Phetchaburi

November 18, 2024

We were up early to make sure we could get a ferry across the Tha Chin river to catch the seven thirty train from Ban Laem to the Samut Songkram and its well known Mae Klong Railway Market .

Ride on, ride off. I didn't even dismount from my bicycle for the short ride across the river.

Finding the station took a few minutes but our early start meant we had plenty of time to buy both tickets and breakfast.

A beautiful old locomotive (built in 1908 in Germany) on display at Ban Laem station.

The train was initially very empty with only three other passengers apart from us but it filled up dramatically about halfway to Samut Songkram with tourists who come to experience the Mae Klong Railway Market.

We first visited the Mae Klong Railway Market five years ago. The traders have their wares spread over the railway line for most of the day but have to move them off when the train passes through a few times a day. It has become a big tourist attraction and is probably the only reason why the train line is still operational.

Once off the train we found the Mae Klong river had burst its banks and many of the roads were flooded. While this was the worst around Samut Songkram we had a few areas to wade through further along the route as well. The result is that our cycling sandals now smell of fish as well as their usual sweaty feet odour.

We have a room in an old wooden Thai house in Phetchaburi for the night. We're planning to to some birding at Pake Thale, a birding hotspot on the coast about fifteen kilometers away but will only do that on Wednesday so we'll need to find alternative accommodation tomorrow because our current digs are fully booked.

Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 2,291 km (1,423 miles)

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