The Plan

February 16, 2022

While I was still down in New Zealand last September I was convinced the world would be on its way back to "normal" and I started planning my flight into Thailand via Singapore and in succession riding my bike from the very South to the very North. Then Omicron appeared and all my planning became obsolete once again. Retrospectively I still consider myself fortunate that I struck the narrow window between the Delta and Omicron restrictions and managed to make it into Thailand via Australia at the beginning of December. Only a few days after my arrival Thailand suspended the Test&Go programme and Australia and Singapore wouldn´t have allowed me in/through as well.

Once back in Trang I reviewed my original plan though as it was still unclear what impact Omicron would have here in South East Asia. The Thai Government - like the New Zealand one - had shown before that they would not hesitate to implement hard provincial restrictions if there were isolated local Covid clusters. And that was about the last thing I wanted: Being stuck somewhere in rural Isaan waiting for some lockdown to be lifted. That´s why I decided to play it safe and ride down the Gulf of Thailand from Phetchaburi as an inaugural ride. That way I could have jumped back on the train to Trang every single night if needed as the tracks of the Southern Line were never far away from my chosen route.

In the end everything went very well and I thoroughly enjoyed the 1000+ kilometers despite the persistent onshore wind = headwind. On return to Trang the obvious question was: What now for the second half of my 3 months here? I decided to take it rather easy and split the remaining time:

1. Until my 2 months entry visa expired and required a 30 day extension I would keep enjoying the convenience of my own house and do daily rides in the vicinity. And indulge in the outstanding culinary offers of the seafood-heavy province.

2. What about the other three weeks? Jump on the train again and go North (Chiang Mai area) or Northeast (Mekong)? Too much of an effort for just 20 days plus it is burning season up there. So why not enoy all the great islands and beaches of the South? Combining two of my favourite pastimes, cycling and ferrying, might well be the best way to deal with the increasingly hot and humid conditions down here. I am not sure whether "ferrying" is actually a proper word but I love my ferry rides. Having been born and raised along the River Rhine in Germany that admiration was developped from my early childhood I guess. So I will visit as many of the islands down here in the South of Thailand as I possibly can while being in company of a bike with panniers.

There´s only one venue I am not interested in: Ko Phuket. I always disliked the whole setup of the island, its insane traffic and its tourist masses. But there are plenty of other offshore destinations, I am convinced you would never have heard of some of them. I will find out on my way which islands I can actually get to - the only condition is that I can take the bike and there will be affordable accommodtaion so I can stay at least one night. I will start my "island project" here on the southwestern coast along the Andaman Sea and explore the stretch between Phuket and Satun. See the map below for the most likely stops. I am not exactly sure when I will leave Trang as there is a massive trough moving through right now. A bit of rain doesn´t hurt but you don´t want to be out there when the skies open for one of these massive tropical downpours.

Obviously the actual cycling will be almost secondary and the bike reduced to a mean of "getting there". I will have to see whether this approach is compatible with my understanding of editing a cycleblaze journal before I think about the continuation. But before I load my Patria up again I wish to share a few photos on the 6 weeks between my two stage trips.

The islands on my list for this ride from top to bottom: Ko Yao Noi, Ko Yao Yai, Ko Sriboya, Ko Jum, Ko Lanta, Ko Mook, Ko Libong and Ko Sukorn

Being German I need a good sausage every now and then. Fortunately my young Isaan friend Nong Pond does some really exciting ones. The long ones on the left are filled with rice vermicellis, mince and Thai herbs. The little round ones are made from spicy pork paste. Delicious!

When I walk from my house to my favourite little nightmarket this Chinese temple delights me any single time.

My sort of "restaurant". This small line of stalls sets up every night in walking distance from my house and you get the whole range of Thai street food. Tonight it is....

...Khao Kaa Moo. Pork knuckle meat. Thai people love the jelly-like skin almost more than the meat so it never is a problem to get just the meat. "Mai ao nang, khrab" - "I don´t want the skin, please" is the way to order.

I´ve got a few regular half-day loops around Trang. On this northeastern round I was initially convinced this would be a "real" cop in the shed while rolling through the intersection.

From the same stalls I mentioned above. If you want a soup without the rice noodles (kwoi tiau) you have to order "Gau Lao". The dish on the right is called "pad si eaw gai": Egg noodles with soy sauce and chicken.

Very close to my house, the lovely "Princess Mother´s Park". It is free of any motorised traffic in the evening and even the exercisers are unusually disciplined: Cyclists circumnavigate the large pond clockwise, runners and walkers anti-clockwise. I love the atmosphere at twilight!

My regular Saturday.morning refreshment stop. This lady at the Ban Tho market sells the sweetest and most juicy pineapples you can imagine. Make sure you have the salt-chilly powder with the fruit - lifts it to a different dimension!

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	8
Comment on this entry	Comment	6

Andrea BrownOoooooh this looks like a fun tour. I've only been to one Thai Island (Koh Chang Noi, near Ranong) so I'm interested to learn about these ones.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Bruce LellmanIsland hopping! A great idea for a bike journal, one I've never seen before. Can't wait.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Suzanne GibsonSounds like an excellent idea! I'm looking forward to the tour! We were in Ko Yao Noi 14 years ago, it was beautiful - I wonder how much it has changed. I also called it an island hop, but it was just one island.
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/2007asia/phuket-ko-yao-noi-island-hop/
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Frank RoettgenTo Andrea BrownFingers crossed then the hard rain of the last few days moves through quickly, Andrea.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Frank RoettgenTo Bruce LellmanI´ve done one ages ago in Croatia, Bruce. That was a piece of cake though as there are proper car ferries to all the Dalmatian islands. See how it goes with the longtail boats..... Fortunately there are still very few international tourists around so there should be some space for "us".
Reply to this comment
2 years ago

Frank RoettgenTo Suzanne GibsonI will definitely have a close look at your journal, Suzanne. Fortunately (for me!) there are still very few international tourists around so I might find it as charming as you did more than a decade ago.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago