Tough Climb And An Iron Bridge - Beyond The Sarasin Bridge

ashtonlawson

Member
May 7, 2017
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My first Beyond the Sarasin Bridge video using my new laptop, experimenting with fancier cuts and colour -grading. Still need time to improve but anyway...

Khao Kai Nui is a hill in Phang Nga, between Thai Muang and Khao Lak. It's quite the challenging climb for a street bike, would've been easier on my CBR 170R, but head gasket is leaking so, but anyway...

For the last ten years, Khao Kai Nui was inhabited by a local family who decided to rework it into a homestay for the past two. They're lovely overall, as demonstrated by the breakfast I was given without request and without payment, and they shared with my stories about how their family are mainly fisherman, but they also started showing Thai tourists and some real backpacker foreigners how to fish and see some unknown locations around the area as a source of extra income.

In Takuapa, I visited the Iron Bridge, a landmark I had seen before but didn't realise was rideable. With drone in hand, I was hoping to get an automated shot of me riding across, however safety concerns got the better of me since I can't afford to lose a drone, and so carefully piloted shots of locals and tourists riding and snapping photos would have to do.

Khao Kai Nui & Iron Bridge Flickr Album
Sarasin to Khao Kai Nui
Khao Kai Nui to Takuapa's Iron Bridge
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Cheers,

Ashton

P.S. Unfortunately it isn't in the video: about 5km before I reached Takuapa from Khao Kai Nui I acquired a flat tyre, which saw me stranded 150km from home, on a Sunday.

After a half hour of futile phone calls, a black pick-up with two policemen pulled up perplexed at my predicament and decided to help me get to Takuapa, with my intention of finding a place to repair or at least be in an actual town overnight, rather than a forest road.

The policemen went above and beyond, driving me around until we pulled-up to a closed auto-repair shop, the owner of which was a friend of the main policeman dude. Fifteen minutes passed and the doors rolled-up revealing the boss and her team walking out with a tyre repair kit.
Stab, thread, dip, stab, twist and pull, they then asked me what pressure I usually run before we lifted it off the pick-up, ready to roll.

I asked how much for their services and was met with a thoughtful look followed by "mai ben rai".

I like to refer to that day as my "Luckiest Unlucky Day", due to my unfortunate predicament paired with the many kind souls I met and won't forget.
 
Aug 20, 2013
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My kind of ride. Enjoyed the video too. Desperately need to get out. My Africa Twin isn't getting much action at the moment.
 
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ashtonlawson

Member
May 7, 2017
13
21
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32
Phuket
Cheers guys, glad you enjoyed. Can't wait to do another one, and yes Paul, those two policemen were lovely, as were their autorepair friends - when I'm back from the big trip tomorrow I plan to head up that side and bring them gift baskets or something.