Had Yai – Trang, Day 7

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!