a few days cycling in Thailand
I've been cycling in Thailand for the past six days, beginning in the Northern city of Chiang Mai and travelling over the mountains to Lampang and now onto the Central Plains town of Kamphaeng Phet. So far, we've travelled 560 kilometres on a variety of roads, from the main highway over the mountains to quiet back roads in parts of the country that rarely see tourists. Today, on one such road, every child who saw us smiled and called hello. Even a bunch of roadworkers seemed thrilled at our appearance, all waving and smiling as we rode past. I've cycled in Thailand before, but I'm always amazed at the quality of the road surface - smooth with a wide shoulder, perfect for cycling. On one section of road today, there were two wide lanes in each direction and a shoulder large enough to drive a truck. I kid you not. We could have ridden three abreast if we'd chosen and still not infringed onto the dual carriageway. This was not a main highway, but a secondary road. Ev...