Islands, Lakes & Jungles by Cycle

Having departed from the island of Ko Phan Ngan- with some chaos on arrival at the mainland due to a dodgy boat company taking me to the wrong port then offering a bus (but refusing to take my bike!) i ended up taking a 50km cycle (half of it in black moon darkness) until i found a roadside hotel close enough to my intended destination. This place looked pecularly like it served primarily a purpose for honeymooners or more temporary couplings- with free condoms, strategically placed mirrors and cute love heart designs on towels & pillows. I was just glad for a bed without the sound of a karaoke bar blaring nearby (these bars are associated with such temporary couplings in Thailand).

So the next morning i arranged a meet up with my Aussie friends a further 10km ride to the junction we met as planned for our trip to Ratchaprada dam, aka chieow lan lake- a 170sqkm 25 year old man made lake for producing hydroelectricity that is also part of Khao Sok national park. The most amazing feature of the place is the physical setting- winding in a tree like shape amongst hundreds of towering limestone peaks over a mssive area, all covered in deep rainforest. The next 2 days were wonderfully dreamlike and surreal, we would swim in the crystal clear (literally) waters often, jumping straight off our floating bungalows doorstep

From the dam i hitched a lift with the others to the turn off where i gladly opted for a ride along a minor road- instead of the main highway running parallel. From here i rode 46kms on a lovely quiet rode i could ride in the middle of- through rolling green hills covered with forest and fruit, rubber, palm trees, passing occasional quiet villages and inquisitive looking locals. This took me through until after sunset when i arrived in the town of Thap Phut and found the only hotel in town. A good feed, shopping and internet later i retired . The next morning i was slow to get going but by riding through until after sunset i was able to reach my planned destination of Klong Tom- just over 100kms down highway no.4. During the day took a stop at Thamboree national park near Ao Luuk which was like a natural waterpark with aqua coloured pools, caves and gentle waterfalls amongst the forest and vines and sheltered on 3 sides by towering limestone cliffs. Left Klong Tom early and stopped en route at a temple museum south of town which housed many artefacts- such as greek & roman coins, indian, chinese crafts etc. From a period around the start of the modern era when this place was apparently a thriving trading port with many international visitors and a thriving bead/jewellery production industry. From there rode the 46kms to Ko Lanta Yai island via 2 ferry rides and eventually located my friends bungalow at the north end of the island. My friends were keen to move on after just on night in this place as it seemed a haven for europeans holidaymakers looking for little more than a beach and a tan and prices here were mostly to match their high spending budgets. Anyway the beaches were nice so we revelled in the waters while we could. The next day i set my friends up for some island snorkelling/sightseeing to the best sites in offshore nearby Trang province while i set out to ride down the long coast of Ko Lanta to discover some of its more secluded beaches and hopefully some forest/waterfalls too. The ride was nice and i found the place i would stay if i came back- Haad Klong Nin. Passed a gorgeous viewpoint or 2, a couple of troupes of monkeys, some very luxury looking hotels and many more sunburnt europeans en route to the end of the sealed rode at the south of the island were a huge hill heading into the national park set me to turn around. Also stopped to visit and take a dip at deserted beaches, and at one it seemed the tradtitional lifestyle of fishing, setting nets and crab, squid catching went on as ever, with very relaxed looking and friendly locals on the waterfront happy to tell me about their fishing crafts and livelihoods. A warm chat with these smiling sea gypsy folks reminded me deeply of the kind of travel experiences-i was really looking for-the real 'local interaction' that is possible in Thailand and gives such a lovely sense of shared humanity - far from the tourist beaches- and made me more than ready for the next leg of my travels- heading further south to less visited areas by bicycle while my friends would make their journey back north.

So the next day (after a few drinks & chats to celebrate our travels in the evening) i rode back accross the ferries to the mainland, then hitched a ride with a very friendly and talkative saangthaew driver (who was very keen to be my host and guide when i returned to the area) back along the road i had ridden on the way, before getting down and riding 30kms south to a major junction i reached at sunset, and jumping on a tour bus for the last 60kms to Trang city. On the bus i was quickly greeted by a gregarious Aussie from Brisbane, clearly lovestruck by the prettily dressed young Thai woman who appeared very small beside his bulging paunch, but it was she who made the decisions between these two. I appeared as the confidant between these two as soon as either was in absense and i felt a little uncomfortable when this lady rapidly turned her charms upon me. Surely he had to know he was being exploited by paying 2000THB a day to this woman for his dreams of 'love' (he assured me that visiting her was the sole purpose of his trip to Thailand)?

Another note from Ko Lanta was the barely concealed contradiction between the indulgent lifestyle of the many tourists, and the traditional muslim communities still inhabiting the island. Several local women broached the subject of religion with me without any particular prompting- sensing they wanted my opinion on Islam- i tried to be honest and fair.

In Trang i spent the next morning visiting a few temples and the tourist office, before deciding to make a trip to the coast at Hat Chao Mai where i had not visited before- so i threw my bike on top if a minivan to save time for the 60kms journey and soon arrived at pretty, treelined beaches decorated with huge limestone formations and few tourists around even though this was peak season. Found a simple resort at Yao Beach and started investigating the area- soon to be joined by a group of energetic local kids who followed me around for the next couple of hours as i took in the local sights- they did well to keep up with 5 of them on 3 little bikes and one sitting on my bike rack. Went to 2 beaches and a mangrove forest into a couple of little caves at the beach and rode back along the long stretch of beach looking across to the setting sun which framed many odd shaped limestone offshore islands. Learnt about the local area from these enthusiatic kids and a couple of their parents who run a restaurant.
The next morning i caught the 8am share longtail boat across to Libong island. On the boat i was joined primarily by a group of muslim clerics from Ayyuthuya who had come to teach Islam and reinvigorate the faith of the locals on the island (and many surrounding villages) who had apparently turned to the evils of drinking and neglecting prayer etc. These guys all seemed very devout - greeting all people with references to allah and singing religious tunes during the whole 20min journey to the island- not altogether unpleasant to listen to. They probably saw tourist visitors to the island like me as part of the problem- and looked me up and down as if expressing judgement power. Anyway i discussed Islam with a couple of them on the boat trip- its basic tenets and egalitarian, socialist nature that i approved of and how Islam was different in SE Asia and Middle east in important ways. They seemed like harmless enough guys (probably would help many ppl. with their problems) but i couldnt help but sense the tension of an absolutist bunch intent on convincing others of their righteousness- probably feeling i would get with a bunch of christian missionaries- but have never felt with groups of monks and buddhists alike.
On Libong island i rode the main network of dirt roads that criscrossed the island (about 11km each way), enjoying the views of genuine local lifestyle- fishing communities, stilt houses over the mud flats and rubber tappers collecting their harvest. This island still primarily functions for the locals with only 2 small resorts and 3 villages- their traditional lifestyle goes on. After consulting a few locals i climbed up a steep limestone outcrop overlooking the water to hopefully get a view of the dugong who often feast on local seagrasses. But according to locals the moon was not in the right part of the cycle for the dugongs to appear at this place so i would have to wait until next time. Anyway the view from the top was spectacular- 360 degree out to sea- freighter ships, islands jutting from the horizon, the village and long pier i had just before ridden up lining the extensive mud flats, many sea birds (esp. plovers) other hills behind and the agriculture of the island laid out. The limestone hill was hollowed with many caves that connected and spiralled up its length- this is the path i took to climb down the cool interior- glad to have brought a torch to see the way and the diverse shapes cut and dripped by the waters over the years. A reminder- ultimately water is stronger than stone.
Took a swim and walk, lunch at the main beach before riding back to jump on the boat back to mainland and then continue the journey by minivan to trang (shared with the islands 3 government school teachers) and then local bus to Satun- then next province and city about 160kms south of Trang, bordering Malaysia.
So today i rode out early to find the border crossing (a helpful official in the immigration office kindly drew me a detailed map though they were closed- saturday) with Malaysia 42kms by road to the east of Satun- as i need to renew my 30 day Thailand visa before it expired. It was a pleasant ride once i got off the main highway- a much less used border corssing means there was little traffic and i could sit back and enjoy the rural scenery- a wide tropical valley lined by sheer limestone hills and filled with rubber, fruit and veg crops, simple wooden stilt houses and regular mosques, the valley gradually narrowed and angled uphill as i got closer to the border, agriculture gave way to rich jungle, langur monkeys blocked the road and the piercing call of gibbons came from the hills around me, it was a maginificent natural setting. It was easy to cross over to Malaysia - ate some Malaysian food- rendang ayam (but no Roti canai- damn!) and practised a few words of Malay with the shopkeepers lining the road before heading back. Stopped at the Thale Ban national park right near the border- where theres a large natural lake amongst the hills and jungle and then at the nearby 300m deep Piboon cave- which i negotiated by the light of my camera screen, and also stopped en route at the popular 9-tiered Yaroi waterfall, scrambling up the rocks and taking a refreshing dip, getting amongst the flow. With the sidestrips esp. it felt like an enjoyable days adventure more than a necessary slog to the border and the 40kms back home to Satun seemed to fly by. In the afternoon visited the Satun national museum, rode around the canal lining the town and visited a park at the base of a limestone monolith, climbing up for a view of the forest and monkeys living on the stone hill before riding south of town to the area of mangrove swamps to get a view of the sunset over the canals and boats etc.
Next plan is to visit Tarutao island- for national park adventures before going back to Trang for thr train to Bangkok, and then on to the northeast of Thailand for a cycle trip along the mekhong heading east from Chiang Khan. See u in cyber world again for news of those travels!