Day 02: Chumphon - Another route, a new plan...

"Sometimes the road changes our plans; sometimes our plans change because of the road...”

(Lunch break at Paju Pattani Restaurant)

Date: 14 September 2026, Monday
Route: Hat Yai - Chumphon
Hotel: Euro Boutique Hotel, Chumphon

We started our second day with breakfast at Khaled Restaurant, conveniently located next door to our hotel. By 7.30 am, we had checked out, loaded our bags into the Hi-Lux and were once again heading north.

At around 9.30 am, we stopped along Route 41 for a few photographs. A group of motorcyclists had also pulled over for a short break. They were heading towards Krabi, while we continued our journey north towards Chumphon.

By 11.00 am, hunger called for another stop. We had lunch at Paju Pattani Restaurant, a halal eatery at the Tung Song PTT station. It was another simple but convenient stop along our long drive.

The weather became rather unpredictable as we continued towards Chumphon. There were intermittent showers along the way, and with the roads becoming wet and slippery, we took things more slowly and drove with extra care.

By late afternoon, we arrived in Chumphon and checked into Euro Boutique Hotel, our home for the night.

For dinner, we did not have to venture far. Fareeda Restaurant, within easy walking distance from our hotel, served us chicken murtabak and roti Nutella, a simple dinner after another 500 kilometres on the road.

Tonight, however, our thoughts were not entirely about food or rest. We spent part of the evening reviewing our itinerary. The situation along the Thailand–Cambodia border had changed, with border crossings affected by renewed tensions and security concerns. Our original plan to travel through Cambodia was therefore no longer straightforward.

For us, this meant one thing: the route would have to be revised. We sat down and started looking at alternative possibilities. After all, one of the realities of travelling by road is that an itinerary is never written in stone. Borders, weather, road conditions and circumstances beyond our control can all change the journey.

For tonight, the revised itinerary was put on hold. There would be time to think about it tomorrow. With the maps, routes and possibilities temporarily set aside, we finally called it a night, and slept soundly.