Noon, it's 100F or at least it feels like it, we've had a headwind for 5 hours, the bikes are loaded down with extra food and water, we cycled 125km
yesterday, you get the idea, we are exhausted! Coast into a tiny road side stall at a nondescript 't' intersection, no one else is around.
Liberate two 8oz cans of iced coffee from the luke warm fridge and melt into the mini asian sized concrete bench, in the shade, out front of the shop,
we look like we are sitting at one of those toddler picnic tables. Blaring out of the shop is some Britney Spears gone Thai at such a volume you might
have thought there was a teenie bop dance party going on, only there is no one else around but us and the shop keeper who is half asleep behind
the counter. Despite my rubber legs i'm almost moved to jump up and get down, only i refrain and just fester in my own pool of sweat instead.
Then, as if we are the catalyst, people start arriving. Truck after truck pull up, men hop out, find something they need in the nothing shop, hop
back in and speed off. One particularly smiley guy grabs a bag of nothing dough treats, downs a couple and then passes the bag our way, and not as in 'hey these
are great, try one, you'll love em' more nonchalant like he doesn't know himself why he's stopped at this nothing shop, but he did and now he intends to pawn
off his purchase on anyone around, i think he even offered them to the shop keeper. The crumbly cubes look about as un appetizing as they taste. After
one small nibble and while he's got his head turned i drop the thing down the front of my shirt, it's one of those goofy bike shirts with elastic around
the waist, perfect i think, won't fall out onto the floor and they guy won't be the wiser. Only then i have a crumbly bakery treat down my shirt breaking
to bits and sticking to my sweaty stomach, genius move i realize a moment to late. Rachael on the other hand, a notch or two more clever then i simply
holds it discreetly in her left hand. When the man turns back around we both give him the, 'ooohhh boy those were marvelous! thank you so much, but
please no more, we're absolutely stuffed' look.
Moments later a gray haired grandmother and young child saunter over. Just outside the shop the grandmother gives a massive dead grasshopper
a little flick with her flip-flop. 'Bzzzzztt' Bzzzzztt' the child lets out a giggle and the grandmother a jolly old laugh, like there is something
unbelievably histarical about a half dead grasshopper flopping around on the hot concrete. Repeat, kick, giggle, laugh. We couldn't tell what was so funny but
couldn't help but laughing ourselves. There we were sipping iced coffee, outside a nothing shop in the searing heat, on a miniature bench, deafened by
Thai Britney, one of us with food down our front laughing at a half dead grasshopper.
What more could you ask for?
Micah and Wiffie
This email brings us up to date, we are in Koh Lanta if you want to check our local
yesterday, you get the idea, we are exhausted! Coast into a tiny road side stall at a nondescript 't' intersection, no one else is around.
Liberate two 8oz cans of iced coffee from the luke warm fridge and melt into the mini asian sized concrete bench, in the shade, out front of the shop,
we look like we are sitting at one of those toddler picnic tables. Blaring out of the shop is some Britney Spears gone Thai at such a volume you might
have thought there was a teenie bop dance party going on, only there is no one else around but us and the shop keeper who is half asleep behind
the counter. Despite my rubber legs i'm almost moved to jump up and get down, only i refrain and just fester in my own pool of sweat instead.
Then, as if we are the catalyst, people start arriving. Truck after truck pull up, men hop out, find something they need in the nothing shop, hop
back in and speed off. One particularly smiley guy grabs a bag of nothing dough treats, downs a couple and then passes the bag our way, and not as in 'hey these
are great, try one, you'll love em' more nonchalant like he doesn't know himself why he's stopped at this nothing shop, but he did and now he intends to pawn
off his purchase on anyone around, i think he even offered them to the shop keeper. The crumbly cubes look about as un appetizing as they taste. After
one small nibble and while he's got his head turned i drop the thing down the front of my shirt, it's one of those goofy bike shirts with elastic around
the waist, perfect i think, won't fall out onto the floor and they guy won't be the wiser. Only then i have a crumbly bakery treat down my shirt breaking
to bits and sticking to my sweaty stomach, genius move i realize a moment to late. Rachael on the other hand, a notch or two more clever then i simply
holds it discreetly in her left hand. When the man turns back around we both give him the, 'ooohhh boy those were marvelous! thank you so much, but
please no more, we're absolutely stuffed' look.
Moments later a gray haired grandmother and young child saunter over. Just outside the shop the grandmother gives a massive dead grasshopper
a little flick with her flip-flop. 'Bzzzzztt' Bzzzzztt' the child lets out a giggle and the grandmother a jolly old laugh, like there is something
unbelievably histarical about a half dead grasshopper flopping around on the hot concrete. Repeat, kick, giggle, laugh. We couldn't tell what was so funny but
couldn't help but laughing ourselves. There we were sipping iced coffee, outside a nothing shop in the searing heat, on a miniature bench, deafened by
Thai Britney, one of us with food down our front laughing at a half dead grasshopper.
What more could you ask for?
Micah and Wiffie
This email brings us up to date, we are in Koh Lanta if you want to check our local
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