Had Yai – Nakhon Si Thammerat (Day 10)

Back to Bangkok.

Day 10 was supposed to be a relaxed day in town, then to the railway station in the evening.

However, when I checked my train ticket I realized I had mixed up the date – the train I had booked had left the night before. Ooops. I quickly checked at the nearby train station, but there were no sleepers available for tonight’s train. Everything was fully booked and I didn’t fancy a second class seat.

Back to the hotel it was, and checking flights. After calling the airlines I found out that I would need to box up my bike, unlike a few years ago when it was possible to simply roll up to the counter (at least with Thai Airways). Thai Smile it was, booked the flight using their app on my phone, and set out to find a bike box. The first bike shop I checked was just around the corner. It sold mainly children’s bikes, but I saw a few regular sized bikes as well at the back of the shop. I asked the old lady in charge of the shop, and two minutes and 20 Baht later I had my box. A stationary shop was next, bought two rolls of tape to put everything together.

At first I planned to cycle out to the airport, but as boxing up the bike would require some time and my flight was mid-afternoon, I decided to speed up things. At the train station I hired a transport bike, one of those motorbikes with a side car. It took about 40 minutes to get to the airport, with the bike loaded in one piece and me sitting at the back.

At the airport the staff confirmed that only boxed bikes would be accepted. Half an hour later I was back inside, bike in the box. Check-in was smooth from now on, and a moment later I sat in the waiting area, having a coffee, until the flight was ready for boarding.

Bye, bye Nakhon Si Thammerat, it was a good ten days!

Satistics:

Total distance: 417km
Average distance: 46km
Punctures: 3 (all on day 3)
Road hazards: None