Once a year during the cooler, drier season around New Year a friend and I take a cycling trip somewhere in Thailand. There’s lots of choice from the northern mountains to the southern beaches. This year we went south-east with the hope of a bit of both.
For me this meant a tricky start of cycling through Bangkok to get to his house. My thinking was that the trip could only get better after that. The traffic was actually okay although on one multi-lane big road there were far too many motorcyclists coming down my lane the wrong way. I appreciate it saves them a long trip to find a U-turn but it seems to have become an accepted right and a nuisance for a cyclist already trying to negoiate the uneven drain covers and speeding buses. There was even a policeman doing it!
I was almost caught out by this gap between the main road and the slip lane which was just wide enough for my tire!
Light traffic on the way out of the city
The only "hill" on the first day!
From my friend’s house we got lift in a pickup truck to the real starting point in the province of Chachoengsow east of Bangkok. I choose a particular temple, Wat Pho in Bang Khla, which I love visiting because it has several thousand flying foxes hanging like enormous plums in the trees. A fascinating place next to the Bang Pakong river and giving protection to the bats in exchange for attracting visitors who bring donations.
Perhaps they could have used fewer trees to make this pavilion
Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei)
Flying fox flying
Despite this being the “cool” season on the first day it was not cool and the cycling was uncomfortably hot. As much as possible we aim for the smaller back roads which are usually quieter and good quality although some areas have a lot of heavy agricultural machinery so cracks and potholes can pop up anytime.
As agricultural machinery gets bigger so do the potholes
One of my interests that makes cycling interesting anywhere is roadkill. I don’t enjoy seeing squashed wildlife but I do use it to get a sense of what animals live in an area. Snakes are the most common casualties and this first day had plenty including this lovely kukri snake, so named for its wide, sharp teeth shaped like the khukuri blades used in Nepal. They are non-venomous but those teeth give them a very painful bite.
*Recently killed banded kukri snake *(Oligodon sp.)
We also had a mongoose run across the road in front of us. Hopefully, it won't end-up as roadkill.
The other "side" interest that I indulge in during these trips is keeping an eye out for weathered urban surfaces that can be beautiful in their abstract patterning. On a road-trip that usually means road-signs and although I didn't stop for every battered old sign I did pause to look at a few.
There is a detailed map hidden on this large sign-board amongst all these cracks that almost look like added landscape features
I don't think anybody is going to be reading this heavily peeling sign but what a beautifully framed piece of abstract roadside art!
Cycling all day means keeping an eye open for good break spots which typically means looking for cafes. If we see one and it looks good then we usually stop just incase there isn't another one for too long afterwards! This year we were going through rural areas that were quite well populated so there was usually a good choice and perhaps too many stops.
Over the 4-day ride the landscape slowly changed from flat paddyfields to gently rolling hills of arable crops like cassava and sugarcane to the welcome shade provided by rubber plantations and finally the lovely feeling of cycling through fruit orchards. In this area the main fruit is the infamous durian. Renowned for its strong smell, the modern cultivars are less potent and really good to eat. The trees themselves are quite large and openly spreading making them very good roadside companions.
Back road through sugarcane
Collecting latex from a rubber tree
A valuable crop, durian trees are usually very well cared for
Thailand is a great place for these kind of trips as finding a place to stay for the night is rarely difficult. If there are no guest-houses around, somebody local will usually help find something for you or as a last resort temples will provide a safe resting place for travellers. So far in over ten years of these trips we have never had to rely on a temple yet and on this trip finding pleasant accomodation was easy.
First night's guest-house with slightly over-done roofing
National Park accommodation with minimal furniture but space for bikes
Just as important as somewhere to sleep and coffee to drink is something to eat. For lunch we usually find a basic roadside place with a table or two that serves the local community and enjoy a very cheap plate of fried rice or a bowl of noodles. These staples are everywhere!
Typical lunch of vegetable fried rice
The evening meal is always more substantial and comes with beer! This is Thailand so finding great, tasty food is never difficult and a day's cycling always makes it taste even better. It usually consists of rice with 3 different dishes shared between the two of us. We have both been in the country for years so we can usually manage to order a good balance of flavours and styles. I love the sociable Thai way of eating bit by bit from shared dishes rather than filling your plate from the start.
We got our mountains half way through the trip at Khao Chamao National Park without having to do much uphill cycling. The head-quarters is at the foot of the hill and we had an early morning's walk in the forest climbing up next to a tumbling river of waterfalls. The swimming was excellent. Then we jumped back on the saddle for the rest of the day.
The beautiful river in the early morning
One of the forest's many towering trees
This was followed by arriving at a beautiful long beach in the afternoon. Again, the swimming was excellent, particularly first thing in the morning with almost nobody else around.
The rest of the ride was along the ever-interesting coast with its mix of aquaculture, mangroves, beaches and small communities.
Shellfish farms, possibly oysters
Tangle of arcing mangrove tree roots
Fishing community on an estuary with the mountain of Khao Chamao National Park in the background
Our finishing point was at a friend's house for a small, 2-day party, where a lift back to Bangkok was waiting for us after first sending the bikes home through an excellent transport service we had discovered.
Overall this year's trip was more relaxed with fewer hills than average, which is not such a bad thing.
Sunset on another Thailand cycling trip
