28/3/25
We woke up early, but probably not early enough. It was already 6:40am when we left. The roads were manic. There was so much already happening. Cycling under the skytrain felt unreal. It was like something out of Batman. Hundreds of huge concrete pillars.
Our route was flummoxed by construction works. The road was closed, but only in the direction we wanted to travel. So we kept going round, only to find we hadn’t gone far enough. By the time we’d rode 10km it still didn’t seem like we were any closer to leaving Bangkok.
One thing for certain was that Bangkok was ripe for moving to pedal powered transportation given the existing propensity for scooters. The drivers are already attuned to the presence of two wheeled vehicles. Of course the need for cars is grossly overstated in a city. Buses would serve the needs of 99% of journeys.
We’d covered 20km and were nowhere near being on a quiet road. Pracha Chuen Road was a very busy road. But it was the best route we’d found that left the city to the north. While we had considered our direction, north or east, to the end of the previous evening, we had decided to go to Ayutthaya. It was once the capital of Siam (Thailand’s name until a decree in 1939). Halfway along we stopped and bought some steamed buns. Frankie was cursed, like a werewolf, and suffering through the need to periodically stop for the facilities.
After 30km we finally found ourselves on a quieter road. Still frequented by traffic but at least it was a bit smaller and we could relax a little. The metropolitan population of Bangkok is 17 million people. And boy are they sprawled out. The hounds started appearing again, all docile, probably the heat making them lazy.
We ended up on a perfectly straight concrete road that would take us 20km north. We were starting to notice how exposed we were. Not a jot of shade in sight. Just heat mirages. On our right hand side was an enormous concrete structure on podiums. A railway was being built. As we were getting used to even more trucks passing, we saw a sign for the mega project. The Thailand-China high speed railway.
The road is perfectly straight because it follows a canal. A ‘recommended’ route for getting out of the city. We stopped at one of the many drinks booths for an orange soda. It tasted just like fanta. We took the opportunity to book a hotel. We were finally confident we’d make it to Ayutthaya. We ‘only’ had about 20km left to go. The road was near the river. Maybe it would be nice.
We finally left the canal and joined the 3309. We passed yet another 7-eleven. It must have been our 20th. The temperature in Bang Pa In was at least 36°C and it felt more like 38°C. These were unimaginable temperatures for us to cycle in just a few weeks prior. We couldn’t see the river, but we were next to it. There was occasionally a cold breeze. The only sightseeing was of the insane railway structure. They were building it all up on plinths, just behind the existing railway, using specialist equipment.
We carried on passing temple after temple. The air quality seemed to be a little bit better but the air was still drying out our mouths. All the the water in our bottles was at least air temperature and not the least bit refreshing.
The last 10km was killer. Not one 7-eleven when we wanted one. We were both feeling extremely drained and some cold water was needed. We passed temple after temple. A man went past on a scooter with his thumb in the air. Eventually we started passing more and more food stalls and restaurants. Over the old train tracks on the left hand side was an elusive 7-eleven. We bought a bottle of cold water and tipped an electrolyte sachet into it. Nectar of the gods.
While we were standing there we both felt like the world was still moving. The boat had really done a number on us. But then we noticed everybody else was conscious of the movement. It was an earthquake, well a tremor at least. We didn’t know what we should do. So we did nothing.
With 3km left to go we braved the heat once more. Our brake levers were hot to the touch. It was an annoying round the houses way to access the bridge across the Pa Sak river. Ayutthaya is an island which marks the confluence of the Chao Phraya and Pa Sek. Once across the bridge we arrived at V-House. Our safe haven from the heat. We checked in and then started reading about the earthquake. A 7.7 magnitude in Myanmar. Bangkok had suffered some serious damage, including the collapse of a skyscraper under construction. We felt fortunate to have already left.
It felt odd to be so close to such a large natural disaster. It was now front page news. There had been a 7.7 at 12:50 MMT. We were 30 minutes ahead and had felt it at 13:23. We didn’t feel the 6.4 aftershock. It was the largest earthquake in Myanmar since 1912. We felt fortunate that we had left in the morning.
We went to get dinner at a restaurant called Ranahat Je Vegan. The Sun was like a weapon aimed at our heads. It was incredible how much power we could feel from it. We were literally running for cover. Food was a couple of streets over, a mere 9 minute walk. An old woman who couldn’t speak any English let us point to the different dishes we wanted. We sat in the restaurant alone, a cooling fan oscillating over us intermittently.
It was much tastier than the food we’d had the day before. And much cheaper. And there were more vegetables. We won’t make the mistake of going to a fancy restaurant again! There were mounds of different soya, seitan and tofu options. It was so good Jonathan had a second plate. Frankie was having trouble enjoying the food still.
Still, we went to find fruit and hopefully nuts. At the second supermarket we went to an older Thai woman, who spoke perfect English, told us we could find the Ong Gaan Tolasap night market a stones throw away. The stalls were position closely to each other, creating a narrow walkway. Artificially narrow, but the experience was successfully created. Frankie found it annoying her belly wasn’t happy with all the tasty food teasing her.
We primarily bought fruit. Bananas, marien plum, cashews, papaya. Also a box of cooked tofu which came with dipping sauce and peanuts. We arrived back to the hotel with bottles of cold water. It was now the proprietor, a perpetually half naked Thai man, told us he had hot and cold water on demand inside. We organised our breakfast for 7am. He seemed optimistic we would have some kind of vegan protein.
We carried on reading about the earthquake. It had caused quite a lot of damage in Myanmar. The mood in Bangkok must be very somber now. It was becoming more clear that many people had lost their lives. It was an important reminder of how lucky we really are.
Surly They Won't Make It 