ISAN TO MALAYSIA VISA RUN

So it was time for me to get on my bike and hit the road again. For new Thai visas I have been mostly going to nearby Laos, where the visa is minimal hassle and actually cheaper than in other neighbouring countries.

You may wonder why I keep coming back to Thailand - well, obviouly there is Pannee, who attracts me back here after every bike stint. There are also other reasons to come back to Thailand, it is relatively cheap, easy to camp for free, good roads for biking, interesting, beautiful, and no remarkably big hills.

So I said goodbye to Pannee and the farm, and I was on the road again. It was 18 October 2017 and I had exactly one month to reach the Malaysian border about 2000 km to the SW. From NE Thailand I first had to head West, skirting to the North of Bangkok. Then I had to turn South down the "Long Leg" of Thailand towards Malaysia.

As usual, in Thailand I camped at the Buddhist temples (Watts). There are many of these temples, so about an hour before sunset I start looking out for a suitable Watt (that gives me time to ask permission, set up camp, wash, and dress - before "mosquito time" at dusk). Often it is still hot and humid at that time, so I would apply repellant cream instead of dressing up too much for the mozzies.

The monks have only one official meal per day, breakfast. People from the community bring the food for the monks. Once the monks are done eating, the rest of the people can eat and they sometimes invite me to join them. Sometimes the monks themselves bring me food as in the 2 pics above (the flies on the first plate were added later - mozzies at night and flies at daytime).

Leftovers (mainly rice) is given to the variety of animals usually present at a Watt (a certain travelling cyclist has also walked off with a bag or 2 of leftovers on occasion).

At a big river close to Bang Lem town (NW of Bangkok) I saw a style of fishing which I had not seen before. Men were patiently sitting on the bridge railing, not with fishing rods, but with a type of "spear gun" (or cross bow?). They would shoot a big fish close to the surface and hold it in position while their mates let down a grapple hook on a rope with which they raise the fish up to the bridge. Apparently the restaurants pay handsomely for these fish. (My shoe is in the pic to give idea of scale).

At the holiday beach town of Cha-Am I took a break for a couple of days. There are many hotels and guest houses here, but I found a good camp site at the Watt right beside their large fish pond.

My time at Cha-Am co-incided with a major festival (Festival of Lights?). Candle lanterns were flown out over the ocean from the beach at night, and thousands of candle-lit flower decorations were floated out on the pond at the Watt (this pic of what it looked like on the pond the following morning).

Sometimes I run low on funds, and then any type of food will make my mouth water. On one of those days there were many roadside stalls selling this Nonu fruit, and it looked so appealing! So I stopped at a stall and took some pics of the fruit. The lady in picture then gave me some fruit for free, as well as a bag of steamed corn-on-the-cobb. Just down the road I found some shady picnic chairs at a police station, and I had a wonderful unexpected lunch. I used the toilet inside, and also filled up on cold water, and the police came out and gave me a bottle of cold orange juice!

Quite a few times (and mostly in Thailand) I have come across accidents where large trucks have left the road - on the side where I ride! Luckily I am still unscathed, but a few years ago 2 British cyclists died when they were hit by a pickup truck which left the road. I did however have plenty of bike troubles, involving all coggs and chains etc. - and a number of evenings were spent "beating out the flames" so that I could move on again in the morning. I also had big problems with wheel bearings, caused by ageing worn wheel hubs. I replaced bearings on both wheels, and on one occasion I had to stay over at a temple for a day to replace the complete front wheel hub (luckily I had a used spare). Fortunately I was camped off to one side and did not interfere with the daily activities. Also, it was pouring with rain, so not a bad day to be under cover and do some bike repairs.

I met these 2 strapping Russian cyclists along the road in the South of Thailand. They are from an East Siberian city close to Mongolia. In their 1-month holiday they were travelling light and cycling from Hanoi to Singapore. I'm surprised that they even spotted me at the little shop where I was taking a break.

On the afternoon of 17 November I arrived at the border town of Pedang Besar, and camped at one of 3 temples in this small town. The following morning at a money changer in the town I exchanged Thai Baht for Malaysian Ringit. Then I checked out of Thailand and crossed into Malaysia 1 month and almost 2000 km after leaving the farm in Isan. (My Thai visa expired the following day).

Daily distances which I have cycled on this (long)leg have been:- Ban TaLad 66 km; Huaitun Tan 72 km; Tha Jum 75 km; Ban Anotai 86 km; Non Takat Kwaat 56 km; Non Phi Junction 77 km; Sikhio 78 km; Muak Lek 72 km; Phachi 71 km; Bang Pa-in 79 km; Bang Len 77 km; Potharam 83 km; Phetchaburi 91 km; Cha-Am 45 km; Pranburi 62 km; Prachuap Khiri Khan 77 km; Ban Sam Khum 78 km; Road Split Watt 64 km; Chumphon Ban 75 km; Lamae 81 km; Surat Thani 94 km; Wiang Sa 85 km; Nakhon Si Tammarat 82 km; Phattalung 80 km; Hat Yai 90 km; and Pedang Besar (Malaysia border) 69 km. Total distance so far is 148 814 km.