March 6, 2008
Phang Nga - Mai Khao Beach (Phuket): Last day on the road
We say good-bye to Charles and hope he has fun on his boat tour of the bay and are off. We aren't looking forward to another ride on Highway 4 but there is no alternative to getting from here to the coast. To our surprise and quite unlike the leg we did the day before yesterday, the traffic isn't heavy and the gently undulating highway makes for a pleasant ride.
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When we reach the coast we expect to find a few hotels to choose from as we plan to stay on the coast until we fly back to Bangkok in three days. What we find are two very large, upper-end hotels, not exactly what we had in mind. The tsunami wiped this part of Thailand's coast clean and the new construction on this stretch is in the luxury category.
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From the coast we head back to Highway 4, cross the bridge to Phuket Island and take a stab at the coast here. A sign for Mai Khao Beach Bungalows takes us down a side road and then a dirt track to the beach. The spot is isolated and idyllic: Four simple bungalows and a good restaurant, electricity from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and the Indian Ocean lapping at the tips of our toes.
The next days are more or less a dolce far niente except for a few sessions on the Internet.
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As to be expected, we meet up with Charles again. He sees our bikes outside the Internet cafe (on Highway 4 just 4 kilometers from our bungalows) and stops. He is looking for a place to stay on his way to Phuket Town and is happy when we tell him about the Mai Khao bungalows. Now with plenty of time we can get a little better acquainted. He is an extreme mountain climber, accomplished tri-athlete and marathon runner who has now discovered the fascination of cycle touring. We have some interesting conversations in the pleasant restaurant of Mai Khao Beach before we leave.
We're not far from the airport for our flight to Bangkok. These 15 kilometers will be the last ones on this trip. And the emergency spoke is going to do its job to the last kilometer.
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