CraigBKK
Senior Member
The plan was to spend a few days exploring around the Khao Laem reservoir with Lee Moto.
I left Bangkok mid Sunday morning and slowly made my way up to the town of Thongphaphum, which lies just over 100km North West of Kanchanaburi town and close to the southern shore of the reservoir.
As Lee had been riding with his Thai Enduro group at Khao Pla Noi, Sai Yok earlier in the day we didn't meet until after 6pm. With fading light and Lee in need of a shower, we decided it was too late to go and camp by the lake that night and looked for a place in town to stay.
Along the main high street is S. Boonyong Hotel (N 14.74748 E 098.63078), which has a/c bungalows for 500฿ a night and cheaper fan rooms for 300฿ at the rear. Rooms are very basic with Thai style toilet and short wooden beds. As we arrived during a Thai holiday, we were banished to the back. Free wifi and hot drinks are available in the reception area.
A few 100m away is the market (N 14.74661 E 098.63279), which has a 7/11 and various Thai food restaurants and coffee shops.
Day 2 started late. We had breakfast then coffee before heading to the Honda Dealership (N 14.73893 E 098.63268) to replace a bolt that had fallen out of Lee's third-party skid-plate.
The ride began by me showing Lee a few scenic camping spots I knew on the reservoir before revisiting a track I found a few years ago on the western side.
I'd kept meaning to return to see how far the track went and if it lead to another part of the reservoir.
After me hitting a dog and nearly coming off, we followed a few different tracks with the longest one passing through some very dense bush with no actual track as such to follow. At times I was paddling my bike between the bushes searching for ways through.
Finally we came to a river that we could not cross (N 14.78637 E 098.44770). Lee took a walk to see if there were any crossing points upstream and I filtered some water. We rested before returning.
Bikes caked in mud, we ate noodles in the nearest village, Ban Rai, which is predominantly Burmese Mon, before heading to one of the camping spots we had surveyed earlier in the day (N 14.79167 E 098.56406).
After a wash in the warm water of the reservoir we ate a takeaway meal we had bought on the ride down and I brewed up some Burmese sweet tea.
Although there were plenty of clouds in the sky we had not seen rain all day. Both of us slept without the fly sheet on our tents, Lee in his Big Agnes Blacktail 2 and me in my MSR Carbon Reflex 2, and hoped for a dry night.
The weather was kind to us and stayed dry. The following morning a Thai boy rode in and preceded to climb the steep stone cliffs behind us to collect bamboo.
The plan for day 3 was to ride around the other side of the reservoir to Sangkhlaburi and explore tracks that Lee had similarly found before.
We reached Sangkhlaburi at 11 and soon headed north up towards the Burmese border. When Lee stopped for a comfort break and I pulled up I noticed that both of my fork seals were broken, probably damaged by the mud from the previous day's ride. We decided to cut our loses and turn back to Sangkhlaburi town before we got into any rough stuff.
After a Burmese food lunch at the Burmese Inn (N 15.14727 E 098.45222) I checked into a new GH, Baan Suan Laddawan (N 15.14265 E 098.45841), with clean, fully fitted rooms for 600฿ a night.
Premature end to the trip by fun just the same.
I left Bangkok mid Sunday morning and slowly made my way up to the town of Thongphaphum, which lies just over 100km North West of Kanchanaburi town and close to the southern shore of the reservoir.
As Lee had been riding with his Thai Enduro group at Khao Pla Noi, Sai Yok earlier in the day we didn't meet until after 6pm. With fading light and Lee in need of a shower, we decided it was too late to go and camp by the lake that night and looked for a place in town to stay.
Along the main high street is S. Boonyong Hotel (N 14.74748 E 098.63078), which has a/c bungalows for 500฿ a night and cheaper fan rooms for 300฿ at the rear. Rooms are very basic with Thai style toilet and short wooden beds. As we arrived during a Thai holiday, we were banished to the back. Free wifi and hot drinks are available in the reception area.
A few 100m away is the market (N 14.74661 E 098.63279), which has a 7/11 and various Thai food restaurants and coffee shops.
Day 2 started late. We had breakfast then coffee before heading to the Honda Dealership (N 14.73893 E 098.63268) to replace a bolt that had fallen out of Lee's third-party skid-plate.
The ride began by me showing Lee a few scenic camping spots I knew on the reservoir before revisiting a track I found a few years ago on the western side.
I'd kept meaning to return to see how far the track went and if it lead to another part of the reservoir.
After me hitting a dog and nearly coming off, we followed a few different tracks with the longest one passing through some very dense bush with no actual track as such to follow. At times I was paddling my bike between the bushes searching for ways through.
Finally we came to a river that we could not cross (N 14.78637 E 098.44770). Lee took a walk to see if there were any crossing points upstream and I filtered some water. We rested before returning.
Bikes caked in mud, we ate noodles in the nearest village, Ban Rai, which is predominantly Burmese Mon, before heading to one of the camping spots we had surveyed earlier in the day (N 14.79167 E 098.56406).
After a wash in the warm water of the reservoir we ate a takeaway meal we had bought on the ride down and I brewed up some Burmese sweet tea.
Although there were plenty of clouds in the sky we had not seen rain all day. Both of us slept without the fly sheet on our tents, Lee in his Big Agnes Blacktail 2 and me in my MSR Carbon Reflex 2, and hoped for a dry night.
The weather was kind to us and stayed dry. The following morning a Thai boy rode in and preceded to climb the steep stone cliffs behind us to collect bamboo.
The plan for day 3 was to ride around the other side of the reservoir to Sangkhlaburi and explore tracks that Lee had similarly found before.
We reached Sangkhlaburi at 11 and soon headed north up towards the Burmese border. When Lee stopped for a comfort break and I pulled up I noticed that both of my fork seals were broken, probably damaged by the mud from the previous day's ride. We decided to cut our loses and turn back to Sangkhlaburi town before we got into any rough stuff.
After a Burmese food lunch at the Burmese Inn (N 15.14727 E 098.45222) I checked into a new GH, Baan Suan Laddawan (N 15.14265 E 098.45841), with clean, fully fitted rooms for 600฿ a night.
Premature end to the trip by fun just the same.
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