Had Yai – Nakhon Si Thammerat (Day 4)

Had Maharat-Had Rawa, 38km.

Riders in the storm

Waited almost until noon but it never stopped raining. Finally left, heading North along the coast. Got soaked but it was OK, not too cold. Quiet paved roads, fantastic waves and wind all the way. Had a great lunch at Kru Rote’s Garden, great place with little huts and ponds, very friendly peeps. Finally it was down to a drizzle, so continued up the coast until I got to a great homestay by the sea. Food and drinks while the storm picked up once again, until late at night. Frog concert to go with. Another amazing day, I just love stormy weather! 😃

I slept in this morning, then slowly got ready to roll. At one point the rain slowed down to a drizzle, so I took a quick shower. By the time I got dressed it was pouring down once again. More time on the internet, checking my route, the weather forecast, and sending messages. Finally it got a bight brighter outside, still raining but not as much as earlier this morning. Time to move.

I followed the coast, small, paved roads with very little traffic, as everyone who needs to go somewhere uses the highway just a bit inland. Didn’t dare to stop anywhere as long as the rain was down to a drizzle. It seemed to be crab country around this area, with several colourful graffitis depicting crabs along the way.

At one point I passed a fishing village right by the sea. Their boats were parked right across the local road along the coast. The beach is fairly narrow here during high tide, and with a storm just outisde in the Gulf Of Siam the locals pull up their boats onto higher ground, across the road immediately behind the beach. For cars it’s a detour to the main road inland, for me it was dragging the bike around the boats along the beach. Most boats still sport elaborate paint jobs and carvings at the bow here, so the little detour was well worth it.

Next was a short detour inland to a coffee shop I had spotted in Google Maps. Small huts around a pond and surrounded by flooded paddy fields dotted with sugar palm trees this scenic spot made for a great stop along the way. Staff was as surprised about having a foreigner arriving on a bicycle as they were friendly. I had some food and a real coffee here and pondered about hanging out a little longer in this cozy garden cafe. Nope, I still had to find a place for the night and it still rained a bit. Better to move on.

Up the coast, towards Rawa Beach, around Pak Trae. Thipphawan Guest House along the highway would be a safe bet for the night if the potential options along the beach turned out to be closed/non-existent/booked. Howeve, this was not necessary as ยศชัยฟาร์มบีช Yodchai Farm Beach, a homestay with a handful of rooms, was open for business. The rooms were good, price right, peeps friendly, and there was a small sala across the road right at the beach.

After a quick shower I ordered some food for dinner later on and headed for the sala. What a wonderful little spot to hang out! I enjoyed the cloud formations, the wind and the waves, until a dark and threatening monster crept closer and closer. I stayed as long as possible, but then it was time to run. Dinner was to be in their little shop, with heavy rain pouring down outside. After dinner I retreated to the covered porch in front of my room. The staff had put an ice box there and a few bottles of Leo. Great spot to end the day on the sun lounger, listening the rain pummeling the roof and a gazillion of frogs and toads croaking into the night.