Always hot

Another day of biking, another 4:30 am wake up call, or alarm at least. Waking up that early does not get any easier. What usually drives me from the sweet sweet comforts of my pillow is the knowledge that biking at 5am is far more comfortable than biking through the midday heat. Not that I needed further confirmation, but the early morning hours of the ride were absolutely beautiful, and a joy to ride in. By 9am the heat was already becoming unbearable. Our early start put us into Chiang Khan a little after 11am, which is about as late as I am willing to push it, past that and I start melting like a stick of sweaty butter. After a solid six hours of riding, we spent the afternoon between our refrigerated room and the guest-house terrace overlooking the Mekong, resting up for the next day of biking to Loei.

The ride to Loei turned us south and took us away from the languid Mekong. Rolling hills, rice paddies, and a short ride. We were off the road by 9:30am and retreated to our air conditioned paradise. Loei has the feel of a developing Thai city, overflowing with electronics, cars, and larger grocery stores.

Our afternoon storm in Loei was impressive. The storms start out so gentle and indecisive. Light rain evaporating off the still sizzling concrete and wind passing in scattered gusts. Trees swaying and dancing to the periodic bursts of wind, obeying the whims of the circulating air. Each succesive gust of wind hits a little harder and carries with it more sustained rainfall. Finally the dam bursts, horizontal sheets of rain are pounding into buildings, attacking open windows, and drenching clothes carelessly left on balconies to dry. Thunder rumbling through the clouds and flashes of lightening illuminating the darkened sky.

Then, the storm has spent its fury and the dark clouds begin to break, rays of light pierce throught the once foreboding darkness. Intimidating cloud banks bathed in the soft glow of the returning light. A melange of pink, orange, and red patterned with a patchwork of decaying clouds. Dusk in Loei is an amazing sight.