My first destination was Wat Sam Phran. It is a Buddhist temple but with a difference. They had designed it as a column with a dragon circling it. What I didn’t fully realise is they had placed other animals throughout the complex as well. A giant turtle, a peacock, a bunny and they are building a giant elephant. Of course, there was also a giant Buddha. It came across a bit like a giant theme park for Buddhists.
However, each animal has significance in Buddhism. The peacock symbolises people’s ability to take the ‘poisons’ of life and the turtle can signify longevity. Another oddity I found was they need donations for repairs but they still seemed to be building more animals. It seems priorities are a bit mixed. After, I had a short cycle to my wild camp spot for the night. It was secluded but near ponds which house otters (first time seeing one) and LOTS of mosquitoes. To retain some blood I jumped into my tent.
It was a quick cycle to Mae Klong and my accommodation for the night. The roads in Thailand are well invested and I find myself cycling at 20-25km/h (usually 15 km/h). I found out that the small local roads are the same as well, making the journey through Thailand easy. I was headed here for a market known to have trains running through it.
Quiet anticipation over the tracks and markets as tourists wait for the train to pass. Naturally, the train passes slowly giving plenty of time for people to take photos and shake hands with the people on the train and oddly enough the driver! It has become a hyper-tourist experience. As soon as the train leaves for Bangkok, the tourists clear out and it becomes a quiet place for me to type.
Amongst all the hype I spot an old lady running a fruit stall. She doesn’t seem to care about all the fuss going on, seen it all before I suspect. Just stays in her seat as the train passes, and rearranges a bit of fruit. It wasn’t in the way.
Floating markets
I also came to find a floating market and my first target was Amphawa; however, this was less a market and more a tourist trap offering boat rides around the island and cafes and bars. I guess this is the constant issue of over-tourism; it changes a place and who can afford to spend money.
My second choice was heading back North early morning (starting at 6 am and finishing by lunchtime) to Tha Kha. This was still a market and I was able to buy some produce. There were boats cooking food, making tea and selling vegetables they had grown or meat they reared. Plus there were almost no tourists in sight, to be exact there were just three of us! The entertainment was karaoke provided by the local cycling club on loudspeaker, they were good.
It was time to keep heading South and my first stop was a cave with a Buddhist temple (Tham Khao Luang), followed by a visit to the old summer palace of the Thai kings. Personally, I didn’t enjoy the visit to the palace. Mainly it is a collection of furniture in their house. However, the cave temple was a sight. Everything is laid out so the light at certain times of day and year hits the Buddha or stupa. There are many golden redeemed and a few un-redeemed Buddhas all over. People receive blessings and a reclining Buddha.
My favourite wild camp
I had been given a location for a wild camp spot overlooking the sea. When I arrived I was a little confused. It gave me rough ground with a lot of locals around. Not my usual spot. However, after asking around I was allowed to put my tent on the deck of an old bar that no one uses. This turned out to be a brilliant place and waking up the next morning to the sunrise slowly coming over the horizon whilst making a brew has been a highlight of my trip. Or maybe it was just being back next to the sea.
I was starting to notice the heat of the day as I headed South and the amount of sweat. The worst part of cycling in South East Asia is the humidity. It makes the sweating so much worse. I was happy to be heading towards a Warmshowers host that evening and could grab a shower. I also got to meet another cyclist, Andrew, from the USA who was travelling much lighter and faster than me!
Unfortunately, our host could not be there but allowed us the use of their house. Andrew and I had a great set of conversations and food in the little village including a spot at a bar on the side of the street.
Many cyclists along this route
Continuing my cycle South I come across another pair of cyclists heading the opposite way, both from Germany. We had a brief chat and discussed some things worth seeing on the way but there was no place to stop so we said bye and continued. Later in the day though I bumped into Fredrik from Sweden who happened to be going a similar way and we joined up for a couple of days.
Our first stop was next to a fishing village just down from the Grand Sand Dune of Thailand. We didn’t stop to visit the dune but our night’s camp was overlooking the sunset with a couple of beers. A lovely way to finish a day’s riding. I had been riding now for 7 days and needed a rest day so whilst we headed into Chumphon together, Fredrik continued but knowing we were on a similar course I was sure we would meet again.