Cycling - farsamkeit

Cycling – bike packing and more

17/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 12 (32km)

Today was to be a short hop up along the coast to Pakmeng beach. The first bit was backtracking along the main road, an easy and fast ride in the morning. The roads were still wet from the rain last night, the sky still overcast, perfect conditions for this first part.

Then I turned left into plantation country, for a good half of today’s distance. Good riding on gravel and dirt roads, hills to the left and right, the soft morning sun now on the sky. Before things got too hot the dirt road narrowed into a single track, right through dense forest. At times the passages underneath the brush were so low that I had to get off the bike and push.

A steep gulley, still wet from last night’s rainfall, led down to a stream, and back up on the other side. A lot of pushing down and up here, hard work, very slippery. I considered falling on my butt just once here a great success. The single track continued on the other side of the stream, and now there was a track of a dirt bike visible in the mud, so I wasn’t the only one out there.

About a kilometre later there he was, sitting in the shade of a hut, checking his phone, the bike parked next to the trail. He looked up, nodded, and laughed out loudly. He certainly knew where I had passed through. Soon thereafter the trail widened and it was plantation roads once more, down the hill towards the main road.

From Route 4025 a long, slight downhill took me to the beach road within minutes. I had reached my destination around noon and it was now time to take a shower, check out the local area, enjoy the beach, sit at one of the local restaurants under the big trees, eat seafood and drink cold Leo.

A short, but exciting ride, great food, drinks, the beach, a sunset. Thanks Trang province, it has been a pleasure! 😍

As the only option along the sea was Route 4162 I had taken the decision to ride further inland. This turned out to be a good choice as this day’s riding was among the best. Furthermore, this being a comparatively short ride, I had plenty of time to backtrack in case of ending up in a dead end.

Another option would have been heading to Khuan Tung Ku pier and hop over to Ko Muk. I had planned to include two days there. However, I decided against it, as I had spend more time on inland detours than planned and was running out of time.

To spend sufficient time on the island I would have to skip Pak Meng beach entirely and cross back over from Ko Muk and ride all the way to Trang within one morning – no thanks, trying too much in too little time isn’t my thing. Ko Muk will be there for me on another trip, another day.

16/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 11 (61km)

The day began with sightseeing. First stop was the historical train station at Kantang, the end of the Andaman line. From there it was a short hop to the river ferry, good fun itself.

A long detour across the hills made the ride to the sea worth it, instead of following the main roads. This part was the best in terms of riding. Beautiful roads, lush green forests, a rain shower, smiling people. There even was a jungle pump, fully functional. Do elephants need petrol, too?

Back towards the sea the ride was a little less exciting and my first stop, Modtanoy, was a bit underwhelming, so I decided to move on and try my luck with Ko Libong. A monocled cobra made things a bit more exciting, but it slithered away too fast to get a snap of it.

Back by the sea I was told that Ko Libong would be ‘off’ from tomorrow, no more (regular?) boats – maybe they meant off season? Whatever, I decided to stay on the mainland, which turned out to be a good decision. Nearby Had Yao is a stunningly beautiful place, dinner and beers on the beach with a fantastic view on top of it! 🥰

There are three resorts to chose from at Had Yao beach. I picked Had Yao Seaview resort and restaurant, right at the beach and with tables under some shade trees next to the most scenic spot.

Looking back at this day one could easily forego the detour to Modanoy and perhaps use the time for another detour North of Route 4008 instead. Still, great riding this day, and a great spot to spend the night, can’t really ask for more!

15/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 10 (57km)

Pedaled along the coast today, in a large but worthwhile detour. A tranquil road led me along the sea front, with several resorts and restaurants along the way. It was just too beautiful to pass by without stopping and Baan Itim Rimlay caught my eye – a pretty coffee shop cum restaurant right at the beach. I tried their pizza, and with lots of families around – and likely lots of pizzas ordered for their kids – I had to wait quite a while. No problem as it was a perfect stop to hang out during the hottest time of the day and yes, the pizza was yummy, too, with a proper bready crust.

Well paved but quiet roads led me North after this extended lunch break. I finally reached a tiny settlement with a Chinese temple and more importantly, at least for me, a pier. After talking to the helpful lady of the grocery store there, and a few phone calls later, a boat was organized. Fifteen minutes and 300 Baht later I was across at Ban Laem pier, and just 10 kilometres away from my destination, Kantang.

Heading into the small town I saw a restaurant with a small rooftop terrace, the perfect spot to enjoy dinner and drinks after checking in at Kantang Park hotel, a drive in motel close to the historical railway station.

And yes, before dinner and drinks on said little rooftop place I first downloaded all my photos to my hard drives at a computer gaming shop. It was all USB 2 so one download session took about 80min, add to that another 80min for the backup and I had to be a bit patient before getting my first cold drink!

14/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 9 (24km)

Relax day. Two trips took me across the island. The Western part is hilly, with a few steep climbs on the costal road near the viewpoint. This part is mostly covered by forest and used for rubber plantations. It’s here were the few beaches and most of the resorts on the island are found, too. Beaches are grey sand and quite shallow, but being close to the mainland and the river estuary there the water isn’t as clear as on islands further out in the sea.

The Eastern part is flat and very rural, with lots of chickens, goats, cows and buffaloes. The villages here are even more laid back than Ban Ko Kaeo at the main pier, which is not really a busy and bustling place either.

There’s very little traffic on the narrow roads, just a few tricycles and motorcycles. Perfect for cycling, and the island is large enough for roaming around for a day. For sunset I was back at Dugong Ko Sukhorn beach bar, the clouds reflecting the colours of the setting sun, first in a golden yellow, then in a burnig red. What a glorious spectacle of nature to watch!

Lights are absolutely necessary to get back at night as there is no such thing as street lighting on the island. Better to go slow, too, as all of a sudden a cow might appear in your light beam, standing smack in the middle of the road, as it happened to me.

Apart from the beach resorts there are several homestays available, mainly in Ban Ko Kaeo, plus a few houses for rent as well. There are no ATM’s on the island and no computer shops, but some resorts and restaurants offer free wifi.

As my Western Digital My Passport Pro hard drive didn’t work as advertised I certainly would have used the services of a computer shop, but alas this would have to wait until I reached the next bigger town. The WIFI functions of the drive worked perfectly fine, but the USB OTG did not. It would not recognize my card reader (nor the camera) and with my memory card almost full finding a computer shop was the priority for the next leg of this trip.

13/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 8 (51km)

I was told that near Laem Yongstar, at Tha Kham, a boat would leave once a day for Ko Sukorn, so I pedaled the 7 or 8 kilometres to that pier. I had coffee there, but could not get any definite information about the boat – first it was 10, then 11 o’clock, then no boat, but an older lady insisting on 1 in the afternoon. She was quite firm about, and later on Ko Sukorn I was told that the boat from there was ‘about lunch time’, so it seems that there is a boat once a day, but not until about noon.

However, it was nine in the morning, and I decided instead of sitting around for hours I would do the inland loop. I followed the main road for about 10 kikometres to speed up things, and accelerated to about warp speed 2,4. This got me around the top of the river estuary in about an hour. Another stop for drinks, and a somewhat slower decent back to the sea had me complete the loop in about 3 hours. After 51 clicks I was back on a pier once again.

Only a moment passed until the boat left for Ko Sukorn, and fifteen minutes and 70 baht later my bike and I were on the island. I got a room at the Cameroon island resort, and decided to take a break before checking out the island.

Motorbikes with sidecars are the main form of transportation on the island, very little traffic, very laid back, with beautiful little roads leading around the island. With a thunderstorm approaching I had to cut my island loop short and pulled up at Dugong Koh Sukorn, a little beach bar and homestay. Great views of the surrounding islands, a fantastic thunderstorm closing in, cold beer, yummy food and friendly company by the owner and friends. What else can you ask for?

Motorbikes with sidecars are the main form of transportation on the island, very little traffic, very laid back, with beautiful little roads leading around the island. With a thunderstorm approaching I had to cut my island loop short and pulled up at Dugong Koh Sukorn, a little beach bar and homestay. Great views of the surrounding islands, a fantastic thunderstorm closing in, cold beer, yummy food, and friendly company by the owner and friends. What else can you ask for?☺️

The ride around Khlong Wai Don was quick and easy, following Route 404 for about 13km from the boat pier at Tha Kham. Slight downhills allowed to gather enough speed to zoom up onto the coming gentle rises and I got into a good rythm there, going at about 24km/h average. That’s as fast as it gets for me. I took it easy on the way back to the sea, as I sure would reach the pier around noon. There were a few pleasant options away from the main road here with very little traffic. As there are plenty of long tail boat departures from Tasae pier, it is no problem getting across to Ko Sukhorn during the day.

12/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 7 (55km)

The first leg of today’s ride took me along highway 416. There are no other options here as the valley is fairly narrow, with towering limestone cliffs to the West. To get into this valley I had to climb one hill first, and yes, I pushed my bike up as it was already rather hot this morning. The stretch on highway 416 was limited to about 10km, a good thing as it really doesn’t do a thing for me, with cars passing at 100km/h or more. I didn’t even stop at Kanthi Phon cave along the way, albeit the scenery was beautiful with the steep cliffs to the left of the valley.

Past the narrow passage at Khao Ting cave it was back roads again, and an early lunch at a muslim eatery near Ban Liphang. Soon afterwards it was time for a Northern loop to Ban Thung Yao, avoiding 416 and riding plantation roads instead. Here I passed through a palm oil plantation with particularly tall and well spaced out palm trees, a gracious sight. A first thundershower had me stop at a gas station for about ten minutes. There were several thunderheads now all around, covering the sun for most of the time. I didn’t stop at Ban Thung Yao, but this small town could be another stop on another ride. I passed by the Cupid hotel, a rather large and modern structure for such a tiny town.

Heading back towards the sea was swift, with a long, slight downhill and passing through one of the mangrove forests usually found here along the coast. A small dirt trail along this forest led to my final destination for this day, Laem Yongstar. It was here where the second thunderstorm caught up with me. I was lucky to find shelter in a prawn farm still under construction as this storm lasted about an hour, with very heavy rain and wind gusts. Once the rain stopped I bolted down the dirt track for another 4km and then the last kilometre or so on a paved road to my destination, reaching Rimlay Boutique Homestay right in time before another heavy thunderstorm poured its load on the headland.

The friendly owner of the homestay has created a beautiful spot along the coast, and hanging out in one of the comfortable sitting corners of the restaurant, with excellent food and a cold beer, was a worthy end for this day’s ride.

For my taste there was a bit too much riding along main roads on this day. Still, the scenery was worth it, and the lunch stop a fun experience, with tasty beef noodles and a rather chatty staff. The approach to Laem Yongstar on a little used dirt road along a mangrove swamp was a great finale, they only drawback being the thunderstorm and rain after arriving at my destination. It made it impossible to enjoy the viewpoint at Laem Yongstar, an open area out to the sea, with several small kitchens and drink stalls. I think this could be a great spot for dinner and sunset – on a sunny day!

11/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 6 (55km)

First thing this morning was heading up to the pier at Ban Bu Boi, looking for a boat ride across to Ban Tanyong. The first two fishermen I spoke to were heading that way, their boat ready to go. Ten minutes later I was across, courtesy of these friendly folks – they didn’t accept any payment.

I rode around the headland there, a beautiful little road, up and down, around a hilltop, with a few viewpoints. From there on I followed the coast, easy riding with lots of shade as it was rather cloudy today. The thunderstorms were building up much earlier than during the previous days.

As I had plenty of time detoured quite a bit, going into dead ends, and skipping another potential river crossing by boat. No more shortcuts, as I wanted to get back inland and see the more mountainous area there today and tomorrow. It was peaceful riding, the detours well worth it, coupled with a first refreshing thundershower.

Once I got past the mangrove swamps leading inland I realized my planned route lead up a steep hill on a little dirt road. As I had lots if time I decided to go for it and pushed my bike up – and then down the steep single track on the other side. A plantation road leading down a beautiful, quiet valley was the reward.

One more hilltop to climb and another long ride through spread out plantations, with nobody in sight. Traffic count for an hour of riding resulted in the grand total of two motorcycle for the hour. Back on the main road I had an ice coffee at a super friendly coffee shop, before heading along route 416 into Thung Wa, a small town about 3km away.

A second shower made me stop in town, right at the busy market. Everyone was scurrying to cover their market stalls and seek shelter until a short while later the downpour abated. From there on I had just a few kilometres to cover until I reached Thungwa resort, one of the typical local highway motels. The place had moved to a new location a few kilometers outside of town, not bad at all as this would take a few clicks off tomorrow’s somewhat longer ride, with quite a bit of distance along route 416 to cover.

Thungwa itself was quite pleasant, with the market rather busy in the late afternoon, and there were at least two more options to stay overnight, the Captain resort and Beloved Homestay Thungwa. This was maybe not the most exciting day, but there were some truly beautiful spots along the way and it was just so peaceful and easy going – all in all another great day in the saddle! ☺️

10/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 5 (40km)

Today was to be an easy ride. I decided just to do the inland detour to the next peninsula. My route took me out of Pakbara and through the town of La-Ngu without spending much time on main roads. Yes, I was back on the little roads for most of the time today!

Crossed the main road at the central market of La-Ngu, busy like an ant heap in the morning and great fun. Soon afterwards I found myself in the mid of the greenery, stopping frequently to take photos. After all I wasn’t in a hurry at all. I probed down some plantation roads not found on any maps, just to return to my planned route after ending up in dead ends. Added a detour of about five or six kilometers to skip one kilometer of main road. It was well worth it, passing beautiful scenery, a golden hilltop temple, and photographing sunbathing dragonflies.

After a tasty bowl of chicken noodles and replenishing much needed liquid, I wet my hair and cap before braving the last 7km to the ocean side. Once I hit the beach it was up or down, as there were two places to choose from. I headed North and got a decent enough room at Ban Chomle resort, a local place run by friendly folks.

After a shower and rest I set out to explore the area, added 20km or so, and every click was worth it! The Southern part of the peninsula is rather scenic, with quite some limestone cliffs, a picturesque fishing village, topped by wide, flat and long Ka Sing beach. Not a fine sand beach, yet not a mudflat beach either, this scenic spot was a pleasure to experience. Riding along the sea at low tide was simply stunning, with armies of thousands of tiny crabs scattering with the approach of this giant two-wheeled war horse I was riding on.

Returning to the resort I got caught in a local party, with stereo music blasting out of a pick-up truck, people dancing under the big trees, plenty of food – and beer – and everyone clicking their glass with me.

A blood red sun, disappearing behind some cliff island far out on the horizon, completed this day.

And what a day it was!😍

Day 5 was how I like my rides. Apart from the hop along 5030 out to the seaside it was all small roads. With just 40km to cover I had plenty of time to stop, follow some trails, or go on some lengthy detours. Furthermore, arriving just past noon at the resort, there was plenty of time to check out the local neighborhood (track not shown on map). The Southern part of this headland is the more scenic one, Talay Dao resort perhaps being a worthwhile option to stay with its full restaurant and a small seaside sitting area.

09/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 4 (84km)

Today was though, not necessarily because of the distance, but the riding on wide roads with little shade, under the merciless sun. Every bit of plantation roads was a relief, but there weren’t many options in this region as one has to work its way around the extensive creeks and river estuaries.

Today’s ride even included two short stints on the highway, something I try to avoid as much as possible. However, things got better around noon. First was the excellent Isaan food at a small but busy muslim eatery. Second was the building up of a thunderstorm, offering some shade, and even a refreshing shower.

With the last raindrops falling I was back at the sea South of Pakbara. The countryside was steaming now after the rain, the light soft and warm, with the sun already low on the horizon. A creek full of fishing boats, sitting in the mud with the tide out, made for a great stop before covering the last few kilometres to Pakbara itself.

The scenery was very pretty, with picturesque hills and cliffs, and the last stretch was full of locals heading to the seaside for a sunset dinner. It certainly isn’t the best beach, with mudflats, little sand, and lots of mosquitoes, but still a great place for a dinner with a view, and a few cold beers afterwards.

During season Tigerline ferry offers the option to head North by sea for a bit, but as their service is currently not running tomorrow will be more inland riding – hopefully with a few more clouds than this morning! 😅

Overall the least interesting ride so far, with few interludes away from large, paved roads. Highlights were the scenery around and just before Mu Ko Phetra National Park. Upon reaching the sea I would have loved to head further South towards Ban Tha Cha Muang and check out the area there. However, this would have required an additional day as this leg was already quite long as it was. I stayed at a fairly basic room at Cabanar Hotel, but I think there are more interesting options around – I particularly liked the less busy seaside stretch between Royal Hill Satun hotel and route 4052.

08/04/2021

Had Yai – Trang, Day 3 (49km)

Woke up to a view across the fields with beautiful mountain backdrop. Got the bike ready and soon there was the question: ride like a tiger, or tag along with the snail? The decision was quickly taken, today should be a shorter ride as I expected less shade, in particular out towards the sea.

Satun for lunch was the first mission, well worth it. The food was so good that I ordered two plates of rice, with two different toppings each. Added some iced Thai milk tea, and there I was, a totally happy rider, ready for the second leg of the day – to the sea!

I managed to avoid most main roads, but the sun burned down relentlessly and I was thankful for every bit of shade, for every little cloud. Luckily there were more and more of the latter, so I reached the seaside quite all right. Still, those monkeys sitting in the shade of the mangrove trees lining the road for the last 8km, I think I saw them grinning…

On the plus side I arrived early by the sea, checked in, and relaxed for an hour before checking out the local area. The beaches are nothing to write home about, yet the ambiance of the two fishing villages, the laid back feeling, the ever friendly locals and a few inviting spots at the edge of the water were well worth the stop at this low key destination.

Finally, after another ride of about 15km around the peninsula, it was time to stretch the legs, enjoy the sunset, and a few cans of Leo.

Today’s ride was not very long yet much more tiring in a way than yesterday’s. First, there was much less shade, and few clouds, and then a constant sea wind made cycling harder during the last 8km or so heading out Laem Tanyong Po. The seaside was quite enjoyable and the friendliness and the comfort of the Rimhaad Villas resort made up for this day’s less than stellar riding.

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