17/3/25
We woke up at a balmy 6:30am. It was a bit of a relief to be getting up later than usual. It was only because we’d been pleasant surprised that breakfast was included. We had already instructed our lovely host the day before and she produced a delicious pile of fried vegetables with some rice.
There was even a kind of breakfast dessert. Crisp red ‘apple’, flavourless but served with a mix of salt, sugar and chilli flakes. There was jasmine tea and coffee too. We scoffed it all down with glee. It was 8am by the time we were able to leave. We’d missed an hour and a half of the good cycling time. Fortunately, because we’d come up the hill the day before, the first 30km were set to be downhill. Maybe we’d catch up with ourselves.
After beginning the cycle ride back the way we came, we took a small detour around the head of Yang Chum reservoir just to get a better look at it. There was a potentially more interesting route to follow to get back down to the coast but we weren’t interested. Avoiding additional cycling was our game today. We’d heard it was set to be another very hot day. Even Thai people keep telling us it’s very hot.
As we cycled down, we were stuck under the trees. Shade was obviously appreciated but seeds were emitting a sticky substance. Not tamarind, but something very similar. It got stuck to our tires and then they picked up every last bit of debris. It made a noise louder than the jungle insects and definitely increased the resistance.
The reality of going downhill a mere 100m over 20 miles is that most of the time it’s flat or more likely there’s actually a hill making our legs scream because they weren’t ready. Road 3217 was actually very boring. Nothing was happening. We thought maybe taking this parallel road to the one we’d ascended would be more interesting, but apart from one measly temple with a huge number of steps, that we admired from afar, nothing else went on down here.
The mountains and the lush green jungle was behind us. We were headed back towards the east coast. We weren’t making any more northerly progress but instead just heading directly east. We were just about to ride past a huge scaffolded monument under construction, when he heard some incredibly loud music. We’d tumbled across what was known as an ‘ordination ceremony’. We think for a monk, but it was more like a very lively wedding or a club scene. Well the short while we observed anyway.
A couple of kilometres further on we turned right to take a concrete shortcut back to the highway. Suddenly we were riding underneath beautiful blossom trees in gorgeous shades of pink. Reaching highway four marked the halfway point of the day. We used a temple as a shortcut to re and then crossed over onto a secondary road. We gave in to the allure of a 7-eleven. We actually needed to buy the third tube of toothpaste since the trip began. Also obtained was SPF 15 lip balm, children’s SPF50 suncream – it doesn’t have ‘brightening’ in it – and also failed to resist a strawberry and grape flavoured ice lolly.
It seemed to be clouding over slightly, which suited us, as did the headwind. We were going to have to head over the railway again, with another brand new overpass that the garmin wasn’t aware existed. So we stopped to buy a reward, deep fried banana, sweet potato and this time there were also peanuts. The stalls that almost every family seems to have were lovely. It’s such a nice idea that everyone is producing a small amount of produce. Either unprocessed, processed, or both.
We stopped in what we identified as a small community shelter next to some abandoned exercise equipment. An ideal place to eat our fried foods. It was a good combination. When we set off again we saw at least two more stalls selling fried banana. Our stomachs were pretty sold on getting some more. We resisted.
We were heading into a strong headwind as we left the urban zone. We gratefully turned onto the 4020. A tourist track with a good shoulder. We were heading north again. It was another 30km on this road to the fabled cave we were heading for. The road was a slog. We were under the midday sun and we just had to pound it out. Sweat dripping into our eyes. Jonathan even dictated some of the blog while he was riding, just as a distraction. Some karsts were getting closer. We were hoping it was gonna get a bit more interesting soon and give us the will to carry on.
In the shadow of karsts everything felt better. The national park looked to be quite intriguing. Signs for things like Porcupine cave and Horseshoe trail popped out at us. We’d certainly be missing out on them. Instead we were focused on a particular cave. Phraya Nakhon. It’s quite a popular tourist attraction.
As quickly as we were distracted, we were now back wanting the hell to end. Desolation had returned. It was the weirdest thing. Despite being in a national park there were countless fishing farms. That and baked earth. To break up the monotony we simply stopped at an ancient temple. Handy to have those around. It was nestled in the limestone cliffs and looked phenomenal.
We really got our heads down and went as fast as we possibly could. The tailwind didn’t hurt. The wind direction wasn’t making much sense though. We weren’t sure where we were going to stay, but we were confident that wherever we went we’d be able to find a resort for a reasonable price. Bang Pu was no exception. We quickly found somewhere reasonable, but basic, that cost 800 baht for the night. A little more than usual but we were in a more popular place than usual.
Phraya Nakhon cave was a popular tourist destination. We walked up to the national park entrance, luckily, because they outrageously charged for bicycle parking here. We still paid 200 baht each to enter the national park. There was an option to take a boat round the headland, but being the intrepid adventurers that we are, we obviously declined such an option. There was a man entering at the same time as us, dressed head to toe in perfectly white chic clothes. He opted for the boat. He was potentially unprepared for the walk ahead. We hiked at least 100m up and then 100m back down and we were already filling it in our legs.
This only got us to the beach where all the boat goers also arrived. Here we saw a troop of langur monkeys. They looked almost like statues or puppets, hanging from the trees. White fur around their eyes. We had to hike another half a kilometre and at least 150m of incline to get to the cave. It was well known for being an arduous walk. A man actually came back down the almost staircase congratulating himself.
We didn’t find the ascent particularly difficult. Sweaty, yes. But not hard. Even after our endless slog on the bike in the Sun. Descending into the small series of caves was magnificent. Our legs were shaking a bit now. It didn’t matter how many people had been there before, it was a really immersive experience. Pockets of jungle had sprung up beneath sinkholes. Incredible formations of stalagmites and stalactites. A modestly ornate temple in the middle of all of this. It was impossible not to be touched by its spirituality.
After we wandered around the magical natural cathedral, we sat down to enjoy the cool, in more ways than one, location. We spotted the man dressed in white. Both Will’s natural parents were Thai, but he was raised in the states. First Indiana then California. He was working remotely, while travelling around. But on American time so all night. We ended up chatting all the way back to the beach where Will took the boat back. We trekked back over the hill and Will was still there readying himself so we had another farewell conversation. It’s always a different dynamic when we meet someone, usually in a good way.
Between the various supermarkets we found some snacks to try. Accidentally vegan pineapple jam biscuits, which appear to a favourite snack in Thailand. Some more instant noodles, rice cakes and peanut brittle. We couldn’t find whole peanuts and ended up with ground, even better.
Back in the room we carefully prepared some noodles, extremely conscious about the many armies of ants we could see patrolling the walls and bathroom. It didn’t matter, when we were done they managed to locate food we couldn’t even see. We watched an episode of Dope Thief, finished Rivals and carried on watching Running Point. We consumed our usual treat of banana, peanuts, coconut milk and melted chocolate. All the while we were puzzling over where to end up the next day. The last couple of days had been quite full on.
Surly They Won't Make It 