Mae Sot to Kanchanaburi

Colin

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Feb 14, 2005
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I left Mae Sot at about 10 am on the 105 towards Tak and about 10-15 km before Tak I turned right onto the 1108, followed this till I hit a T junction and took the right turn towards Wang Chao, carried on until I took another right onto the 4001. This road gets a little narrower in a shortish section with a few potholes but otherwise a reasonably good surface, this road appears to finish in a T junction but is really a crossroads and before you could go straight across and on to Kamphaeng Phet avoiding the highway 1. As you go over this crossroads it is only a dirt track about 2 metres wide, you go on for exactly 1 km then take a left turn, still on this dirt track. After another 1 km I could not go any further as they are widening the road and there was a ditch about 1 metre deep half full of water right across the road with no workmen in sight and no planks or anything to make myself a bridge I had no option but to turn back to the crossroads and take a right onto the 1109 to the dreaded highway 1. I turned right and carried on to Khampaeng Phet, as I reached a crossroads there the turning to my right was where I should have been coming out of. (I actually did this journey two years ago on my Honda Phantom but in the reverse direction and as I was getting near to the section that is now being widened the road suddenly changed from being a full size double road to a dirt track in the woods, I thought this is strange but carried on as everyone else seemed to be and eventually came out to that crossroads where tarmac appeared again. That was my first experience of Thai roads disappearing and reappearing, now its normal and I dont wonder about it anymore) I carried on past Khampaeng Phet for about 5 km until I reached the 1117 and took a right onto it, I followed this to Khlong Lan then turned left onto the 1072
this goes on for a fair way then I took the 3504 heading for Lan Sak. This road runs on until it hits the 3456 and I took thev right turn which takes you to Lan Sak, Here it meets the 3438 and I turn left and follow this for about 5 km then its a right turn onto the 3282 which took me to Ban Rai. All of these smaller roads are in good order with not a lot of traffic on them and I made good progress and really enjoyed the ride. When I got to Ban Rai I stopped for petrol and a snack at the PTT station on the crossroads then turned left and followed this road until I joined the 333 taking the right turn heading for Suphan Buri. I stay on this road until I get to Dan Chang and stop at the 7-11 for some water, I always try to get my water from 7-11 as they carry my favourite brand, Singha, which I find funny as its the best tasting water in Thailand but their beer is crap, mind you so is all Thai beer. I stayed in Dan Chang three years ago on my first ever trip on my own bike when I rode from Bangkok to there on my phantom, its a small little Thai town but I met a fellow English bricklayer who lived there and had an interesting evening having a beer with him and swapping work stories from home, it transpired that we had both worked for the same firm but at different times. At least they now have a 7-11 there, it wasnt there when I rode through it two years ago. So, refreshed I carried on, making a wrong turn, I turned right at the crossroads thinking it was the 3086 and wasted about half hour trying to find a road marker, after no luck I resigned myself to taking the 333 to Suphanburi but after about 5 km The 3086 was a turn to my right so luck was in after all, This road goes virtually all the way into Kanchana buri, going through small places like Nong Pru and Bo Phloi, Just before reaching Bo Phloi they are resurfacing and it is not a brilliant surface for a few kms, its a bit dusty in Bo Phloi and not a very good surface until you get about 5 km past it. After about another 20 km there is a turning to the left the 3398 signposted Kanchanaburi, I take it and it joins the 3199 where I take the left turn and then straight into Kanchanaburi and my usual room at C&C tour in a room floating on the river Kwai at the modest sum of 70 Baht. I arrived at about 17.15 and checked my odometer, 566 km today, my most ever in a day, not bad travelling 7.25 hours for the total trip considering I wasted about an hour on the wrong turn and the dead end dirt road. The nicest thing about this journey was apart from about thirty enforced kms on highway 1 the entire journey was done on minor roads

If Ty-phoo Put The T in Britain Who Put The Cun-t In Sc-unthorpe ?