Day Three
Prachuap Khirikhan to Ban Krut (75km).
Day three and it’s funny how 75km all of a sudden feels like a short day! After being greeted by the most stunning sunrise over the water we set off for one of the most scenic rides so far. Beautiful countryside and beaches. As we ride through a military base we stop to feed the local monkeys (not so vicious this time)! We cut onto the highway for a short but undulating 10km and then it’s some very scenic and fun off-road cycling along dirt tracks through forests of palm trees. First stack of the trip goes to Daniel who while putting his camera away and riding with one hand, slams on the breaks when the group slows in front (no Jerry, we’re not blaming you) – and over the handle bars he goes. Lots of sympathy and a hug from Nicole put things right as he bravely jumped back on and kept going.
Mind you, it did give him extra air time with our fabulous film crew – Shane and Max! Max, who has been riding backwards on a motorbike for 3 days (think Tour de France – just a little bit slower) with dad Shane skillfully navigating the tricky Thai traffic was probably relieved to actually film someone who was standing still for a change!
Lunch came at the end of the ride a further 30km on and was well worth the wait – yummy Italian – a great change in menu. Ban Krut and a lovely hotel across the road from the beach awaited us. Now we don’t want you to think we’re not doing it tough…but an afternoon by the pool (with just a couple of beers) was much appreciated by all.
By this stage, Katelyn (11) was well into her entrepreneurial ventures, along with chief financial officer Jack (10) and senior business parter Jerry (too old to mention). Raising money for Hands by offering an ipod charging service (more if you didn’t bring a cable), shoulder massages, hammock swings and more, she topped it off with a “frozen face washer at every water stop” scheme that would have made Donal Trump proud!! In close cohorts with Katelyn was Steph who was brought into the venture as a senior consultant. So, while mum and dad (Craig and Sandra) were doing it tough on the bike with the rest of us, Katelyn was doing them proud!
Swims, beach time, massages, and yummy Thai food to try and lull us back into a false sense of security as we repress the thought that the next day was another 120km ride!
