Chanthaburi to Ko Samet

Today’s ride on Komoot

I packed up and got going pretty early (for me) – I checked out before 7:30. That may be a record 😁. Then I headed to a really cool bakery cafe down the road – closed. Then a nice place over the road from there with staff milling around – closed. I then found a local place that was crawling with people but it took way too long to get served, and all they had was noodles. Ok, breakfast had to wait, so I took off and headed out of the surprisingly nice Chanthaburi.

After a short while, I passed a Bao place. It turned out that three of the four staff spoke excellent conversational English. That’s amazing. I had five bao (pork and bean). I love ’em. They even made me a coffee. It may have been Nescafe but it was great. Then they wanted to know all about my trip and had the usual reaction. Oh yes, cycling very good, five days right ? No, five months. Oh, I see. … Wait, you said five months ???? Astonished looks. You need to eat more bao 😁

Today felt like a warm down after a match. I feel like I’ve achieved what I set out to achieve – which is to let go of everything, enjoy each moment for what it is, be present, and talk to as many people as I can. So with three days on Ko Samet followed by three days riding into BKK ahead, it felt like the final downhill had started. That is, until the next adventure in January sometime, and then the next one, and then …

There was a strong crosswind today but Komoot had me going in all directions as the route wound along local roads for a while. Usually, when I follow the Komoot route onto the small roads, I just feel like dog bait. Same today.

I’m not scared of Thai dogs, I’m just bored with the process. You know – oh, you want a piece of me ? Shout a bit and the dog backs off but comes back. I park the bike and run at the dog, then pick up rocks, and then we both agree on a truce, and I get back on the bike and roll away.

One dog was running after me flat stick. Luckily, I saw it because at that speed, they don’t bark. Another one was snoozing at the side of the road 40m ahead of me while I was waiting at traffic lights. For some reason, it got up and ran at me. I hadn’t moved. I yelled at it and it ran a growling arc around me. I’d love to know why. When it had gone, the lights turned green and off I went.

It’s only ever the male dogs here. And just as the driving behaviour changes the instant you cross a border, so does the dog behaviour. Crossing the Mekong from Chiang Khong to HuayXai in Laos, the dogs went from crazy to completely disinterested. All I did was cross the river. Crossing from Vietnam to Cambodia, the honking of car and motorbike horns almost stopped completely. I marvelled at the Cambodians’ ability to drive past me on a country road without sound effects. The Vietnamese just couldn’t resist.

Oh, that’s right … I was talking about today’s ride !

The highlight today, was meeting the lovely Hung (@cyclingtheclouds8) who is cycling to all districts in Thailand which is a really cool thing to do, in my opinion. We stopped and had a chat, initially across a fairly busy road and ended up doing photos etc. It’s so nice to meet other cycletourers and hear their stories. They’re usually unique but always interesting, and so was Hung’s. I wish her well – and lots of tailwinds.

From there, it was a flat run into Ban Phe and to the ferry to Ko Samet. Yesterday, I was thinking of staying along the stretch of beach before Ban Phe, but I’m so glad I didn’t. Apart from resorts, there’s little else around. Here on Ko Samet, it’s crawling with tourists and chock full of beach restaurants etc. However, as a solo traveller, that’s far more fun.

The only issue is that I’m separated from my close close friend, the mighty green machine. The ferry company have it locked in their office. They said they weren’t allowed on the island which is mostly national park. Fair enough, but now that I’m here, I can see why. It would get in the way of the motorbikes, taxis and trucks. Just ridiculous, but fingers crossed that it’s ok.

I’m staying at a fairly unassuming resort at the edge of the tourist madness, with two beaches to choose from, white sand, clean water, food options, coffee options and beer options. Sounds like Utopia.