Back on my bicycle and back on the uninspiring Highway 4, destination Samut Songkhran. I have sketched a plan that involves going to Kanchanaburi and from there to Ayutthaya, thus bypassing Bangkok. I arrives pretty late and check in at the only hotel I manage to find. Searching the Internet I learn that there would have been a alternative route along the ocean. Oh bugger, that comes from not buying a decent map.

Leaving Samut Songkhran I am, however, distracted by the touristy but photogenic floating markets some 20 km ahead, just outside the small town of Damnoen Saduak. The markets and the surrounding area, where the locals grow various crops to sell on the market, seem quite nice. So although I don’t really feel I have time for it (visa running out) I end up staying one day, as this will make it possible to get back there before tourists arrives from Bangkok.  Next day I get there early and take a boat around before the other tourists arrives. It is just as touristy as expected, but as usual I go my own way and soon find myself in quiet areas. I learn there actually is a homestay there, and if I have had the time I would have loved to stay there, rather than in the uninspiring hotel in town. Ask around if you are considering staying.

I don’t know what invisible border I crossed, but something changed when reaching Hua Hin. Two women (perfectly decent ones I should ad!) where flirting shamelessly with me and seemed prepared to leave for Denmark any moment. And now, in Damnoen Saduak I have my first (and probably last) Beckham-moment when a passing truckload of girls start screaming (or yelling) when they see me on the bicycle. That was weird. But it saved my day

I also have my first (and hopefully last) crash! Riding carefully around a sharp bend with a pool of water, the bike slides away under me and down I go. No blood or gore, or anything.

Typical scene from the floating markets of Damnoen Saduak, Thailand. Photo: Joel Schumann, 2010

An embarrassingly short ride take me some 50 km north to Hua Hin – mostly along the Highway.  I end up adding some more ks  though as the highway passes right through and I can’t see where suburb begins and city ends. So in the end I end up in a new hotel a few ks out of town. The low price and rather higher standard than I’m used to (feature list: Air con, TV, DVD, fridge, Wi-Fi) makes up for the inconvenience of being out of town. Next day, I relocate to the center, though.

Hua Hin is a proper resort town popular with both Thai tourists and westerners because of the long, white sanded beach. The town got plenty of  restaurants catering for Europeans (pizza, pasta, wiener schnitzel etc. even Scandinavian restaurants. Various water sports on the beach is possible. And then there’s plenty of girlie bars complete with thai transvestites, katoey. Anyone too shy to enter can always amuse himself with playing “spot the lady boy” from save distance on the street!

I’m mostly just hanging out and looking into where to go next, talking to a few of the other tourists. One guy I talk to speaks warmly of Burma and show me lovely pictures from when he was there. I have to say I’m getting more and more tempted to visit and when I get back I think I’ll have to look into the possibilities. Another reason for staying is the situation in Thailand and in particular in Bangkok. When i wake up in the morning thai military have just taken control with the areas in Bangkok that have been occupied by Red Shirts for months now. It’s with relief to most people here, as most Thais are really fed up with the situation now. Currently buildings are set on fire. It’s the consensus here that tourists should never be part of the conflict and I don’t worry for my safety.

Meanwhile more important things are going on elsewhere:

Danish newspaper in Hua Hin, Thailand

Little Italy, Little India, Little China ... and now Little Norway in Hua Hin.

And for my mother:

Horse riding on the beach of Hua Hin, Thailand.

It’s an short ride from Prachuap Khiri Khan to the national park of no more than 60 km. The NP is named after the limestone mountains that arises from the marsh land – “The Mountain with 300 Peaks.” It is a coastal NP that in the wet season attracts a large number of migrating birds. Unfortunately, I was there at the wrong time of year.

As I enter I’m advised where I can stay in the park. The first place is uninspiring and void of people and the idea of spending a day alone there doesn’t appeal so I move on. Second option turns out two involve either a long walk up a hill with all my stuff or a wade out to a boat (and a further expense). There are no roads to the HQ and I’m getting the feeling there might not be any tents there after all (later to be confirmed!) Fortunately I meet a local girl who tells me about a homestay just outside the park. I go … and am soon to be chased by yet another dog. To be honest, I’m pretty grumpy by now, so fed up with inadequate NP information and aggressive dogs that I decide to reverse the situation and thus brakes … and start chasing the dog. It immediately gets the point I’m trying to make and start running back to where it came from and I don’t hear more to it.

At Numpu’s homestay I’m the only guest so talk a lot with the friendly owner, Prasong. The place is constructed around a dam and with it clay-style huts looks like something that I would rather expect to find in Africa. Prasong explain he makes things with inspiration from his and his artist brother’s travels to countries such as India, Laos and Australia.

The place would get my recommendation, especially if you are a group of people going by (would be excellent value). But I might not be unbiased as Prasong offered me to buy a 50% share in the place Had to let that offer pass. Otherwise there are plenty of resort style accomodation close by at Dolphin Bay – mostly pricier but some good value in between.

Here’s a pic of the homestay:

And the parks single most famous tourist attraction:

The royal pavilion that is build in the Tham Phraya Nakhon cave.

In the morning it rained lightly and I spend the time shooting a lot of macro flowers but will save those for a later post. Think I got some keepers there;)

Since last time I have left Ranong for Chumphon. I chose to go on the Highway as this was the shorter route and possibly would give me some views into Burma. Actually, there are few signed sideroads to viewpoints along the route but as they involved some climbing and didn’t indicate how far I had to go I decided not to explore these. After all, I had 130 km to Chumphon and found that plenty enough.

Chumphon is a staging post for people going to or from Koh Tao and Koh Samui so few stays longer than necessary – one day. Neither did I: with the assistance of a sketchy map with personal comments I got from cyclist Kerry some weeks earlier I explored some minor roads up along the Gulf of Thailand to get to the small, quiet fishing town of Ban Boet where I had to pay a rather steep 800 Bath for a room – ouch! Not exactly a fortune, but my most expensive yet. Next morning I managed to leave without my map, but it wasn’t to much trouble to find my way further north on small roads along the coast by just following road signs. Occasionally a thai would shout at me, when I was going into a dead end road, and put me back on track. Another 1 day stop in Ban Krud, an uninspiring tourist town situated on a pretty beach several km long. Spent the day and evening talking with a Norwegian tourist and didn’t really have a look around. Next stop Prachuap Khiri Khan appealed more to me: I found a good value room at Nung’s Guesthouse with view of the bay, aircon and a balcony- well worth the 400 Bath – so I chose to stay for 2 days here. Nice, quiet town with lots of great food. The only actual attraction in town is the temple, as usual guarded by an army of monkeys.

These days was very VERY quiet cycling days with next to no traffic. Occasionally there’s only the Highway, but that’s not too bad at all. I faced a new problem, though. The dogs are nuts in this part of the country and for some reason can’t stand the sight of a cyclist. Suddenly I have dogs chasing me regularly. I have this way learned that the max speed of the average dog is 25 km/h – that seems to be about the speed they are able to keep up with.

Marine life outside my window in Nung's Guesthouse in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand. Photo: Joel Schumann, 2010

The past days I’ve spent a lot of time on my bike. Following yesterdays ride back to Khao Sok, I have left again and gone further back to the coast. After a stop in Khuraburi I’m now in Ranong – a small town bordering Burma. I chose to take a one day rest here, where I’m now writing long overdue blog updates and do some shopping (my flip flops are worn so thin that they are having “flats” … stones get though the soles). Getting here has been very pleasant, riding along a little trafficked Highway 4. Only one decent hill, but it has been up and down all the time, so it is hard to find a good rhythm on the bicycle. Pretty tiring.

In any case! It’s the effectuation of my plan to cover some ground now. I guess I have ridden a little more than 300 km the past 3 days. From here I plan to do another 2-3 days with more than 100 Km in average.

Some tour cyclist like to keep all sorts of statistics on how long they are riding, their average speed and the cadence they where climbing that last mountain with. I don’t need a computer to tell me I’m not breaking any speed records and at the end of the day I rarely know the distance I’ve traveled. To put it shortly: I’m not really into numbers and statistics.

One number would be fun to have: How many times a day I must reply a “hello” yelled by someone along the road or somebody waving at me. Sometimes I hear a “hello” but can’t see anybody. If I don’t reply with a wave or hello I most definitely get another and slightly louder “hello” and eventually spot a kid somewhere. This is a part of touring I will always remember: The interest and encouragement I receive from the Thais (and before that the Malays). Unfortunately I have never heard of such a “yellometer”, to keep track of the score. But heck, who cares about the actual number.

Speaking about numbers I can tell you this much: It’s damn hot in the cockpit where I spend my time. My computer generally tells me the temperature in the early morning is already some 25 degrees and in the height of the day it’s often maxing out at +45 degrees. Remember, this is in the sun and mowing along makes for just a bit of an cooling effect. And there’s is no variation to this picture – in this respects the weather is remarkably constant.

So it’s generally some very long, hot days at the office I’m having lately. Therefore, when I stopped yesterday to get something to drink and saw some kids having a water fight I didn’t hesitate for long, but encouraged them to consider me a target as well. They hesitated a bit, but once they got started they weren’t too keen to stop again. It was lovely to be cooled down just a bit and they seemed to have fun doing it.

Some witty head apparently nicknamed Ranong “Rained On” as it is the wettest town in Thailand. Apart from a small drizzle as I entered town day #1 was perfectly dry. Day #2 I get a decent downpour in the late afternoon just as I go out to grab some pictures. I manage to get one good picture before I seek shelter in a small restaurant, where I’m soon joined by a Burmese fellow. We chat and he encourages me to visit Burma (or Myanmar, as it’s officially named now). In fact I could go back with him tomorrow! Going now would completely wreck my schedule (having to get a new Thai visa) so I have to refuse. However, I get his address with an open invite and instructions where to find the embassy in Bangkok. It’s tempting but I’m afraid it will have to wait till next time I’m in the neighbourhood. It’s controversial if people should go to Burma or not as tourists. He argues tourists should visit the country and talk to people and promises me I would be welcomed by everybody.

My only picture from Ranong, Thailand. It doesn't really show, but it was taken during a downpour.