samosaurus

Hey folks!

Greetings from Malaysia.I love to share my recent bicycling tour of Southern Thailand - Hat Yai - Songkhla - Ranot - Patthalung - Hat Yai with Mrs Samo and two cyclist buddies. We covered a distance of 230 kilometers and soaked in the awesome scenery of rural Thailand - especially in the far South.. Here are some pictures..



Saying goodbye to our kidz



Taking the rail transit to the train station...



Peak hour in Kuala Lumpur



Waiting for our buddies..



A scene from the train station..



Boarding..



The sleeping berths..

samosaurus

It's a 12-hour train ride to the border of Malaysia-Thailand. All we could do is relax..



Speak of relaxation, this dude's sleeping position says it all.



Our train conductor..



Getting our travel papers checked and stamped before crossing into Southern Thailand..



This the last train station in Malaysia..



A view of the rail yard..



At the border town in Malaysia..



Arrival in Hat Yai, Thailand

samosaurus

A passenger in the daily coach to Chumpon



Crossing over to the main station area.



Getting a meal from food peddlars

https://smg.photobucket.com/user/sam_...4a36b.jpg.html

At Hat Yai junction before commencing the ride to Songkhla, some 30km away..



Buying our return ticket to Malaysia..



Setting up our bikes..

samosaurus

Rolling out..



Cycling to search for our meal..



This place serves a cheap and good lunch..



Stir-fried chicken slices and seafood tom yam



Forward to Songkhla

samosaurus

Reaching Songkhla



Mrs Samo



The gang in Songkhla



Samo, messing around with a trailer..



Moving along..



Arriving at our hotel in Songkhla

samosaurus

Riding out to Samila beach, a popular tourist area..



Samila beach..



At a Naga monument...



The little mermaid of Samila..



Cycling back to town..



Tea break..



A tourist attraction: Thailand's 16th Prime Minister's residence..



The postcode..

samosaurus

The hotel's cat..



Dinner



The guys, feasting..



Getting ready to roll out..



Checking the route..



Songkhla at dawn..



A monk, receiving his daily Alms and blessing his benefactor..



Breakfast..



A common sight.

samosaurus

At the ferry crossing in Songkhla bay..



The ferry, free of charge for bicycles....



The Samos..



Break at a petrol station..



Mrs Samo, touring with her Dahon Speed TR folding bike..



Morning in its full glory with the view of a bull's ass..



Enroute to Sathing Phra, a town about 30km away..



A convenience store..



Small lane for motorcycles and bicycles..

samosaurus

Riding on route 4038 to Ranot



Refreshment break....



Tasty pre-cooked meals at a truck stop...



Roger (left) our technical director, sharing a light moment with Andrew (right) who was touring for the first time..



Trying to cheat the wind..



Thai roads are quite safe to cycle..



Photo opportunity..

samosaurus

Water break..



When Samo met Rambo - A place named after the fateful day.. Ban Sam Bo



Iced cold coffee and Free Wi-Fi



The road to Ranot..



After 80km of cycling, we reached Ranot town..



Cycling along the paddy fields.



On the shores of Thale Noi lake, one of the largest freshwater lake system in Thailand..



Checking our location on the GPS

samosaurus

Lunch at a local restaurant near the lakeside..



Deep-fried sea mullet, a local favourite..



Kaeng Som (Yellow Sour Curry) on the right, hot like liquid lava!



Cycling out of the lakeside..



Bridge-crossing..



Found a nice place to bunk in for the night..



Its a pretty decent place with a fair price..



Mrs Samo..

samosaurus

An unmanned petrol kiosk..



Coffee break and getting information from the residents..



Ranot town..



Ranot beach.. only 5km away from the freshwater lake...



Mrs Samo....



The Samos..



Sunset..



A local shrine..



The local cat..

samosaurus

Dinner at the local Mukata..



"Eat all you can.."



This turned out to be a real good dinner!



The gang..



Samo's having a ball!



Riding back to our motel..



Pit stop at the convenience store..



Good old Singha beer to cool off from the heat..



Chok-Dee!!!



A well-deserved treat!

samosaurus

An early start for the 64km ride to Patthalung..



Mrs Samo..



Dawn at the paddy fields..



Forward to Patthalung..



Photo-ops..



More paddy fields...



Cycling into the mist..



The beautiful countryside...



Thale Noi's ecosystem..

Still Pedaling

WOW!!!!! That is the most awesome travel thread I have ever seen. It makes me want to go on a trip like that myself. Maybe one day in the future, before I reach the stage of decrepitude :-). Thank you so much for providing this. I absolutely loved it. If you have more pictures, please post them. Love to look at more.

Cheers
Wayne

samosaurus

An early ride..



Pit stop



The morning Sun..



Climbing an elevated road..



Mrs Samo..



The elevated road..



The swampy area..



Another view of the elevated road..

samosaurus

Thale Noi lake..



Lots of waterfowl here..



A fisherman working with his cast net..



Fishermen trying out their luck with a drag net.



Its getting hotter!



A wedding procession..



Dancing on the street..



The procession..

samosaurus

Chilling out..



Fish, salted and being dried under the Sun..



A villager gutting the catch of the day...



A trader selling her catch..



Tilapias and catfishes..



Snakeheads...



A carp being shown at the Thale Noi visitor centre..

Still Pedaling

Wow again! Thank you for posting more. perhaps I missed it, but how long was your trip? If you kept a diary of your day to day experiences etc., it would be worth while documenting a photo story. It would make for a great read.

Cheers
Wayne

samosaurus

Breakfast..



Settling down at the noodle shop...



Koay teow soup..



Bikes allowed..



A cool drink needed...



Cooling off...



A furry friend..



Taking a break at Ban Lam Pam..



Riding out of Ban Lam Pam..



Entering Patthalung..

samosaurus

Riding under the hot Sun..



Lunch time..



Coke is it!



Pork trotters..



Khao Kha Moo.. Pork knuckle rice...



Enjoying an ice-cream at Swensen's



Ooohh.. yeahh..



Enjoying a dessert.

samosaurus

Going out on an evening ride in Patthalung..



Riding..



The evening market..



A place for dinner..



A street on Patthalung..



Having our meals..



More beers!



Chilling out and splitting up the expenses..

samosaurus

Looking for a place to have our breakfast..



Found it!



A dim sum shop..



Digging-in...



Getting ready to leave for Hat Yai from Patthalung..



Cycling along the canal or Klong..



At the train station..



The curious crowd..



Waiting for our train..



Mrs Samo and Andrew, our cycling buddy..

samosaurus

All aboard..



Roger is one happy man!



Mrs Samo..



"Zzzzzz..."



The coach..



A scene from our train ride..



Taking snapshots..



Arrival in Hat Yai..



Setting up the bikes..



Hat Yai junction..

samosaurus

Cycling into town...



Found a good place for lunch..



Pork cracklings...



Our meals being prepared...



Koay Teow Lueah.. Or boat noodles..



The proud owner of the noodle shop..