Biking in Thailand
Switching Gears
By Dan Kaplan
Out in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, always ahead of the pack, yet always alone, it didn't take long for me to drop my American mentality of racing to finish first. The Thais cycle like they live, for the moment-to-moment enjoyment of it all. They bike in groups, stopping often to talk, mostly about food.
Chow time
I came to meet computer programmers from Bangkok, nurses from Phitsanulok, oil-company expatriate executives, and teachers from Chiang Mai, and it wasn't long before I had invitations to ride with bike enthusiasts across the country.
We had ridden nearly 25 kilometers and had a bit to go. The shadows were lengthening and the light softening across a field of tall grass. In the distance, the foothills of the Dawna Range seemed much more red than an hour ago. I caught site of a flock of butterflies before pulling into the campground.
Some riders were back already, cleaning derailleurs, tuning gears, adjusting brakes. The Thais love gadgets, and bikes are big toys. By the time my tent is up, the food is ready — big vats have been boiling all afternoon, tended by family who'd rather cook than ride. As far as some of the others are concerned, this is the best part. Cycling, to some, is just an excuse to get together for a big meal.
Again, we're in a circle, listening to speeches, slurping hot-and-sour prawn soup, Chinese rice noodles, and papaya salad. Pan Lop tells us a bit about tomorrow's ride: 30k to the Nam Nan River for a swim. I'm ready to do it now.
The guitars come out, and soon Thai folk songs fill the forest. Around the campfire, I'm thinking this could be a national forest campground back in the States, but then someone pulls out dessert, and it's not s'mores. Peeling back a palm leaf, I sink my teeth into sticky rice and raisins, soaked in heated coconut milk.
Nope, I'm still in Thailand.
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Article and photos © Dan Kaplan, 2000.
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