Nakhon Si Thammarat to Phatthalung

This is the link for my route from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Phatthalung.

My first stop of the day was at Masjid Salahudin (มัสยิดซอลาฮุดดีน). I assume I picked this mosque from Trip Advisor but not sure what is special about it from the other mosques in the area I passed to get to this one.

My next stop was at Sanam Na Muang Public Park (สนามหน้าเมือง นครศรีธรรมราช) but didn't see anything special in the park but found the temple type place across the street attractive. It was called San Lak Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat(ศาลหลักเมืองนครศรีธรรมราช).

My last stop before leaving the city was at the Old City Wall, Nakhon Si Thammarat (กำแพงเมืองเก่า จังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราช).

I rode around the island of Koh Yai that sits in the middle of Phatthalung Lake. This is one of the pictures at a random stop.

I stopped at Koh Yai Grand Canyon (เกาะใหญ่แกรนด์แคนยอน). I think the Thais use the terms grand and canyon a bit more freely than I think is appropriate.

I did enjoy see the swans at the so-called canyon.

I noticed a temple next to the lake and needed a stop so took a break read a bit of a book and snapped a picture of the lake and one of my bike.

I had rode down the road between the Gulf of Thailand and Phatthalung Lake, went around the island and then had to ride back north and turn west on what I think is route 5050. A long section of this road is raised over a wetland type of area and is really pretty. There are signs every few meters of the birds in the area and made for a very nice ride.

My last stop along the lake was at Lampam Beloved Pavilion (ศาลาลำปำที่รัก).

I did find the tourist being pulled in small boats sort of funny. I am sure I would have flipped these boats that look like bowls if I was in one.

My last stop of the day was at the cave temple of Tham Khuha Sawan (ถ้ำคูหาสวรรค์).

Another good mostly dry day.

Surat Thani to Nakhon Si Thammarat

I had to split the ride from Surat Thani to Nakhon Si Thammarat into 2 route plans due to the number of stops I was planning. Following is the first route plan of the day.

Surat Thani to Wat Chedi (Ai Khai)

I thought about taking a rest day but was happy I didn't. There was blue sky at the start of the ride and I was thrilled to see it.

My first stop was in the city center at the Surat Thani City Pillar Shrine (ศาลหลักเมืองสุราษฎร์ธานี).

I then rode out of the city and up to Phra That Srisurat Viewpoint (พระธาตุศรีสุราษฎร์) that over looks the city.

It was a bit of a ride to get to the coast where I stopped at a beach that I think is named Kho Khao beach.

My route followed the coast line but only caught occasional views of the water.

My next stop was up at the Naern Thae Wada Viewpoint (จุดชมวิวเนินเทวดา).

I had planned on stopping where Viewpoint on Khanom-Sichon Road (จุดชมวิวถนนสายขนอม-สิชล) was marked on the map but the area was really busy so I rode on to the next viewpoint where it was easy to park. I took these pictures at this viewpoint.

Not sure if I talked about some of the planning of this trip in previous posts. One of the things I used was Riding Routes on the Goran BMW Overlander YouTube page. I don't think my few pictures does this stretch of road justice so am including a link to his ride video. Route 4232 Khanom to Sichon | Nakhon Si Thammarat Video.

The Khanom-Sichon Road was a fun ride but there seemed to be a lot more people on the road for my ride compared to the BMW video. I did the ride on a Saturday so it may be the reason for the groups of riders that were on the road.

When I arrived at Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) (วัดเจดีย์ (ไอ้ไข่)) the place was rather busy but I have no idea why. They seemed to be selling a lot of firecrackers with markings like they were for a Chinese holiday. I guess I should have taken a picture of that but didn't think about it at the time.

I started the 2nd route plan at Wat Chedi (Ai Khai).

Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) to Nakhon Si Thammarat

I stopped near a place on the map called The good view (อ่าวทองคำ ท่าศาลา). I spent a bit of time here with an ice coffee and enjoying the view of the Gulf of Thailand on a nice sunny day.

I rode into the city and was planning on hitting a few more stops. I then decided I was a bit tired and it started drizzling on me which made my decision to head to a hotel an easy one. It was a great day and I hope she sun is back tomorrow.

Ranong to Surat Thani

I had planned to go from Ranong south into Phang Nga and then back up to Surat Thani but changed my mind in Ranong and went straight to Surat Thani. I plan to go through part of Phang Nga later on this trip.

Following is a picture of the route I ended up taking.

Sorry this is going to be a boring post and I didn't even take one picture on this day.

I headed out on my bike for another day full of rain. I saw a guy riding along on his bicycle with panniers on the front and back and I thought I'm not enjoying the rain but at least I'm not him.

I started by riding up to Ranong Canyon and it looked more like a lake than a canyon. I thought I would keep going down the road that went past the canyon until it hit the road going west to east. I didn't understand why my phone was telling me it would take so long to go what seemed like a short distance.

About 5 kilometers past the canyon the road got really narrow and had places with about 6 inches of water covering the road. Maybe a kilometer later the pavement ended and there was a steep hill. I started up the hill but quickly thought this was a bad idea.

I turned around and went back through Ranong and took the main highway.

I think the route going from the west to the east would normally be a nice ride but with the heavy rain I can't say I enjoyed it.

I didn't have any problems reaching Surat Thani but was happy when I arrived, found a hotel for the night and dried off a little bit.

Chumphon to Ranong

Following is my route plan to go to Ranong from Chumphon.

Chumphon to Ranong

I wasn't 5 minutes away from my hotel when it started to pour. This dsy was full of rain rain and more rain.

I battled my way through the rain to Wat Suwan Khiri (วัดสุวรรณคีรี). Here are a few of my pictures from the temple.

I missed the turn for the Khao Fa Chi View Point (จุดชมวิวเขาฝาชี) but went a few kilometers down the road until I could make a U-turn and return to the access road. It was a very steep road with a lot of leaves and jungle stuff on the road. I didn't think about it when going up but trying to control my speed with the wet and the leaves caused me to be a bit nervous.

I made it up and down OK and snapped a couple of pictures where not much is to be seen. I think there are supposed to be great views across the water into Myanmar on a clear day.

The Punyaban Waterfall (น้ำตกปุญญบาล อุทยานแห่งชาติลำน้ำกระบุรี) is right next to the highway so you can see it a bit from the road. It is part of a national park so there is an entrance fee to go to the viewing platform. Even though I live in Thailand I would have to pay the tourist price which is 5 times the locals price. I am too cheap so only have pictures from the road bridge.

I made my way into the city of Ranong, found a hotel and tried to towel off.

After a bit of a rest I went to the Rattana Rangsarn Palace (พระราชวังรัตนรังสรรค์). This Royal palace is built from teakwood and is where King Rama V stayed when he came to Ranong.

I arrived just after the closing time but have read there is not much to see inside.

After a stop at the palace I stopped at the local market and bought a curry and rice for my dinner in my hotel room. I also bought a custard apple which seem to be currently in season and it was wonderful.