We decided to take the train to the south of Thailand and concentrate our cycling efforts in one area,
ensuring enough time spent lazing on the beaches. The train line runs down the east coast but we were
heading for the west, so after a 6 hour train journey that took 8 and a half hours we stayed over in
Chumphon and pedalled over to Ranong in the west. This part of Thailand on the Malay Penninsular is
very narrow so it was less than a days ride to get accross to Kra Buri on the other side. For part of
the ride all that separated us from Burma was a narrow river, and just before Kra Buri we passed the
Burma viewpoint and the narrowist part of the peninsular at 50km wide. A kilometer after Kra Buri we
found ourselves a bungalow for 5 dollars at a place run by a slightly crazy and extremely happy man
who didn't really speak english but was happy to chat away to us in Thai then laugh hysterically! We
felt compelled to join in!
The next part of the ride took us along the Burmese border to the coast at Ranong. In Cambodia, Vietnam
and China there is not much in the way of tourist infrastructure in terms of "tourist attractions" but
in this part of Thailand there are signs every few kilometers informing the tourist of an upcoming
waterfall, cave, viewpoint, hotspring etc. Its helpfull but in some cases is taken to the extreme
with a sign pointing at a nice veiw stating "Scenic Area", as if you couldn't decide for youself
that it is quite pretty!After Ranong we followed one of the tourist signs to a hot springs. I think the neighbours used the water for household stuff though cos when we went to get in they were shouting "No, no". We tipped the hot water over us with a jug but it wasnt the same.
There were loads of national parks marked on our map so we went to one to see if we could camp. It
was a small waterfall and forest, and camping there worked out perfectly. We arrived in time to see
a beautiful sunset over the hills and then had a swim in the river, and had the place totally to
ourselves for the night.The national park camping had been such a success we decided to try it the following night aswell. After a long hot ride we arrived at the spot our map told us there was a national park, only to find the road ending at the sea. Asking around revealed that the park we were looking for was an island about 20kms off shore and the spot marked on our map was the headquarters. Whoops! I guess the fact it was called Koh Surin should have been a giveaway, with koh meaning island!
But all these situations have a way coming right...an American guy who ran a diving trips kindly let
us camp in his cafe/yard area, which may have taken the top place of wierd camping spots. Before we
went to sleep we had a look around the fishing village, which was overrun by twentysomething guys
drinking and singing karoke. Apparently the mostly Burmese fishermen get 4 days off over full moon
so all take over the little town.
From the diving shop we headed back inland a little way to Khao Sok national park. Most of the road
was flat and then about 10km from the park we encountered a massive hill. Luckaly it was late in the
day as we wound up and up, as doing it in the midday sun would have been impossible. The view from
the top over the limestone karsts was amazing, as was the ride down the hill the other side. We camped
at the park a couple of nights, exploring the jungle and swimming in waterfalls.Two days riding from Khao Sok national park brought us to Ao Nang, a beach near Krabi. Ao Nang itself is full of resorts and the beach isnt all that so we jumped on a long tail boat, bikes and all, to Ton Sai, a bay only accessable by boat. Its really beautiful, the kind of scenery I imagined before
I came to Thailand. When you sit on the beach you see islands jutting from the blue water and behind
you bamboo bungalows hide in the thick forest. We attracted a few stares wheeling our bikes around cos
the only road in the area is a steep, narrow dirt track about 100m long!The first night we found a cheap bungalow way up the hill, and the next night camped on the beach in a kind of cavern made by the cliff and some trees. Ton Sai is a climbing mecca and it gave me itchy feet to have a go watching people scale the cliffs. We also bumped into our friends a fourth time! Whats the chances!