Caught in the rain

Well, let's start with yesterday (Sunday) - absolutely roasting, though there was some cloud cover, and I'd say it was marginally less boiling than Saturday. I had some customers arrive direct from New York (current weather 9°C, raining), they went for a walk outside and were back in 10 minutes to recover and change into their swimming clothes. If you are coming from cooler countries, the heat can hit you like a wall. Be sure to drink lots of water and don't attempt to turn yourself into a lobster on the first day.

This morning there was a lot of cloud around. A friend called from Phuket Town to say it was raining cats and dogs, but from our house I could see brighter skies above the hills to the west. Thus I figured I could reach Karon Beach on my bike without getting wet. Would have done, but between Patong and Karon, my bike died. The road from Patong to Karon is rather up and down. I had to push the bike up a couple of "ups", could freewheel down the "downs", but the ups were damn hard work! By the time I reached the Ramada Karon Hotel, the rain had started to spit, and I was breathing hard. Had to keep pushing another half mile, but knew there was a bike repair shop up Patak road near Karon Temple. Got there, a bit wet, a bit sweaty, a bit knackered... and it was bloody closed. The rain started to fall more heavily. I donned my 20 Baht plastic poncho and kept pushing, I knew there was another bike repair shop not too far away (you're never far from a bike repair shop or a 7-11 in Phuket!). It was open! Hurrah!



I left the bike there, as they had to take the whole darn engine to pieces, so one of the mechanics gave me a ride to work (only 1.5 kilometres away). Not sure he wanted a ride in the rain, but he had to obey his boss. Rain eased off by lunchtime. The afternoon is warm and cloudy. Oh, the weather is far more interesting at this time of year! It's like a box of chocolates.