Organized Traffic Lunacy. And then there’s Slugger…

Route: Ayutthaya to Nonthaburi
Distance: 95km
Total distance to date: 905km
Daytime high: 40C

We got an early start. Alarm went off at 6:00 am then we stashed our banana muffins & other small foodables into our bags and off we went, into the busy traffic that one might expect from a busy city. It looked like chaos. Felt insane. We weaved around parked and moving vehicles of all shapes, sizes and speeds. Minutes later we were standing face to face with a 5 lane roundabout that had stop lights. We navigated our way to the front of the pack (as all the slow-movers do). We, being the slowest, moved right up to the very front and began to strategize how we’d make it through the insanity when the light turned green. Green Light! Goooooo!!!!! Let me tell you, it felt like the Daytona 500 and we were at the front of the pack. Engines revved, brakes let loose and they were off! All gazillion of us! Big trucks, motorcycles with workers going somewhere, scooters with families of four, and itty bitty Us. On our bikes. Flowing around that roundabout packed in the middle like sardines. Somehow it all worked out! We spewed out at the correct exit, no horns no squealing of tires. Everyone flowed nice & smooth. Phew! Holy cow, we made it!! Thank you, wonderful Thai drivers, for allowing us safe passage.

Outta Ayutthaya we headed. Didn’t quite anticipate the 6 & 8 lane highway lane-hopping frenzy that followed, but we did it. Up & over bridges with the really big boys, leaping across 6 lanes to our destinations, across highways that look like the 401 Express and Collectors in Toronto. At one point there were three lanes we needed to traverse to reach the fourth that would take us to the right highway when a wonderful Thai man noticed our predicament as we stood at the side of the road. He stepped out into the highway and started to flag drivers to move over several lanes to let us through. We stepped on the gas hard (well, pedalled hard, to be accurate) and again we made it.

As long as you hold the line, keep moving and be predictable you can navigate the situation.

The situation changed when we reached a construction zone. Closed to all other traffic, they were still letting through scooters, motorcycles and itty-bittys like us. Through a sliver-thin little opening in the construction under the overpass we went. Just keep moving was all we could think.

All said, we white-knuckled it all day. Then at the end of it all, we happened upon this wonderful hotel with a supremely gorgeous pool with bath-warm water surrounded by tropicals. Starving, overheated and exhausted, we checked in and then swam. We floated rolled & frolicked in that water till our fingers and toes turned pruney and only our starving tummies drew us out of that pool.

Dinner was a fantastic experience, meeting and connecting with the restaurant owner who, by the time we talked for over an hour, gave us all hugs on the way out. Randy was more starving than we were apparently….he ate two meals!

After dinner we wandered by the pool. On the walkway Randy noticed a very large leaf. This leaf however, was moving slow, had two antennae and was sliming his way across the ceramic tile floor. It was an immense slug. We’re talking gigantico. As big as our cell-phones. Poor little guy, going nowhere fast. We named him Slugger. Slugger will get to where he needs to go to, if he just holds his line and keeps moving too.