Day 190: Nakhom Pathom to Samut Songkhram (43 miles)
Damnoen Saduak floating market.
I love markets. I love food markets. I mostly love food, but it’s fascinating to see the unique cultural industry revolved around delicious provisions. We visited the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market this morning. This 100-year old market is situated in the man-made canals that were originally dug to provide water to the farms in the area. Both houses and shops were built right on the canal. An intricate maze of sidewalks (mostly wooden planks) and bridges line the theme-park type market. Long-tailed boats carry passengers and vendors alike to create an amazing spectacle of a marketplace. Locals sold their goods straight from their boat. It’s funny to see the vendors sitting in their vessel completely surrounded by hundreds of bananas, piles of mango sticky rice already shrink-wrapped for buyers, or even an entire vat of oil to fry eggrolls. Back at home, a giant tub of boiling oil comes with safety precautions and insurance forms, but here, they sit next to it in a rocking canoe. Buyers can paddle right up to the vendors’ boats to purchase food. Now, it’s a tourist attraction and the market extends beyond the water. Booths spread out along the walkways to sell clothes, spices and other souvenirs. Regardless of the touristy aspect of the area, it was super neat to see this unique market.
Selling food along the canals.
The riding today was different than normal. Instead of straight roads for eternity, the river and canals looped us around in circles. We got lost a tiny bit and ended up going an extra ten miles. My favorite part of the loopty-loops was cycling passed the coconut farms. There were breathtaking, perfectly shaped palm trees with vibrant mossy green waterways around them. The blue sky seemed to pop behind the neon greenery.
Our guesthouse was not near the center of town, so the options for food were limited. We rode the bikes to the only restaurant around. For Asian standards, this restaurant was HUGE. There were over a hundred seats. Neon lights hung from the outside terraces. A live three-person band had the music cranked up loudly. Many hostesses greeted us at the entrance. All of this was just of us… we were the only ones there! The food was mediocre and way overpriced, but the live private concert was a blast.
Day 191: Samut Songkhram (5 miles)
We rode twelve days straight. Today was a much needed rest day. We’re staying at a guesthouse that recently opened. After sleeping in until 8 am (it felt like ages past out recent 5 am wake up calls), we ate breakfast on the terrace near the river. Sean and I sat for hours over coffee talking about current political situations back home and debatable topics that we read about online. It felt great not to ride this morning. It felt great discussing meaningful topics with the hubs. It felt great to sit by the water. Life is good.
Maeklong Railroad Market.
We sat by the water until the afternoon. We rode into town to see the infamous Maeklong Railroad Market. This market is situated ON the railroad tracks; tracks that currently run trains to and from this station. Under the awnings that shade the market, vendors sell food and other household items. When the train whistle blows, the vendors fold in their awnings and push back their carts. Some of the goods are placed between the tracks. The train rolls mere inches from the people and all the produce. And the food in between the tracks is untouched because the train moves above it. It was fascinating to see. And when the train passes, down goes the awnings and business resumes as normal.
Day 192: Samut Songkhram to Chang Wat Phretchaburi (38 miles)
We had a scrumptious Thai breakfast on the porch overlooking the water: rice and ground beef with some serious spicy kick. We watched the sun rise over the river ready to turn this humid morning into a tropical heat trap within a few hours.
When we rounded a corner and climbed over a steep bridge, there we got our first glimpse of the Gulf of Thailand! Finally, the sea! I shrieked with excitement! The beach is my happy place. The beach means we’re close to the end of our trip. We still have over 400 miles to get to Phuket, but the beach means good things!
First view of the Gulf of Thailand.
We arrived at our guesthouse before noon. Although we passed a few hotels, it’s not a popular town for tourists. We basically had the beach to ourselves. We laid out for a few hours. My goal is to even out my riding clothes tan lines before we get back home. Right now, my short’s tan mid-thigh looks ridiculous in a bathing suit. Most of me is nicely sun-kissed from months of being outside, but while wearing a barely-there bathing suit, my white, non-tanned skins seems to glow a frightening white glare. Even with plenty of sunscreen, both of us got a tiny burned on our first afternoon by the water.
While I laid there (actively getting burned), I thought, “THIS is the epitome of bike touring. THIS is my reward for all those damn hills in the blistering sun and bone-chilling coldness. THIS is what I’ve been waiting for. And I’m HERE. We’re here. We’re not finished yet, but I can see the end. I can finally see the sun and sand and waves at the end of this 6,000-mile tunnel.”
We swat away mosquitos and itched the bites of those bugs we missed as we ate a wonderful display of fried rice and veggies for dinner. The restaurant was true to the typical southeast Asian dining experience: no real walls, tin roof, cats and dogs roaming freely throughout. However, this one was better because the waves of the ocean were not too far away. Sand dusted the floor. Salt was in the air. All of this made the food taste better. It did.
Day 193: Chang Wat Phretchaburi to Hua Hin (35 miles)
- Morning ride.
- Checked into a guesthouse.
- Hung out on the beach. This town was extremely touristy with restaurants and resorts right on the beach.
- Outside dinner on the street.
- Moseyed through the Night Market.
The end. It was another wonderful and beautiful bike touring day. What China? What malaria mayhem? All I remember is the beach.
Day 194: Hua Hin to Sam Roi Yot (30 miles)
Today was a reminder that God’s timing in our lives is way better than our own. First of all, we didn’t get out early as planned. Beach fever, perhaps? Second of all, in attempt to go to the supermarket (we couldn’t because it was closed until 10:00 on Sundays and we didn’t want to wait two hours), we passed McDonald’s, something we haven’t seen in a while. Since we hadn’t had breakfast yet and I had JUST said yesterday that hashbrowns are missing from my life, and, fancy that, Mickey Ds has hashbrowns, we agreed to spend the extra money to eat breakfast at this fine establishment. Sitting down for breakfast instead of inhaling a to-go pastry and downing a pint of milk surely takes longer. Lastly, while riding on this fabulous bike trail, we accidentally missed our turn and had to reroute. All of this led us to Heather, a girl we saw on the same trail a few miles back and who had just wrecked pretty badly on her bike. She didn’t break anything, but there were tons of scrapes and a lot of blood. We were able to help her out by cleaning her up and patched her back together with our first aid kit.
It was unfortunate that we had to meet under those circumstances, but I’m so happy we got to meet Heather. I would have cried and wanted to quit riding for the day after that fall, but she insisted on riding further. So, all three of us rode together along the beach. Come to find out, our new friend is from San Fran, practically our neighbor back home. We shared traveling highs and lows while pedaling and she treated us to ice coffee and lunch later on for helping her out. Although I felt silly having her pay for lunch after we simply helped her do what any normal person would have done. But I get the whole “pay it forward” thing and didn’t want to take her joy of giving back. I love when you’re at the right place at the right time. Our meeting was totally meant to be.
Riding with a fellow Californian.
We parted ways when we stopped at our guesthouse on the beach. I knew we were going to be in the area as our last vacation in Thailand, but I didn’t know we were EXACTLY in the same area. The guesthouse today is just moments from the Dolphin Bay Resort where I have fond memories of meeting up with our best friends, Tara and Eric, three and a half years ago. This made me sooooo happy. We got to hang out on the same beach and look over toward the same Monkey Island as before. It was a nice stroll down memory lane.
Once again, riding along the beach in this country has been fabulous. Hanging out on the sand and dipping in the calm, warm sea in the afternoon is the cherry on top after a few hours of cycling. I feel accomplished and get instant gratification from the beach views. This is the life!
Day 195: Sam Roi Yot (rest day)
Today was practically perfect. We didn’t do much, but hang out on the beach and eat. That’s why it was perfect.
Just hanging out at the beach.
Day 196: Sam Roi Yot to Prachuap Kiri Khan (48 miles)
The sunrise over the water and the little islands not too far from the shore created a reddish orange rue over the morning. It was incredibly neat – another reason I absolutely love this beach (and for the second time in my life).
Sunrise on the beach.
About mile 40, we were in much need of a break from the heat. We were riding parallel to the water, but about a kilometer away. Sean suggested we rest on the beach. I was hesitant because sweat and sand and more riding seemed really uncomfortable. I acquiesced. Once we got to the shore, I agreed that it was the most perfect idea because for miles in every direction, there was no one around. It was perfect. Why did I ever question going to the beach? The answer is “yes”. Always, “yes!” Since the beach was secluded, we took off our bike clothes to cool off in the water. It was instant bliss. The water was shallow for a long way out; however, the jellyfish deterred us from swimming further. It was hard to leave our new-found paradise, but the last eight miles were much easier after our little dip in the ocean.