I’ve just realised how come we have done that much kilometres today. I did not take much pictures and the wind pushed us ;-) After two days of rest we are back on the saddle for the second part of our trip to Chiang Mai. This morning, we left Salok Bat and June behind. Kondhin cycled with us for about 10km. He said he felt good. He used to be a monk for many years and used to walk a lot around the country. He walks more than 20.000km! So today, he feels that same way, the adventure :-) Early this morning we came across a music school lesson and listened to traditional (loud) music for a moment. Then we kept on going until we stopped for lunch and a rest. Later this afternoon we pushed forward until we reach the temple for the night.
Map.
From right to left: June, Pita and myself. Pita offered some gifts to June and Kondhin. In return they did the same and offered me a traditional Thai pant (with the price on it).
Right to left again: Pita, myself and Kondhin.
So where are we going now? Straight? That will do :-)
Pita is ready.
Kondhin will accompanied us this morning for the next 10km or more. Then he will come back home. Let’s go :-)
We have done roughly 10 or 12km and had a break for few minutes. This is from where Kondhin decided to turn back home and let us continue. See you one day Kondhin, maybe :-) This house looks very good!
First, we heard the music from hundreds metres away (which is super loud). I thought it was another house showing off their huge speakers to wake up the whole village when they decide to. We passed front of an opened room and discovered that it was actually real musicians learning traditional music. I kept on cycling for a little while, thinking if I should have stopped or not. I did not want to disturb the class… Finally, I told Pita that I wanted to have a look and we did a U-turn.
Actually, yes, we disturbed the class I guess but the teacher (on the left side) is proud to show us what they can do (video down there :-). When we appear front of us, they could not stop smiling. The teacher stopped, and ordered to play a certain song, or at least, to start from the beginning.
The one on the front is the most confident playing the xylophone. The other one behind her and Pita are playing the instrument called “round shape gong”. Pita tries to participate. I think she kept her helmet in case the teacher would become hungry at her and through on of his “stick” ;-)
The one with the red shirt is still learning I guess because she keeps on looking at the skilful neighbour.
The last one is the less confident. The teacher keeps listening carefully of what she is doing. He stopped the group many time to explains (a bit too brutaly to me) how she should play, taking her hands and hitting strongly the xylophone here and there. I could see that she retained herself crying because of us. She did well. It doesn’t look that easy too of course.
Live music!
We keep cycling onto that same narrow, concrete road.
You see the big speakers front of the blue tarp? That’s the kind of dude who wakes up a whole village. Pita told me that there is no rule or law in Thailand to prevent people playing music this way which ends as noise pollution. They can do whatever they want, when they want, as loud as they want. From what I’ve understood, they play Thai music to “payback” to the community, something like this. Naturally, there is also weddings and other parties like this one today who organise the event but that’s something different except, this is still too loud.
Sometimes, we would be wake up at 4am because someone decides to “push the sound” this early morning. Some other times, we would stop in a very quiet spot to have a rest and five minutes later some of the neighbour around would starts this loud music. I don’t really mind when it’s far away because it makes feel Thailand, the real one. But when you are next to it like probably their neighbour, I would pull my hair out!!! This music it so loud! Come on, I want a peaceful nap.
Just for the atmosphere, another Thai house along the road.
Some plantations.
Some young corn I guess.
Finally, we got to a small town, found some lunch to eat. We are now going to have our daily rest in that temple.
Around 5pm, we continued our trip until we reached another temple. The monks were pretty nice with us. They opened a newly finished room for us which was super clean. The place had its own toilets and showers, fans, electric plugs, as good as 5 stars hotels :-) That’s even too much. I like being in the forest because it feels more fresh and don’t need to sleep with a noisy fan. But that’s not really Pita’s style. Someone else told us to sleep in Police station because he thinks it’s more convenient, safe and better overhaul. We might try this before getting to Chiang Mai. See ya!
Your blog is fantastic, it reminds me of the books by Ted Simon (Jupiters travels) . I was lucky to have him stay with our family for a week in 2001 and also lucky to have you stay here too… Here is some reading from Ted’s book in 1977 after travelling around the world on two wheels..
http://jupitalia.com/news-from-jupiter/back-to-77/
Here is an excerpt “For example, I used to take it for granted that I preferred to sleep on a bed. In these four years I have slept on all kinds of surfaces, wet or dry, hot or cold, in a prison and in a Maharaja’s palace, still or moving, in pin-drop silence or in railway platform bedlam. I now find that I would choose, whenever possible, to sleep on a rug on the ground in the open air.
Why does it matter? To me, enormously. The habits of sleeping, eating, drinking, washing, dressing that I learned in youth had great influence on my state of mind and body. But they are not habits I would have chosen and in these four years they have all changed. In many ways I find that the old ways of dong things were unnecessarily complicated and expensive. Today what I do is much closer to what I am.”
You look good in the Thai pants. :-)
I enjoyed the music video!
Je n’ai pas compris tout de suite que c’étaient des instruments de musiques, j’ai pensé à des bateaux ! Sympa la musique … pas trop longtemps ! J’imagine le matin à 6 heures, ça craint !