Bang Saphan Beach – Prachaup Khiri Khan – 93 km
Emerging tired due to spending half the night chasing cockroaches
was no surprise. As soon as the light was off, they came out. Sandal
in hand, I gave chase, but they gave me a good run for my money.
These wee buggers were as fast as lightning.
By morning, I left Bang Saphan with a pack of dogs in hot pursuit and
I could’ve sworn an intrusion of cockroaches followed us. Cartoon
style, I gripped the handlebars, pushed my elbows out, flattened
myself, and gunned it out of Bang Saphan. The entire
neighbourhood’s dogs wanted a piece of me that day. Mercifully, a
smaller path veered off, and they gave up.
The road hugged the coast nearly the entire way to Prachuap, making
it near paradise. Low-key accommodation lined the beach, consisting
of bungalows barely visible behind bougainvillaea and frangipanis.
The only sign of life was often a lone hammock strung between two
palm trees, lazily swinging in the slight breeze. Bliss!
The area was rural; chickens darted across the path, men fished in
small dugout canoes, temples, shrines, and the ever-present snakes
abounded. I’m sure Thailand has the largest population of snakes in
the world. It’s a miracle I didn’t ride over any. The weather looked
ominous, but I pushed on, wondering if I could out-cycle the
approaching storm. Amazingly enough, I reached my destination
without getting soaked. In hindsight, it was a good day as neither the
dogs, snakes, nor rain caught me—pity about those darn
cockroaches. I swear I’m not making this up.