AWESOME KANCHANABURI SCOOTER JOURNEY pt 2
When we arrived, we were the only
people there as it is a little known waterfall that barely sees any visitors
aside from locals. I made my way through
the jungle paths to Pha That alone, as Mon had decided to wait with the scooter
on this one, completely dazed and confused from the days’ events so far and
probably thinking ‘where the fuck else is this crazy falang taking me ?!’.
The idea of a scooter being a means of recreational transport or used for holidaying purposes, especially in that heat, was simply unheard of, unthinkable and complete lunacy as far as she was concerned!
Pha That is recommended for sure and to see it in full force would be awesome, as I think the water level was pretty low. It was still nice though and had a steady wash of fresh water running down a wide cliff face, as opposed to a narrow gushing fall. The ride into places like this just add to the whole experience, miles from anywhere in some of the most beautiful surroundings, I love riding in Asia.
The idea of a scooter being a means of recreational transport or used for holidaying purposes, especially in that heat, was simply unheard of, unthinkable and complete lunacy as far as she was concerned!
Pha That is recommended for sure and to see it in full force would be awesome, as I think the water level was pretty low. It was still nice though and had a steady wash of fresh water running down a wide cliff face, as opposed to a narrow gushing fall. The ride into places like this just add to the whole experience, miles from anywhere in some of the most beautiful surroundings, I love riding in Asia.
I fired the pink beast up again
and made our way to the last stop at nearby Hindat Hot Springs, which the body
really needed by this stage. There were a couple of large formed rock pools
filled with hot spring fed water to bathe in, then you jump out and cool off in
a section of shallow fresh water stream on a rocky river bed. It was a great
way to unwind after all the days’ activities that had left my body aching, a
beer would have been nice too though!
A quick cold drink and a snack after drying off and we had a tough choice to make. I had considered looking for a room somewhere but with no options that I could see, made the call to bolt for home (roughly 130km) even though it was getting late in the day.
Bad call… about 30 minutes in we got absolutely soaked when it started pissing down with rain, the weather was so bad I quickly had to pull over somewhere as it was getting too dangerous to continue.
A quick cold drink and a snack after drying off and we had a tough choice to make. I had considered looking for a room somewhere but with no options that I could see, made the call to bolt for home (roughly 130km) even though it was getting late in the day.
Bad call… about 30 minutes in we got absolutely soaked when it started pissing down with rain, the weather was so bad I quickly had to pull over somewhere as it was getting too dangerous to continue.
I found a market on the side of the road that sold furniture (it was closed & after dark now) and sheltered under their patio. After waiting about 30 minutes I realized there was no way this would end soon. I said ‘fuck it’ and took my chances on the road again, I wasn’t sleeping there all night – I only had 2 ciggy’s left!
Good call…. Got absolutely soaked
again for about 15-20 minutes then it all cleared up as we got lower down the
hill, the night air was warm and we were drying out quickly. We stopped about 50km out from town for a
meal and a beer, I can never resist stopping at those little places on the side
of the road miles from anywhere!
The rest of the trip was fairly long but uneventful, except for Mon convincing police at a routine traffic stop, that I wasn’t wearing my helmet, which I had with me, because the rain had made it kaput!! Not sure how rain would make a helmet kaput or why they didn’t ask to see the damage (like the Aussie cops would do) but they felt that was a reasonable enough story and let us on our way without any monetary contributions. I normally do wear it by the way, but it had a visor and I just couldn’t see with it on.
The rest of the trip was fairly long but uneventful, except for Mon convincing police at a routine traffic stop, that I wasn’t wearing my helmet, which I had with me, because the rain had made it kaput!! Not sure how rain would make a helmet kaput or why they didn’t ask to see the damage (like the Aussie cops would do) but they felt that was a reasonable enough story and let us on our way without any monetary contributions. I normally do wear it by the way, but it had a visor and I just couldn’t see with it on.
It was a huge day out, we were exhausted as the ride was probably a bit much for one day, but the scenery and experiences had been spectacular and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would like to go back and keep riding north as well as the surrounding areas, as it really is such an amazing province to explore.
We rolled into town with barely enough petrol to keep the pink machine running and after a shower we quickly collapsed on the bed and certainly slept well that night.
Yes it would have been easier in an air-conditioned mini van with a bunch of other tourists, but we would have had to follow their plan, their schedule and not been free to see what we wanted, at our leisure. The experience would not have compared.
We rolled into town with barely enough petrol to keep the pink machine running and after a shower we quickly collapsed on the bed and certainly slept well that night.
Yes it would have been easier in an air-conditioned mini van with a bunch of other tourists, but we would have had to follow their plan, their schedule and not been free to see what we wanted, at our leisure. The experience would not have compared.
Pha Thad Waterfalls
Sunset in the hills as we leave Hindat Hot Springs
Kanchanaburi province
