Day 5 - Chiang Dao to Fang - The most miles and a huge secret
8th February
Distance 94km
So today is our longest ride and I’m greeted by two flat tyres. Normally that’d be a bit of a pain but team Pedalers insist that fixing them is their job!?
We roll out of yet another amazing hotel and onto the road. We’ve only got one stop off today, the Tab Tao Caves. They’re 50km up the road though so for now its time to peddle.
I had thought that cycling in this heat might get to me at times, but I’ve been really surprised to find that actually it’s fine. In fact, I’d trade the heat for headwinds and rain any day. We also have ‘Daeng’ and our sag wagon at every 10km where he bears fruit, water and cold towels. Daeng is my hero.
We leave our bikes at the gate of the Tab Tao cave temple and enter by foot. The caves stretch way into the mountainside forming a giant underground cathedral with huge stalagmites and stalactites falling from all sides. The whole place is deserted save for us and several hundred Buddha sitting peacefully in the dark.
Back on our bikes we cruise along at about 30km/pr hr. It’s dusk when we arrive at the Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park where a handful of holiday bungalows form our place for the night.
Its been a long day and I’m not in the best shape, so my lead-like legs and I are nearly asleep by 8pm which unfortunately is the time to go out to the local hot spot in town ‘55′ which translated from Thai actually means ‘Ha ha’ – funny! I’m soon very much wide awake again courtesy of the very very loud kareoke. The Thai are well known for their sense of fun and although I must question the combination of Celine Dione and papaya salad the food is, as always, amazing and we have a great time.
Food is a major feature on this trip. I can see why one of my tour predecessors referred to her time on the tour as ‘Eat, (Pray), Pedal’. Yai is a passionate foodie, you can see her food blog on the Pedalers website, “What’s Yai Cooking?” check it out for recipes ‘Yai Style’. She LOVES spice, fruit, veggies and coercing us farang into trying as much Thai food as possible.
