I was excited to cross back into Thailand, where I made good progress along the well-built roads. I took a brief stop at the narrowest point in the country, although it seemed more symbolic than an actual tourist attraction and the only thing of interest was the sign. My dream was to sleep on a wild beach that night, and after spotting a small track that lead to the coast I found the perfect spot offering an amazing sunset.
It took me two more days to reach Bangkok, where I spent nights at temples in the kind hospitality of the monks. Navigating through the intense traffic in the city was quite a challenge, but I eventually made it to my hostel.
I took a day to explore the city, having a very quiet morning as nothing opened until midday. Walking the infamous Koah San Road, it was a completely different place during the day and night with the day comprising of stalls selling touristy items and at night it was another road of bars extending into the street selling buckets of alcohol.
Deciding on my next destination, I had the choice of riding along the east or west coast. I opted for the more touristy east coast over the quieter west coast, aiming for Chumphon, where I planned to catch a ferry to Koh Tao. Just outside Bangkok, I met Daniel, a fellow cyclist with no set destination, and we spent most of the day riding together. I wanted to make it 130km to a beach for the night, but I think this might’ve broken Daniel in the process, as with 20km to go he stopped.
The next day, I encountered my second puncture of the trip but quickly fixed it and continued along some excellent cycle paths. Clearly all the other cycle tourists had also found this route as I encountered nine different bikepackers that day, including a family of 4. I spent the night camping on another amazing secluded beach, having fun riding along the wet sand.
The following day, I attempted a 200km ride to Chumphon, to take the night ferry to Koh Tao. However, my plan was disrupted by heavy rain, which I didn’t want to ride through and I had to settle for sleeping at a police station, something I’d wanted to try in Thailand. The police were very hospitable providing me with an evening meal despite me insisting I had food and then packed me off the next morning with a huge bag of coffee sachets and some Nam Thom, a local energy drink.
The following day in Chumphon after booking the night ferry, I had to occupy myself for an afternoon in which I spent a few hours sheltered in a 7 eleven from the rain before heading down to a very quiet beach.
The night ferry was a great atmosphere with a few of the other Backpackers on board having the same idea as me, stocking up on some beers for the journey. Sitting on the top of the ferry enjoying beers was a great way to spend the evening, watching as the boat steered out of the harbour into the sea.
Arriving in Koh Tao just before sunrise was fantastic as we could watch the sun come up over the island as the ferry docked. I spent my first day on a snorkeling tour, visiting different bays around the island by boat seeing some beautiful fish and a huge turtle. That even was spent visiting some of the beach bars which had a great atmosphere.
The next day was a relaxing one, spent mostly at the hostel trying to get some admin done sheltering from some torrential rain.
Then for my final day on the island, I explored the other side, encountering steep roads and beautiful beaches, including Tanote Bay Beach, a busy but nice beach with a huge cliff jump which I felt I must do.
After three days on the island, I looked forward to being back on my bike. The island was beautiful and I can see why people learn to scuber dive there, but it didn’t have much character to it. It was also full of Brits most of who were there on a drinking holiday. This was fun to join in with but after a few nights I was ready to leave.
Leaving the island, I took another night ferry to the south and crossed to the west. At the west coast beaches, I noticed tsunami warning signs saying to head inland at the feel of a earthquake, a reminder of the devastating impact of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami killing 5000 people in Thailand alone.
In Southern Thailand, I’ve been asked more than ever where I’m going and I’m never really sure how to answer. I don’t know if they want the next town, the next big city or my final destination, so I normally just say Australia and get a bit of a confused look back.
For my final two nights, I stayed at temples. Nearing the Malaysian border, there were fewer temples with the majority of people being Muslim. It felt like the few temples often got cyclists visiting and quickly gave me a place to camp. For my final night, I was greeted by some Thai military at the temple who kindly shared their meal with me and enjoyed watching as I tried to eat their spicy food.
Travelling through Thailand has been very easy. The foods been great with my favorite being the noodle soups, everyone’s been friendly and finding places to sleep was easy. I think though it’s lacking the chaos and excitement of Laos or Vietnam but I’ve definitely enjoyed my time in the country.
Will Scam 