While we stayed at Ron and Martha's place for a day, we had a wonderful happy tourist day. Ok, to be honest, we started the day late and slow: some swimming, late breakfast, catching up, reading and writing. We then rented a motorbike for a day and made a (half) day trip into Sam Roi Yot national park. Yes, national park time again! We drove to the Phraya Nakhon cave, a big cave with big openings (sinkholes) in their "ceiling" - great, because thanks to that some vegetation grows inside, and there is beautiful light in the caves.
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| The michiels couple on the motorbike in Sam Roi Yot |
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| I can never get enough of these picturesque fishing villages; but yesterday the sky was so nicely blue and the light really beautiful to make it even better |
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| The Kura Karuhas pavilion inside the cave, a royal pavilion visited by several of the Thai kings, making this cave one of the most famous caves in Thailand |
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| On our way back from the cave we were lucky to see cute dusky langur monkeys |
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| Football or waterpolo? The football field of a school was not spared |
Today we got back on our bicycles, a bit later than usual thanks to another nice morning with Ron and Martha (we left at 9am) and cycled 80km to Cha-am, north of Hua Hin. It's easier to describe today - another great day - in pictures (see below), except for the Hua Hin part. In short: we really did not like Hua Hin and got out as fast as we could. Maybe we have not seen the right part of the town, but what we saw was busy, ugly, touristy, really "not our cup of tea". It reminded me a little of when I saw Benidorm, years ago; the only thing I wanted then too, was to get away from there. Same thing with Pattaya, by the way. So anyway, many people choose Hua Hin for retirement, that is clearly never going to happen to this Michiels couple...
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| Part of the marvellous ocean side cycling of today |
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| A short visit to a wat on our way, a bit different from most other wats |
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| Top view of a... pineapple! |
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| Perfect spot for a break, in the pineapple fields. |
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| Today we cycled a good part of the way on actual cycling paths, mostly well maintained and signposted. This was the most impressive part, besides the highway no4, a perfect cycling lane separated from the road itself! |
We found again a really nice place to stay, Thai Bamboo Guesthouse. It's a small place with nice chalets, a swimming pool and a big beautiful garden, a bit remote and therefore quiet. The place is run by a sympathetic Dutch couple, they're only doing it since about a month or so. If you're ever in this area, highly recommended... It has an outdoor DIY kitchen, so we cooked ourselves today! The pasta we brought all the way from KL has now finally landed in our stomachs...
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| It was hot today, and we cycled long, so we deserved a yummy reward. Coconut and durian ice cream in a coconut shell with fresh coconut flakes in it. Delicious!!! |
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| Ron, Martha and us, on the way to dinner |