buksida
Member
Clear skies greeted us on Independence Day and the ride north looked promising, it was time for some of our own emancipation and a few days on the road – destination Kanchanaburi.
We picked up another rider in Cha-am, downed a quick coffee, consulted GPS units and set out, trying to avoid the main highway wherever possible.
The avoidance didn’t last long as the GPS sent us into dirt track territory pretty quickly. A shrug of the shoulders and sheepish grin from the ninja navigator, and we were back on route 4.
First stop was at Ratchaburi, and then it was on to the dreaded traffic light laden 323 west towards Kan. Grey threatening clouds were hanging low in the sky and we just wanted to get there and crack open a cold one so we motored on.
The 323 is the main route from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi so naturally we were tousling with lunatics in minivans driving like it was their last day on Earth. Clearly efforts to slow them down or reduce minivan accidents have been totally futile.
We rolled in early afternoon and checked in at a guesthouse (Tamarind) right on the river at the bargain price of 350 baht per night. It had been a fair few years since I’d been to Kanchanaburi and the development on the river-front road was astounding. Bars, restaurants, hotels, tour agents, bike shops, Tesco stores, 7-Elevens, and hordes of backpackers now populated what was once a quiet little strip. This place is busy all year round.
We ate most of the time at the neighbouring Jolly Frog, a mecca for Lonely Planet toting backpackers. The food was some of the best and cheapest I’ve had in Thailand, rock bottom prices, huge selection, and good service – a very professional setup.
More to follow ...
We picked up another rider in Cha-am, downed a quick coffee, consulted GPS units and set out, trying to avoid the main highway wherever possible.
The avoidance didn’t last long as the GPS sent us into dirt track territory pretty quickly. A shrug of the shoulders and sheepish grin from the ninja navigator, and we were back on route 4.
First stop was at Ratchaburi, and then it was on to the dreaded traffic light laden 323 west towards Kan. Grey threatening clouds were hanging low in the sky and we just wanted to get there and crack open a cold one so we motored on.
The 323 is the main route from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi so naturally we were tousling with lunatics in minivans driving like it was their last day on Earth. Clearly efforts to slow them down or reduce minivan accidents have been totally futile.
We rolled in early afternoon and checked in at a guesthouse (Tamarind) right on the river at the bargain price of 350 baht per night. It had been a fair few years since I’d been to Kanchanaburi and the development on the river-front road was astounding. Bars, restaurants, hotels, tour agents, bike shops, Tesco stores, 7-Elevens, and hordes of backpackers now populated what was once a quiet little strip. This place is busy all year round.
We ate most of the time at the neighbouring Jolly Frog, a mecca for Lonely Planet toting backpackers. The food was some of the best and cheapest I’ve had in Thailand, rock bottom prices, huge selection, and good service – a very professional setup.
More to follow ...
