What's Between Nakhon Sawan And Kamphaeng Phet?

[nrvs]

Hello Thaivisa:

I hope to ride my bicycle north from Ayutthaya in December. I've got a plan from Ayutthaya - Lopburi - Chainat - Nakhon Sawan and again from Sukhothai north to Chiang Mai.

However, according to the internet, there remains ~130km between Nakhon Sawan and Kamphaeng Phet without any obvious tourist spots or places to stay. I don't think I'll be riding on Highway 1 from Nakhon Sawan, but on Route 1084. It runs parallel to Highway 1 on the opposite side of the river. I hope it will be more pleasant to ride on. Are there Thai-style roadside "resorts" or concrete-block hotels along Route 1084? Or maybe along Highway 1 instead? In any case I'm not averse to loading my bike onto the bus between NS and KP, but I do like to ride whenever possible.

Any advice you could offer about this area of central Thailand OR points north would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you very much,

Mark

P.S. I can speak and read Thai so language won't be a problem.

[Chris.B]

Yes, I have travelled on both routes by car.

My wife says it is better for falangs to stay on the main routes rather than travel on the minor routes. 1084 is a minor road in most places only two lanes wide. She says there is a lot of yabba induced crime and lone falangs could be a target on the quieter roads.

However you will have a better chance of finding hotels on the main routes. I think it will be hard to find hotels on route 1084. 45km north of Nakhon Sawan on Highway 1 is Khao Nor and Khao Kael where you can see millions of bats fly from the caves at dusk. Also in the same park are thousands of monkeys. Worth a trip. Get there at least one hour before dusk.

50km north of Nakhon Sawan is a town called Ban Salok Bat which has a couple of hotels one of which is called the....................Salok Bat Hotel!! You can't miss it from Highway 1.

Travel further up to Kamphaeng Phet and you will find hoilday resorts as well as hotels.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Chris.B

[nrvs]

Hello Chris:

Thank you very much for your response.

Ban Salok Bat sounds like a good spot to stop off along the way. And only 5km from a bat/monkey park with...uh, evening entertainment? Sounds good to me, even if I have to cycle on a busy highway for a few hours. Thanks for the tip. I've marked it in my GPS device.

Still, it'll be a tough choice. Thaivisa poster Tim has offered to arrange a homestay with his neighbors in Bang Ta Ngai. It's along 1084 near Banphot Phisai. It's closer to Nakhon Sawan than Kamphaeng Phet, but it could break up the 130km nicely.

Most of all, thanks to your wife for her suggestion about safety. I'm actually looking to stick to small roads for much of my ride, just because I think there will be less traffic (an immediate threat to my life as a bicyclist). Have there been incidents of foreigners being targeted in this area? I may have to reconsider. I'm a pretty big guy and am not a good target to most people, but yaabaa surely gives criminals the illusion of strength...

Thanks again,

Mark

[Chris.B]

Hi,

Yes, I know Banphot Phisai, it is an old town on the Mai Nam Ping. You can stay there the night but you haven't travelled very far from Nakhon Sawan city?

From Banphot Phisai you can take route 1073 to reach Highway 1 and proceed north to Salok Bat. Khao No-Khao Kaeo is one of those once in a lifetime experiences not to be missed. There is no evening entertainment there. There is also very few falang tourists and if you go on a weekday probably none at all! When you enter the park cycle to the base of the mountains, probably about 1-2 kilometeres and you will see some food stalls, this is the best place to view the bats. Another 1-2 kilometers along the same road takes you to the monkeys and the Wat. Make sure you have everything secured because the monkeys will steal anything they can.

At dusk you can proceed to Salok Bat. A couple of kilometers before the town you will see the hotel on the southbound side. In the evening, if you travel into Ban Salok Bat you can turn right onto the 1074 to Khanu Worlaksaburi. Travel about 2 kilometers and you will find 2 or 3 restaurants/bars with singers and hostesses. There are also some smaller hotels along this road.

No, there has been no incidents of foreigners being targets but yabba useage appears to be on the up unfortunately so be careful.

Good luck,

Chris

Edited November 27, 2008 by Chris.B