2018 Thailand Year-end Couple Ride: 05 Chai Nat - Samut Songkhram

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have…” - Anna Quindlen

(Chai Nat Fantasy Resort sheep farm)

Day 05: 11 Dec 2018 (Tuesday)
Route: Chai Nat - Ratchaburi - Samut Songkhram
Distance: 287 km
Hotel: Samut Songkhram Royalland Mae Khlong Hotel 

After some photo shots around the beautiful colourful chalets of Fantasy Resort, we rode to a nearby PTT to refuel and had our breakfast at the 7-Eleven.

(A light house at the resort)

(Chalets with private parking space)

(A bright sunny day)

Today we rode to Samut Songkhram via Kamphaeng Saen and Nakhon Pathom bypassing the town of Suphan Buri. This routing will avoid the busy traffic going into Bangkok. We rode direct to Ratchaburi and stopped for lunch at Hawa Halal Restaurant. The restaurant serves variety of dishes and my favorite is the delicious sup tulang. There is a home stay at the back of the restaurant if you need to spend the night in Ratchaburi.

(Cycling for charity)

(Passing the historic Chulalongkorn Bridge in Ratchaburi)

(Lunch break at Hawa Restaurant)

From Ratchaburi we took highway 4 then highway 35 to Samut Songkhram. Arrived at Samut Songkhram around 3.30 pm and checked-in Royalland Mae Khlong Hotel at B500/night. After a refreshing showers and rest, we walked a short distance to the Mae Khlong Railway Market and in time to watch the passenger train passing through the busy Railway Market. 

(The train time-table at the Mae Khlong Market)

(We were in time for the next train)

(The street vendors displaying their goods)

(The awnings being retracted for the passing train)

(Still time for a photo shot)

(Tourists crowd the railway tracks for better angle)

(Hei... the train is coming!)

(Watch out for your feet, guys...)

(A coconut drink after all the excitement)

Precisely as stated on the time table, there were warning bells and you would hear the train coming long before you actually see it. We had the opportunity to watch the vendors and merchants coolly and collectively retract their awnings and umbrellas, covered their produce with plastic, clearing the railway tract for the passing train. Every now and then the train will blare its horn to warn bystanders, especially foreign tourists who were standing on the rail tract to take pictures of the oncoming train. Once the train passed, the market will commence business as usual.

(A quiet Mae Khlong Market at dusk)

Tonight we had dinner in the hotel as the Amphawa Floating Market was closed on weekdays.

 2018 Couple Ride: 06 Samut Songkhram - Chumphon👉

👈2018 Couple Ride: 04 Phetchabun - Chai Nat