Ban Mahathat -> Pai Overnight it had rained pretty heavily and there was a 30% chance of rain all day. I was really hoping the dirt we were going to ride hadn’t turned to mud. Narrator - it had. Unlike yesterday’s rollers, today was about long, sustained, climbs. But just like yesterday, they were punishingly steep - only longer now! From the grinding sound of my chain, straining to move forward on those steeps, I thought my drivetrain was going to explode on me leaving me stranded. Plenty of paperboying to survive today and some hike-a-biking too. At one point I was beginning to think, “I don’t know if I like Thailand.” As we ascended the first climb, the dirt eventually turned to mud. Sometimes it looked a bit like concrete, other times it was peanut butter. When we got to the top (where the Doi Dom ranger station is?) the descent looked grim. It was foggy at the top and unclear whether it was raining or it was just so wet that the trees were all dripping. Because of that the entire road was peanut butter mud! I thought we were in for a lot of walking but fortunately it wasn’t steep like yesterday’s descents. Those would’ve been treacherous if they were muddy. The mud was sticking to my tires and huge clumps were being thrown. My rear tire was throwing so much mud at the seat tube which then went into my shoes! The peanut butter mud wasn’t as slippery as I was expecting, even though there were some moments. It was pretty sticky and took more effort to move forward. We didn’t have to descend too far before the mud was dry enough that we could once again ride normally. At the bottom was a village where we got lunch. We weren’t sure at first if they were serving food. Apparently the power had gone out and the cook was wearing a headlamp to see. Their Pad See Ew was almost as good as yesterday’s. Emily got her ride or die - Som Tom. It was spicy and she looked like she was in a lot of pain. I joked the first day that it was her ride or die. Today I realized how serious she was about her son tom. She’d finish it or die trying. 🤣 One of the condiment jars was labeled "Non-Toxic Fu Fu" which I still have yet to figure out what that is. In any case, we thought that sounded hilarious. We still had two decently long climbs after lunch before Pai. On one steep section a big dump truck was descending towards us - the roads were pretty narrow. As it neared, Emily lost her balance and stopped suddenly. I went right into the back of her. I tried to avoid her but my fork bag caught her. Worst of all that sent me right at the truck just as it was at its closest! I nearly became another Michelin Man for that driver’s collection. 😱 Trucks here have fairly big Michelin Man dolls attached to the front just below the windshield, often more than one. Not sure why they do that. Not many photos were taken today between the steep climbing, the mud, the light rain sprinkles, and nearly dying. I think I felt better on the climbs today than yesterday despite hating them more. It was nice when we got back on the road where it was flat and fast. I was also really looking forward to tomorrow’s rest day. I need a break from all this steep climbing. The homes around Pai look a lot nicer than the ones we’d seen up to this point. Emily explained it was because of all the tourists and outsiders bringing in money. Entering Pai, it was like everyone described it - so many tourists and so busy. Not sure I like all the tourists but the town itself seems alright. When we headed out for dinner, Emily realized she had put her pants on backwards. 🤣