by Scott Coates

I met David Allardice, a native of New Zealand, in March 2007. He was behind the bar at The Last Resort, a tented camp not far from the Nepal-Tibet border, which he conceived, built and owns. It’s a real oasis of relaxation with an interesting twist – to get in you must cross a small suspension bridge that dangles 160m above a raging river. When David leased the land to build his Resort there was one small problem – how to get across?

Quite a construction

A white water paddling pioneer and all around adventure man a bridge seemed to be the solution. Buy how to get the first piece of rope across an almost 200m gorge? The solution – he made a contest for local kids to see who could get a piece of thread across. One boy used a kite, successfully won the prize and larger pieces of string, rope and steel were moved across. The result is not only an awesome bridge to a cool resort, but a foot expressway that has cut local villagers’ commute time down by four hours. Now having such a tall bridge David decided all that was missing was a bungee jump and he built that too (he was the first to jump). It remains one of the world’s great bungee jumps.

Fast forward to 2008 – David was telling me about a new venture he was putting together in Thailand. It would be the first of its kind in the region but that’s all he could tell me. Flight of the Gibbon, by Tree Top Asia opened

Going in for a landing

their Chiang Mai, Thailand location soon thereafter and introduced canopy adventures to the kingdom. I met David at the location, had a go and was impressed. Not only was it thrilling to zip from tree-to-tree, in the thick of the canopy, but it’s an eco friendly outing. This attraction quickly shot to the top of must do lists on travel sites like Trip Advisor. Knowing they were on to a good thing, Tree Top Asia recently opened their second location midway between Bangkok and the seaside resort of Pattaya.

Located in Khao Kiew National Park, I’m guessing this Flight of the Gibbon location is everything David and his team wanted the experience to be after making the Chiang Mai one and learning from their first go. While fun, the northern zipline is not terribly long and would be a bit of a disappointment to someone who has done large ziplines in other parts of the world. The Khao

The journey down at the end

Kiew location is large – very large. Set amongst lush jungle atop the mountain, this course takes about three full hours to run. The longest line is 300m and a combination of sky bridges, abseiling locations and lots and lots of spectacular ziplines make this a seriously fun outing. It’s so nice to see nature become the attraction in a country that too often focuses on jet skis, ATVs and 4×4 adventures.

The Smiling Albino Office Team thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Flight of the Gibbon, Khao Kiew. If you’re looking for something different, fun and with great views to get you out of the big city for a day, drop us an email and we’ll make it happen.

by Daniel Fraser

I have had my trip designer’s hat on several times again the past few months. It has been fantastic and has mostly involved testing bike rides or motorcycle routes or finding scenic detours, squeezing hotel pillows, sampling spring rolls, tasting hotel coffee or grilling the local bartender on how to get the keys to the city.

A nice footpath in northern Thailand

Many of our trips involve hikes and bicycle rides, some as short as an hour and others multiple days. Specifically I have been surveying various hike possibilities lately in far flung places like Isaan (NE Thailand), central Laos, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and more recently in northern, central, and southern Vietnam. I have driven several trekking guides to the point of insanity and we’ve gone back to the drawing board multiple times. I admit that at times I have struggled to explain exactly what I am or am not looking for when it comes to a good hike or bike ride or any day excursion for that matter. So, I’ve come up with a simple quick-list of qualifications that, say a hike must have to get the Smiling Albino stamp of approval.

I’ve omitted the obvious things like ‘carry proper supplies’, or ‘be a friend to nature’, etc., as that surely has been covered already.

Following, in no particular order, are a few steering points that I’ve used when building hikes or bike rides (from 1-8hrs) for Smiling Albino:

1 – Graceful Transitions
This means ideally no driving 45-minutes just to get to the starting point of a hike, or an hour in a van back to the resort when it is finished. Obviously in some regions this isn’t possible, but in the case where any transfer is necessary the hike must be extra special to justify it. Good flow is vital to a perfect holiday, and graceless transitions can upset the otherwise good rhythm of your trip. Now, if the hike absolutely necessitates a commute at the start or finish, or both, then an effort should be made to involve alternative means to get there rather or back than a van ride, such as a bicycle, boat, or even motorcycle taxi. Maintaining good flow is as important to an adventure as the hotels and meals. We are currently planning a couple of hikes in central Vietnam in which we transfer to the start point by a local motorcycle touring club and finish the hike a stone’s throw from a hillside pub – that’s good flow.

2 – Modifiable
As we would like several different types of our guests to enjoy a great hike, it should be modifiable so that Olympian guests can get their burn if so desired, or the leisure stroller can feel like they got what they were after. Shortcuts, scenic routes, fun detours and strategic stops make this possible.

3 – Higher Purpose
Besides a walk in the woods, what is the purpose of the hike?
Smiling Albino does a couple of fantastic hikes in northern Thailand where there is a relevant sub-theme to the hike. We follow village trails once used by smugglers in the former opium trade and use the time discuss the eradication struggles, and witness the new agricultural alternatives the villagers are cultivating. Throughout the hike we’ll discuss the role opium played in the region and how everyone from the Chinese government to the CIA had their direct influence on the villages that feature in the hike.

Not that wandering in the woods and quoting Walt Whitman alone wouldn’t be fulfilling enough, but surely a hike’s purpose, other than getting back to nature and a bit of a workout, must be to connect the hiker with the location. Additionally, bonus points if the hike follows the path of a historic battle, or even traces the migration of a people to a new settlement and the reasons behind it.
A great trip needs multiple layers of connectivity to truly be impactful.

4 – No logging roads or constructions sites!
Although one can’t deny you are still out in nature and far from the city

A guide gives blankets to a local in northern Thailand

streets, walking down logging roads or through forest construction sites or mega agro-projects just doesn’t fill the soul’s need for tree-hugging granola moments of bliss. I once did a hike that followed a series of logging roads until we reached a giant gravel quarry, where we had lunch and observed heavy machinery crunch rocks. Needless to say it didn’t make the cut for SA trips.

5 – No staged village visits
For too long in SE Asia hikers have been subjected to the trumped up ‘remote village visit’. Truth is most of the villages accessible on a day hike are not that remote, and as we know unfortunately some villages are incentivized to stage some of their tribal authenticity. I have no problem with being part of equitable fair exchanges between groups (fruit or blankets or basic medical materials in exchange for a visit to a house for a whiskey with the local shaman or a cigar with the village chief, etc.), but to make the villagers themselves the focus of the hike ultimately creates an awkward mercenary exchange in which the visitor is unknowingly paying for village behaviour to appear a certain way to fulfill his/her expectations. Professor Erik Cohen has a great series of white papers on this topic in his White Lotus books publication.
So, only subtle village visits please, and no cultural dance shows unless they were happening that day regardless of our passing through, and no human-zoo gawking and romanticising the moment. Pass through, learn a bit about them, provide a fair exchange if appropriate, and continue with getting back to nature.

6 – Bush, Plant, Bug, Bird
At least some basic learning about flora and fauna and the types of crops growing in the area is needed. Now, most guests that join our short hikes on our Thailand trips or our longer hikes on our Nepal/Tibet trips are not looking for a comprehensive breakdown of species and biodiversity in the region, but they would at least like to learn about a few crops, bushes, plants and other things along the way.
“Hey is that morning glory”? “Yes, and we’ll have some tonight.” “Cool”. Or, “Hey, can you smoke that?” “No, it is pumpkin.”

7 – Snack
Depending on the length of the hike, appropriate food at an appropriate place can’t be underestimated. I was once on a hike (before Smiling Albino existed) and we had a picnic lunch of rice in a box served under a bridge. Zero points for ambiance – but surely even some basic fruit and nuts under the canopy of the jungle would have tied us over until dinner?

8 – Transcendence (in a hiker’s context)
Ideally the hike actually brings you from one place to another, or, in a perfect world, the hike is part of a larger experience carefully woven into the day. For example, sometimes we do a short afternoon kayaking venture down a river in northern Thailand. If the guests are up for it, then we offer the alternative to hike back to the resort rather than a longtail boat (5km or less) just for a change of scenery. In this case the hike is woven into the ongoing events of the day and becomes part of the kayak trip, which becomes part of getting back to the resort. The activities combine to form an afternoon’s experience which goes beyond the simple joy of each element itself. This adds to the vital ingredient in any adventure: flow. Re-arranging the dots, as opposed to simply connecting them, enables our guests to hike right back up to their rooms after a trek in the woods and a paddle down the river. No vans or graceless transfers. That’s some good flow.

9 – Be a friend to local communities
This is vague of course, but it means that there should be some higher learning that the guests gain about the area and the people. A visit to a local school can be a great way for a few moments of innocent cultural exchange, or throwing Frisbee for a few minutes with children from a rural village. No handing out candies or clamouring for photos, just some dignified human-to-human interaction.

10 – Work-out
Lastly, if a hike isn’t strenuous enough to warrant a cold beer immediately upon completion, go back to the woods and start again. You’ve at least got to work up a sweat, or use some muscles that have been dormant for a while, or push yourself even slightly so that that beer at the end feels like you earned it.

Walking with locals in the mountains along the Nepal-Tibet border

11- Bonus
A great company will prepare cold beer or your favourite beverage of choice at the end of a hike (unless of course operating a vehicle is still required afterwards).

This isn’t a lecture and no travel company is perfect, but having had my trip design hat on several times the past few months I was not able to find what I was looking for just by using terms like ‘flow”, “transcendence”, “graceful transitions” or “connectivity”. So, I jotted down the basic thoughts which have governed my approach to hikes and I realized the way we approach things at SA involves a great deal more analysis than most people realize. Plus we’re very high maintenance. The small details are enormous.

by Scott Coates

The world first saw bungy jumping (can also be spelled bungee) courtesy of Sir David Attenborough when he and a film crew visited Pentecost Island, Vanuatu, in 1950. They captured young men hurling themselves from a crude tower with vines tied around their ankles. The idea was to survive and prove one’s bravery, passing into manhood.
Fast forward 50 years or so and there are jumping platforms around the world. Every couple of years a new one opens as the highest, longest, from the highest helicopter, staking its claim in the record books for a couple years.

Greg takes the plunge at The Last Resort

I first jumped from the original commercial bungy at Kawarau Bridge in New Zealand back in 1992. At 43m high it was a mind bender and for whatever reason (I was young and stupid I think) I did it naked on a dare. Boy was my mom impressed!
Two days later a jump at the 102m Pipeline really blew me away. I grew up a bit and avoided long plunges for a number of years until living in Thailand in 2002 I was offered a free jump by one of our guides who was working at a bungy jump in Chiang Mai. I wasn’t interested (scared) but couldn’t say “no” to an employee. Many years went by and I found myself in Nepal after cycling through Tibet and Mt. Everest in 2006. We were cycling south from the Tibet-Nepal border and our guide mentioned we would see a bridge in 10km, to cross it and we would find our tented camp at The Last Resort. What he didn’t mention was that the bridge is a major suspension bridge, crossable only by foot and is 160m above a raging river. Talk about an interesting entrance to your lodgings. And the kicker – there’s a bungy jump from it.

Student using The Last Resort's bridge to return home

That evening we gazed at the bridge, contemplated the 140m plunge and one of our group of four committed to doing it the next morning. Having previously bungeed I thought I had a perfectly good out. I encouraged those who’d never done it to give it a go, truly believing that doing it from an outdoor structure in a beautiful setting was the way to go. Over breakfast the next morning my friend (not sure after this) informed me that he’d already paid for me to jump too. He wasn’t going to jump alone. I was terrified. You’d think after doing it once you wouldn’t be scared but that wasn’t the case. If anything I’ve been more scared each time I’ve taken the plunge (six times now). Just walking across the bridge is terrifying. Strapped in, double-checking with the Bungy Master (what a job title) that everything was good to go, I inched out onto the jumping platform. He started to chat with me, talking about how the countdown would work and all I wanted to do was get off that platform. Walking out on to it was very scary and once I was there I wanted it to be over – off I went. What a long fall. There’s time to think about things as you fall, dropping for almost three seconds before the cord kicks in. I’m told I screamed the entire way down.

The author contemplating life before a jump in Nepal

I’ve been lucky enough to return to The Last Resort a number of times while leading trips in Nepal and one evening chatted with the jump’s designer David. Back in 1999 he constructed the bridge for roughly $100,000US, truly an awesome feat, paving (or bridging) the way to his tented camp. It also had a great benefit for locals whose commute across was reduced from five hours to 30 seconds. David, co-developer Bishnu and some others built, tested, dropped weighted items from the bridge until it was time for a human to try…and David was that human. He survived and thousands have since taken the plunge, including a good number of Smiling Albino guests who’ve stayed at The Last Resort during the Nepal Trek & Trail.

While bungy jumping isn’t for everyone and I’m not sure I will do it again (it’s really scary), it is something every adventurous soul should try once. It will never get easier to throw yourself off a perfectly good bridge with a large rubber band around your ankles, but the rush is something that can’t be duplicated. The Last Resort’s bungy is without a doubt the highest I’ve been off and by far in the most beautiful setting. Let Smiling Albino take you there!

by Scott Coates
Returning to my home city in Canada (Calgary) is always a treat, especially after not being back for two-and-a-half years.
With only a week in town, seeing everyone I hoped to catch up with – family, friends and Smiling Albino (SA) guests is tough. Most times when I return it’s nice to set a venue, date and time where I’ll be and invite everyone to come by. In the past we’ve hosted travel photo shows, an afternoon at a pub and a barbeque. This year SA partner Sue Kuipers suggested hosting a bike ride around the Glenmore Reservoir followed by beers at a pub. Being summer and loving cycling this was the perfect idea.

Diana takes a spill

Saturday August 1 saw SA partners Sue & Todd Kuipers and myself meet at the 1600 Bier Haus (an excellent place with more than 100 different brews available) in Glenmore Landing, right on the edge of the pathway around the Glenmore Reservoir. About 15 people showed up with four children in bike trailers and we hit the paved, 20km trail. With only three meters under her belt, two-time SA adventurer Diana had a minor spill sideways and over a rope fence. There were no injuries and good laughs were had by all. It’s good to get the first accident out of the way early!

We cruised leisurely with a few of us ducking-off the paved path into the woods in the Weaselhead area, an old favorite dirt trail of mine. It had been five years since riding this trail, but nothing had changed and it was as beautiful as ever. One of the best things about Calgary is the incredible pathway system that covers the city and the many small dirt trails that often jut off the main track. It’s wild to be in a city and at the same time be able to ride in the trees, see animals (I spotted a bear many years ago) and be in nature.

We all met rendezvoused again at a small river (Elbow) as it passes under a bridge at the edge of Weaselhead. The kids got their feet wet in the river, learned to skip rocks and we all enjoyed getting off our seats for a bit.

The Team at the start of the ride

I’d never pulled a kid trailer and was keen to give it a try. Sue and Todd trusted me to tow their two children, Gus and Marijka. In fact I think they were rather delighted as the next section involves a good climb up a hill. Let me tell you, despite the kids being two and four-years-old, their weight with the trailer came in at about 30kg and really made for a challenging climb. At the top it was now a gentle cruise through South Glenmore Park and across the Glenmore Reservoir, Calgary’s primary source of drinking water. Another challenging climb (with the trailer in tow) took us to the edge of the Rockyview Hospital and one of my favorite markers anywhere. There’s a bench with a small pillar that commemorates Calgary’s centennial. The inscriptions reads, “May the beauty of nature inspire your direction in life.” I first got into mountain biking on this pathway and this was a favorite stopping point when I lived in the city. I remember reading it and hoping nature would indeed inspire my direction in life. It was neat to read it again, 10 years after moving to Thailand to start a specialized travel company and know that nature plays such and important role in my life.

Enjoying the Elbow River

A few kilometers later we were back at the 1600 Bier Haus with roughly 20km under our belts. It took only a few minutes for everyone to lock their bikes and get into a pint of cold beer. The renovation my friends George, Ari and Ernie have done on this pub is great and it’s truly one of the city’s nicest pubs. They generously threw in some complimentary appetizers and another 10 people joined us for drinks. From an old college friend to a recent SA guest, it was a diverse group of people and great to catch-up with everyone.

While the city of Calgary has grown a lot in the 10 years since I moved to Asia, it was wonderful to see that the pathway around the Glenmore Reservoir is as beautiful as ever. The ride is doable for all riders, views are incredible the entire way around and it was an ideal way to catch-up with friends. Many thanks for everyone who came out and I look forward to seeing you next year!

by Scott Coates

Since launching the Nepal Grand Slam in October 2006 we’ve been lucky enough to travel the country far and wide. I’ve personally fallen in love with Nepal and maintain that if you like the outdoors there’s simply no better country to visit.

The Team in a little town along a mountain ridge

Steeped in history, bordered by the world’s two most populous countries (China & India), home to Buddhists and Hindus who live in harmony and covering almost all geographical environs (71m – 8,850m), Nepal has it covered!

Each time we visit the country to host a trip we take a couple extra weeks to explore other areas and personally indulge my love for mountain biking. I’ve been lucky enough to ride from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, visiting Everest Base Camp en-route, ride the western half of the Annapurna Circuit and do lots of riding in and around the greater Kathmandu Valley. We also led a number of custom trips in 2007-2008 that saw us try new trekking routes, notably in the Gorkha region and along the Nepal-Tibet border.

Crossing a narrow suspension bridge

A number of people inquired in 2007 wanting a trip that was more physically challenging than the Nepal Grand Slam, many of whom have enjoyed our Thailand Trek & Trail. This was the impetus for launching the truly awesome Nepal Trek & Trail on March 20 2009.

Take 3 parts mountain biking, 1 part white water rafting, 5 parts trekking, throw in some super cool hotels, 2 nights at a tented camp with a 160m bungee jump, full-service camping, world-class hosts, top-notch food and there you have it – the Nepal Trek & Trail.

One of the bonuses of owning a travel company is that hitting-the-road is literally part of your job. My business partner Daniel was good enough to give me the ‘go ahead’ and I was off to Nepal to co-host the inaugural installment with Mads, our Nepal guru who helped build the trip from the ground-up. We had a group of great people sign-on for the adventure and hit it hard.

Mountains in Tibet in the background

A Welcome Dinner at a great restaurant in Kathmandu, an afternoon visiting key sites and quirky alleys, then three days cycling up and along the ridgeline of mountains in the Kathmandu Valley took us to the very cool Club Himalaya situated atop Nagarkot, the Valley’s premier hill station. From there we dropped down 1,200m to the valley floor and along the Bhote Kosi River to the Last Resort. The next day saw us raft down the river (one of Nepal’s steepest) and one guest threw himself off the bungee jump. Then it was into the hills along small footpaths near the Nepal-Tibet border for five days of full service trekking with a crew of 18 – talk about living it up! Views abound when we hit the ridge and our high point of 3,790m was a highlight. Beers were cold when we made it back to civilization at the cozy Charikot Resort and we ate like champions on our last night in Kathmandu.

After nearly 10 years living in Asia, traveling, working with Smiling Albino and designing top-notch adventures I hope there’re many, many more to come!

by Scott Coates

How to best see an area? Everyone has different ideas of how it should and shouldn’t be done.
While some swear by rental car others love the minibus and some like the wind-in-their-hair feeling that only a motorbike or bicycle can provide. But the journey there is only half the journey. Once you’ve arrived, that’s when the real exploration begins – the opportunity to slow down, stroll around, poke your nose in here and there, sit down, sip a bevy and watch it all go by.

It’s during these times the chance for personal exploration and exertion begin when you’re in this line of work. Leading adventures doesn’t allow much time for daily exercise while on the job, so capitalizing on where you are, when you’re there, not sitting down and watching it go by, but being the one who goes by is key.
Luckily this incredible job regularly goes to different, exotic locations that provide naturally beautiful backdrops to enjoy a form of exercise that requires minimal equipment – a pair of running shoes and a kit. And so it goes, check into the lodging, make sure everyone has a quenching beverage, is tropically content, trade one uniform for another and hit the trail.

Ao Nang and Hat Noppharat Thara Beaches (Krabi province) link up for a

Ao Nang, Krabi

world-class run. Combining the two with a brief road link-up comes out at roughly 3.5km (one-way) of mostly flat, litter-free, soft sand tarmac. Hit the dirt road at the corner of Ao Nang, turn left and run through the forest to the ‘Last Café’, cut down to the beach and head to the right. From here it’s 1km of day trippers in swim suits returning from a day attacking the waters. Sundown swimming locals smile, children try to run alongside (often outpacing the subject), then it’s a shortcut through the beach entrance of the Krabi Resort, a left onto the road and around the corner to Hat Noppharat Thara. Now there’s 2 km of sandy bliss to two islands that can be reached by foot when the tide is out. Touch them just to prove you were there then turn around for a view to push you on – and there they are, the stunning, towering cliffs of legendary Railay Bay, giving off a rosy glow as the sun’s evening rays continually change their color. Back they way you came and then you’re there – on the strip, dripping wet and ready for a well deserved beer as the final rays go over the horizon.

The Mekong River with Laos in the background

Chiang Khong (Chiang Rai province) sits elegantly on the banks of the mighty Mekong River with the sleepy town of Huai Xai, Laos quietly peering over from the other side. It’s from here you catch a 5km ride out of town along the road to Chiang Saen, abandon craft and begin the trot back to town, passing quiet, quiet countryside, perplexed locals and your reward of the river for making it back to town. Once you hit the main drag at Chiang Khong, beat through 50m of bush down to the riverside boardwalk and move along until you hit the end. Continue along a bit further, along the sandy river’s edge and there’s a bit more boardwalk. Why the two aren’t connected a foreigner will never be able to understand, but that’s the way it is and it provides the perfect excuse to strengthen the legs with an up and down. At the end, turn around, head back, and this time, run up and down every major set of stairs you see (and there’re a good number). Winded, push on that little bit more until you see the most welcoming balcony in town – ‘Bamboo Riverside’. Stagger up one final set of stairs, open the red refrigerator, grab a cold Beer Chang and if you’re lucky enough, the legendary proprietor, Khun Jip will be in attendance and show you how that sport is done.

Hua Hin (Prachuap Khiri Khan province) is a longtime favorite for upscale

A gorgeous setting for a run

Thais and a place His Majesty the King calls home for much of the year. It’s a destination that’s never gotten too crazy, sleazy, or out of control as some of the kingdom’s others have. Start on the beach just north of the Palace and put one foot in front of the other. If both feet are touching sand at the same time then you’re definitely not running. If you go the wrong way it won’t last long as Royal Guards will turn you around as serfs aren’t allowed on Royal Beach. The tide’s out and there’s no shortage of width to carry you along. Despite the temporarily receded water, this one’s a bit like a steeplechase. Small streams, pools of ocean that got trapped and rocky corners provide regular challenges. Medium strides turn into big ones then a leap that hopefully looks as good as those you see at track-meets and with any luck you’re over and the sneakers are still dry. Turn around when you wish as this one goes for about 8km, but be sure to remember the journey back still leaves you with half a run.

Finding a trail in Doi Mae Salong

Mae Salong (Chiang Rai province) is without a doubt our favorite destination in the kingdom. Perched atop rolling mountains near the Myanmar border, this one-road-town is a place where kids truly walk uphill both ways to school. It’s a place you’re legs earn every step and an easy venue to truly get off the beaten path and a dirt one. Out the back entrance to the Mae Salong Villa, turn right down the hill, left onto the main road and to the end of town as Yunnanese settlers grin, rally you on and chuckle. At the end of town turn left towards the elementary school, then behind it and up the dirt road. Now it’s down along a rough patch, left at the lone tree and then through an Ahka hilltribe village, heading west along the hill. Here beaming red teeth of Bettlenut chewing woman greet and kids trail behind yelling “hello” all the while. Along the ridge, down to the stream, then a final steeeeeep approach to the top. And now your balcony awaits. Sit down, open a cold one, and stare at the terraced Oolong tea fields and the temple shinning from high above on the next mountain over.

Khao Lak (Phang-Nga province) was quiet, slowly growing and home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Then December 24, 2004 came and changed everything. The hardest hit by the tsunami, most of Khao Lak’s resorts were no more, many, many persons dead/missing and now it’s even quieter. But the beach is still there and more beautiful than ever. Pick your starting point and go. This one’s long, pretty flat, quite wide and with the odd obstacle to make sure you’re not daydreaming too much. Reflection is easy to do here – timing, how it can be good and bad. Why you’re somewhere at one time and being there another can change your life. Smile; think of the ones you love and where you’re headed.

Bangkapi’s Canals (an eastern suburb of Bangkok) are home and fantastically fascinating. Just off the busy main drag of Srinakarin Road there’s a left turn just before the Esso; take it, then veer right up the small wooden planks and onto your platform. Three feet wide and six above dark, dank canal waters, now you’re on the edge, and this narrow, elevated sidewalk is your track for most of the trip. There’s no time to tune out as each stride holds and obstacle: low hanging roof line, power line, approaching bicycle, sharp turn, goat and gapping hole in the concrete path. Varied faces greet you: classical Thai, Muslim and immigrants originally from India and Bangladesh. The call to prayer roars as you approach the golden dome roof and you realize you’re truly a long way from where you’re originally from. Soak it in as once you step off the path you’re back in the world of vehicles and world-famous traffic jams. Urban escape is a wonderful thing.

Ko Samet (Rayong province) is one of the closest islands to Bangkok and also

Ko Samet's silky-soft sand

one of the country’s most charming. A longtime favorite of weekending Thais, it has icing-sugar-soft sand, bathtub-warm-water and lots of neat beaches. Separated by short jaunts along gnarly paths through the woods and up small cliffs, these beautiful sand-lined bays are short, long, curved and a fun challenge. From ‘Ao Pai’, head west from beach to beach, all the way to ‘Ao Tien’, down to the end, then turn around and do it in reverse, saving a bit of energy for a well-paced sprint at the end to impress those basking on the beach in front of your oceanside bungalow.

by Todd Kuipers

On January 9, 2546, Todd and Scott headed out bright and early after a harried night sleep to find a passage to the Gulf of Thailand. The sun was bright and spirits were high as we hit the pavement and got under way. The night before didn’t afford us much sleep as we anticipated the effort and comraderie of the next three days – working together, working hard. This journey had been talked about for almost eight months and was finally underway.

The route map

Actually what happened was we got up late and doddled getting our gear together. Neither of us slept well as we didn’t get to sleep at a reasonable hour and then got up a couple of times during the night. The anticipation might have messed up the snooze but we certainly didn’t get it together with much speed. We did finally get on the bikes shortly after noon. Scott and I had talked about this trip for quite a few months and the time had come for us to actually stop talking and finally do it. We had no real plan though, only a compass, the Gulf as a destination and a willingness to ride for a few days.

The ride started on our street in Bang Kapi, an eastern suburb district of Bangkok. We’d packed enough clothes and gear for a three day ride, hoping to not just make it to the Gulf of Thailand but also find some untrammled routes that we could take friends and clients on in the future. Within minutes we were riding the elevated sidewalks on a canal very familiar to Scott – a glance at the compass and we headed off in the direction where a boat across the Chao Phraya could be found.

There are a number of very large canals on the map that we tried to follow by riding the sidewalks, but those main canals aren’t always well marked nor is it always very easy to tell the difference between a side and a main one while you’re on them. Only until the sidewalks end (precipitiously sometimes) and you have to turn around do you realize you’ve gone the wrong way. Unfortunately we didn’t make it all the way to the river on the canals – for our last few klicks we had to hit the road to make it to a ferry point and get over the river in a reasonable amount of time.

Prawn farms

Across the river after a four baht ferry ride we arrived in a very different place. The next hour biking was through one of the most beautiful areas of Bangkok – Phet Chahueng. Literally in the city proper, this area has survived as mix of suburban-rural because there are no bridges that cross over the river to it. The only main road on the peninsula goes through a small neck of land about 500 metres wide. Scattered between the fields, canals, ponds and orchards there are a number of villa type houses, that surprise you as you come up on them. Obviously quite a few wealthy Thais find the area as relaxing and beautiful as we did.

Passing into Phra Pradaeng we decided to make a run for Samut Sakhon and a hotel or guest house for the evening. We asked a local fellow in Phra Pradaeng how far it was to Samut Sakhon – he said about 20 km. There is always a potential problem when asking directions, since all provinces in Thailand are named after the capital city of that province. What we didn’t realize was that it was 20 to the provincial border and another 40 to the city itself. We figured this out another 10 klicks down the road, when we stopped at a gas station and asked again. Figuring there was no hope of getting there before sundown we decided to stay at a hotel on the freeway for the night. Roadside hotels around the world usually don’t have the best reputation, but our digs for the night was a completely new entery in the category. A hundred parking spaces with discrete curtains to pull around your car, each leading to a door – your windowless room for the hour/night. A baby blue mood light entertained us and when we ventured out for food, found out there are no room keys available for guests. Apparently most people don’t check in, head out and come back – it’s literally an in-and-out sort of place.

Up the next morning, slightly earlier than we were the day before we got on

We reach the Gulf

the bikes and cursed our seats. Within 15 minutes we stopped at a bike shop for a quick look while I marked a GPS point. Scott and the owner chatted for a couple and he decided to close up shop for the day and join us on our ride. Vit Two-Wheel was very excited to be off riding instead of fixing bikes for the day. We weren’t really sure at first, but figured that at the very least it couldn’t hurt.

Vit Two-Wheel, a name based on his love of bikes, proceeded to lead us through a 65 km run of the prawn fields, farms and orchards, of Bangkok, Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan. It’s tough to describe what we saw – much of this coastal region is at or below sea level with only small roads and ridges between the prawn pools. The prawn pools average two to three acres in size and the width of the seperating mounds range from about road-sized 20 feet to rounded mounds less than 5. The homes ran the gamut from small bamboo and thatch huts to huge homes owned by rich and possibly famous types. There are points at which the canal water level is higher than the surrounding area, and where the canals are so wide and extended by side sections that they look like lakes. Two solid hours of riding in and around this was pure fun.

The highlight of the trip was finally making it to the Gulf of Thailand. The last one and a half km were along a boardwalk through mangrove forest full of fighting crabs and mudskippers (everyone remembers the Muddy Mudskipper Show right?). The whole area was highly undervisited by foreigners as virtually everyone we went past giggled, pointed, giggled and pointed, or giggled, pointed and followed us. We don’t get reactions like this anywhere, even up north in the hills. In the remote places in the north there are more foreigners travelling around in one day than get down here in one year.

Bangkok's canals

The next three hours were a combination of road and tricky pond-wall riding. There were quite a few times where we could have blown a sidewall or pitched ourselves into one of the prawn pools. Our guide definitely kept us on track – no mishaps – and knew where to see some very cool sights. At no point did we have to back track in this maze of trails. It was a fabulous trip, and tougher than we expected, leading us 25-30 klicks further than we expected to do in one day. We were getting beat and he had another 20 km to get home after our anticipated frop off point.

Vit lead us to the boat bus at Wat Phra Samut Chedi where for another four baht we crossed over to Samut Prakhan, about 20 km south of our apartment. A few clicks of freeway riding, looking for a hotel and we decided it would be cheaper and easier to find a ride home. A very friendly young couple agreed to drive us home in their truck for a reasonable price. We fought the traffic, finally made it home and had some dinner. We were beat, having just been on one of the longest rides we’d ever done, through some pretty challenging terrain. After 73 km on the second day we decided to sleep in a relax. No day three of the Hunt.