4321 Up Up and Away, Part 2 (August 5 - 14, 2022) : Day 5 - Hatyai to Surat Thani

At Hatyai Junction waiting to board our train @ 10.53 am. Note that Jac has donned the Singapore jersey in respect of Singapore National Day 

With our parcel officer after we had successfully purchased our train tickets and passage for our bikes @7.50 am

Many peddlers at the train platform

Cleaning in progress. Common sights at Thai train stations

Here comes our train

Our 11.15 am train arrived late 25 minutes late!

Settling into our carriage. We chose the cargo box for more space for our bikes

All prepared for a long journey

But wait !!! Where's the head? They are changing the locomotive.

Petai and other produce are brought down from the train by strong porters

Ban Din Lan @ 12.04 pm

One of the many tunnels we went through

Gorgeous windy tracks as the train chugs around the mountain

Narrow kampung road runs parallel to the train tracks

Chong Khao, a village train stop

Scattered housing by the train station

Wat That Noi @ 4.20 pm

A grandma travelling with her grandson communicated with us in Thai to look out for this temple. Somehow, we understood her!

This must have been a famous monk to have a statue placed here

Fancy seeing a cyclist here!

Wat Phen Yat @ 4.45 pm

A township so close to the train station. Note the laundry hanging in the background

There were a lot of uncertainties this morning. We were still unsure if there will be a train to Surat Thani and if we will be able to secure tickets for ourselves and our bikes. Even though enough research and consultation had been done including contacting Claudine's friends, Kitiphong and Ugrid who were both based in Bangkok, not getting our hands on physical tickets can be a bit unnerving. 

Ugrid had been extremely helpful, having personally called State Railway of Thailand for us. Through him, we had our hands on the train schedule and what to expect especially travelling on trains with bikes.

Last night, after dinner, Pastor Cheah had escorted VT, Mr Lim and Claudine to Hatyai Junction, the main train station. Unfortunately, they arrived too late to find the ticketing office closed. Enquiring with the security guard with reference to the schedule on the notice board, he had given them the thumbs up which could only mean all trains are running as usual.

There are a few trains which stops at Surat Thani but train 448 departing Hatyai Junction at 11.15 am seems most suitable for us. Having that in mind, our tall order of the day was to secure the train tickets first and foremost. 

Riding out at 7 am with our passports in hand, we were amazed the city was already bustling with activities. Most noticeable were the number of motorcycles on the road which doubled that of other vehicles. People thronged the roadside stalls for quick takeaways whilst some could be seen dining over steaming bowls of khao tum.

Note the time at the counter

As soon as we arrived at the train station, we made a beeline for the ticketing counter. Getting passenger tickets was easy. We were then directed to the parcel room to secure passage for our bikes. This took a bit longer as the person in charge had gone for breakfast!

It would have been easier had they given us a time to expect his/her return and so we went up and down between the ticketing counter, station master's office and parcel room trying to determine this. You see, we have yet had our breakfasts and checked out from our hotel and hence wanted desperately to settle this very important issue.

Luckily for us, the person in charge arrived in less than 20 minutes. Her arrival did nothing to expedite matters as she was unsure how to charge us! Another long process prevailed!! She had to consult her colleagues several times before arriving at a formula!!!

As usual, from past experiences, cargo rates are always more expensive than passenger rates! We were charged 90 baht for each bike versus 55 baht per passenger. Anyway, we were more than happy to pay as it was overall a very low rate for a 6 hours 40 minutes journey which spanned more than 300 km.

The stall is placed at the car porch

Breakfast @ 8.09 am. Note the grilled door, TV cabinets and marbled flooring which is part of the living area.  

Once our train tickets were purchased, we left for breakfast. This we found in a cosy home with a stall frontage at Chontara Road, overlooking the Toei Canal. The small family business was so overwhelmed by our large group, their regular patrons had to stop eating to help!

There was ample time for breakfast and packing. We even packed our lunch for the train journey from the nearby 7 Eleven and roadside stalls. But we had a short scare upon checkout when Tommy did not arrive on the dot. 

He had lost a nut which secured the bolt to his suspension block since Namtok Ton Plio. A quick fix at a motorcycle shop did not solve the problem. The bolt fell off upon arrival at Behind the Hill Resort and had to be secured with cable ties which also drops off every now and then. Ever since, Tommy had been trying to find a solution!

We were relieved when he finally rolled in to Bhava Residence. A short delay, no matter but not LOST as feared by Raymond, his roommate! 

Together again, we waited for Tommy to hurry through his packings and check outs. When this was done, we returned to Hatyai Junction in a hurry only to find out our train will be delayed! 

At Hatyai Junction, we had to carry our bikes over several tracks to our platform. That was the easy task! The real struggle was finding out exactly where the locomotive will stop. 

Initially, a train officer pointed to the pillar at one end of the platform. We followed and should not have moved backwards upon the traders' advice. So after moving to the middle of the station, we then struggled back to our original spot! Not an easy task when our bikes are folded!

Our train arrived half an hour late but it doesn't mean it was late on arrival at Surat Thani. It just screamed a lot LOUDER down the tracks! 

Binge eating begins for some!

While some slept, others began updating their social media

Different styles of sleeping

Pannier for pillows

Take photos lahhhh!

Everyone had different ways of coping with the long journey. Some started eating within an hour and started to snooze. Others preferred to take photos and chat. 

Peddlers on standby at bigger stations

The train stopped at one too many stations! We soon learnt that there were goodies to be bought from traders on bigger stations as the train made longer stops. Coconut ice cream was one memorable treat!

The first thing we see on our way to the toilet....a chair for the train officers

Living quarters for the train officers. Check out the briefcase placed on the wooden chest!!!

A moving kitchen!

Food rations in the ice box

Passenger carriage

Don't fall into the hole!!!

Sink

As we were seated at the cargo box, access to the toilet was NOT as convenient. The door connecting to the back carriages are constantly locked for security reasons. There was no way to call for emergencies as the train officers seated at the next carriage could not hear us through all the noise. We soon learnt to signal the train officer whenever he juts his head and hand out to performs the flag exchange with the guards as the train approaches a station.

It was a good thing we took train 448 as Surat Thani was its last destination. This gave us ample time to unload our bikes and bags. The downside to taking the cargo box is it stops at the front and away from the platform. As such there's a big drop between door of the train and the ground. Unloading the bikes required upper body strength. 

As mentioned earlier, even though the train arrived late at Hatyai Junction, it chugs quickly down the tracks to make up for the delay. We arrived at the station close to 6 pm. Unloading and setting up our bikes plus restocking on water supplies shaved off some essential minutes and soon we were looking at longer shadows cast by a setting sun. 

Our hotel was 18 km away and we were in a hurry to clock as much mileage as we could before daylight disappears. Focused on this, we worked ourselves into an effective riding team. 

As usual, VT will navigate while Claudine will stoke him with instructions. Every time we take a turn at a junction, she will look back to check if the entire team is following. Scanning for Raymond who assumed the sweeper role, she looked forward to his thumbs up from far away. Sometimes, when Raymond was yet visible, she will call out to VT to stop for regrouping. 

We managed to cover a good distance before the sun finally dips into the horizon. By this time, we were only too thankful we have left the city traffic and were riding through the quiet suburbs. 

A few hundred meters from our hotel,  we came across Bingsu Nam 6, a restaurant located at a crossroad. As our hotel is just a stone's throw away, we decided to stop for dinner first before checking into our hotel. A fusion restaurant, most of us ordered western food as spicy Asian food was beginning to bore our taste buds.

That night, Jac, Mindy, VT and Claudine met again for supper. Disappointingly, the section of the town where their hotel is located is quiet. Only a few shops were opened for business. With not many to choose from, they settled on one, more for chats than food before calling it a night. 

Click on below video to watch how the locomotive is coupled to our carriage :

Breakfast :

ร้านก๋วยเตี๋ยวเลิศรส

+66 89 464 9687

https://goo.gl/maps/GAQpZQvMraembDJEA

Tunnel

อุโมงค์ช่องเขา

https://goo.gl/maps/9W6Aqzzue3tPXyam8

Photo credits :

Kelvin

Mindy

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S22 Hotel, Surat Thani

4321 Up Up and Away, Part 2 (August 5 - 14, 2022) : Day 4 - Thung Nui to Hatyai

It was such an honour to have Pastor Cheah join us. He had driven all the way from Chiang Rai over a few days in his van, all packed up with camping equipment and a bike. This morning, he will ride with us to Thung Nui Hotsprings

Morning exercise or kung fu?

Enjoying our foot spa with some local Muslim ladies. As we were early, the pool was just being filled and the water was still relatively shallow

Hydroelectric power plant at Namtok Panan

Namtok Panan

The small dam built at Namtok Panan

Lunch stop 

Namtok Boriphat

Twin falls of Namtok Boriphat 

In Thailand, follow what the locals do !!!

Our day started at the 7 Eleven. Located right at the PTT station, a petrol station on Route 406 and only 650 m away from Behind the Hill Resort, it offered a quick breakfast solution for our large group. After all, we have 100 km to cover today and sitting by a stall manned by a couple of locals who are NOT used to serving a large crowd, may prove to be time consuming. Unlike Malaysia's 7 Eleven, Thailand's outlets offers a wide range of food selection from freshly brewed coffee to piping hot ham and cheese toasties and microwaved rice and noodles of your choice.

Right after the right turn from Route 406; on our way to the hotsprings

Regrouping on the bridge

River Ton

When breakfast was neatly tucked into our stomachs, Pastor Cheah led us on a fast pace, all the way to Thung Nui Hotsprings. Initially, some of us tried to keep up but soon it was obvious we will have to stop and regroup or lose some riders. Thus on the right turn to the bridge which traversed River Ton, we stopped, leaving Pastor Cheah to carry on, on his own.

Thung Nui Hotsprings

Entrance fees

Arriving at the Hotsprings, Pastor Cheah was already waiting with a bunch of bananas bought from the locals. He treated all of us to the natural power bars and even offered to play security while we took a dip in the hot pools !!!

Thung Nui Hotsprings, located in a Muslim populated area, conservatively separates the men and women into 2 gender segregated pools. As foreigners, we only had to pay a small fee of 100 baht for a dip but as we could not afford the time, enjoyed the foot spa which comes free, instead. This is offered as a community service, for the source of water from the hotsprings is first channeled to the bathing pools before recycled for the foot spa.

Leaving the Hotsprings with Pastor Cheah

On our way to Namtok Panan

After the hotsprings, Pastor Cheah left us to pick up his van from Behind the Hill Resort. On our own again, we found our way to Namtok Panan, a waterfall that feeds the hydroelectric plant in the area. A small dam is built up stream for such purposes but downstream is still open to picnickers. As the waterfall is located in the Ka Ming Mountains, access to it requires some climbing but thankfully nothing too long and steep.

Cold dip at 9.30 am

View of the river from the power plant. The road goes further up from the power plant

View of the dam from the power plant

View from the dam

At 9.30 am, only Jac, Jessica and Mr. Lim were crazy enough to take a dip. The rests preferred to survey the hydroelectric plant and the surrounding forests instead. 

Out from Namtok Panan

On our way back to Route 406

Hilly @ Route 406

Karst hills aplenty

We returned to Route 406 soon after. While Satun District bid us farewell with a series of climbs, Songkhla District welcomes us with a ride through the foothills of 2 mountain ranges.

It was almost 11 am when we were about to reach the right turn for Namtok Boriphat. Unsure what awaits beyond the turn, we decided a refuel was necessary. We stopped at the only available roadside stall for early an lunch. 

It was not a good choice as we later found out the cook had gone to the hospital. Meanwhile, the man and his female assistant were inefficient and took forever to prepare our simple orders of fried rice and Thai tea. Thankfully, Pastor Cheah spotted us on his way to Hatyai and stopped to help with translations or our orders would have taken even longer to arrive!

Off Route 406, on our way to Namtok Boriphat. Note the security post on the left which is guarded by a soldier

Off the tarmac, another security post but this one was not manned 

The twin falls

The shallow side of the pool 

The deeper side of the pool is nearer to the falls

Note the concrete bridge in the background

Namtok Boriphat was a pleasant surprise. The access road to the waterfalls was almost flat and was guarded by a soldier seated at the security post. At the end of the tarmac, an interlocking tiled pathway continued which led us on a short walk to the twin falls. The cascades flow into a deep pool in emerald green. 

 7 Eleven @ 3 km away from the junction to Route 4287

Approaching the junction to Route 4287

 

Returning to Route 406 after our cold dip, we rode on for another hour before stopping by the 7 Eleven near Wat Na See Thong. It was 1.20 pm and the junction to Route 4287 was 3 km away. Unsure of what awaits beyond the junction, a good top up on supplies was thought to be necessary.

The junction to Route 4287 was undergoing major roadworks when we arrived. The right turn was blocked and all traffic had to go beyond the junction before making a U turn somewhere ahead. 

Initially, we followed the traffic flow but soon gave up when the U-turn was no where in sight. In a motorised vehicle, a few km is no issue but why cycle the extra mile when we can our carry bikes over the construction? We did!

Route 4287 was long and boring with nothing much in between. Once in a while, a small industry, a school or scattered housing pops up. The saving grace was it was all flat.

When we could do no more, we stopped at a restaurant at Ban Huai On. Getting away from the sun and boredom with cold drinks was a welcoming treat.

Dark clouds was brewing in the horizon when we hit the road again. Covering our bags with rain cover, we braved the journey. Surprisingly, we did not get wet at all. 

On the way to CHAOS on Asian Highway 2 (AH2)

A couple of kilometers after Khuan Lang Mosque, we regrouped again outside a big hardware shop. Strangely, it was closed on a Monday but the empty parking lots outside the shop offered a great relief from the busy Phetkasem Road. Right ahead was an interchange and we were about to take the right turn for AH2 or Thailand's Route 4 in the direction of Pattani as our hotel was a bit off the center of Hatyai.

Chaos ensued once we hit AH2! Cars were zooming everywhere! Slip road and underpass merged with a 3 lane road which then merged with a 2 lane elevated highway to form a 7 lane carriageway. A similar arrangement lies on the opposite direction but we were too focused on staying alive to care! 

Not far ahead, another interchange and further chaos awaits. We were meant to go below the elevated highway and straight across the interchange but major road works meant the road under the elevated highway was closed. All traffic were directed to the slip road. Initially, we followed the traffic flow, hoping to be rerouted back to our intended path. However, when the road ahead seems long and far, we decided sidestepping through all the construction was necessary to get back to our original path.

After the second interchange, the road narrowed into a 2 lane, dual carriageway. Even though traffic was still heavy, it was now, more manageable than before. 

Soon we crossed the river and came across Hatyai University. Not far later, we turned left to Route 407. 

Route 407 is no easy feat either. Careful map reading and research is required as our hotel is located on the right side of the road which requires crossing a 3 lane dual carriageway. Instead, we followed the locals, taking the dirt path that crosses the railway tracks under the elevated highway and before long, we reached our destination for the night.

Love these coin operated washing machines which can be found all over Thailand

We arrived at Bhava Residence before 4 pm. This early arrival allowed Claudine and VT to  have a quick shower and throw their dirty laundry into the coin operated washing machine downstairs for a wash. 

Later, at 5.45 pm, Mr Lim, VT and Claudine met downstairs at the lobby, all ready to ride out to meet Pastor Cheah for dinner. They found him waiting at Restaurant Payad, his simple vegetable soup and rice already ordered and paid for. It was indeed a sincere act by him; open to meet for a chat but not accepting any free treats from any of us.

As for the rest of the team, they were just too tired for further mileage, opting to dine at nearby restaurants, reachable on foot. Except for one couple; Kelvin and Jasmine  who had a date night, wining and dining together!

Restaurant Payad
https://maps.app.goo.gl/i9C9Rbi3XZ6YvUxx8

Photo credits :

Kelvin

Mindy

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Bhava Residence, Hatyai