Had Yai – Trang, Day 1

Had Yai – Trang, Day 1 (60km)

I woke up just before Pattalung after a good nights sleep in the night train to Sungai Golok. The countryside along the railway track was beautiful, lush green, with many ponds and well kept villages. Caddle grazed in the leveled fields left and right of the railway line or in the shade of rubber tree plantations. Storks and herons stalked their prey in the ponds and swamps. What a great prelude for this days ride.

Train 37 pulled into Had Yai about 10:00am, with a delay of 1:20 minutes. The cargo handlers had quite a load to take care of – huge boxes, including flat screen TV’s, were all unloaded through the open window of a repurposed 3rd class carriage. Finally they handed out my bike and soon I was ready to roll.

My route took me through Had Yai’s largest market, busy with shoppers on motorcycles and sidecars, and the outskirts of the town. Once the ring road was crossed after about 13km the countryside lay wide open.

From now on it was all plantation roads, some paved, some reddish earth, and well looked after villages, houses and gardens. Friendly local folks waved and smiled, with very little traffic along the shady roads and tracks bar the occasional motorcycle or sidecar.

When crossing highway 4287 I stopped at a small muslim eatery for lunch. I had two orders of a delicious Massaman curry with rice and plenty of drink. After lunch it was more plantation roads, great cycling in a beautiful environment. It was a bit more up and down now approaching the mountain range which separates Had Yai and Satun provinces. Still quite exhausted, probably from riding during the hottest part of the day caused by the delay of the train, I decided to stop one more time.

I had another plate of rice and an ice cold beer at Phukaew Thara homestay and restaurant near Ton Plio waterfall. This friendly and well kept place featured a full restaurant along a stream, with jungle dishes on the menu, and a camping ground, but no rooms otherwise. Thus I decided to continue towards highway 406, and quickly as a thunderstorm was building up over the mountain range.

With the thunderstorm in the neck and lightning crackling several times behind me I sped down the gentle slope, zigzagging through more rubber plantations, until reaching a village along the highway and a local motel called Ounrak resort. After a quick shower I was ready for another beer in a shop along the main road, getting there just in time before heavy rain drops started their drumming on the iron roofing. What a great day!