Lopburi

Tried to make today a shorter biking day to see a few of the sights. The "things to see" in this area of central Thailand are ruins and wats. I've already seen quite a few of both. Wats, the Buddhist temples where Thais say prayers, are everywhere: in the cities, in the countryside, atop hills, behind walls. They are usually quite impressive, but they are starting to look the same. Wats the difference really?

Anyway, the ruins of Ayutthaya are all over town, so having a bike to check them out was ideal.

On the other end, I arrived in Lopburi to check out another set of ruins, these ones inhabited by a troupe of monkeys. True to form, as soon as you cross the train tracks into town there are monkeys screeching all over. They hang from the buildings and run on the hydro lines, and the shopkeepers below hold long sticks and slingshots to keep them back. I was wary of my belongings but even then on the way home a monkey grabbed my dangling water bottle. I may have freaked out just a little.

I really liked Lopburi and was glad to make a stop. The monkeys climbing amid the ruins of the old wat and fighting for food were amusing. The rest of the ruins were peaceful, there were no tour buses, and on your own you feel like a bit of an explorer poking around. The town was small, provincial, centred around the train station which was abuzz with street vendors and school kids.

As for the ride. Switched to "clipless" shoes today. These are cycling shoes that clip into slots in the pedals (deceptive name). I'll sound like a biking nut if I say they are supposed to increase efficiency, yada yada, but over the long day they do make a substantial difference. Now your shoes are locked in place, and to release you have to twist your foot by kicking out your ankle. I practised a bit at home and it is really quite straightforward. However, you do forget sometimes that your feet are clipped. I was slowing down today to stop and check my map, and I forgot. Too late. With all speed gone, I tipped helplessly to the side, right into a bush on the side of the road. It was a pretty funny image, since the heavy bike was on top of my leg, which was still clipped into the pedal. I lay there trapped for a little bit. [I'm at 5 falls now. Maybe it takes 10 to really learn?]

Also, later, something rustled in the ditch as I biked by. It looked like a dinosaur. It was some sort of lizard, maybe a monitor lizard, at least 4 feet long. Huge.

And I wish I could speak Thai! If I learn 3 words a day...