Bangkok to Ayutthaya: By train

October 28, 2016

I had decided to take the train to Ayuttaya to get out of Bangkok. That way, I would skip the crazy Bangkok traffic and arrive in Ayutthaya with time and energy to do some sightseeing.

I woke up, finished packing up, ate some breakfast and headed to the train station.

Leaving the hostel. Picture thanks to Bryoni, from New Zealand, who interrupted her breakfast to take this shot. https://bryonyjamesgobiking.wordpress.com

For a first ride in the city, it wasn't bad. Traffic is slow and the drivers are accustomed to motorbikes and scooters and cyclists weaving through the cars. The ride was a bit less than 2 miles. The only real challenge (other than the first time in traffic) was that my handlebar bag was heavier than I've used in this configuration, and it was twisting around the handlebars. I briefly thought about staying in Bangkok to fix it, but decided I'd deal with it in Ayutthaya.

I purchased my train ticket, and was sent to the freight office to buy a ticket for my bike. It was 15 baht for me, and 90 baht for the bike. A bike can't go on the express trains, so I was on an "ordinary" train. I had to go down the platform to the last car, and the conductor helped load my bike by passing it through the window! I spent a while wondering if we would reverse the process at the other end of the ride. I finally asked the conductor, and he said "yes" and assured me that he would help. The ride was about 2 hours. We left Bangkok exactly on schedule and arrived in Ayutthaya 15 minutes late.

My bike on the train. It was in the aisle, since there was no storage space, but this car seemed to be only for freight. And for me.

In Ayutthaya, I found a hotel suggested by one of the hostel guests in Bangkok. It is Baan Lotus, 500 baht for one person, with AC, but without breakfast. It's a traditional teak building, which had some charm, but also allows all of the noises to carry between rooms. It is in a nice otherwise quiet setting on the water. I took a quick shower, tried to fix my handlebar bag mount, and headed to a bike shop suggested by the clerk at the hotel. It turned out to be mostly cheap kids bikes, but I managed to buy a stem that I think I can mount on the Loop bars to stop the bag rotation. It is a massive adjustable stem, and as far as I could tell is the only threadless one in the shop. Then I rode to the historical park to see some of the ruins.

Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand, and the ruins and the city are beautiful. I saw the Buddha head in the bodhi tree, which was high on my list of things to see.

The famous Buddha head in the bodhi tree in Ayutthaya.

I rode around the park and visited a few of the wats and other ruins before it started to rain. I headed back to the hotel and arrived there soaked through.

After a short rest and drying off period, I went out and installed the new stem as a handle bar bag stop on my bike. I took off the adjustable part, which would normally go to the headset, shortening it up a bit. It is still quite long for my purpose, but that actually helps as I can use the length to catch at the real stem. I tried to shim the stem with aluminum from a soda can. That didn't work very well, so I used a rubber rim strip I'd bought with the stem. The stem was 400 baht, and the rubber 15. I think my kludge will work okay, or at least better than my previous kludge, which was made from an old brake lever.

Then I went to the night market and had some dinner. I also picked up some breakfast, a roti with egg. I don't have any refrigeration, so I hope it keeps overnight okay.

The hotel clerk said there is supposed to be heavy rain tomorrow afternoon, so I'll try to get an early start.

Today's ride: 14 km (9 miles)
Total: 14 km (9 miles)

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