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| 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 |
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| Morning exercise or kung fu? |
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| 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 |
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| Hydroelectric power plant at Namtok Panan |
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| Namtok Panan |
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| The small dam built at Namtok Panan |
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| Lunch stop |
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| Namtok Boriphat |
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| Twin falls of Namtok Boriphat |
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| 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.
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| Right after the right turn from Route 406; on our way to the hotsprings |
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| Regrouping on the bridge |
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| 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.
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| Thung Nui Hotsprings |
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| 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.
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| Leaving the Hotsprings with Pastor Cheah |
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| 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.
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| Cold dip at 9.30 am |
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| View of the river from the power plant. The road goes further up from the power plant |
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| View of the dam from the power plant |
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| 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.
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| Out from Namtok Panan |
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| On our way back to Route 406 |
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| Hilly @ Route 406 |
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| 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!
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| Off Route 406, on our way to Namtok Boriphat. Note the security post on the left which is guarded by a soldier |
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| Off the tarmac, another security post but this one was not manned |
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| The twin falls |
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| The shallow side of the pool |
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| The deeper side of the pool is nearer to the falls |
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| Note the concrete bridge in the background
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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.
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| 7 Eleven @ 3 km away from the junction to Route 4287 |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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