Day 27: Kampung Banggor - Narathiwat 76 km
At 8 o’clock, I say goodbye to the captain and his wife. They took good care of me and I really felt at home here. I could stay longer, but I have to and want to move on. While loading my bicycle, I fell down the stairs. I slipped because my feet were still wet from showering. I only fall a few steps, but land awkwardly on my lower back. I have to stay focused. Silly accidents like this can ruin your whole trip.
I cycle through kampongs for the last 15 kilometres to the Thai border. It’s a beautiful ride and a fitting farewell to Malaysia. At the border, I am taken aside. The Malaysian customs officers want to know why I have so few stamps in my passport. I explain that this is because we have no borders in Europe. And no borders means no customs, and therefore no stamps. They believe me. After customs, I take a ferry to the Thai side of the river. I had spent all my Malaysian money the day before, so I don’t have any money left to pay for the crossing. I am allowed to cross for free. There is a long queue at Thai customs, but after half an hour I am back on my bike. One stamp richer; they will be happy with that in Malaysia.
I had originally planned to travel from Kota Bahru in Malaysia to the west coast. I wanted to avoid the southern provinces of Thailand because Muslim separatists regularly carry out attacks there. There is therefore a negative travel advisory for southern Thailand. This means only visiting if there is no other option. Unfortunately, part of my alternative route turned out to be a 150-kilometre stretch through jungle and mountains. Without any possibility of spending the night anywhere. That is too much for me, which means I have to go through southern Thailand. There is no other option.
Although the distance between Malaysia and Thailand may only be a few hundred metres, the country feels different. Ethnically, the people are Thai and no longer Malaysian. Their faces are also less cheerful and there is less laughter. Perhaps that has something to do with the civil war. The roads are better. The motorway I follow at the beginning has a nice wide hard shoulder, which makes cycling a bit more relaxing. I still have 36 kilometres to go to my hotel. On the way, I pass a number of military checkpoints manned by men with large guns. Without exception, they greet me friendly or salute me. The internet subscription with eSIM that I bought online does not seem to work. That makes finding my hotel difficult. All the more so because almost no one here speaks English. Fortunately, I pass a phone shop where they solve the problem.
Day 28: Narathiwat - Pattani 95 km
If I only want to cycle about 60 kilometres today, there is only one option for a hotel. There is nothing else to be found. When I arrive at where my hotel should be, it turns out not to exist. Bummer. The next hotel is 35 kilometres away in Pattani. I have no choice but to keep cycling.
Not much later, it starts to rain heavily. I sit down in a bus stop for a while, and try to talk to my daughter through WhatsApp. But the rain is so loud that we can’t understand eachother. I can’t wait too long because it will be dark in two hours. And given the political situation, somebody told me not far from here six people were shot, it’s better to find shelter before dark. I cycle the remaining 35 kilometres at record speed. At dusk I arrive at my hotel, where they tell me they have no rooms left. A hotel a little further down the road only has their most expensive room available. I have no choice but to take it. I am too wet and tired to look any further.
Day 29: Pattani - Thepa 42 km
Today, a short ride. So I don’t leave until around 11 o’clock. But again, I have to ride into the wind the whole time. After arriving, I have to clean my chain again and oil it. Due to the heavy rainfall of the last few days, it is completely dry. My bike creaks and squeaks even louder than I do.
In Malaysia, there was always someone who spoke English; not here. So now I use the interpreter app on my phone. From people’s reactions, I can tell that the translations are not entirely accurate. But it’s usualy good for a laugh, and I manage.
Day 30: Thepa - Sonkhla 62 km
The ride to Sonkhla was tough going. The distance wasn’t too great, but four days of cycling into the wind is taking its toll. For the first time since my ride through France more than a year ago, I’m suffering from muscle pain. In the evening at my hotel, I rub my legs with tiger balm that I bought in Malaysia. I have a feeling that I didn’t use the right dosage. I’m also starting to get a sore throat. I think it’s because of the air conditioning. A lot of people are coughing here anyway.
My hotel in Sonkhla is an old wooden Chinese house. Across the street are hills, and the owner has repeatedly urged me not to be afraid of the monkeys. After a rain shower, they descend en masse from the hills into the city. In the morning, you can hear the banging of monkeys playing and fighting on the corrugated iron roof. It’s all very rustic. To keep the monkeys out, a kind of cage has been built around the house. So I’m in a reverse zoo.
Day 31: Sonkhla
Once in Sonkhla, I left behind the southern provinces where negative travel advice applies. I plan to take a few days’ rest here. If we are to believe the internet, Sonkhla is a city that is attractive to tourists.
Early in the morning, and in good spirits, I walk from my hotel towards the city. On the first stretch, I have to pass dozens of monkeys who stare at me cheekily, but are otherwise not interested in me. The city itself disappoints me, the old part is more grimy than old.. The highlight is a visit to the local Kentucky Fried Chicken. Here I have the typical Thai choice between hot chicken and chicken that burns you from the inside out. I go for the first option.
I decide to do some quick shopping and leave the next day. When I walk past the monkeys again with my plastic bag of groceries, they seem to pay a lot more attention to me than before. At first they follow me, but soon they start making mock attacks on my bag. Kicking and hissing at them doesn’t do much good. Only when I find a large stick and threaten them with it do they give up. I’ve had enough of monkeys.
Day 32: Sonkhla - Ranot 61 km
Today’s ride is relaxed. There is hardly any wind, and unlike the previous days, a large part of my ride is on secondary roads through small villages. The soldiers and roadblocks have also disappeared. I no longer have to worry about being kidnapped. Or worse…
I spend the night in a simple hotel in Ranot, where I am welcomed with a chilled coconut. Delicious. My room is pink, extremely pink. Not only is the outside pink, but so are the walls inside and just about everything else. Only the complimentary condom does not come in a pink wrapping. But the room is clean, and the owners are very hospitable.
Day 33: Ranot -Pak Phanang 87 km
This day would have been uneventful if it weren’t for the dogs. In Malaysia, you hardly see any dogs, and the few you do see are happy to just be alive. In Thailand, it’s different, especially in the countryside. It’s teeming with dogs here. They lie alone or in groups in the middle of the street, sleeping. As soon as you cycle past them, they wake up with a start and give chase, trying to bite your calves. Now, I grew up with dogs and am not afraid of them. But if I get bitten, I’ll have to go to the hospital for another rabies shot. I brought an old telescopic radio antenna with me specifically to give dogs a whack. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found. Somewhere at the bottom of my bag.
Day 34: Pak Phanang -Thasala 93 km
Every evening, when I’m going cycling the next day, I decide on my destination for the following day. I do this as follows. First, I look at how far I can and want to cycle that day. Factors that play a role in this are the weather, altitude differences and my physical condition. If I know that I want to cycle 80 kilometres, for example, I look up a hotel or campsite at that distance on Google Maps. I try to avoid Booking.com, as it is far too expensive.
If it is an overnight stay between two days of cycling, my only requirements are that the room is clean and has a shower and air conditioning. If I want to stay somewhere a little longer, I want a little more luxury. Today is a fairly long ride. But it doesn’t bother me. I have the wind in my back and am looking forward to some days of R and R at Loma Beach Resort in Thasala.