We had a ticket for the 999 long tail off the island and we were the first on the 08:30 directly off the beach. The Andaman sea was choppy today, blowin' a sou'westerley, but with only a quick stop at the pier on Ko Muk it wasn't long before we were powering up the estuary of the Kuan Tung Yu and disembarking at the little pier.
Less than 30km to do on the bikes today, getting passed by monkeys on mopeds and cows in pickups, we stopped for noodles and liquid then it was a right turn off the 4008 down to the river on the opposite bank from Kantang. A 4baht ticket got us across as the ferry was ready and waiting to go. On the other side at Kantang we found the small 'end of the line' railway station and got on the waiting 12:40 to Trang for 5baht and tied the bikes up with string in the cargo carriage at the end.
At Trang Railway Station at 13.15 it was decision time....it was also very hot too!
We decided to head back up north but the next train to Hua Hin was at 17.30?
Or we go up as far as Chumphon...leaving in 10 minutes!
Actually, it was the same train we had just got off!
Buying a new ticket, and booking in the bikes back on board took 5 minutes then it was off to tie them up with the same bit of string in the same spot in the cargo hold, much to the bemusement of the guard that had helped to offload them earlier.
We were now going to arrive at Chumphon around 20:30, time to sit back out of the sun and watch the countryside go slowly by.
The trains here are pretty cool. They are very cheap, always run on time and all manner of food and cold drinks get hawked up and down all day long. Or, at each flowery station you could treat yourself to fried chicken through the window.
A great way to travel as the old carriages with doors and windows wide open allowing certain decapitation, briskly rattle along the dusty tracks, briefly stopping at all the little funny-named stations along the way.
Passing palm, rubber, papaya and coconut trees, simple rural life goes on with the odd cow and an impressive Wat thrown in, on the very edge of a dense jungle.
Title track by Damien Jurado off his album 'On my way to absence'.
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