Day 11: Khao Lak - Hat Thai Mueang - Frankie goes to.....the South of Thailand (2018)

November 9, 2018 to November 11, 2018

Day 11: Khao Lak - Hat Thai Mueang

When I woke up in the morning I was still planning to finish off on Phuket, approximately 100 km down the road. What I didn´t know then was how much I would like Hat Thai Mueang, which is also called Turtle Beach. For a reason. The Olive or Ridley Pacific Turtle still does come ashore on the northern part of the beach, which is declared a National Park for that reason. An the excellent Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Center has open doors proudly displaying all their efforts.

Getting there was a very short but rather unpleasant ride. At least the first half. Going out of Khao Lak I was confronted with a first sort of climb into the Khao Lak - Lam Ru National Park. Two lanes up that hill but zero shoulder causing some close calls in the hidden bends. Once back down in the flat the highway narrows back into only one lane either way but they have started to extend it into a dual carriageway as well. Result: Dust mask on for the first time on this trip quite obviously making the breathing very hard in those high-humidity conditions. After about 20 kilometers into the day I spotted a Caltex station on my right and decided to have a rest from the dust there. All those gas stations along the major highways have about the same convenient setup: petrol pumps, well serviced restrooms, a store like 7 eleven or CP market and a nice little cafe. And the latter one was exactly what I needed as I hadn´t had a coffee yet that morning. Feeling much better after two coffees and almost an hour of rest I rolled back onto the highway only to find that brand new layer of asphalt a few hundred meters down from the station. So new, it didn´t even have the road markings yet. All the way into Thai Mueang those excellent conditions continued. And coming into town I spotted the signs for their beach and National Park which I thought might be a nice opportunity for another break.

You know the result already. Initially I rolled all the way up to the gates of the National Park where there is accommodation available too but I decided to go back to the Garden Bungalows where I had some restaurants nearby down at the beach road and the chance to walk or cycle back into town if needed. I really like this place and will stay three nights.

This police boat had been washed inland almost a kilometer by the 2004 Tsunami. And it used to be a most remarkable reminder of the vicious power of that wave when it was still in its sidewise position between the trees a few years ago. Unfortunately they have now decided to put it upright with a tidy park around it.

Up in the Khao Lak - Lam Ru National Park

But a good cup of coffee makes me (and the cactus) happy again

Englishman Mark. As cheerful as his choice of clothes indicates

The cute office and home of the caretaker

The small a/c bungalows come at 400 Baht (10.50 €) and are sufficient for me: hot shower, cool sleep

The typical evening scenario. The clouds are gathering and it will reliably rain very soon

The people in the Sea Turtle Conservation Center are as friendly as the decoration within the compound

Surprisingly enough these young ones are green and not orange turtles

The large Ridley or Olive Pacific turtle

He or she seemed rather surprised to see me

Despite their specified name they do look after other species too

Today's ride: 44 km (27 miles)
Total: 804 km (499 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	7
Comment on this entry	Comment	2

Henna JanieschNice to see u back on the road.
Thumps up!
Reply to this comment
5 years ago

Frank RoettgenTo Henna JanieschThank you, Helmut. You observed correctly and I am actually quite proud I slowly do manage to take some steam out of my cycling. Has is been more about adhering to a set plan beforehand is my philosophy now: Nice place? Stay a bit longer.... That´s all about having time in hand and for my future rides the lesson learned will certainly be far more conservative planning. Mind you I will not give up planning entirely as some fellow cyclist have. I love the process too much and wish to have some sort of red line in my rides too.
Reply to this comment
5 years ago