my bike!).