I would spend Christmas in Kolkata and New Year in Bangkok. At the same time, I would need to get some bike maintenance done. The first and it goes back to the same issue I had in Tajikistan with my Rohloff and the screws snapping off. It cost me a lot of money last time so I am going to risk finding someone in Kolkata who can help.
This task took me over two hours to find the right person; being sent from one metal worker to a motorcycle company and onwards to eventually the ‘lathe shop.’ It was more of an engineering workshop than just a lathe shop. But on inspecting the broken screws, he picks up a pair of tweezers and coaxes the snapped-off parts out. A pair of tweezers! You learn something new each day.
After feeling completely embarrassed by something so simple I retreated to my hostel to do some writing. I was planning to get 3 to 4 weeks’ worth of blogs written and loaded so I could cycle through Thailand without having to think about writing.
I was also joined by another cyclist, Jef, from Belgium who had spent almost a year cycling through India and that was just this trip. We would spend Christmas together. I wasn’t going to be alone after all!
A long first day in Bangkok
My flight was early in the morning, 00:30, with an early landing. Still bleary-eyed from the early morning flight, handled immigration, picked up the box, grabbed breakfast and then put the bike together. This time I got an audience in the form of the night cleaning staff who were going off shift after a drink and chatting with each other. One of which demanded some of my chocolate!
Then I had planned a route to get several things replaced or fixed. First stop decathlon, new water bottle, merino wool tops and a new pair of trousers! I feel like I have spent a small fortune! Then I went on to get my Thermarest mat replaced after the internal structure had started to break. I would have to come back on the 2nd Jan but they could replace it and for free. My final two stops were my hostel and then Bok Bok Bikes, the only Rohloff service centre in the area.
Kop the mechanic was excellent. He allowed me to use a couple of tools to realign the position of the Rohloff and then replaced the gear cables. I also had time to fix the brakes and get some spares in case of issues in the future. After all the work and replacing the bottom bracket, the bike felt like new. That day was over 20 hours long but very successful. Time for a good long sleep.
Time to explore the city
I happened to be exploring the city on New Year’s Eve, which meant most of the galleries and museums were free. So, whilst I missed out on the palace I got to do the whole of the Bangkok Museum! Well worth it for anyone who loves their history. I also saw both the Saket temple, worth it and Wat Pho, personally not. Way too many tourists for my liking. I was hoping to see a floating market as well, but most in Bangkok had been turned into tourist traps.
Then it was on to New Year’s Eve and party time. I planned to meet up with several other cycle tourers for food and drinks. There was a collection of us in Bangkok, I guess we all had the same idea. Before we split into two groups we naturally found the Irish bar and then went to see the fireworks and a few of us (me included) went to see the infamous Khaosan Road. It was complete chaos. Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it in my 20s but in my 40s, not so much.
Once the hangover had cleared, it had been a while, it was time to plan and then prepare to set off and continue the journey.