days 125 and 126 - Laem Singh

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Laem Singh has been a lovely spot for a final few days of relaxation before our time in South East Asia comes to an end. The family who run the resort in which we're staying have been very welcoming and we already feel like part of the furniture. This morning, the grandmother waved us over to a tree she was standing under, pointing to the fruit above which we thought she wanted help collecting. She pulled at a branch from which Paul took the fruit and then she gestured to us to take it away and eat it. Such kindness.

(Early morning walk along the beach with a very high tide)

(Ship wreck)

There's a lovely little fresh food market in town that we've visited in the evenings to stock up on watermelon, pineapples and mangos for afternoon snacks and the seafood served up at the restaurants along the shoreline has been delicious.

(Laem Singh market)

(Truly man's best friend but also this man's driver)

Yesterday, we cycled out of town to find a beach recommended to us by the Dutchman we had met on our first day here. Our efforts were rewarded by a lovely long sandy beach, nestled in a cove where we whiled away a few hours of the day. 

(A splash(!) of colour on the water)

(An old ship yard outside the village)

(A fishy version of a studio apartment)

(Reality check)

(Work/life balance)

Today we watched a wiry little man tie a rope around his waist and climb one of the giant coconut trees in the grounds of the resort. He must have developed legs of leather to grip the rough trunk and heave himself up. He worked with one of the owners who sat below the tree, first passing up the machete, and then untying the coconuts as they were lowered to the ground. 

(The tree that the man climbed using his hands, knees and feet)

(From the top of the tree, he removed the rope around his waist and tied them around a bunch of coconuts 

before hacking off the bunch which was then lowered to the ground below)

(The owner and his son watch on from below)

(Coconuts are lowered by a pulley system he has rigged up)

(How to capture a coconut)

(Descending the tree)

(Almost at the bottom...)

(Almost there...)

(A lovely bunch of coconuts)

(As fresh as a coconut can be)

Tomorrow we are back on the bikes and off to an area called Rayong where we'll stay a night before moving further towards Bangkok. We have less than 300km to go now before the journey is over. But how can we be sad when we've had such an incredible journey and we get to see our families so soon. Feeling very fortunate for all the we have seen and all that lies ahead on our final night in Laem Singh.

day 124 - Chantaburi to Laem Singh Beach

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

We arrived in Laem Singh this morning after a short 29km ride from Chantaburi along winding country roads, through small villages and passed lots of fish farms. We wondered why there are so many fish farms so close to the ocean.

(Sun rising over Chantaburi)

Laem Singh is a quiet little seaside town, popular with Thai tourists. As we’re here during the week, it seems particularly quiet - a perfect place to spend a few days. 

(Laem Singh beach)

We are staying at the Somboon Resort, another great recommendation from Tim and Tina. It’s located on a road that runs parallel to the beach with a restaurant along the water and the accommodation set back from the road. The resort has the feel of a little caravan park but with bright clean bungalows, shaded by rose apple trees. The odd car or motorbike passes by along the road but otherwise daily life is accompanied by the sound of birds, wind chimes and the sea breeze moving through the trees. Everything seems to move at a relaxed pace which is as fast as the tropical heat permits. The ladies in the restaurant shuffle slowly from table to kitchen, taking orders and returning with freshly cooked meals.

After spending a couple of hours at the beach, we were sitting in the cafe at the resort when a man pulled up on a bicycle and came over to chat to us. He is Dutch and has been living here since he retired 10 years ago. He returns to Holland two or three times a year to visit family. He asked us how we came to know about Laem Singh and recommended a restaurant and another beach just outside of town which we plan to explore tomorrow. There is also another German cyclist staying at the resort who we chatted to earlier today. We hope to speak with him a bit more to find out more about his own travels. 

We plan to spend the next couple of days here before making our way back to Bangkok.  

day 123 - Pailin, Cambodia to Chantaburi, Thailand

Monday, 24 February 2014

Today we said good-bye to Cambodia and crossed back into Thailand to begin the final leg of our trip. We set off from Pailin shortly after 7am, having savoured another tasty Cambodian breakfast for the last time. We arrived at the border just before 8am and crossed through our final check point without any trouble.

Once in Thailand, the landscape gradually grew greener and we commented on how this land would have once been part of the mighty Khmer Empire - information we didn't yet know when we first began our journey in Thailand. 

It wasn’t long before we began to recall how easy it is to travel by bicycle in Thailand. The roads are in excellent condition and there are plenty of hotels, restaurants and cafes to stop at. While the driving is still not what we're used to in Australia or Europe, the drivers are more courteous than what we've experienced in Vietnam and Cambodia and they give us plenty of room on the road.  

(A banana crop gives the landscape an injection of green)

(In Thailand we learn the shapes of the words to know where we're going)

15km from our destination of Chantaburi, we decided to stop for lunch. The food was simple and tasty and we watched with admiration as the cook's hands flew from her giant mortar and pestle to the small bowls from which she ladled up all kinds of liquids, before rapidly and finely slicing some fresh vegetables, all of which went back into the mortar for tossing and turning into some delicious dish. As we prepared to leave, she signalled for us to come and stand with her to have our photo taken. She was full of laughter and it was a nice sort of welcome to receive on our first morning back in Thailand.   

(This lovely woman wanted our photo taken with her so we just had to get a photo too)

Back on the road and 10km out of Chantaburi, we encountered some roadworks where Nicky managed to locate a huge nail and drive right over it which resulted in a flat back tyre. We were glad to roll into Chantaburi once we finally arrived. 

Chantaburi is located on a river of the same name. Thanks to its past life as a popular trading hub, a mix of East-meets-West architecture grew up around the waterfront, some of which can still be seen today in the Old Town. By happy accident, we ended up staying in the Old Town and had a lovely afternoon and evening slowly wandering up and down the eclectic waterfront area, known as Chantaboon.  

(A giant zebra. Colourful street art outside an art gallery)

(Sukhaphiban Road)

(A family who run a business downstairs and live upstairs in this old colonial building)

(We followed the white rabbit down the rabbit hole and into the lovely old town)

(A section of the waterfront with houses wading in the river)

(This woman kindly allowed Nicky to photograph her using her foot pedalled sewing machine)

(This Cathedral is the oldest in Thailand)

(This man pulled up to the pavement and his dog jumped aboard for a ride)

(A corner office with a riverside view)

(The Chantaburi River)

(A small Chinese temple lights up the market area)

Tomorrow we will cycle to Laem Singh, a small seaside town popular with Thai holiday-makers. Tim and Tina have kindly given us some more recommendations to check out. We're looking forward to a relaxing couple of days before we get back on the road to Bangkok. 

day 122 - Battambang to Pailin

Sunday, 23 February 2014

Today we left Battambang for Pailin, a small town 20km from the border of Thailand. While most of the 86km journey was flat, the road wound it’s way through some hillier parts for the final 30km.

(Monks collecting alms)

The view was obscured for much of the way by the smoke from fires that farmers had started in order to clear land to plant cassava, corn and other crops. The charred, sunburnt surroundings looked dry and lifeless.  

(Dry, burnt surroundings)

As we approached Pailin, we began to see signs warning us of unexploded mines in the area. MAG, the Mines Advisory Group, operate here, attempting to remove the mines so as to make it safe for families to live and work on the land. The mines were planted here by the Khmer Rouge when they retreated to the forests to fight a guerrilla war against the Viet Cong in 1979. Incredible that people are still suffering the effects of that war to this day.

(One of many MAG signs that we passed)

(A dragonfly has a little rest)

We arrived into Pailin early afternoon and checked into a busy guesthouse on the main street. Later, we headed to the market for an early dinner. We like to see what’s in the "mystery pots" and select a couple of dishes to try. You get a good taste of Cambodian home-cooking for $2. As we were walking around the town after dinner, a man on a motorbike slowly approached us before stopping and saying “remember me?” Yes we did - it was Soon, the man who drove us to and from the circus in Battambang. He had taken a tourist on an overnight tour of the area and they were also staying at the same guesthouse as us. We chatted with him for a little while and wished each other luck as we said goodbye. It’s always nice to see a familiar friendly face. 

(Mystery pots at the market)

Tomorrow we will cross back into Thailand and begin the final little arc that will close the loop on our four month tour of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. We both really enjoyed our time in Thailand back in October and while we’re sad to say goodbye to Cambodia so soon after having arrived, we’re looking forward to exploring more of Thailand and to see it with with more experienced eyes.