At around 5:00 am we could hear rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning, then the rain started, torrential what else? It was nice to stay in bed looking at the rain trying not to think about cycling, then we had a power cut lasting 20 minutes and soon after one for 5 minutes.

Not really any nice pictures today but we found this giant millipede 12 cm long

Very quickly smaller roads look like this

The breakfast was on the sixth floor, we could watch the rain while we ate. It was not too bad, the breakfast that is, we left having eaten plenty.

Leaving a wet looking Chumphon

It was a very slowpack up, but the rain and skies were now much lighter. On went out optimistic head, “of course it will be ok.”

By the time we left it had stopped completely, cue the wild cheering.

Our plan for the day had changed, we decided to stick to the main highway, Route 41. Busy with a wide shoulder and very little chance of flooding or huge areas of standing water which the small side roads do get.

It is quicker cycling along the highway and we made good progress, still no rain.

Get some Durian Fruit here (the spikey looking one near the centre)

We did pass through and area where everywhere either sold or stored Durian Fruit, we were not tempted. There were also several palm oil refineries as well. Every river we crossed over was swollen with the rain and had turned a chocolate colour with all the clay washing in to it, we half expected to see Oompa Loompas on a boat made of candy sailing down as well.

A river of chocolate and of course the mass of cables which follow every bridge we cross over

Even right at the end of the cycling day we still hadn’t got wet, amazing if you had seen the clouds passing over. We had no room booked tonight but turned up at Pudgee Hotel in Langsuan when for 790 baht including breakfast we have a really lovely room, a very nice hotel this one. It is right in the centre of town so only a short walk (dodging rain showers) To shops, restaurants and a market.

The Strava route today.