29th and 30th of December, 2023.
Hitchhiking in Thailand: Ban Sai Thong Lake
After a coconut ice-cream, we get ready to start hitchhiking again, this time to a nearby lake, called Ban Sai Thong, where we will chill for the rest of the day and camp for the night.
After walking for some minutes, we finally get to the main road which will lead us to the lake. As soon as we make a turn, a car stops. A lovely lady tells us she can take us there. I have written down most of the names of the places we are going to, so that’s what I tell to people when they stop.
We get to the lake in no time. It is beautiful here! The lake, the hills around, the green landscape… There is an attempt to make it touristic, with some “welcome” signs and some kind of decoration which resemble jellyfishes. At least that is what Miles and I could make out of it. Also, there are two food shops, one with drinks, and a lot of space for other possible ones. That is great for us because we have got no food with us. We get something to eat now for lunch (papaya salad, very spicy!), Thai tea for me and a Blue Hawaii Soda for Miles, and we also get some pad thai take away for dinner. We have our lunch and drinks by a stand with a lovely view over the lake.
There are some people having a meal, in what looks like a family gathering.
It is very peaceful and quiet, and I am glad we decide to come to chill here.
When the sun is getting down, a man in a motorbike arrives and start to make his camping by the lake. What? Miles and I are very surprise by it, and so we also start making our camping, before it gets dark. We try to find a location which is not only flat but also where, supposedly, there will be shade from the trees to protect our tents from the intense heat, which in Thailand, starts already around 8 o’clock in the morning.
After it gets dark, the site has lights on, in the toilets, by the shops and in some huts around. Miles and I sit in one of these huts and chat into the night. At some point, an incredible full moon starts to show up from behind the mountains. Wow! It is extraordinary! I ask Miles to turn off the lights of the hut, so we can see it better. Soon enough, the moon is so bright that it is as we don’t even need the lights anymore.
We eat our pad thais and keep chatting. Suddenly, a van and a pick-up arrive and a group of people come out of it. They hang around for some time, and I have no idea what they were doing. If they were doing anything. At first, we thought that they might start a small party or something, but luckily, they don’t, and soon enough they leave.
I wake up with the sunrise again. I take some photos and sit by the lake for a while. Because our tents are by the shade of the trees, it is not burning hot inside, even after the sun is already up. I take a nap while waiting for Miles to wake up.
After walking for a few minutes in the wrong direction, luckily, we are corrected by the first car which passes us, so we turn around.
A family immediately stops their pick-up and we hop on the back, and get a lift all the way to the main road again.
I am not entirely sure if there will be some shops around here. Surprise! Walking for three minutes, we find a 7-Eleven and a small CJ market. Thailand is unbelievable when it comes to this convenience shops in small villages. They are everywhere!
The two of us have some muesli with yogurt for breakfast and some coffee with muffins, all by a hut near the railway. I think we slightly lost track of time because when we start our journey towards Erawan National Park is already near noon.
We have a short walk to do, going back from the direction we came yesterday: The Death Railway and Krasae Cave.
I see a mobile phone on the floor and I tell Miles. We keep walking but then Miles suggests we take it with us and try to reach the owner later.
The road is closed. What? I remember that yesterday it wasn’t. The detour will take us back to the shops, from where we just came. If wasn’t for the extremely hot sun, we probably wouldn’t mind the short walk…
Luckily, a couple stop their car for us. I explain to the lovely girl where we are going, and she quickly finds in the map of her phone. They are going back to Kanchanaburi town, so they can drop us there.
It is a short drive. Unfortunately, none of them can speak English, so we don’t chat much. It actually happened with all the lifts which Miles and I caught until now: they cannot speak English. But we always introduce ourselves, and we tell them where we are from. Sometimes I tell them that I am a teacher in Chonburi, and they are always surprised by that.
The new hitchhiking spot is by a very busy road. Again, we just need a short lift to an exit. Soon enough, another lovely family stop their pick-up. Now remember: in Thailand, having a truck or a pick-up, is as normal as it is in European countries to have a common car; or in Brazil to have an old Volkswagen Beetle. Laugh. The family seems truly happy on helping us. How sweet! The lady is a bit uncertain about the name I tell her (which is a small police check-point just by our exit), but I explain that I will knock on the window when we reach the place. She agrees, so Miles and I jump on the back of the truck.
I love riding on the back! The wind is so refreshing and the views are great! You can always see the landscape better from here. Never before I have got so many lifts riding on the back. Probably because they were always long drives, by big highways, while this time, Miles and I are only travelling short distances, all among the same Province. Plus, in Thailand is very common for people to travel on the back like that. Workers do it all the time. And I believe that’s how the Songthaew were originated. Or vice-versa.
After only a few steps into our exit, another pick-up stops. The young man driving comes out and we check in his phone where they are going, and if they can drop us by the end of this road, which will lead us to the main route to Erawan National Park. So it happens that they are going very close to the park, to spend the night in a hotel there. There are on holidays! This time, they say we can put our backpacks on the back and ride inside with them. It is a one-hour driving, so we gladly accept.
They both are very young, and can understand a bit of English, so we manage to have a little chat. We tell them we are going to the waterfalls, to what they respond they can drop us there. At first, Miles and I refuse because we don’t want them to drive out of their way. Which is very common to happen when you hitchhike in Thailand. People really don’t mind to drive you where you need to go, even though it is not on their way. But Miles and I decide that it is not fair, and not the principle of hitchhiking either, and that’s why we refuse. But them they tell us that they will also go to see the waterfalls, at least the first one (there are seven), so then we gladly accept. After taking a photograph at the parking lot, we take our separate ways.
10 Years Around the World 