We’ve been uncertain about accommodations on the ride down the Thai peninsula and today was no exception. Internet searches showed us that other cyclists have gone this direction, so we’ve tried to tailor our ride around those places in hopes that we might also find accommodation. Today was very ambitious and we would have to ride 90+ Kilometers before we would get to previous bicyclists’ destination of Bangsaphan. We chose to do the first half of the ride on the major highway before cutting over to the coast, because the first back roads kept veering back to the major highway, we might as will just stay on the major highway for at least 30-35 km.
A couple hours down the highway at a convenience store/gas station resting up and snacking on wonderful chicken treats, we met the first fellow cycle tourer. This fortysomething native German who was educated in the states was a lot more ambitious than us because he was cycling Bangkok to Singapore in 17 days. He was three days from Bangkok and we were seven, including a rest day. His bike appeared to be a hybrid bike with lightweight touring tires and rack and panniers on the back. I didn’t think to take his picture.
Shortly after leaving the four-lane highway we were heading to the coast down virtually empty roads, that is until we ran into a group of 50 Australian cycle tourers. Their supported ride was a charity ride for an orphanage in Phuket. It was pretty surprising to see 50 riders at a small food stop on the side of the road all with identical bicycles, identical jerseys, along with the pilot car & sweep truck. Sure enough once they got back on the road the tour leader, an American from San Diego, rode alongside us for 5 to 10 minutes and explained what was going on and give us a recommendation on where to eat in the next town.
Probably the best info was that he told us about his website bicycleThailand.com where he posts rides, gpx tracks and information about touring this part of thailand. I hope to check into that as soon as I finish posting this blog. His restaurant choice was excellent in Ban Krut, run by an ex-pat New Yorker and his wife. We actually had our first hamburger of the trip.
At this point we really understood why there were 50 Australian bicycles doing this stretch of road. The seashore turned wonderful, it wasn’t the shallow seas that run out hundreds of yards when the tide goes out, this this stretch of water had big strong waves coming into long sandy beaches for ten’s of kilometers to the south. I was thinking that the Aussie’s probably wish they had their surfboards with them. We thought the beach at Cha Am was pretty wonderful but this long long beach topped even that place by a longshot. This is a place we would highly recommend and even consider coming back to.
And probably the best thing of all in this 63 mile day was that we learned of the hotel recommendation in Bang Saphan which worked out to be just right at $12 for two. Stanna thinks the best thing of the day was the 15 to 20 knot tailwind we had which made that 63 miles much easier.
We’ve taken quite a number of boat photos in the different ports and inlets along the coast but just have to show you this one little tiny 20-25 foot fishing boat, that has large lighting booms hanging over all four sides of the boat, which they must use to attract fish at night as they net them up.
