Friday 16 September 2016

FSTR (8 - 16 August 2016), Day 4 : Ignorance is Bliss




The LTF team goofing around at La A Natu Bed & Bakery
Leaving Hua Hin on beautiful bicycle lanes
Yah, our new friend
Kindred spririts
Skirting around Pranburi Forest Reserve
Heading for Pranburi Beach
Beautiful Bicycle Lanes at Pranburi Beach
Beautiful Boulevard at Pranburi Beach. The stage is set for the Queen's Birthday.
Relaxing at The Blue Butterfly
The Blue Butterfly
Seeking shelter at Sam Roi Yod Beach while Alvin checked out the hotels
Circulating the bay, Khao Kalok, after the terrapin sanctuary
On the way to La A Natu Bed & Bakery
Riding along limestone hills, enroute to Kuiburi
Little Home Beach
Little Home Beach
Little Home Beach




The morning after at White Wood House was like a scene from a reality TV show! One by one, the unknown LTF casts were seen descending the stairs in half "drunken" modes. While some were in PJs and one was in boxers, there were also a few in cycling jerseys, worn to bed the night before!!! Everyone though, wore the definitive crown of disheveled hair.



As the riders went about their morning routines, some taking longer than usual in the toilets, the unmistakable close circuit camera in the porch continues to record the ongoing drama.....

KC was seen prancing about in a towel with a cigarette in hand. He seemed pretty confident with the wrap, bending over to feed the cat, cat food stored in the fridge. Thank goodness it was NOT his very own micro towel, for all eyes will follow when he bends over!!!



Sue was seen removing her final pieces of laundry from the clothes line. There were socks, a sports bra and some peculiar pieces of clothings.

After his morning coffee, compliments of the House and leftovers niblets, Alvin brushed his teeth for the second time. Looking on, Claudine just ran her tougue over her teeth and was pretty satisfied with her oral hygiene!

On our way out for breakfast, we made a stopover at Nong Kae train station for some momentos. It was pretty quiet in the morning and some team members boldly took photos in the middle of the tracks! Trying to imitate others, Sue's Bunny took a crash on the tracks.



Scouring the street, we soon found a place to eat opposite Amari Hotel, Thailand's own local brand of mid to upscale chain of hotels. At 8.30 am in the morning, we were surprised the little restaurant located in an intermediate shop lot was already serving a full spread of rice and lunch dishes. While the couples shared a plate each, KC and Sue piled their plates leaving Alvin's looking rather dismal.

YC, not used to such heavy meals in the morning, turned to 7 Eleven's ham and cheese toasties. Termed Classical Conditioning, the neutral stimulus of a 7 Eleven signboard elicits a potent respond amongst many LTF team members to make a beeline for the hot melted cheese, sandwiched in a bread!





After our heavy breakfast, we left Hua Hin. We rode past some railway tracks and soon came to a busy highway with proper bicycle lanes.



We met our shirtless cyclist, spotted during breakfast. He was on his return run and by now, dripping with sweat.

We rode past Kasetsart University, a vetenarian branch campus of the main agricultural science university in Bangkok...

We rode past the Thai Army Golf Training Center. The sentinels keeping vigil at the gateway caught our eye, catching us off guard to a curious sight on the opposite side of the road. We will only realize upon our return that we had missed the Monuments of the 7 Great Kings at Rajabhakti Park.

Further down the less than 10 km bike lane, we passed Rajamangala University of Technology. Then, we left the busy highway to travel on quieter roads...



We passed a drying lake. On the far end, there was a golden statue of Buddha...

We skirted on the fringes of Pranburi Forest Reserves. Turning right to go through some village homes, Yah was speeding down the hill towards us. She overshot, then made a U-turn to meet us at the junction.



We immediately connected. The kindred spirit amongst cyclists was undeniable!!! Yah told us she is a retired teacher living in Hua Hin. An avid rider, she frequently rides on this route alone!

Bidding her farewell, we rode on the narrow concrete road, riddled with potholes. It was a short climb passing by homes with no frontage and doors that opens directly to the road. On our right were thick shrubs.

A pick up truck filled with pineapples, revved its engine but failed to pick up speed. We overtook it, turned a corner and left the settlement.



Leaving our pick up truck, we returned to the trunk road. The climbing continues though this time we have left the primary forest behind. Instead, the lay of the surrounding countryside is filled with slopes after slopes of pineapples.

At one corner, a lady sits by a blue barrel with a large blade as wide as a saw. With both hands holding the pineapple, she runs the pineapple through the blade, allowing the rind to fall into the barrel.

At a scenic valley filled with pineapples, we made a stop for regrouping. When George arrives, he said to Sue, "Sue, you are SQ staff, also Selfie Queen!" We all had a good laugh and rode on in high spirits as Alvin had promised a coffee break 3 km ahead.



3 km later, we stopped on a wide bridge that traverse a river.....There was no cafe in sight....



We had a long downhill thereafter, leading all the way to Pranburi Beach. We saw an air conditioned coffee place located at a corner lot of a row of shop houses. We ignored it to check out a hotel which looked totally deserted except for a lone staff standing by the lobby. Not an ideal coffee place for Alvin....



We met the sea and rows of 5 star luxury resorts, all with unobstructed view of the beach. Too posh for coffee....



Our actual coffee break did not come till 15 km later!! After riding on the endless promenade, which serves both as a bike path and pedestrian walkway, we finally saw The Blue Butterfly, a cafe housed in a quaint cottage styled design. They served very good Cha Ron, which comes thick, creamy and not too sweet!

Reluctant to return to the hot baking weather but a must, we geared up again. This time, the coastal road continues on to Pak Nam Pran beach. We passed Casablanca, Ios, Havana....hotels that had to resort to mimicry in order to attract guests!!!

At the end of the road is Khao Kalok, a bay with beautiful rock formations. There is a mini rock trail to climb up for an aerial view at the Thaao Ka So Forest Park. Today though, we followed the road which turns right. It led us......away!!!



A few hundred meters ahead is a Buddhist temple with a small basin of water against the backdrop of a rocky hill. Children were seen playing with the giant terrapins in the water. As the terrain was downhill, Alvin leading at that time, rolled down fast towards the beach.



Meanwhile, Claudine made a quick after thought to stop with only verbal warning. YC did not hear her and came very close to her as she veered to her left.

They.....

almost.....

crashed!!!!



Everyone following behind made the stop. Wendy shared her M&M's candy with the children....George connected with the stray dogs in the vicinity....

Everyone were having a good time except Alvin, who eventually had to climb back up the slope to seek his lost lambs. He wasn't very happy but there was little he could do upon seeing 7 smiling faces!!!



Next, we rode on to Sam Roi Yod Beach. YC led us to La A Natu Bed & Bakery, a resort tucked away from the main trunk road. A hidden gem, getting to it without one's own transport will be a struggle as after leaving the road, the only access into the resort is via a narrow loose gravelled lane.



The place is commendably Thai-Laos influenced, judging by the bamboo bridge that leads to the restaurant. The beach front chalets sports thatched roof and zen designs making it a very comfortable place to unwind and relax.

We could not resist stopping for lunch which all came in small platters, expensive but very delicious. The bakery though, was no where in sight and with a lot of area restricted to "guests only", we never really get to find out where were the bread stashes!



After lunch, we left in search of a nocturnal nesting ground. The 2 places earmarked by Alvin on Sam Roi Yod beach did not meet his approval. The third place was a tad too expensive and the area too quiet to spend the night.



After a short discussion, we decided to wait out the scorching weather before hitting the road for Kuiburi beach. Meanwhile, Alvin and VT found us a nice cafe to hang out....."Cosy Cafe and Vegetarian Restaurant."

The place though, did not go beyond "Cosy". The wife chef was not in, thus we neither had coffee nor any food, not even vegetarian!!! The remaining father and son team were persuaded to serve us lemonade to which they apologized profusely for taking half an hour to squeeze 20
lemons into a 2 liter jug!!!! Putting aside the first class Vitamin C, we had to dilute the toxicity levels by adding a lot of iced water!!!



Killing time was easier said than done. While VT and George found some snooze time, one lying horizontal on a bench while the other sitting up right on a chair, the others were attacked by sand flies. Claudine received the worst harassment as she was wearing black leggings. Alvin though was tortured by a single one that did a kamikaze directly into his eye! Thankfully, Wendy had some eye solution which brought relief but the inflamed red eye was unmistakably there for some time after!

Heading out for Kuiburi, we tried a new riding formation. Alvin and YC rode abreast. Riding behind them, Claudine was protected by trees on her left and George on her right. Wendy and Sue were in the third row, followed by KC and VT. We whizzed along the countryside with the strong protecting the weak, thus sustaining a higher possible speed. This perfect formation was not for long. We soon turned into a 2 lane trunk road and with cars on both sides, we went back to single file.



Soon our real tests began. Riding along limestone hills, wind was forced through the gaps between hills, accelerating as it came through. We experienced the jet effects!!!

Thankfully, it was not a perpetual struggle as the road winded along. Somehow though, the attack of headwinds and crosswinds appear to be more constant than the benefiting tailwinds.



We passed fish farms....



We saw many monkeys by the roadside. Some sat on road barriers, observing the passing traffic....



After a long fight, we made a stop at a dingy shop which is part of a row of 5 shop lots in the middle of nowhere. There were very little things sold inside the shop. A wooden food stall stood outside but appeared to be closed for the day. We made use of the table and benches there, sharing just a large bottle of Strawberry Fanta amongst 8 of us!!! As we called for a bag of ice to fill our water bottles, we were pleasantly surprised the proprietor brought out plastic cups from a bag, meant for sale, for our use!!!

Thanking our shopkeeper and picking up our crashed bikes.......Sue's Bunny crashed twice while Claudine's Cupcake came down once from the strong winds......we left our dingy shop and limestone hills.

The last leg sees many revelations. While YC is the nurturer, always slowing down the pace for Sue, we see Alvin as the motivator, pushing her to exceed her limits. We see the liberation of womenfolk when Wendy and Claudine were asked to take over the lead. Our final bond were sealed by the ringing of bells as we rode the final kilometers to Little Home Beach, our stay for the night.

That night, we rode the 200 meters to a local restaurant by the beach. They served the finest Thai food we have eaten since we embarked on this FSTR. While we slept soundly with hot Thai green curry and succulent fish patties warming up our bellies, Hua Hin, the town that we had just left in the morning was struggling with a heinous act of terrorism. Two bombs exploded within 50 meters of each other, just before midnight, killing a local vendor and injuring at least 23 people including 10 foreigners!

Photo credits :
KC Au Yeong 
Ped Al

Friday 9 September 2016

FSTR (8 - 16 August 2016), Day 3 : A Tale of 2 Beaches

All Foldies lined up at White Wood House
Chaam
Chaam Beach
Locals waiting patiently for Team LTF to cross
Riding towards the squid monument
Underpass, Hua Hin
Cupcake at Nong Kae station



On the morning of Day 3, Claudine threw her room door open to see YC and George outside her chalet. They were tinkering away on George's bike. Sometime during the night, the rear tyre had gone flat and thus requires a tube change!



Wanting to step out to load her bike, her foot quickly withdrew before it touches the ground. Where were her yellow spongebob sandals??? KC found them behind a bush and the theory of cats, mice and even ghosts came up! Clearly, this was the Taoist' Hungry Ghost month where the gates of hell is opened for all to create MISCHIEF!!! We found out much later that the disappearing sandals were not the act of any ghosts but our MIS(chievious) CHIEF!







Stepping out of the chalet is like stepping out of Bedrock! The interior furnishings were mainly made out of cement and concrete....concrete bed, concrete shelves, cement floorings....Most of everything were in the original cement colour of grey. Perhaps as the resort progresses, "Mr Bryde" will finish painting the half done blue walls in the shower stall!!!



While the resort has no direct sea view, it's frontage is actually facing the sea. Of course, we need X-Ray visions to see beyond the road and the seafront restaurant! Making up for its lackings, is a nice river that runs behind the resort. There were chairs and benches by the river bank for the guests to use. We took this opportunity to sip coffee while soaking in the entire river scenes.



"Mr Byrde" has a trusting nature. On the verandah of his office, he places a fridge stocked with bottles of mineral water. There is also a thermopot with various sachets of complimentary coffee, tea and chocolate drinks. He even provides mosquito coils and repellants to which KC found most useful when he camped outside last night, running away from his roommate's incessant snoring.



Riding out along the coastal road, we passed a few upper class resort. It was interesting to note that while one architecture is influenced by the Arabian nights, another was inspired by Santorini's white washed landscapes. When we came upon a twin propeller aeroplane used as a mascot of a resort, we could not help but stop for a group photo!





Breakfast soon came in the form of a roadside stall with gravelled floorings. By Day 3, we were resigning ourselves to the Thai flavours of rice in the morning!!! The rice dishes were really good but too heavy for many of us who still falls back to our ancestral coding of noodles in the morning!



After breakfast, we took a peek of Chao Samran beach. The center of attraction was a stage of blue sea and Byrde whales, hence the name of our resort, Byrde Beach Resort!!! Apparently, whale watching is part of the tourism industry here, with regular sightings of pods in the winter months.

Leaving Chao Samran, we headed for Chaam. As this was our second day of riding we noticed Sue was still not used to drafting behind the men. Wendy, Claudine and VT decided to ride together with her on a slower pace. However, they must have been too slow for her because after a sip of water, she decided to lead them instead!!!



Not long later, we came upon a similar Alice in Wonderland themed coffee stop. This one does away with the animals but the Mad Hatter's tea party was evident with the numerous huge teacups by the lawn.



We were really thankful for the relief as the sun was beginning to burn at that hour. While some of us made a beeline for the airconditioned cafe inside, YC was not so fortunate. His tyre was looking rather deflated and thus took the opportunity to change the tube on the verandah. George and KC assisted him while dear Wendy, gave moral support. Looking out for his friends, Alvin served them cold water before their drink orders arrive! It was also at this juncture that Wendy discovered to her horror that sometime during the morning, her handphone screen had cracked!!!!



After our series of unfortunate events, we headed out again. We rode for almost an hour before arriving in Chaam district. YC cleverly led us away from the road leading directly into town. Instead, he turned left and took us through the coastal road.



We passed by some abandoned looking resort, a village road works and soon came to a narrow truss bridge. It spanned a river decked with fishing boats. There were chains and a motor by one end of it, possibly to enable it to swing upwards for boat traffic clearance.



There were no trolls waiting to collect gold from us as we crossed the bridge but rather patient locals on motorcycles. Clearly, it was so narrow it can only allow one way flow of traffic! Right at the other end was a bustling market place to which an opportune time to cool ourselves down with coconut juice and mangoesteens.



YC's obsession to catch Pokemon led us through the fishing industry all the way to the end of the breakwaters. We passed village homes, fish processing centers, fishing vessels....some of which were decked high with cages probably for crabs and lobster fishing.



At the end of the breakwater is a squid monument. Majestic from afar, the foundations were close to collapsing due to erosion!


Practicing the "S" pose in dedication to Sue

The skyline all the way to the right is decked with high rise hotels and resorts, Chaam. One of Thailand's longest and most beautiful gulf coastlines, it is a popular getaway for Thailand's working class. Quiet and laid back, it also caters to that few foreign tourists who don't mind an authentic Thai experience.



As we were all getting hungry, we headed out of the village for commercial Chaam. We consciously turned left, leaving the narrow truss bridge to the locals instead! Passing by more affluent village homes with stoned walls, we spotted a Walls ice-cream truck heading for the beach. Alvin cheekily held on for a free ride while YC decided to join the circus procession too!!! We were immediately drawn into the genuine camaraderie between good friends!



The tourist town itself was quiet during the weekday. While some of us took refuge at the 7-Eleven, Alvin and VT scouted the restaurants for lunch. They found 3 Faces, a pizzeria and coffee bar operated from the corner premise of Ta Lay Hotel. It served delightful pizzas and pastas though the portions were a tad small.

Done with lunch, we headed for Hua Hin, another seaside resort. Once a quiet fishing village, it became the playground of the rich and famous after the Thai Royal family built their summer palaces there.


KC taking over the street peddlar's loot!

Our journey to Hua Hin though, was not a glamorous one! We had to ride through salt plains and mangrove swamps. Coming closer to the city, we were forced to ride on the busy highway which offered zero shades except from an underpass. When we stopped at a 7-Eleven, they were having a power failure and thus the air conditioning were out!!!

We arrived at White Wood House all hot and flushed. A smiling host greeted us. She showed us the 3 bedrooms upstairs, one for the kids with bunk beds, one family room and one honeymoon suite; the open air living area upstairs, furnished with a lazy chair, a bean bag, a large table and benches....

Then, sadly everything began to go South after that! All washing areas be it sink, bathroom or toilets are located downstairs. It was not pleasant to walk all the way down, just to use the toilet or wash one's hand. The pantry, also located downstairs, comes with a fridge, microwave, kettle and 4 chairs only. Some had to stand for their morning coffee!



Once the rooms were assigned, everyone started on their different sets of priorities. While most of everyone will vouch a bath tops their list, others could be seen pottering around their bikes, doing laundry and even setting out to get beer!!! The later half of the afternoon sees George and Wendy retiring into their honeymoon suite, Alvin and KC going for massage and Claudine and VT setting out for the neighborhood bike shop.


Even the Railway Station is a Fairyland!

Dinner was a tough decision. Even though VT had done a food survey after the bike shop and chanced upon Nong Kae train station, it was hard to decide for the group. Fusion food was knocked down, BBQ steamboat buffet only got half the group's approval.....



Finally, we made a fail safe decision. We settled for a restaurant where the locals will eat! The fried rice and fried noodles received overwhelming approval from the LTF team. Served by a close knit family, they brought out more stand fans from their living quarters behind to cool us down.



When we were done, we crossed the street for Wantan noodles offered by a street stall outside a family mart. Even though the palate has changed, the conversation on punctures and how to be politically correct continued!



We finished the night with a night cap at Wilaiwan, a beautiful cafe designed after those stately colonial styled homes. It's distinct architecture of slate roofs, wood clapboard sidings, wooden shutters and a wide verandah downstairs are reminiscence of a bygone era. A time of top hats, coat tails and lace parasols!

That night, while the resident cat took her spot on the bean bag and the cockroaches roam free downstairs, the rest of us went to bed wishing we had brought ear plugs! The local band at the nearby pub was belting out songs which reached us at irritating decibels!!!


Photo credits :
KC Au Yeong 
Ped Al