72km

We slept in a little this morning. While it was nice to get some extra sleep, neither of us felt sick enough to lie around all day, so we got up and prepared to head out.

We went downstairs to get coffee in the lobby and eat the fruit we bought the night before. We rolled out of town mid-morning and enjoyed rolling hills and green mountains on our right as we made our way North. If was hot, but when we’re moving along we get a good breeze. Except when we’re slowly climbing a hill. Dave is nice enough to wait for me before we zoom down the hill together.

Buddha lives at the top of each hill

In the afternoon we decide to turn off toward Si Phang-nga National Park to see what there is to see. After about 5 km we find the entrance, and the park service employee lets us examine the map before we pay an entrance fee of 100 baht for each of us (just over $3). There looks to be a nice waterfall that has a pool that’s “nice for swimming” that we can walk to, and a small restaurant where we can have a late lunch. We pay and ride in.

We ate lunch first, some noodles and spicy papaya salad, then rode to the end of the road to the trail. A young man tries to sell us bags of fish food, and we shortly see the stream full of fish waiting at the surface for that food. Disappointed, they are. But fat. I’m sure they’re not starving. After a short walk we see a beautiful waterfall and a pool full of fish. They’re fat here too, waiting expectantly for more food. They’re surprised to find us jump in instead. The water is cool and feels incredibly refreshing on this hot afternoon. After a short swim we feel ready to get back on the bikes and head down the road. So we do.

We roll over a few hills and then start a steeper climb just as it starts to rain. It feels great to us, as it’s been hot and humid all day. But it must seem terrible to the locals, a couple of whom stop and offer us rides in their pickups. I almost say yes just to make them feel better because they want to help so badly, but this is the best part of the day so far. As we inch our way up the pass the rain cools us and it releases even more fresh jungle smells. Before we know it we’re over the top and sailing down toward the town of Khuraburi.

A couple of kilometers before town we see the Khuraburi Inn-see. We’d seen signs about this place back on the roadside. Out in front they had about a hundred tables dressed in red table cloths and a big stage set up with rows of speakers. Dave thought maybe they were preparing for a wedding or something. As we were paused on the roadside looking at the place a couple of people called to us asking us to come on in and take a look. We thought we should, they were so friendly. We walked our bikes through the maze of tables and talked with a woman in a beautiful blue sparkling dress who turned out to be the owner, Deekarat Preechaharn. What we found is that they were celebrating their grand opening this evening. I asked how much the rooms were and she said 800 baht. I knew when we approached it was too expensive for us on our intended budget. We said we’d probably have to look elsewhere as it’s above our budget. She asked how much we could spend, and I said we usually try to stay at 400 or under, with a shrug that said, “Sorry!” But she smiled and after a short pause said, “Then I make this a present to you. Please join us tonight, you can pay 400.” I couldn’t believe it! How wonderful! Dave and I looked at each other and smiled. We took a quick look at a room near the front and it looked great, but Dave was a quick thinker and asked if there was something near the back, remembering the big row of speakers out front.

Ms. Preechaharn then asked us to please join them for dinner out front, if we had the time, as they would love to have us. A short while after we brought our gear inside there was a knock at the door. They found the guest register and asked us to sign in. Dave came back in and said we were on line #1.

After showering and washing clothes and such we dressed and headed out front. In that amount of time the entire parking lot with all those tables was full of people talking and laughing and eating. There was an emcee running a complete show of singers and dancers.

Our hostess spotted us as we came out and showed us to a table, then sat down with us to talk briefly as platter after platter of food was brought to us just as it was to every other table. Soon after the food arrived she had to leave to say something on stage, and then fireworks started blasting up into the night sky, lighting the whole area with bursts of color. It was hilarious and fun and we had a total blast eating this wonderful food, watching Thai singing and dancing, and seeing locals from the town enjoy a festive evening. We kept laughing and looking at each other, wondering at our amazing luck.

The rooms were spotless and new and well furnished. The bed was incredibly comfortable. The air conditioner rocked. I thought it was quite nice for 800 baht per night. In the morning at breakfast we spoke with the owner a bit more and found out that normal room rates are 1200 baht per night, so her original quote of 800 the night before must have been a special for opening night. Once again we couldn’t believe our luck.

Lesson learned: never pass up accommodation with dressed up tables and a stage out front because if you stop and look you might be invited to a party, or a wedding, or something fun like that.