Bangkok to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) on two wobbly wheels: part 1 of a series

In the second moon of the year 2015 A.D. Noah had a vision. He saw himself flying through a land of rolling hills and flat wetlands for a distance that could either make or break him. Determined to make that vision come true Noah built the ark - actually he bought 2 bicycles so he could begin training for the trip. 

Based on the Google maps the distance would be about 410 kilometers and if done by car it would only take about 6 hours. By bicycle would be much different considering elevation gain/loss, hydration condition, heat and rain, amount of vehicular traffic, condition of the bike, among others.

The time of the year to do this trip would depend on the weather, because the Indochina region is notorious for sizzling hot days in summer and is drenched and flooded in the monsoon season. April and May of 2016 came and left but the temperatures were hovering in the vicinity of 35 - 45 degrees Celsius, which could fry any crazy bloke on the open road. June and July was also too wet and Noah didn't want another flood in his lifetime.

Everyday he kept an eye on the weather forecast hoping to spot a window of good weather for his mad dash across two countries. 

Finally he saw this weather report:

Aha! looks like there's some sunshine peaking through the thunder clouds. In haste he packs up, takes his precious Mir city/touring bike to the mechanic for a final checkup, buys some supplies including a raincoat, kisses his missus and family good bye and was off before anything came up that could keep him from leaving.

this is a photo taken by Noah's daughter a few minutes before he 

took off. That's Mir with panniers, a backpack and a thermal case 

in front to hold food. At this point Noah had no idea how much 

weight Mir was carrying. Later in the trip the effects of the 

heavy load would be evident.

As Noah crossed the Rama 7 bridge the realization of a dream about to come true came flooding into his mind. All the months of preparation didn't actually prepare him for this particular moment and Noah's eyes welled up with tears while thanking God for a rare opportunity to make such a grand trip in his lifetime at the overripe age of 60. Four hundred kilometers of roads stretched out before Noah to be taken one kick on the pedals at a time. It would also be his first time through this part of the world and the excitement was evident in his galloping heart.

To be continued at this link:

http://sunnimoreno.blogspot.com/2016/07/bangkok-to-siem-reap-angkor-wat-on-two_20.html