Lopburi-Bangkok (Day 2)

Lopburi – Bangkok (Day 2)

to Ang Thong.

I woke up to a beautiful, sunny morning at the Northern outskirts of the old town. After getting my bike ready I wondered around the garden of the resort, took some photos, and had an iced coffee. I wasn’t in a hurry as my destination for the day, Ang Thong, was just 30km away – as the crow flies. Of course that would be about 50-60km for me, zig-zagging along rural roads, but still, there was plenty of time to get there before 17.00 latest.

First I headed South along the Lopburi river. After passing the massive new railway bypass under construction it was all beautiful riding on quiet local roads connecting the communities along this waterway, with interesting temples to visit and hardly anybody around. A group of older fellows were the exception. They were obviously celebrating, their pick-up parked, doors open, loud music playing, with the opened trunk serving as a bar, complete with bottles of whiskey, mixer and a bucket of ice.

A good 10km South I stopped at 84 Cafe for some cake and drinks. This large, modern restaurant along Highway 3196 was a perfect spot to cool down for a while as it had gotten quite hot by now. From here onward I branched off onto farm roads, away from the Lopburi river. I mostly rode on small concrete country lanes with some longer stretches of gravel in-between, heading South-West toward the Chao Phraya river. Highway 32 crossed Khlong Hang Bang Sala (ลองบางหางศาลา) not far from its convergence with the Chao Phraya. The underpass there as spotted on the satellite images during route planning turned out to be a great way to get across this busy motorway – or rather underneath it.

Then it was easy riding all along the might river, with a stop at Lab Slowbar. This artisan coffee shop was right on the river bank, under some huge trees, and obviously quite popular on weekends. I had to wait quite a while for my order, but never mind, as I was enjoying the view, relaxing in a comfy sling chair.

The last part took me into Ang Thong, or at least the part East of the river. All easy and quiet riding, until I had a flat tire at the outskirts of the town. As it was just about 2km to Bualuang Motel I had booked and still early I decided to push my bike for the remaining distance. After arriving I fixed the bike, took a shower, and relaxed for a while in the air-conditioned room. Not the best room, it showed it’s age, but clean, functional and a bargain. The owners run a second, much newer and nicer resort at the Southern outskirts, about 2.5km away. I had planned to stay there, but it was fully booked – after all it was New Years Eve and a holiday.

Once ready I went for a loop along the river, looking for a dinner spot. The entire length of the riverbank is walled off here to prevent floods, and as those walls are quite a bit higher than the road behind it there’s nothing pretty about it. Still, I found a little local place, their salas tucked agsinst the flood wall and propped up a bit so it was possible to get a glimpse of the river. Whatever it lacked in ambiance it made up with its food and helpful service. The crispy fried catfish was exceptional as was their stir fried lotus stems with shrimp (Pad Sai Bua Kung).

As they closed just after sun down I looked for a beer place on the way back to the motel. At first I didn’t see anything too inviting and I contemplated crossing the river into town proper, albeit I didn’t feel like riding across the huge and busy bridge. Just before I passed the motel again, on the way to the bridge, I saw a large music place. They just had opened up, I was their first customer today.

By 20:00 the places was buzzing, the waitresses – almost all lady-boys in sexy Santa outfits – whizzing from table to table. Once the band started to play it got really going, trays of shooters being ordered at many tables, a birthday cake somewhere, some people dancing, next to their tables as it’s often done in Thailand, but a few by the stage as well, or even on stage between the bands. Performance and sound was great, and the place was still going strong after I left just past midnight – in fact I still could hear it once back at my room as the motel was literally adjacent to this place. Never mind, I was so tired that I was sound asleep in no time.