Tuesday 9 June 2015

CYCLING THAILAND (5) - WAITING FOR A NEW PASSPORT


73 THAILAND (5)
866 Kilometres – 12 Days
25 May – 7 June 2015



MAP

PHOTOS



 25 May - Koh Kong, Cambodia – Trat, Thailand - 108 kilometres

The Cambodian immigration office was a 10 kilometres ride across the Meteuk River and a short ride to Thailand Immigration. It must’ve been the end of the dry season as the rainy weather continued throughout the day. With rain pelting down, I cycled the 100 kilometres to Trat, which sported a few basic guesthouses.

This ended my ride through Cambodia and brought me to centrally located Thailand for the 5th time.

 

26 May - Trat – Klaeng - 136 kilometres

On emerging from my windowless room, I found it still rainy, rain that continued throughout the day. At least the temperature subsided, which made pushing on to Klaeng easy. I passed a few interesting looking places, but with the rain bucketing down, I thought it best to keep going. Every day has a story, and on this day, I wished toilets were spaced at regular intervals; unfortunately, that sadly wasn’t the case. Without going into too much detail I’ll only mention that I was happy to reach Klaeng and find accommodation at the intersection. Time to rinse those cycling pants! If ever you were inclined to envy my life, this day was not one to envy.

 

27 May - Klaeng – Chon Buri - 108 kilometres

Thank goodness the rain abated and the weather was back to the usually hot and humid conditions; fortunately, the ride from Klaeng to Chon Buri was shorter. It’s amazing how quickly an accident can happen. A truck overturned seconds in front of me. Imagine being next to a vehicle when that happens – you’ll be pancake-flat. Amazingly enough, the driver crawled out and appeared uninjured. Not much further, another accident occurred; this time a scooter and a car.

All these accidents reminded me of a cycle tourist killed in Turkey not too long before and I was, once again, acutely aware of how vulnerable one was on the road. While travelling, I often made the mistake of assuming all countries have the same traffic rules. Although traffic rules are primarily international, I always remind myself that each country interprets those rules differently. For example, the fact that the road had a good shoulder didn’t make it a bicycle lane and I did my best to stick as close to the edge of the road as possible. Still, I considered staying safe a team effort.

 

28 - 29 May - Chon Buri – Samut Prakan - 85 kilometres

Fortunately, my route followed the highway and soon reached a turn-off heading along the coast on a minor road. However, the day turned out frustrating. The intention was to find accommodation on the outskirts of Bangkok from where the plan was to take a bus or taxi into the city the following day. I desperately needed a new front pannier, as the old one was held together by duct tape and I kept losing things.

At the time Thailand only granted a two-week stay at land borders making it almost impossible to reach the Thailand-Malaysia border in time. This lack of time made me want to shoot into Bangkok, buy the pannier and get out as quickly as possible. However, finding a budget room was more difficult than expected and although there were plenty of hotels, most were expensive. Eventually, a love motel had to do and came complete with a convenient chair. Ultimately, it might’ve been better to bike into Bangkok, do my business and ride out.

 

29 May - Samut Prakan – Oena Resort, Khet Bang Khun Thian - 40 kilometres

A taxi ride took me into the city where the panniers (only sold in pairs) were found. A new lens cap was also purchased after losing mine on the Cambodian boat trip (long story) and, therefore after midday before returning to the motel. Rounding the northern tip of the Gulf of Thailand, there’s no avoiding the city limits. I soon found myself amidst the worst traffic imaginable. Frustrated, I called it a day and thought it better to continue in the morning.

 

30 May - Oena Resort – Samut Songkhram - 85 kilometres

The day turned out quite an interesting ride. Firstly, I didn’t plan to go to Sumat Songkran but turned in anyhow where I set out to the well-known Railway Market.

The Maeklong Market is a unique place. At first glance the market looked like an ordinary market, sheltered by low-hanging awnings/umbrellas. However, on closer inspection, one noticed you’re walking on train rails. Every time a train came, stallholders hurriedly packed up and made space for the train to pass. Unfortunately, no trains came as I understood repair works were being carried out on the line.

Being weekend, I instead visited the floating market and was pleasantly surprised. The market is immensely popular with people from the city and I never saw a single westerner. The food was excellent and served directly from the boats.

At a mere 50 Bhat, one could take a canal tour, including visiting a few of the temples along the river. Although everything was in Thai, fellow visitors were eager to translate and explain the various temples. By the time we returned to the market the time was past 6 p.m. and the market was a hive of activity.

 

31 May - Samut Songkram – Cha-Am - 95 kilometres

Although I’d biked the stretch between Bangkok and Malaysia on two previous occasions, pedalling along a coastal/scenic route remained pleasant. The road was pan-flat and ran past numerous salt farms and fishing villages. The road even came with a bike lane. On reaching Cha-Am, the weather came in, making an excellent excuse to find a room.

 

1 June - Cha-Am

So lovely was it; staying another day came easily allowing a long walk, and short jog. I did laundry and with so much time on my hands, went to the hairdresser, and at the same time, got a mani- and pedicure.

 

2-3 June - Cha-Am – Prachuap Khiri Khan - 125 kilometres

From Cha-Am a flat and easy cycle led past plenty of roadside stalls selling fruit and other snacks. Shortly before Prachuap, the weather came in, and although going flat out there was no escaping the rain. In Prachuap finding a place to stay was easy as there were plenty. Again, staying another night came easy in Prachuap.

 

4 June - Prachuap Kiri Khan – Bang Saphan (Nipa beach bungalows) - 93 kilometres

From Prachuap to Bang Saphan is an incredibly scenic stretch and I took my time heading south. For the first time in many months, I met another cyclist - an Italian guy who lived in Cambodia and was biking to Italy, although I thought he was going in the wrong direction. Thailand is famous for its beaches and one could hardly believe there were still long stretches of white sandy beaches without a soul in sight. Even the “resorts” were low key and tucked away behind bougainvillaea and frangipanis with only a few hammocks strung between palm trees. By the time I spotted Nipa Beach Bungalows right across from the beach, I was ready to call it a day.

 

5-6 June - Bang Saphan – Sea Beach Bungalows - 99 kilometres

Again, the ride was glorious, but a little hillier than the previous days. The idea was to head to Chumphon as I ran out of visa time and needed to get out of the country asap.

Shortly before Chumphon however, Wua Laen a coastal village with a lovely beach as well as bungalows lured me in. On stopping to enquire, another cyclist, arriving from the south, was also looking for a spot. Peter Yoong from Malaysia was a lovely, friendly guy and we rented rooms at Sea Beach Bungalows. While chatting on the little veranda, the Italian chap who met earlier that day also pulled in. At first he didn’t recognise me with my clothes on (LOL).

That evening the three of us grabbed a bite to eat and a pleasant evening was spent in the company of other cyclists. Peter turned out a Warmshowers host and kindly invited me to stay at his place once in Malaysia.

The following morning was a lovely day and once again, I stayed an extra day, knowing full well that it would be impossible to reach the border in time by doing so. Still, remaining an additional day was worth it, and I took a long walk and a swim before having breakfast.

 

7-8 June - Hat Yai, Thailand – Alor Setar, Malaysia - 105 kilometres

I’d no option but to take a bus to the border. I didn’t feel bad doing so as I’d already cycled that stretch on a previous occasion. A 30-kilometre ride took me to the bus terminal in Chumphon where busses ran to Hat Yai. From Hat Yai an easy 55-kilometre cycle led to the border and the crossing into Malaysia was effortless. I wish all border crossings could be this smooth. Not only was entry uncomplicated, but one automatically was given a 90-day stay and I loved Malaysia for that. Another 60 kilometres down the drag I rolled into Alor Setar gateway to Langkawi, not that I planned on going to Langkawi- I only wanted to find accommodation.

No country is perfect; but some are closer to paradise than others. The food in Malaysia came with a good dose of Malay, Chinese and Indian, and I was in my element and thus placed Malaysia close to the top of the paradise list. I, unknowingly, found a room right next to the night market and was spoilt for choice! I scoffed down more than one Roti canai as they were a mere RM1 each and retired with a full belly.


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