Twycling by the River

I arrived at the meeting point of Wat Chompuwek bang on time, namely 5 mins late.  Dom was unloading bikes from the back of his truck, whilst Jay was struggling to solve the Rubiks puzzle that is putting a wheel back on.  I guzzled liquid and thought how much @bkkgreg sounded like that guy from the podcast I used to listen to.

Initially we headed north to Wat Bot, along a narrow path through a riverside community.  I wanted to check the water levels of the river, and also show my fellow riders Wat Bot and the ruins behind it.  I was secretly quite pleased I'd managed to get Bangkokian mountain bikes muddy in the process.

f2.8 2011-09-10 11:24:35

Flooded ruins behind Wat Bot

Hunger was not evident so we skipped the riverside noodle shop and retreated south.  Crossing the lanes of Sanambin Nam road was a muddier affair than it needed to be.  We whizzed down to Phanan Klao bridge, stopping only to take photos of a large flock of zebras.

f2.8 2011-09-10 11:52:05

Jay poses with a zebra on Sanambin Nam Road

Hanging a wee naughty right on the pavement at the end of the dual carriage way (to save on a 4km U turn detour), one of my favourite houses came into view.  Nestled under a strut of the new road bridge, blocking it's view to the river, a real estate agent would have their work cut out selling this dream.

West of the River

After crossing Phranan Klao bridge I guided my fellow cyclists through the narrow alley that leads one away from the busy roads and into a peaceful cycling haven.  The risk of imminent flooding was evident, long walls of white sandbags aligning the right hand side of our route.

f2.8 2011-09-10 12:05:18

A large wall of sandbags on Soi Sai Ma 7

In Sai Ma Soi 3, a raised wooden path had already been built.  An old couple shouted at us "bpai Mai dài" (cannot go).  I already knew this having previously cycled along the canal path.  Jay noted that the old man was wearing shorts similar to Daisy Duke-a part of my youth died on the spot.

Other than sandbags, raised wooden platforms had been built to provide a means of walking around when the floods finally hit.

f2.8 2011-09-10 12:08:58

Raised wooden pathway, preparing for flooding

Following the river was not possible here so we cut inland and followed roads I knew from previous excursions.  Pumps and sandbags were again everywhere.  I was careful to avoid being sprayed by pump water as I was unsure of the sewage percentage.  After a bit of mental scavenging I remembered how to get to Wat Daeng Tammachat, spotting a sign in Thai.

Like many other riverside wats, sandbags defences had been installed.  I took my fellow riders to the oldest building in the temple, hidden away at the back.  Whilst staring at some old Buddha statues, the subject of lunch came up.  The best eatery I knew of was one where you dangled your legs over the river, and this seemeed a more appealing option than just a random roadside noodle stall.  A quick iPhone map check revealed it was not too far away, and with legs newly enthused by the thought of food we whistled north to Wat Tha It.

Trailing at the back, my limited Thai reading ability was enough to recognize the others had overshot a turn towards Wat Tha It. Greg, Greg!!  The correct route had easy cycling through an area with some large houses.  The wat entrace is obvious, with a large entrance gate, after entering one has to cycle past the buildings in the large grounds to get to the river.  It started to rain heavily for 10 mins or so, we passed the time buying Pepsi at room temperature and dmonstrating that we were in a DTAC dead spot.

There is a riverside path through a Muslim community from Wat Tha It to our next destination, Wat Saeng Siritham.  I could not remember where the start of it was however and in our attempts to find it we inadvertently cycled throw a cow stable.  I heard a loud mooooo behind me after cycling through, a glance back confirmed though that Greg and Jay had passed unscathed.

Upon exiting the temple I recognized where I had gone before, a right down a narrow soi. After ignoring calls of bpai Mai dài we found the start of the riverside path.  The water levels had gone down from 3 days previously, if they had not we would have been cycling in the Chrao Phraya river.

f2.8 2011-09-10 12:54:25

Start of riverside path near Wat Tha It

The trail moved into a narrow alley between 2 storey houses.  The taller members of the group had to duck to avoid overhanging roofs and signs.  So did the short guy.

At one point we were diverted by locals who indicated that there was construction work blocking us.  Their detour led us initially into what looked like someones garden but a kind local pointed out the exit at the far end which involved another dip into a pool of mud.  The local community people, mainly Muslim, were happy to say hello as we passed.  The children especially seemed inquisitive, I suspect few farangs venture here.  We did not stop for food, but around the mosque there were several eateries.

I told Greg to take a left once past the narrow alleys, as I'd previously cycled all but into someones house.  A short fenced path by a canal brings one to Wat Saeng Siritham.  By now Dom had a stiff back, short doors did not help.

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:03:47

Tall Dom, not tall door

The Beef Noodle Shop

Around 100m north of the floating market there is a very unique noodle shop.  The owner gestured to us to leave our bikes by the reserve tables away from the river as the main part of the restraunt is small.  The main seating involves one sitting on the floor  with their legs dangling over the river, their noodle bowls sitting on a narrow shelf.  One false move and your noodles are in the drink!

The dangling leg seats were full though, we sat on the upstairs balcony.  The table and chairs are somewhat smaller than I am used to, and I did not realize I was sitting on a table instead of a stool until another group requested some furniture.

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:11:48

The seating arrangements are slightly unusual for

All of us were starving and ordered qwertyiow piset - twice!  As we ate, boats in the river could be seen struggling against the strong currents due to floodwater arriving from the north.

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:34:31

Small boats were struggling in the strong current

The owner of the noodle shop seemed genuinely pleased to have so many farang at once and even took a photo of us eating.  He spoke a little English but our group had more than enough Thai to get by.

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:34:51

An elderly lady doing the washing

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:35:04

Eating very close to the river

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:41:51

Greg outside the noodle shop as we were leaving

Suitably refreshed, and with our bikes still there, we headed back to Wat Saeng Siritham in search of a lift to Koh Kred.  As Dom went asking for a lift, a row of six lottery vendors all smiled as they said hello to us.  Dom was successful in finding a ferry large enough for the 4 of us and our bikes, and we were charged 10 baht only for the trip across.

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:52:23

Greg and Dom on the ferry to Koh Kred from Wat Sea

f2.8 2011-09-10 13:54:12

Dom disembaring the ferry from Wat Saeng Siritham

Koh Kred

The rural roads on Koh Kred are raised unfenced strips of concrete.  Myself and Greg engaged in conversation whilst both concentrating feverishly to not fall into the swamps below.

Cycling clockwise around the island we soon ran into the markets at the northern end.  Although quieter than normal it was still not possible to cycle through the market due to the density of shoppers.

f2.8 2011-09-10 14:13:20

The market on Kok Kred has too many people on it a

One vendor roared at us with an extremely impressive puppet TRex made out of wood.  Greg had more practical shopping matters at hand and checked out a jewellery box which proved unsuitable due to lack of internal compartments.

f2.8 2011-09-10 14:17:38

Greg still found time to go shopping

The wats on Koh Kred are concentrated at the north east end of th island.  All seemed to be having a loud music contest and I was not too keen to hang around.  Signposts lead to more narrow paths near the river.  Again ducking was required to avoid low hanging roofs and signs.

Our exit from Koh Kred was the Wat Klang Kred ferry.  It was noticeable that the area before had just been flooded and will almost certainly flood again in the days oncoming.  Unlike the ferry on the west side or the island this one was busier - myself, Dom and Greg all stood nervously on the front of the boat grasping bikes and phones.  The small ferry struggled against the current, making me realize I should probably lose a bit of weight.  Greg unfortunately cut his head when getting off the ferry, a scar evident later that evening at the Bangkok podcast party.

The End of the Loop

To complete our loop we headed through the orphanages south of Pak Kred.  This brings one out at the northern end of the department of irrigation.  The safest option is to cycle south on the wide pavements, which avoids having to cycle on the busy Tiwanon road.  Within the department grounds the most southern road follows a canal and has virtually no traffic on it.  Although into a headwind it provided a pleasant cycle to Wat Bot, one of my favorite spots on the Chao Phraya river.  A short ride south through the previously ridden riverside community brought us back to near Wat Chompuwek, our starting point.

f2.8 2011-09-10 15:06:39

Dom and Greg packing up

Whilst Jay diligently wiped the mud off his bike Dom threw his and Gregs bikes into the back of 4x4.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the trip, indeed Jay said he almost felt like he was in holiday in another province.  I didn't have the heart to point out that he actually was in another province.

Trip Details

Costs

Noodle Shop: 1 bowl of large noodles, 25 baht (we had 2 each).  Water refill, 10 baht.

Ferry from Wat Saeng Siritham: 10 baht per person with bike

Ferry at Wat Klang Kred: 5 baht per person with bike

75 baht per person :)