Archive for the ‘Thailand’ Category


The descent down the east coast continued along small, quiet roads. Far from the noise and traffic of the main road, I meandered through a palm-studded landscape with regular beaches. The wind picked up as I set up my tent on the beach. Empty coconuts aren’t heavy enough to keep the pegs from blowing away.. ☺

A beautiful beach. Shame about the rubbish.

A beautiful beach. Shame about the rubbish.

Today I passed 25000km from when I started in Eindhoven.

25000km

25000km

Tomorrow I head across to the other side of the peninsula. The excitement mounts.

Bridge on the back road

Bridge on the back road


I planned the cycle trip route before I left Eindhoven– in more detail at the beginning, and less at the end. Regularly en route the plan has changed – sometimes just by a little bit affecting a day or two, and sometimes by a lot, affecting months of cycling. I had been planning to cross to the western coast of Thailand soon. Today I met two groups of cyclists, and that all changed.

A french cyclist with some great tips.

A french cyclist with some great tips.

The west coast has only the main (busy) road, whereas the east coast is beautiful. I now have a new itinerary and several islands I need to visit. Being flexible is the name of the game. Koh Yao Noi, Koh Lanta and Koh Rok – here I come. (Although Koh Rok was on the agenda already.)

The road again followed the coast for a while. The scout/girl guide camp left a bit of rubbish on the beach.

The girl guides and scouts were naughty

The girl guides and scouts were naughty

There were some views,

View from the temple

View from the temple

and some back roads (meaning I could avoid the freeway-like main road entirely).

And just before my destination I was changing batteries on my phone when a woman pulled up on her bike, took out her phone, and took multiple selfies with me. She then followed me wherever I went, videoing me cycling behind her with her phone. It felt like in China.

I'm famous

I’m famous

I lost her in the town. She meant well, but I just wanted to be alone. ☺

Back road

Back road


Cycling alone again today, the beaches just kept on getting more beautiful, and more peaceful. Ban Krut never ended with its white sands lined with palm trees. I ended at another cute little beach with the standard kaarst structures on the horizon and the calm, tranquil sea.

Ban Krut - time for a swim

Ban Krut – time for a swim

Arne decided to catch a lift to a bigger town to get his bike seen to, so, it was me keeping myself company again. I like being by myself, and cycling through this amazing landscape. It is perfect being able to stop and do whatever I like, when I like. I stayed off the main road except for a short 28km stretch in the morning, and then drank up the serenity of the back roads following the shoreline.

Sunrise at Prachuap Khiri Khan

Sunrise at Prachuap Khiri Khan

The beach road

The beach road

Ban Krut

Ban Krut

Hat Bang Bird

Hat Bang Bird

Ban Krut

Ban Krut


This coast is stunning. Calm roads, calm waters. Kaarst formations jutting out of the plains and out of the sea. Palm trees lining the roads next to the sandy beaches. And a cave that is a massive sinkhole in the kaarst landscape – the sun shining in like a beam from the heavens lighting up the golden temple. Amazing.

Temple at the Phraya Nathan cave

Temple at the Phraya Nathan cave

We were woken up by the rooster orchestra, and by the fishermen preparing their boats for the day. It was a beautiful light, and a quiet road before everyone woke from their slumber.

Fisher boats in front of the tent

Fisher boats in front of the tent

The coast in the morning light

The coast in the morning light

The coast in the morning light

The coast in the morning light

The walk to the Phraya Nathan cave was steep, first to get to a beautiful palm-lined broad, wide, sandy beach, then then to get to the deep sinkhole in the kaarst mountain. It was just beautiful.

The beautiful coast

The beautiful coast

Phraya Nathan cave

Phraya Nathan cave

Phraya Nathan cave

Phraya Nathan cave

Arne was having some problems with his tyres, and then his brakes, so we are having a rest day tomorrow. I’m looking forward to lazing around in this beautiful place. No blog tomorrow.. ☺


The sea. Palm trees. White sand. Camping on the beach. The sky silhouettes the mountains as it turns orange, pink and then fades to black. It’s a summer holiday in the tropics – and I have cycled here from Holland. Happy.

Khao Kalok

Khao Kalok

We cycled more on smaller roads today that followed the coast, and passed through the first beach resort towns. We cycled past an official viewpoint every kilometre. None of the viewpoints had a view.

A viewpoint without a view

A viewpoint without a view

Arne has cycled from Belgium to here via India, and camped almost every night. He brought me over my renewed fear of camping (when there are perfectly good beds), and we have our tents on the beach (in perfect view of the road). It is kind of cool, camping just metres from the water on a sandy beach.

Early morning light

Early morning light

The water plains

The water plains

Khao Kalok

Khao Kalok


Leaving megacities takes time – time on big arterial roads with lots of traffic. Its not pleasant cycling, but it was safe enough with the wide side lane. Cycling along minding my own business, I was overtaken by another cyclist – Arne from Belgium. He’s heading to Singapore – like me, so we cycled together along the busy, flat, straight road.

The beautiful road

The beautiful road

We are now close to the sea – the sea I have not seen since Turkey (except briefly at Bangpoo). Bring on the beach!

Arne and me

Arne and me


I have finished cycling for 2015 and my trusty bike is getting a service – new rims, and various odds and ends are being fixed. In Bangkok, other than eating, I have been working on my latest video, which is now ready for viewing. 🙂 I hope you like it!


It’s weird when you connect the dots. Air travel creates a set of places you have been, disjoint from each-other. Bangkok – my favourite Asian city – was always a short stop after a long-haul flight. Bangkok is no longer separated. It is connected to Eindhoven through my 24326km journey here. The whole world is connected, and I am happy to live on it!

Dripping in sweat, I arrive in my lovely apartment in Bangkok

Dripping in sweat, I arrive in my lovely apartment in Bangkok

I saw the sea for the first time since Greece – at Bangpoo Recreation.

Bangpoo Recreation

Bangpoo Recreation

Bangpoo Recreation

Bangpoo Recreation

I sit here in my lovely air-conditioned room in the middle of this enormous mega-city feeling pretty proud of myself. I have finished cycling for 2015. I’ll spend the rest of the year here and with a friend in Assam, India.
What a year 2015 has been. In this year, I have studied Chinese in Taiwan, becoming moderately fluent while in China. I have cycled through rain, snow, muddy roadworks, blistering sun and hurricane winds. I have cycled through deserts, high altitude plateaus and tropical rainforests. I have had heatstroke, altitude sickness and lots of diahorrea. But, most importantly, I have met the most beautiful people. The people I share this world with – in far-away places people are just like at home. Caring, loving people – they laugh, they play, they work, they live.

With this I sign off for 2015. There will still be daily (3 month delayed) posts of my trip through China. Have a great new year, and I’ll see you in 2016!

My route up to Bangkok

My route up to Bangkok

The approach into Bangkok

The approach into Bangkok

P.S. For those looking for a good cycle route into Bangkok, I can recommend the one I took. Approaching from the south is a good idea. The roads were mostly (relatively) small, with not too much traffic. Of course, it is all relative – given that you are approaching Bangkok, the roads were quite quiet.. 🙂 The route can be downloaded from Google maps.


Bernadette and I slept in today, and then talked and talked and talked. We only started cycling around 11 (rather than the usual 6). Consequently only a few kilometres were done today through the plantations of various crops.

Me and Bernadette

Me and Bernadette

It was quite a pleasant road, although at the end, it was clearly getting busy – approaching the mega-city of Bangkok.

Lovely view over the plantations

Lovely view over the plantations

I feel rather silly, but, this crop is being grown everywhere in Laos, Cambodia and now in Thailand. Does anyone know what it is?

What is this plant?

What is this plant?

Tomorrow and early rise, and into the Bangkok traffic-jam.

Me and Bernadette

Me and Bernadette


We sat, together, in the airconditioned room. ‘And then there was that!’ – and another story would be told with a smile from ear to ear. I met world-cycler Bernadette in Amsterdam at a cycling trade show a few years ago when I was excitedly planning my own world cycle tour. And now we find ourselves on the bike in Thailand – in bungalows overlooking a beautiful lake. ‘Good to see you!’ she screamed and we wrapped ourselves in a big hug.

Me and Bernadette

Me and Bernadette

We met at a little shop out the front of the resort. Bernadette couldn’t cycle due to cramp, and I couldn’t walk – my right hip tends to give way when I walk. It comes and goes. So, I cycle at walking pace to our bungalows next to Bernadette.

Today was undulating landscape cycling, firstly in the sun, and then through a shady park, passing elephant signs. No elephants, though.

Elephants

Elephants

We arranged to meet in a town Takrao that isn’t called Takrao, off a road that isn’t the 3259. I asked for directions to a town that isn’t called Wang Mai. Google maps and Maps.me got everything wrong about the naming. So, I find myself in a town whose name I’ve forgotten.