12/04/2017 – chill out day
 
trip dist:50.54km
time: 2h46
total: 11424km7am, it feels so good to be in an air-conditioned room. I know today I’ll be cycling in the heat and while I’m still laying down on my bed I enjoy those lasts moments. a bit later I openned my computer and that was not a good idea if I wanted to leave early. I started to work on websites, editing Ann and Tomasz podcast, editing my last blog post and the photographs going with it…. when i closed the computer it was 1pm but I was satisfied as I did achieve quite a lot this morning.I started cycling around 1:20pm and felt lucky to be able to cycle in the shade of trees by the road for quite a while and the best of all, in silence no squeaky pedal anymore. this simple thing makes me feel like if it was easier to cycle. I’m currently working a lot on what to be grateful for instead of complaining about things… and trust me for a french person there is some work to accomplish!for a stretch I was on a brand new road very large and without any traffic. Ann and Tomasz told me about it and it such a pleasure to cycle on it. all the villages that I’m crossing are very peaceful. there is no stress in here. everyone is just living there life at a natural pace.

This drone is the best!

This drone is the best!

i finally found an abandoned resort in front of the beach where to hang my hammock. I will spend the night here. hopefully it won’t rain… over my head I can see many stars but a bit further it’s lightnings… i will see.

Abandoned resort where I slept in front a blue water beach.

Abandoned resort where I slept in front a blue water beach.

a few minutes later it’s one of the most impressive moon rise that I’ve ever seen over the sea and to add some unrealistic to this already amazing scene… glowworms flying around the hammock… second time of my life that I see some. The first time was in Croatia.

13/04/2017 – Songkran, festival of water
 
trip dist: 159.84km
time: 8h54
total: 11584kmI spent a bad night for two reasons. first it was way too humid and I didn’t find any water to clean my sweat. then I’ve been eaten by some insects… hundreds of bites on my left harm and leg. it’s the second time it happens sleeping in a hammock even though i have the mosquito net. weird…started the day at 5am, cycling in the night. there was many dogs barking at me on my way. but the headlight was a good tool to stop them running after me. full power in the eyes. i could see dogs from far away because of their eyes in the night. after a turn I saw like 15 pairs of eyes … but they were stray dogs so usually they don’t really care. the one running after me are the one living in a property.today it’s Songkran and that’s a pretty good festival. it’s basically Thai new year and people are playing with water fights all day for three says. it’s perfect and keeps me fresh.

Cycling to Paradise

Cycling to Paradise

i cycled 160km without feeling too bad. i drunk quite a lot of sweet sodas and I’m pretty sure it helped me a lot!

When I arrived to the place I wanted to stay they said it was full. So i kept cycling around and tried many other places… after ten try I didn’t find any hotel with a single room available. it’s Songkran… national holidays finally I’ve got lucky and found a hotel for cheap and it was maybe the best place I ever stayed for this price. there is always a good thing happening in the end 🙂 then I’ve gone for dinner and got ripped off by an Italian with crazy prices and very average food. that’s a shame it could have be good. it made me laugh at myself and in the mean time I was a bit sad for him but I think he wasn’t motivated anymore. he wants to go back to europe after 5 years in Cambodia and Thailand.

I watched a movie “incredibly loud and extremely close” about the life of an Asperger kid after he lost his dad in the twin towers on the 911. great one, I recommend.
Spent a really good night restorative and decided to enjoy the bedroom until checkout at noon.

14/04/2017 – easy day under the sun to Phraya Nakhon Cave
 
trip dist: 67.71km
time: 3h36
total dist: 11651kmAfter yesterday’s 160km I needed a good night of sleep and as I knew that my destination today would be only around 60km I decided to take it easy and enjoy the aircon of the bedroom until checkout at noon. The ride  is really easy, totally flat. In addition I have a slight tail wind which helps me to get a good pace. At the beginning, I went on the highway because I didn’t had any other choices then I switched to back country roads and it was awesome. Really nice scenery cycling in between cliffs.

Cycling in backcountry roads!

Cycling in backcountry roads!

As I arrived, I asked a temple if I could stay and they diercted me somewhere I didn’t find anything really. Then I asked locals and they showed me a spot on the beach where I could spend the night. In addition there was shower available for 10 Baht which is nothing. I set up my hammock had an early dinner, a beer then I went I just started to sleep for two hours. After that I took some pictures at night. The green light of the fishing boats created this cool effect on the pictures.

Super long exposure.... Pose B

Super long exposure…. Pose B

Green lights from fishing boats

Green lights from fishing boats

 

15/04/2017 – from a cave to the Thai gold coast…HuaHin

trip dist: 56.89km
time:2h48
total dist:11708km
Early morning flight from the hammock

Early morning flight from the hammock

This morning I woke up with the sunrise. Such a good energetic way to start the day. I flew the drone and took pictures with amazing colors in the sky. Then chilled in the hammock reading before the shop were opening for breakfast. The sun in the cave is at its best around 11am so I have some time before to head up there. The walk was great but the heat terrible! I sweat like crazy but it was worth it and great to be there before the crowd. The temple was nice but maybe a bit too touristic. When I hiked back after two hours on site it was crazy packed!

Good morning world

Good morning world

I took the bike that I left at a restaurant and started to cycle to Hua Hin. Again, very easy ride in the countryside. The closer I was to Huahin and the fancier were the houses and buildings. It reminded me in a way the gold coast in Australia.
I decided to stop here just for the night but hostel where was so nice that I stayed a second day. In addition of a hostel it was as well a bakery and for the breakfast it was just amazing. At night we even had a home made pizza night.
Phraya Nakhon Cave... I photoshoped a few people...

Phraya Nakhon Cave… I photoshoped a few people…

I went to the beach and it was the last sea I was going to see before a long long time. Next one should be the Caspian sea.
17/04/2017 – Phetchaburi, temple city.
 
trip dist: 70.68km
time: 3h07
total: 11779kmThe breakfast was huge and delicious and I took my time to leave. I didn’t really knew where I wanted to go but for some reasons during the day I felt attracted to Phetchaburi which was out of my way. I cycled to there and didn’t regretted it at all. I actually didn’t knew anything about it and it was awesome. I discovered that there is a cave with sunlight going through it. I saw the pictures and directly pictured a pic I could make there. So I decided to stay one extra day and go to explore this cave.

Phetchaburi, "The Cave", inclined buddha

Phetchaburi, “The Cave”, inclined buddha

As I’m in advance on my visa, I can take more days off which is good because then I can focus a bit more on the photography. And this is what happens when I do focus more on photography!!! I was stoked! Such an amazing cave and barely no tourists.

Phetchaburi, "The Cave" I was alone after a little while

Phetchaburi, “The Cave” I was alone after a little while

In Phetchaburi there is monkeys everywhere and all the houses have grating all over the windows and barbwires on the roofs. It doesn’t stop the monkeys.

Phetchaburi, "The Cave"

Phetchaburi, “The Cave”

Exploring some abandoned hotels in Phetchaburi

Exploring some abandoned hotels in Phetchaburi

19/04/2017 – Bangkok!
 
trip dist: 121.04km
time: 5h37
total: 11 900kmFinally, I’ve made it to Bangkok! I’ve started late and had a great pace overall. After not even an hour on the saddle, I met Jonathan who was cycling in the opposite direction. He is from Canada and speaks French. He started cycling in UK and was on its way to Malaysia. We spoke for a good hour and half under the heavy sun. You might hear him in one of my future podcast… but before you can already check his website here: jonathanbroy.com and his Facebook page Le bon monde
Portrait with Jonathan in between salt lakes

Portrait with Jonathan in between salt lakes

I arrived in Bangkok at night and it was way easier than what I expected. Everyone was telling me it was a nightmare to go in or out of Bangkok but I found it pretty easy.

Portrait with Ma from Bok Bok importer of Tout Terrain in Thailand.

Portrait with Ma from Bok Bok importer of Tout Terrain in Thailand.

In Bangkok, I met Ma, the owner of Bok Bok, a bicycle touring shop based in Bangkok selling bikes from ToutTerrain, brand which is one of my sponsor. It was great! I left him my bicycle for service and I had to change the chain as it was getting too lose.

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