I had no problems at the Thai border unlike last time at Mae Sot where I was told to push into a huge queue of Thai nationals as this was a much quieter crossing with no one ahead of me waiting to get in.
When I say quieter there was immediately the whine, pop and black soot that established I was back in the land of the Nascar pickup. I was interesting that the demand for these things stooped at the border or maybe Cambodia have stricter emissions controls.
I had re-entered the country at the bottom right of the map below and my route for the next few weeks was to ride around the Gulf of Thailand. My first target was Pattaya where I planned to take a few days off and hopefully catch the first games of the rugby Six Nations. I would then take the ferry across to Hua Hin to avoid having to fight my way through Bangkok again and work my way south down the shoreline.
Instead of heading east toward Koh Samui will continue down and cross over to the Andaman Sea Coast and pass through Trang and stay close to the west coast as I need to avoid the section where the border juts out into Malaysia. In this area travel is not advised due to terrorist activities by Thailand muslim rebels.
The transfer into Thailand brought about a noticeable improvement in the road conditions and I was now riding on a newly constructed dual carriageway with a large hard shoulder which made progress fast and easy.
As I made my way up the thin sliver of coast and came what was signposted as.the narrowest part of the country.
They had created a sort of visitors centre at this point but it did not look like it was was exactly proving popular. Mind you by it's very definition there is not a lot to see is there.
I had about 30 miles to go to the first possible location of the hotel I was aiming for. Being on the coast now there was no shortage of places to stay but the challenge was going to be finding ones to fit my budget.
I planned a stop after 15 miles but just 8 miles in came across a Seven Eleven and had to pull over for a large iced coffee which I had missed since leaving and a quality lolly no Magnums which was unusual but I found a good cheaper substitute which was on special offer.
Those observant amongst you will see I have change to my Team Sky top. This is much thinner than the Beer one and better suited to the higher temperatures but today there was a bit of a breeze off the sea so was not too bad.
Another great thing about Thailand are these shelters at regular intervals by the road which are great to pull over at for a break. In fact this one had a group of touring cyclist in who were going in the opposite direction. We were separated by the central reservation so I couldn't go across for a chat but I chastised them for having a rest anyway!
All of a sudden I was at the hotel it was actually 3 miles nearer than the nearest predicted location on the map what a bonus.
I wanted the cheaper option of a hotel room but when they offered me a bungalow for an fiver more (than my budget) I crumples and said yes. To be fair I had just spend two night in my tent for $6 so I did have some cash in hand.
Another great thing about Thailand is that you get proper bottles of pop not those tiny cans they had in Cambodia..
My early start this morning was in the hope of some decent WiFi which was lacking at the last place so I could get up to date with this blog. Things started OK and I was able to upload photos so I took a break went for a swim and lounged by the pool for an hour. But then when I tried again everything had slowed down and it was taking 20-30 minutes to upload one photo and half the time when it was shown as complete it would turn red and say FAIL!
I headed to reception to see if there was a better signal there which there wasn't but there was a freezer so took some pictures of the sun setting over Koh Kut whilst I was there. A lovely end to my first day in Thailand.
I got the distinct impression I was the only guest at the hotel as I saw no one else at dinner and was the only person there a breakfast. Although I was there at 7 am as I had nearly 70 miles to cover today. I wanted to get on the road and hopefully some decent internet at the other end as I was now four days behind with this blog.
It was a fairly humdrum day really I was head down on the hard shoulder grinding out the distance with a 20 miles first section and then 15 mile stop thereafter. Although that didn't go to plan as I stopped at a cafe bakery hoping for a tactical cake to find they only did main course meals which at 10 am was not really what I wanted.
So after a coffee I set off but rolled onto another Seven Eleven up the road. I had to get my bucket of iced coffee and grabbed a snickers bar, my first for a while as they were for some reason twice the UK price in Cambodia.
High as a kite on caffeine and peanuts I set off again and bagged a nice Temple of the Day with many many Buddhas.
I then started to work my way inland past some rubber plantation to the city of Chanthaburi where I hoped to get a bed at a hostel.
I called in at a couple of other Seven Eleven's along my route today but discovered not everything as better in Thailand.
Egg crisps, egg crips!! What in the name of anything decent are they doing there?
After my shock encounter with egg crips on the road I was relieved to find I lovely hostel at the end of my ride where I could recover and super fast internet to boot!
I was flagging in front of my laptop so as the sun went down I thought I would finish that in the morning and wandered over to a nearby shopping centre. I got a new Thai sim card for my phone as the last one only had a 30 day limit. The plan was to then have a walk around town and the grab some food later on but that got hijacked.
As you can see there was a KFC there and I broke. I have been on a mainly asian diet for the last week and did have rice for breakfast this morning.
I wasn't even hungry but had cycled nearly 70 miles and only consumed an ice lolly, snickers bar and a bag of crisps on route.
Is it just me but then as soon as I had my first mouthful I was absolutely famished and wolfed the lot down. I think it is because I take in so much fluids that it must suppress my appetite. I'm typing his now, the day after at 7 pm having had no lunch and I am still not hungry.
I then did my postponed tour of the town and saw the lights up outside the Chinese temple.
The next morning I was up at 6 am and hoped I would be able to bring my blog up to date. I just about managed it but suddenly realised it was ten to eight and dashed round getting changed, packed and down for breakfast which was a glorious international affair with Vietnamese noodle and spare rib soup accompanied by corn flakes and peanut butter with jam on toast.
The manager wanted a photo with me and then after 9 am which was late for me with all the staff waving I headed off. Actually I just went round the corner as need to pump up my tyre and I'd not put my gloves or helmet on but thought the send off delegation wouldn't keep up their level of enthusiasm whilst I did all that.
I also realised needed a poo but 10 minutes had gone by so rather than returning to the hostel after my big send off I managed to find a petrol station further down the road with toilets.
I left the city via the gem quarter which was closeby.
I put the bike option into MapsMe last night and it came up with what looked like and interesting run down the coast as an alternative to the highway. This only added 5km to the day to I decided to take that option which was signed as a scenic route and even had a cycle lane. Things were looking up.
I had a wonderful ride there was a stiff headwind as I left the city. That soon subsided as I passed some salt beds where they pumped sea water out to evaporate and then sold the salt bagged up by the roadside.
I also found a very nice salted caramel alternative from Nestle at my morning break which added to their chocolate orange offering in Cambodia. This puts them up there with a couple of contenders for the top 10 whenever I get round to compiling it!
Talking of contenders I also passed this which must be in for the temple of the day award. The roof reminds me of the church in the castle district of Budapest.
Also available in white, you decide.
I then crossed over an estuary looking out over the boats moored up some of which appeared more seaworthy than others.
After this I was riding along a palm lined roadway to arrive at the shore which I would now be more or less following for the last 20 miles to my destination. This was a box park camping site which looked interesting online with shipping containers by the beach.
Hitting the beach I was in full tourist central with lots of bars and cafes I was tempted to stop but I had five more miles to go until my next break so a rolled on. I was riding past pasty white western tourist who gave me strange looks as they walked by or zoomed along in tuk tuks.
When it was time to stop I had drifted inshore and the eating options had petered out with a succession of gated resorts between me and the coast. I saw a restaurant in one and swung in parked up the bike but no one greeted me as I walked to a table by the sea which luckily was available as were all of them because unluckily it was closed.
I was running low on fluids so pulled over at a shop which also happens to have freezer but a poorly stocked on at that.
I took the advice of a friend and went for a strawberry Cornetto but it was poor advice that I hope I will not be in the unfortunate position to need again.
Then with about 10 miles to go I was suddenly on the coast again and with a huge variety of food options but by then I was focused on the finish. I just kept pushing nearly overtaking some tourist who were being a bit ginger with their self drive tuk tuk as I powered to the finish.
The finish looked a bit scruffy though with a pile of container surrounded by gravel with not many facilities.
I decided to keep going and a few hundred meters down the shore managed to secure another bungalow overlooking the sea for the night.
I was up early the next morning for a 7am breakfast as I wanted to get on the road soon with the target of hopefully arriving in Pattaya by lunchtime.
Breakfast was rice soup and a couple of bananas washed down with a big mug of coffee.
I this ate sat outside whilst I watched the surfers making the most of the breakers on an otherwise deserted beach.
I tried to avoid the main road and stick to the seafront as best as I could but was eventually forced inland and onto a large three lane highway which was a sharp contrast to yesterday. This started out OK but then I hit a series of roadworks which had me pushed into contraflows so I lost the security of the hard shoulder and was mixing it with the rest of the traffic.
The scenery was not that inspiring and the day thankfully started out with a slight mist which was refreshing. I did however bag another temple, gold today to add to my growing colour collection.
My big breakfast kept me fuelled up for the best part of the morning so no morning Magnums or similar products were required.
The roadworks were to widen the carriageway which was on my side so that meant I was isolated from a lot of the shops as I rode on but did manage to get into a service station where I found a reminder of back home.
Whilst I was stopped I also had to undertake a running repair on my wing mirror.
This had worked loose in the thousands of miles since I bought it in Tbilisi and would no longer stay in a fixed position.
So I found an elastic band that I forced into the joint which was a simple bodge but seemed to do the trick.
I must have been making good progress as I missed my turn off and the backstreet route I had planned into the city but once I got that worked out again I was snaking through the lanes and suddenly there I was on the Pattaya sea front.
This was a far cry from the peace and tranquility of this morning. It was just past 12 noon so I found a bar to have a celebratory drink then joined the masses for a few days R&R.
After three days in Pattaya I was glad to leave it was a sleazy run down place full of miserable looking western and russian tourist the chinese supply line having been cut back by the recent Coronavirus.
The bars were full of hostesses who were there to get you to buy them expensive drinks and sell other services. The beach was also full of people plaguing you to buy any manner of product or service from your sun lounger.
I ended up taking refuge by the hotel pool by day and in the music bars by night which was an assault on my senses like this karaoke rendition of Reach for the Stars
.....or the summary execution of a Motorhead classic!
There was no chance of an early night as one of these rock venues was right outside my hotel and blasted it out until 3 am.
I was relieved then when I boarded the ferry as planned to take me across the Gulf of Thailand to Hua Hin. Whilst waiting to board I got talking to retired English guy who had married a Swiss woman and had lived there for the past 30 years. He was asking me all about my trip and said they had recently bought electric bikes and were thinking about a 300 km trip next year so was asking me for tips like how to get you bike on an airplane route planning etc.
On the 2 hour crossing I started planning my route for the next few days and working on 60 miles a day and was alarmed to see I was making fast progress down the coast. I remembered that on my last calculation I was looking at having about 8 days in hand and this was likely to increase as I worked my way south. Maybe my decision to avoid Bangkok for a second time might have not been wise.
I decided that as I had also allocated tomorrow off in the resort city of Hua Hin I would try and do some mile by mile route planning of this final leg and see if there are any interesting sights I should think about picking up along the way.
Hua Hin had a much nicer feel to it when I arrived and I enjoyed being back on the bike again if for the 5 mile dash to the hotel I had booked.
If I am staying for 2 or more nights or there is a lot of choice I tend to try and book in advance so I can check out the price and facilities before I arrive I'm a sucker for a pool though. This one caught my eye and pushed me over budget but I did make the most of it and fire off 50 lengths as the sun went down.
Out into town and as I had rice for breakfast and had skipped lunch I thought I'd treat myself to a steak and went to check out this place.
Virtually every seat was reserved but I finally found what looked like the last one available. Fortunately Mrs Doyle wasn't there to force me to have a steak at those prices but I did have a good plate of ribs.
I could see why the place was booked out as at last there was some decent music from The Bangkok Beatles although it was a bit like a 60's disco, ...an over 60's disco!
In the morning I took a walk to the beach which reinforced the fact that this was predominantly a retirement resort with lots of Scandinavians hence I guess why there was a Swedish consulate situated outside my hotel.
I did earwig on a yorkshire woman saying how Gerald was tired out as e'd been down shops looking for t'box t speed up t'internet.
I investigated taking a kitesurfing course as I'd seen the coastline full of them from my hotel window. They said to get me up on a board would be a three day course and cost around £300. I had plenty of time in hand and would work if I could find a cheap hostel which I went off in search of.
However, at the hostel doorstep had a reality check whether this would be something that I would really take up when I got home. I also remembered that the last time I went wakeboarding I ended up with three weeks of physio and I strained my core muscles and that my routine of 10 minutes of core strength exercises had dissolved over the last few months.
In fact it's 6.30 am and I'm going to take a break not to do them right now!
It would be stupid I thought to get all this way and then injure myself kitesurfing. I was on a cycle tour so it was back to the route planning and research to come up with a plan for the next six week.
I decided I would criss cross Thailand which would add some more miles and visit the Island resorts of Koh Samui and Phuket on my way south. I would also see if I could get the bike on a ferry to Koh Phi Phi to visit the film location of The Beach as an alternative route back to the mainland.
In Malaysia I found a inland tea plantation in the hills which would be a interesting diversion and add a 5,000 ft climb and a change of scenery into the mix. Adding all that together would eat up the remaining time. I had also added three day breaks in George Town and Kuala Lumpur which I could scale back if required.
What didn't help was MapsMe as every time I tries to look for a scenic bike route it kept deciding ferries were the way to go look at this example!
Right time to rise from my slumber but the swims I'd had for the last couple of days helped. I had about 65 to 70 miles to do today. I was not sure as again MapsMe had given me a route that hugged the coast most of the way but then took me inland on a three sides of a square detour to avoid a section of the highway. I will take the highway so have estimated what that will cut off the distance.
I didn't think it would be too much of a challenge so I got my blog up to date in the morning and as you kow did some core strength exercises for the first time since God knows when. Then I hit the all you can eat buffet and filled my boots with cereal. fruit, yogurt, noodles and pork x 2 and then my pockets with bananas to eat later.
At just gone 8.30, the day got off to a promising start as not far out of the city I was routed onto a dedicated cycle lane which I followed for 4-5 miles passed some wetlands stretching out to the shore.
Talking of stretching out I came across a heron type bird with its wings stretched out and breast bathing in the morning sun just a stone's throw away (I know that as I managed to hit it*). I took several photos of it but unfortunately as these were by their nature straight into the sun so none of them came out.
* Only kidding I missed! **
**Only kidding.
After this I turned left onto The Royal Coastal Highway which had a dedicated cycle lane and plenty of sign warning motorists to give room which was great.
Being on the back roads the catering was limited on these minor roads with no frozen confectionery options available at stop one. Astonishingly, I realised that I had been Magnum free for a week.
This was not a problem though as I was still burning the breakfast in my furness and making good progress on it as we entered Khao Sam Roe Yot National Park which was announced with a stunning rock formation.
As I progressed I came across a troop of monkeys on the road. I stopped and took a few pictures but they were advancing on me on both sides like some sort of pincer movement. I remembered then I was loaded up with bananas! Not wanting a repeat of the Monkey Temple with the bloody things jumping on me or my bike to mug me I saddled up and moved on pronto.
They didn't really take much notice of me and later on I saw a sign that said don't feed them backed up with the threat of a fine which is good. As pointed out by my safari guide in Nepal, this stops their dependence on humans developing together with aggressive behaviour.
Exiting the park my phone had gone into standby and I missed the next turning so had to backtrack a kilometre which made me realise I had a reasonable tail wind today which probably accounted for the good progress. I corrected my mistake and turned again towards the coast which I caught a glimpse of but the best I got were the river inlets and the fishing boats for now.
I got to the three sides of a box section of the route I referred to earlier and my distance to go was about 23 miles. Then when I joined the highway and my course was corrected this went down to just 15 miles which made a big difference to moral.
I thought, well with 15 miles to go it is time for a break but never really came to somewhere suitable I'd eaten a couple of bags of Hula Hoop type things and a sort of yum yum at the last stop so was not hungry. They did have a Walls freezer there but this only had the disappointing Top 10 and after my recent drought only the real deal will do today.
I did pass a cafe further on but could spot a drinks fridge just another Walls freezer which alas went uninvestigated as the sea front was in sight and I thought there bound to be plenty of cafes and choice there!
However I hit the water with 5 miles to go but there were no cafes in sight.
A check of the route confirmed I was on a narrow strip of land with a lagoon inshore with only government and scientific institutions occupying this sand then crossed the outlet to hit the city of Prachuap Khiri Khan, scroll up for map.
There was now less than 2 miles to go now so I just pressed on and as I did the bay opened up to give a wonderful view.
I could just imagine sailing in here and dropping anchor. Maybe in years to come we will see I'm just in the process of reading a series of stories from a single handed sailor that might well inspire some future projects.
I found a lovely guest house with one room remaining for £13 B&B which helps get my spending back on track. To celebrate I headed down to Tesco's and splashed out on the luxury special to break my Magnum fast.
I had heard that is was a religious festival tomorrow Buddha Day and all the shops and restaurants would be closed but as luck had it I had found a place to camp on the beach that evening which coincide well.
I found a Tesco's in the city and set off go get stocked up on snacks and water to be as self sufficient as possible.
I then headed off to get some food as usual I'd not had a proper lunch so was in search of a pizza restaurant I'd seen on my map. By a process of poor navigation I thought I was in pole position for pizza only to not see it on the menu and find I was in a bavarian bar!
Making the best of the situation I saw their steaks were 25% of the price Fr Ted was charging " I hear your ripping off tourists now father?"
Decision made it was steak night.
Right another day covering 65 ish miles hugging the coast on minor roads was in store which got going with a lovely ride through the palm trees.
This was good for the first 5-6 miles but then I was following the train line down the coast which was clearly being expanded as there was a lot of construction traffic and diversions.
At one point I was directed to turn left but there was no road just an overgrown path. This can't be right I thought I had crossed over a dirt road running along the railway in the direction I wanted to go just before and I thought that must be the one I should take. So I jumped on that which ran along a new fence. Yes I thought this must be the diverted road and they are fencing off the land so confidently pushed on.
My confidence dropped as the fence ran out and the "road" became rougher and then after a couple of miles came to a stop at a river.
I doubled back and got to the hole in the fence through that and the overgrown path again. Someone's been down I thought then realised that was me earlier as I had pushed my wheel in to have a look. I thought maybe this opens up further on and committed to it again.
I headed through the undergrowth and came to an abrupt stop as it was covered in little thorns that gripped my helmet and top. I managed to disengage myself and got going but a branch grabbed the webbing on my pannier and came along for the ride I tried to disengage it but it got the webbing strap on my pedal and then gripped my glove.
I took stock and thought there are three miles of this what am I going to be like at the end if I've been attacked by the undergrowth twice in 100 yards. The track I had turned off was shown to go up to the highway so I bailed out and carefully backtracked. I took the track at made it to the highway having lost an hour messing about in the woods!
I resolved to stay on the Highway for the next 15 miles which was a more direct route which I could cover quickly as it was just head down and go. A few miles later after I had a cold drink and a sit down I checked the bike route ahead. I saw it was all shown as roads so thought let's give them a go and was rewarded by beautiful palm lined roads again.
As I went along I saw plenty of shops and cafes open and suddenly I was at a crossroads with a Tesco on one side and a 7Eleven on the other both of which were open for business.
So the catering crisis I thought I was going to have to endure today was thankfully averted.
You won't believe I cycled over the Pamir Highway last year would you!
After this I hit the coast again and a lovely promenade with fishermen drying out their catch of the day.
As I looked back I saw the temple of the day which was on top of the hill overlooking the bay and yes this is as close as I got to it.
Suddenly I got all excited as I saw this sign and though maybe I might camp here and take a boat out this afternoon so I went to investigate.
I pushed my bike over the sand but the place was deserted. There were a few upturned optimist dinghy hulls which are tiny, a catamaran and another dingly about 14 ft long but neither of these were rigged or on trolleys so I gave it up for a bad job and continued.
Soon the bay I was stopping in opened up in front of me. I had a packet of pasta and some smoked sausages which I had brought for my dinner but there was a restaurant and cafe on the map. I thought I might was well give them a go as everywhere else seemed open.
I didn't tancy the restaurant which was next to the main road so held out for the cafe on the seafront but that was shut when I got there I was not turning back so it looked like pasta it would be.
However as I was approaching my finishing point there was a street vendor selling grilled chicken so I stopped and had a few skewers whilst taking in the view.
It looks like the pasta will live another day.
I made it to the camping spot but it was very busy with locals so instead of putting the tent up straight away I decided I would make a campfire. I scavenged around for some driftwood and dug a pit. I soon had the makings of a reasonable blaze so finding a spot above the high tide line, the tent went up and I waited for the sun to go down.
Darkness was approaching fast and all but one of the locals had gone the last being a pick up that by the sounds of the revving seemed to be stuck in the sand. So I decided they were on their way, got my fire going and settled in for the night.
I had a natural alarm clock as the tide was coming in so the waves got louder as they approached. I managed to get operation toilet completed in the dark and then could see the daybreak from my tent and decided it was time to get up.
And it wasn't long before I was rewarded with a spectacular sunrise.
It must have got cold in the night as there was condensation on the outside of my tent so I decided it would be best to let that dry off. I got my stove out and made myself a coffee and had a few broken biscuits out of my food bag for breakfast.
I checked the route for today which was all road so shouldn't be any surprises there was a 7Eleven after the first 7 miles so I stopped there for a second breakfast that consisted of a bucket of iced coffee, a snickers bar and a pineapple pastry.
After breakfast 2 it was 60 miles exactly left to go so I resolved to stop every 15 miles for a break. I was more inland today and the terrain was more hilly. As I made my way past rubber plantations. I saw a route into one of them so stopped and took a look.
There was a bucket of the sap which had been collected I dipped my finger in expecting it to be sticky but it had the consistency of milk.
On I pressed and as I was approaching the 30 mile stop at about noon. I checked my route and saw there was another 7Eleven coming up. I'd resisted a Magnum for breakfast but had a special treat.
I noticed that the drinks fridge had a sign on saying no alcohol sales today due to religious day so looks like I got my wires crossed on that one that it was not a complete shutdown of the shops but an alcohol ban.
I got on the road again and suddenly jumped out of my skin when I hear a hello right behind me!
I whipped round to see a guy on a racing bike had crept up on me I should have checked my mirror. He was Mat, originally from London but now owned a B&B in central France. He explained that he worked his wotsits off during the summer and had the winter's free to go cycle touring so was over here for a couple of weeks.
We cycled together and chatted sharing ideas and experiences on the road. He was obviously faster than me so I had to up my pace to his and in no time another 15 miles had gone and we pulled in for a cold coke.
I was sweating so much I couldn't operate my touch screen but Mat gave me a small towel to dry my hands with and I managed to take this shot.
He was heading across the the west coast so soon after this our paths diverged as I had a steep descent back down to the coast and the Bay of the Day.
I worked my way around this and then into my final destination which was a homestay that looked good and had positive reviews situated in the fishing port of Pak Nam Chumphon.
I was eager to get there as I had not made a reservation there was another hotel shown but that was across the river but there didn't seem to be a bridge or a ferry so I could see it but it would be another 5 miles riding to actually get there!
I entered the town and then was direct over a bridge.
I soon found myself cycling over the water on concrete paths squeezed between the buildings and followed the signs to the homestay.
Fortunately I was in luck, they had a room free. The place was lovely and the description of on the river was not wrong you cannot get much closer than that!
The main town was on the other side of the river so my host called a water taxi and took me over there to where his truck was parked.
He drove me up to the viewing point and temple overlooking the town so I could take a shot down.
And a somewhat chilled out Buddha.
After that it was down to the Night Market to get some food and I grazed on the may cheap dishes which were on offer.
There was as you would imagine lots of seafood on offer. I didn't brave the crabs but had some deep fried squid and catfish.
The next morning I got this blog up to date and then had breakfast watching the boats coming and going on the river. This consisted of a spicy rice soup/porridge with banana sticky rice and a muffin washed down with fresh coffee.
The guy was trying to charge me about £8.50 for B&B which was ridiculous for the quality of the place so I ended up giving him around £11 and hit the road south again.
It was after 9 am but I didn't mind the later start as I just had 55 miles to go today. I had planned to get onto Ko Samui in six days but found that the main beach resorts are on the other side of the island which is another 15 miles from where the ferry docks. So that would be on day six a 60 miles riding plus whatever time the ferry crossing takes plus an inevitable wait for a boat as I have no idea of the sailing times which all seemed a bit too much.
Therefore, Given I am not pushed for time, I scaled back my plans to get to the ferry dock in 6 days then I could work out my plan for getting onto the island that evening and if all when well be on the beach by the following afternoon.
It was back to the Royal Coastal Highway today and it all went very smoothly with more quiet roads threading their way through the palm trees. As I was going along there was a loud thump beside me which gave me a start and I realised it was a coconut falling from a high palm, must make a mental note not to camp under coconut trees as it came down with some force.
I wondered if it had fallen naturally as there was no man with a log pole which I have seen attacking other trees. Then I saw there was a monkey up there trying to free another. I wondered it the monkey is doing this for itself or was it is trained to do it?
Another few miles along the road I think I got the answer as I saw this little fella with a bell on and tied up by a pile of coconuts.
I thought I might make it today with just two stops at roughly 20 miles distances which went Ok for the first stop where I just had some fizzy pop and filled up my water bottle with the same. However, my body had other ideas and about another 6-7 miles down the road I passed a Nestle freezer and I suddenly started bonking and craving food particularly of a frozen diary variety.
I started to get control of the situation with the fizzy pop I had on board but when I noticed an emergency 7Eleven I had highlighted not far off the route. I decided this was classified as such and a Magnum and a large bag of crisps brought me back to life.
I was making good progress again after my refuel when I was caught my a Danish man who was the advanced party for a group of three cyclist who I had seen twice before on the road and were working their way down to Phuket. They had a support vehicle with them and fell in with me for the next 10 miles with their Chevrolet 4x4 taking position at the rear with it's hazards on.
The thing about cycling in a group is that you just keep going and don't pull over to take photographs anymore. I cyclied with them to within 15 miles of my stopping point they had further to go and we had a break by the beach.
Further on we hit roadworks and one of them on a racing bike picked up a puncture so enforcing Pirate Law I left them behind and pushed on to cover the last 8 miles of the day on my own.
I found a slightly tired resort on the coast where I got a bungalow for the night at a reasonable price and might try the restaurant later overlooking the bay.
I had breakfast the next morning overlooking the sea with a stiff breeze blowing in which might make life interesting today. My original plan was to stop in the city of Surat Thani today. However, with my revised schedule, I would fall short and found some cheap accomodation near the airport which would help with the spending money when I next hit the beach.
I got on out the road and had to dodge the palm leaves that had been blown onto the road as I progressed down the coast.
I was really hungry last night and struggled with translation so just ended up with chicken and rice which didn't fill me up. I then raided my food bag when I got back to the hotel which was now looking a bit light. So as I passed through the village at the river estuary I stopped to load up with bananas for the journey ahead.
Like in the last fishing village there were a high number of Myanmar people here who had come over the border to the west to find work on the boats. You can differentiate them due to their painted faces and the men were wearing their traditional skirts as shown below.
As I crossed the river I could see the fishing fleet tied up along the dock nowhere near as large as the last place where I slept at the homestay but still an impressive sight.
A little further on I came across these two characters who I had not seen before. These I think could be Myanmar deities but I didn't see them when I was over there but I am in the deep south now and things may have changed. They were placed outside of a number of business premises along the route this morning.
I was certainly making the most of the ability to stop and take photos which I was not able to do yesterday when I was cycling with Team Denmark.
With about 70 miles to cover today I thought I would break every 20 ish miles.
At the first stop I went a bit left field in the lolly choice but it was quite refreshing.
I also stocked up my food bag with some peanut bars and an unknown sweet bar thing that was quite heavy so should do the trick if required.
I was just thinking about making a move when who should turn up at the same shop but team Denmark!
I thought, as they had stopped ahead of me last night, I would have seen the last of them but some puncures this morning ment they had to buy more inner tubes which delayed their start. Now they had lost their support vehicle so their drama was continuing.
I held back and we set off together so it looked like I was not going to be on my own again.
Their pace was quite slow though as the last three time we had met it was them who being supported so having no panniers caught me up. I wondered if they were riding slow so they would not drop me so I went to the front to set the pace and show them what I am comfortable with a faster pace taking some photos as I went by.
They didn't speed up though and got smaller and smaller in my mirror as I pulled away. Either they were waiting for their support vehicle or they didn't really like me who knows but I wasn't going to ride at that pace so I pressed on and didn't see them again.
I had worked my way inshore and the wind had eased a bit but the sky was cloudy and at one point it started to rain. It started off as a light shower then just as it seemed to be getting heavier it cleared but there was still grey clouds in the distance. I was trying to remember the last time I got rained on which was in East India back in November 2019 and that was more like a mist then or that fine rain that wets you through!
I started to climb a headland and the rain came down again, this time it was heavier and looked like it was here to stay especially as I was gaining height. I pulled in under the cover of a police station that looked empty apart from a couple of yapping dogs who harassed me as I took apart my external mobile phone mounting and put the phone inside.
This as a complicated process involving the removal of zip ties, elastic bands and sections of inner tube all to try and hold the phone in place and stop it falling out which as been a regular occurance.
Once completed the rain had stopped and over time on the road the cover had gone opaque so I could hardly see the phone inside.
I was ready for my final break of the day and not knowing what the food options at the hostel were decided to make sure I had a proper meal. At the next cafe I came to where I found shelter for the bike and some chicken noodle soup.
I reconstructed my external phone holder whilst I was in there even though it started raining again but rather then having my phone/gps in front of me which I couldn't see so useless, I thought I'd just keep it in the handlebar bag and can pull it out to take a look when required.
The rain was dying off when I left but the road was still wet but that was the last rain of the day as I made my way to my hostel.
This was a strange place at the turn off to the airport on a business park where more than half the units were unoccupied and I'm sure this was not the originally intended use.
I was about to cancel my booking when they said I had to leave my bike outside but then they found a place for it in the kitchen so I felt obliged to stay. The place was advertised as a coffee shop and hostel but disappointingly, the extensive coffee menu above the counter was limited down to Nescafe 3in1 or black!
To be fair my first impressions were poor but the coffee was free and the lack of distractions and some all important good wifi allowed me to get some stuff done The staff there were also friendly giving me some bananas and water when I left the next morning.
I headed down towards the city of Surat Thani stopping at the first 7Eleven conveniently located at my first break where I had my usual morning intake of iced coffee and Magnum then hung a left over the bridge and followed the river east towards the sea.
Unlike the rivers of the last few days this was much more commercial with container terminals and oil storage depots on my route together with barges and coasters on the river itself.
As I continued to track the river out of the city I passed through the tight street of a muslim neighbourhood which I could identify by the headscarves the women were wearing and embroidered caps on the men.
That is the great thing about taking the back streets route that you get to see a different side to the place you would never pass through by sticking to the highways.
The weather was much better today with no sign of rain, I had checked the forecast to make sure it was worth the trip to Ko Samui and it seemed to be conforming with what was predicted. There were some clouds but these offered a welcome relief to the bright sunshine.
At the next stop I filled up with melon drink which was fast becoming my juice of choice to put in my drinks bottle. It was impressively green so must be good for me and at least two of my five a day I think! I was also incredibly sweet but nice if you diluted it about 50/50 with water.
As I approached the coast I was routed to take a right turn through a ford and up a steep bank to what looked like a disused road beyond.
I checked the route ahead but it didn't peter out to a path so I carried on and it was good to be traffic free as I followed these roads which cut in a grid formation through the palm trees with regular cross roads all empty of traffic.
The only disadvantage of no traffic is no shops or cafes and as I was coming to the end of my ride I was starting to rapidly eat into my emergency water. When I finally struck on a commuter road with less than 10 miles to go I had to pull over to re-stock. I bought a packet of crisps to keep me going but the woman there kept trying to force food on me which I refused as I had no idea what t was and intended to have a late lunch once I had sorted out my ferry for tomorrow.
I made it to the port and established these were proper ferries and I could get me bike on them. They sailed every hour starting at 5 am tomorrow but they wouldn't sell me a ticket which was a plan as I wanted to get that sorted there and then but no matter.
Theoretically, I could have got the 3 pm crossing an been on the island for around 4.30 with another 15 miles to cycle but I think I made the right decision to delay. I grabbed a delicious green thai curry at a roadside cafe and found the resort I had booked into which was close to the port.
The next morning I was about to get going when I found out my Samsung phone screen has frozen. This being the case I had to revert to my iphone and was delayed by having to upload the maps I needed before I could set off.
I got to the 8 am ferry terminal with only 10 minutes to spare but managed to get on so was not left waiting an hour for the next boat.
An hour and a half later and we docked on the island and I made my way over to the south east corner where the main resort is.
On the way I managed to find a mobile phone repair shop who diagnosed my screen (No 2) was toast which I had dropped a few times and now had a few cracks and they fitted screen No 3.
That done I arrived at my hotel and as able to book in and get my washing done before I hit the beach.
I had a nice couple of relaxing days on the island and settled into holiday mode with happy hour on the beach after taking a disco nap in the afternoon to avoid the worst of the sun.
I had my usual massage when I stop which I again suffered from crap in my legs part way through and my neck was also really stiff the day after but has thankfully that has freed up now.
By coincidence my friend from Budapest Aniko who I used to work with then I was out there was flying into Ko Samui with her partner Zoltan on Sunday before hopping onto a ferry to head to one of the smaller neighbouring islands. I had planned to be on the road then but the great thing about plans are the're flexible! So I extended my stay and pedaled over to meet them. It was great to see some friendly faces and there was much to catch upon since we had last met in May 2019!
After a few breakfast beers I cycled back and treated myself to a Sunday Roast, beef and yorkshire pudding, at the Irish bar close to my hotel. I think I need to get back on the bike pronto to burn off these calories but all will be rectified tomorrow.
Right not a huge day today 15 miles to the ferry then just another 15 miles at the other end to get me on my way across the peninsula to the west coast where I can then safely make my way to Malaysia.
I didn't get off to a good start as one of my front panniers dropped off but the safety line I have on it now after losing one kind of worked but ended up jammed it under the front mudguard and broke the bottom bracket. Fortunately after a BLT Baguette to get me going back at said Irish bar I was able to find at the second attempt a motor bike repair place which had a rivet gun and was able to fix it which was a relief.
I again got to the ferry with 10 minutes before it departed so was straight onboard and soon on my way back to the mainland.
With the extra day it had taken to get there and after extending my stay I decided the Phuket was going to be too far so was heading further south.
There was however, another island called Ko Lanta which I would now head for in the Andaman Sea for a bit of a break and should arrive at after three more days on the road.
As we made our approach to the dock on the mainland I took one last look at the Gulf of Thailand which I was so excited to see when I arrived back in Cambodia but would now be turning my back on as I was heading inland.
I disembarked and as I left the port I pulled into a 7Eleven and celebrated being back on the mainland in the usual fashion!
Right full day today with 70 miles to cover and a few ups and downs in the process so I got going just after 7 am and headed for the 7-Eleven up the road which as the name suggests I assumed would be open for business.
It was a good job I had been organised for once and got my sun tan lotion on as it was raining and dark clouds were coming in from the sea!
It was open but only partially as it was not serving coffee, hot that is, as I was not programmed to drink iced coffee in the rain.
I bought some mini frankfurter hot dogs and raisin bread there but then had to go to Amazon Cafe who obviously had the monopoly on coffee on the site to and get one there which was a disappointment. I picked the cup up and wondered if it was empty but a quick swig confirmed there was some very strong coffee in. They've served me an espresso I thought and opened the lid to reveal some frothy milk lurking in the depths of the cup so couldn't argue it was not a cappuccino just a very small one.
That all polished off I headed for the hills but the weather had not improved and soon I was in some pretty heavy rain.
This continued on and off throughout the morning and at the first break I was back and sheltering from the rain in the old favorite with a cup of their coffee which was marginally bigger than the last but nearly half the price! It was a bit of a shock though to come into a cold air conditioned space when you are soaking wet.
Not really a back road route today as I was and fairly major roads but that was not such a bad thing as the phone had to go into the handlebar bag due to the rain but navigation was pretty easy with mile posts or I suppose kilometer post to be exact confirming regularly I was going the right way.
My investigation of the route on MapsMe didn’t show up much in the way of shops or cafes on the road but there were lots of places in the end. I turned into Christopher Columbus and some of these I noted down so if anyone else chose to do this route they would be better informed than me.
I was approaching one unmarked services the day was improving with the sun shining now. I had decided I was OK for fluids and was not going to stop but when I spotted a Walls shop so I instinctively turned in!
I approached in anticipation of maybe finding a new and exciting flavour of Magnum outside of the usual four available but as I got closer try to imagine my disappointment when I realised it had closed down!
I got back on the roads and found this pretty little Chinese temple about half way which I decided would be the temple of the day.
There were lots of impressive rock formations along the route today, not least of which was the one below with a bustling town situated across the river.
No rock formation of this size of course would be complete without the Buddha ,a golden rock and temple thrown in.
I had 15 miles to go when I entered the last town on my map and was determined to find some barbecued chicken for my lunch. I spotted a stall with some coming off the grill so grabbed four which I sat down to eat. Not prime cuts these so there was a fair amount of bone included and when I back on the road again I felt I could eat something more.
I kept my eyes peeled and as I exited the town there was yet another unmarked services which had 5 Star Chicken kiosks in the car park. I’d seen these all over the place but never gave them a try. It's like Greggs does KFC so I grabbed a couple of pieces which were OK pretty big and juicy, not as spicy as the Colonel's but good value all the same.
Round the corner and I came to this late entry in the temple competition which was pulling out all the stops with two temples and a choice of Buddhas available.
I found the motel shown on my map which looked a bit remote but there were in fact three restaurants around including one floating on a rather brown river so I also added these for others to find in the future. There was no wifi in my lodge so I wrote up this blog offline and with time to spare then headed out to explore the nearby town.
What an experience! There was some sort of festival going on there with a fun fair set up, a five a side football competition, plus the usual temporary market selling fake goods and lots of food stalls. This included a few bush tucker buffets with all manner of cooked insects and lavie!
In the centre of all this there was an area with stalls set up representing what looked like different businesses and organisations and some form of cooking and dancing competition. It was all a bit like an agricultural show meets Ready Steady Cook with some Come Dancing thrown in!
The next morning where was no breakfast available so it was another convenience store special. Next door to the shop was a market so an unused stall became my breakfast table but it was close to a growing pile of rubbish so not the best spot in the world.
I did however get to watch these to cute guys rummiging around for their breakfast whilst I ate mine which was a shredded pork roll and banana cake washed down with some iced coffee whilst they seemed to favour raw eggs ugh!
Today would be a bit of a change as I had found some hot springs which were about 55 miles down the route.
So my plan was to break the ride and stop there for an hour or two. Then there were a couple of guest houses another 10 miles further on which I would try. The reviews of the springs said it was best to get there early in the morning to avoid the crowds. This was not possible but I though if I got there by around 3pm things might start tailing off so I didn't have to push it.
The weather was much better with blue skies but was on highways today. I was still making my way across the peninsula, the going was ok, not so much hilly but my favourite phrase, gently undulating.
Not much noteworthy on the way either just ploughing through endless rubber and palm tree plantations. As I went along I could see lots of places to camp and decided that would be the plan for the night as I shouldn't be hot and sweaty for once having just bathed in the springs.
I made good progress and so arrived at the springs by 2 pm but I though the place was closed down. The car park was empty, the shop disused and the ticket counter unmanned. There was a woman sweeping the car park who came over to take my money. She couldn't give me change for a 1,000 baht note (about £25) so cleaned me out of all my small notes and coins to pay to get in and grab a drink.
So much for the crowds, I saw about six other people while I made my way from pool to pool. The water was coming out of the boreholes at 54 degrees I've cycled in 56 so I thought that would not be too bad. I only managed to get my shins in though before I could smell something cooking and pulled them out!
Armed now with only 1,000 baht notes I got on the main road and hoped I would find a services where I could hopefully bust one to get some water and supplies for overnight. Sure enough within 5 miles one appeared so I was good to go. It also had a 5 Star Chicken shop so I got an early dinner. My emergency pasta lived on to be eaten another day.
I was now in a bit of a bind as it was 4.30pm but there was only 35 miles needed to get me to the beach tomorrow. I didn't want to ride any further or I would be arriving too early tomorrow so I set off in search of somewhere to camp.
As usual you can find lots of camping spots when you don't need one but when you do the options are limited. I found a small palm plantation but after that was a walled off area which looked like a school and a Toyota dealers on the other side of the road. I was obviously entering a built up area so it was now or never if I didn't want to have to cycle on so pushed my bike in and looked for a spot.
I thought I had found the best place but as usual I lurked there for a bit to see if there was anyone around but after about 10 minutes I saw a motorbike approaching through the trees. I hid myself as the motorbike turned away heading towards the highway. Not a quiet as I thought then. I walked up to where the motorbike had appeared and there was a dirt road running through the land. It was gated at the road end so it looked like he, was doing a spot of light trespassing as well.
There was a water course that prevented me from going any further in from this track than where I was. The track crossed this however beyond were a couple of homes preumabaly the owners of the plantation so I didn't want to move near them. In the end I stood on the track and looked back at my bike which you could just see with it's red and yellow bags if you were looking. You would have to be facing 90 degrees to your direction of travel so I was satisfied once I got my tent up and those bags hidden I should be OK. It was an hour and half until sunset so I took my time getting the tent up but there was no further traffic on the track so once the light started to fade I dived in and made myself at home.
Then next morning I got woken up by Justin Flippin Beiber! Not literally that would have been beyond weird but the P.A. at the school next door sprang to life at 6 am blaring him out to start the day.
I got packed up but didn't dig a latrine as I assumed being on the edge of a city I would be able to find somewhere with facilities. Sure enough within 10 minutes I was at the next services with a cappuccino on order and some nice clean toilets. Not exactly a wilderness adventure out here!
Soon I turned off the highway and made my way towards the ferry which would take me to my next island adventure.
One thing I immediately noticed was that I was now in a more Muslim area a subtle change though with small and modest mosques appearing along the way. This was probably something which will become more prominent as I move south given I will be skirting around an area of Muslim insurgency and terrorist activities to the east.
There was no delay at the ferry which seemed to be a continuous service with one boat unloading as we were filling up and two more in transit across the short sound that separates the island from the shore.
I was passed on the way by a guy on a racing bike who I caught up with on the ferry. He was spanish and lived in Phuket and was heading back there by boat.
Getting onto the my destination island Ko Lanta Yai was more straightforward as it was connected by a bridge so I was over than and went across and rode over to to a viewing point to post the Bay of the Day.
This bit of sight seeing nicely delayed my arrival at The Irish Embassy pub until five past noon so the sun was over the yardarm. It was time for a beer and a burger to celebrate my arrival on the west coast and a few days off especially as they were showing the six nations rugby at the weekend!
As I had extended my stay on Lanta (for short) to catch the England v Ireland match on Sunday evening due to the time difference, I decided to book a snorkeling trip for the Saturday.
This was great we were looked after really well and after a few stops as we went down the island to pick up passengers off the beaches we were off!.
Unfortunately, there was only a limited amount of time in the water. The second dive site was awash with jellyfish and at the third, the waves were high but myself being a strong swimmer and a few others ventured out. I think I finally started to master using my new camera when after 20 minutes we were called back. The majority of people had stayed on the boat and some were starting to get sea sick so that was the end of that!
Like I said I struggled to get the hang of my waterproof camera but did manage to take a few videos, the best of which is below but you can see more on my Youtube channel.
After lunch we visited the Emerald cave on Ko Muk where we disembarked from the boat and followed the crowds swimming into the flooded cave to emerge into the enclose Emerald Lagoon within which was a magical experience.
Getting better with the camera I managed to shoot a few videos as well!
OK it was time to get back on the road again. It is 75 miles to my next destination the city of Trang, see map at the top of the page. This would be a full day with an early start but having got in after midnight because of the time difference to watch the rugby last night I decided it would be best to cover this in two short or half days. So in the morning I undertook a few maintenance tasks before I set off.
I gave the chain and cassette a clean using the last of my petrol, carried out further repairs to my handlebar bag to try and make the map cover waterproof again and I then fashioned a replacement section of rear mudguard from a plastic bottle.
With this all done, I was away by eleven am but stopped off at the local petrol station to refill my fuel bottle and then continued to follow my route off the island.
As I did I passed many evacuation signs which was a reminder of the Boxing Day tsunami that hit this coast in 2004 and claimed over 225,000 lives. I did think I never saw any of these when I arrived. I then realised who the hell would be running towards the sea!
It had been a windy few days on the island hence the issue with seasickness on the snorkeling trip. When I got to the ferry they were having to use small tugs at the exposed island end to cope with the effects of the wind and tide but in no time I was loaded up and off the island.
It took me 25 miles cycling to retrace my route from the main road and then I was finally making progress in the right direction.
It was then a mixed route I was following. The bike option was again ridiculous for the first part with a huge detour but then it actually cut the corner of the highway and took a more direct route into Trang. I had therefore set a 7 Eleven where I was to leave the highway as my target for today. This was about 50 miles overall which was not a bad distance given the late start and was made more of a stretch with the high winds which were mostly in my face.
Eventually I was approaching the turn and as I entered the town there was a small market where I picked up some chicken drumsticks and sausage meat type kebabs off the grill which would do for my tea.
I stocked up on fluids at the shop and spotted an unusual desert which due to the necessity of no freezer ate in reverse order before getting back on the bike.
Hitting the backroads it was 4.30pm so plenty of time but only 25 miles left to Trang so I needed to stop soon. I rode passed a huge wedding marquee and then found a rubber plantation which I ducked into but was rejected as when I started to clear the ground for my tent I found it was infested with ants. I then realised I could clearly hear the music from the wedding which having seen them still going at 7am the next morning though would be best avoided.
Next I was directed down a narrow country lane and here I found some open land with palms which I was able to get into and set up camp.
I was ready for an early night after a few late ones on the island but having polished off my dinner I laid in my tent and read. It looked like they turned the music at the wedding up to eleven and it found me. I did manage to drift off but woke periodically we had music until midnight then the karaoke kicked off until 3 am. At 4.30am the cocks started crowing so all in all it was not a great night.
The next morning I was back on the road by 7.30 with just 25 miles left to go. At 10 miles in I found civilisation and grabbed a coffee and at 10 am I was in Trang and done for the day so thinking it was a bit too early to try and check in I grabbed another brew there was ahandy map so I was able to do some route planning as well!
I found a very reasonably priced hotel at 10.30am with a room big enough to put my tent up to dry as there was some condensation this morning.
Right my last two days in Thailand and I have 100 miles to go to the border which is in the hills so it is then another 30 miles from there to get to coast and the town of Kuala Penlis where I should be able to grab a room for the night.
There was not much accomodation on the route so my plan is to try and get as much ground covered today then wild camp when is starts going dark. I'd set myself the target of about 70 miles today which would then leave 30 miles to the border tomorrow.
I was following the bike route which for once was shorter than that suggested for the car and took me down some nice quiet roads after I had broken free of Trang city limits.
I was now deep in the world of rubber farming with trees as far as the eye could see and lots of activity getting in the collecting the sap and getting it to the plant. The farmers were out emptying the bowls from beneath each tree and loading this up into jerry cans.
These jerry cans were then take on motorbikes or whatever to a local collection centre where they were emptied into mini tankers which fitted on the back of pick up trucks which I saw charging about the lanes.
Later on in they day I passed a regional centre where these pickups arrived to drop off the sap they had collected that morning which was then transferred to a waiting tanker. They all pass over the weighbridge next to the building to the left in and out of the site so the amount of sap each pick up delivered can be calculated.
Not really a Temple of the Day today but I did come across an interesting collection of Buddha statues.
The going was pretty good today as it was mostly flat. The wind got up later on but I think it was predominantly with me but when against it did give me a nice cooling breeze as the temperature was sky high. I did at one point come across the man made lake with manicured lawns that had the sprinklers on so stopped by one to take this shot whilst I was in a cooling mist of water!
I had was approaching my 70 mile goal by 2.30 pm but the got distracted by an uncharted 7 Eleven which loomed up. I stepped inside to buy a large bottle of cold fanta but by some sort of reflex reaction I ended up buying an ice lolly and a bag of crisps as well.
I ate these inside which as nice and air conditioned but when I left I thought that was silly as what I really need is a proper meal and now I've filled myself up with rubbish.
I resolved to cycle another 10 miles to burn this off and then see if I could find a cafe. At this exact distance I'd highlighted a fuel station on my route hoping they might be more there. and sure enough there was both a cafe and a store. I was able to get a that proper meal there with my standard some chicken and rice which I ate outside with my very own cooling fan!
After this it was into the store where I stocked up on water and thought I would keep riding until I managed to get within 15 miles of the border.
This I achieved by just gone 5pm so a big 84 miles day in total. That sets me up well for tomorrow with just 45 miles needed which will help with the inevitable delays and faf that comes with a border crossing.
I saw a palm grove which are now my firm favourites for camping in as they give good shade and cover and staked a claim next to tree No. 19.
As I was reading with my head-torch the Muslim call to prayer started up and I remembered Turkey and thought hello no lie in for me tomorrow. That was certainly the case as at 5.25 it fired up again and had me roused up good and early.
I decided with my imposed wake up call I would make a coffee so got my stove out and combined the coffee I had carried from India with the creamer I had brought from Nepal. They had not travelled well and the result was disgusting! The creamer just refused to dissolve and congealed in the bottom of the cup so that's going on the shopping list!
I couldn't see a mosque as I rode off so I guess it must have been one of those remote speakers they have to spread the good new of the Lord and that God awful time. But with just 15 miles left of Thailand I was enthusiastic to be on my way to a new country.
It was through the rubber trees at first with the work starting again on sap collection. I thought to myself it was fortunate I never camped in a rubber plantation as the chances are I would be found in the morning by the collectors.
Soon enough I started to come to the one of the natural boundaries which create borders and the hills were looming.
With five miles to go I pulled I at a shop for a Coke and Cornetto ( no Magnums available obviously).
I then exchanged all my remaining coins for packets of peanuts and Oreo biscuits plus some extra fluids just in case I was not able to buy any in Malaysia.
Then it was back on the road and the final push to the border.
I was now in the middle of a National Park with beautiful scenery and could see the valley in the distance ahead where I would find the border post.
It was a slow exit with an uphill into wind ride to the top with lots of small stalls on either side but no sign of any currency exchange. Oh well I thought hopefully there will be one on the other side.
I love these small out of the way crossings, there was no queue at immigration and a breezed through and that was that my time in Thailand finally came to an end.