Pedal and Coast

January 21, 2026

Ban Bang Pu, to Phraya Nakhon Cave, to Kui Buri District/Little Home Beach

Dear little friends,

We had a pretty ambitious day planned, so we got up early, had a muesli, papaya, mango, and banana breakfast, all due to Bruce’s meticulous fruit preparation, and headed out the door a little before 8 am. We had to be back before 12pm checkout time so we sped down the lane but not before one of the guesthouse ladies popped out and yelled for us, thinking we were leaving without giving the key back. She hadn’t noticed we had no panniers on our bikes. I think what that was all about, I’m not always certain. We pointed toward the cave and said we’d be back and all was well.

The bridge to the cave is under construction so the makeshift bridge made of logs and boards and rusty nails was interesting to say the least. Vans, cars, motorbikes, sidecars, they all rolled across without a care in the world so we should too but that was definitely not the case. I mean, those are LOGS. More like branches than logs if we’re being honest.

Somewhere up there a portion of the top of a cave collapsed and we were about to climb up to it once we crossed this rickety bridge.

We parked our bikes, paid for tickets, looked up at part one of this two-part hike, and gulped. But it didn’t seem that hard, and it made me realize that I’m in far better shape now than I was in late October when we started this madness. But holy cow, was it humid. I had a bandanna handy to keep the sweat from rolling down into my eyes but it was going to be a slog.

There are beautiful views from the top of this ridge, a place to rest, and then down again. Piece o’ cake! We sneered at the wimps who chose to take a 400 BAHT boat ride around the ridge. $13 to skip a short hike! Crazy town.

These two dogs were very happy to see us and to lead us until they realized we didn't have any food and then they quickly lost interest in us.

At the bottom there is a sweet little beach, lots of sand, some National Park buildings that are pure Thai National Park buildings. Very nice bathrooms, lots of encouraging signs, and of course, a restaurant. We haven’t actually been to a lot of national parks in Thailand but the ones we have been to ALWAYS have a restaurant. It’s pretty endearing.

Look at this thing sprouting from the earth! There was only one of them.

And then the trail to hike number 2, with plenty of warning signs about its difficulty and so on. I’m seeing people leaning on canes or carrying babies, I mean, how hard can it be?

Yeah, it was actually very difficult. It’s very rocky, there have been some sort of steps put in here and there but they are extremely steep, we gained elevation fast but I was sopping wet from sweat already and now it was much worse. I haven’t been that sweaty since we biked the Hai Van Pass in Vietnam nine years ago in 90% humidity. My knee-length shorts were sticking to my thighs, that didn’t even happen when we were biking in the rain in December. Ugh.

This was the start of the second climb which was the worst of all.

Bruce usually doesn't sweat much but he claimed he was dripping wet all over.

But eventually we got to the mouth of the cave, where you enter and then immediately go down into near-darkness, me thinking gloomily that I’m going to have to come back up this part again. Two people sat smoking in front of the no smoking sign, put out their ciggies and then continued on in to the inner part of the cave.

Looking up near the entrance to the cave.

See that yellow bandana in my hand? Sopping wet from mopping my face.

Phraya Nakhon Cave is another one of those caves where the roof has dropped in and light and rain enter and trees come up and oh, some Thais put in a cool little pagoda thing that catches the sunlight in a dreamy scene. It’s very beautiful with its vaulted ceiling.

We knew that peak sunlight-on-the-pagoda was around 10:30 so we had some time before that would happen so we lingered around, Bruce taking photo after photo and me mentally criticizing some of the tourists that were appearing, after several signs had ordered people to dress appropriately for a sacred space, in skin-tight, midriff-baring spandex skimpy outfits. Atypically for me I kept my grumpy thoughts to myself.

As the sun shifted its angle it became more golden in color.

I was tired, not gonna lie. That second hike had really taken it out of me, and now I had to go not only back down, but over that ridge again. My mental clock was ticking, how long would that take when I was already pretty exhausted and of course soaking wet and now the cave dust was clinging to my lower legs. We needed to check out by noon. Bruce was waiting for The Big Shaft of Light, but the sky was pretty much overcast with a few spots of sun now and then.

It’s not typical for us to separate on an outing like this but I had to leave and let him catch up. And I’m glad I did because large buses of school kids had arrived and getting down the trail again was like that last part of the Everest climb with people in the way, people stopping to catch their breath, blocking the path, being oblivious, you can imagine. Fortunately there was plenty of oxygen to go around so no bodies marking the path.

But finally I was at the bottom, and I sat and waited for Bruce to get into cell coverage again and I texted, “I’m at the bottom”, and he replied that I should keep going to the ridge and he would catch up. He also was stuck behind an Everest line of slowpokes.

I was really feeling it now, and pretty sapped. I just wanted out of there. There were very few people on the ridge trail so that wasn’t a problem, I was just really tired. Not only that, we still had 16 miles or so to ride to the next place. There was a cement thing running next to the trail and I sat on it forlornly until Bruce was there, I got a drink of water, and let him go ahead to unlock the bikes so we could jet on outta there.

We made it back to the guesthouse at 11:52, I darted into the bathroom and used the bum gun to squirt off my filthy feet and legs, we loaded up, left the key in the door, and picked up a cha yen to fuel us out of town. By this time the sky was completely clouded over, and we had a lot of gratitude for that.

Smart people would have gotten something to eat first but I was actually feeling a little nauseous so I nixed that, which was completely stupid. Down the road we went.

We’ve taken this road twice before and in the right light it’s quite spectacular as it follows the sea and the crags of Sam Roi Yot National Park but the dim lighting and tiredness didn’t allow for much wonder. I was so tired that I would pedal and then coast, pedal and coast. I haven’t done that once on this trip and it’s a very bad sign. It was flat, we had a tailwind, it was cloudy and sort of coolish, but I was struggling.

Fish farms right up to Sam Roi Yod National Park.

We will be glad when this election is over on Feb. 11th.

It’s kind of an isolated area out there, very few restaurants that look clean enough to stop at, and at a certain point I just wanted to get to the guesthouse, knowing there is a nice seafood place a few yards away. And eventually we got there. I took a restorative shower and we walked up the beach. Bruce was picking up shells for the grandkids per their request, I was dying of hunger.

The menu was expensive compared to what we usually pay for meals. But eating elsewhere was not an option, we’re at the beach, of course I want seafood, and Bruce’s eye was caught by a Tom Kha Gai and before we knew it some of the very best food of the entire trip was being served up to us on our wooden table.

Hunger is the best sauce? Well, I’d say quality food is right up there too, because we just kept Mmm-ing and “oh man”-ing over our dinner. Absolutely top notch.

At the superb restaurant 200 meters down the beach from our guest house Little Home Resort.

The guesthouse is a dark, cramped wooden bungalow with a half-abandoned feel to it. We are climbing over each other just to get in and out of the bathroom. You know what? It was a really hard day for me but in the end it was all worth it. The gorgeous cave, the amazing dinner, the adorable shells drying on the porch, a few more miles on the tally, and sleep, beautiful sleep. In the night I was awakened by a surprise hard rain shower. Sheltered, I knew it was just a squall, another one that will pass along its way and we’ll be dry in the morning.

Today's ride: 19 miles (31 km)
Total: 1,196 miles (1,925 km)

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Jen RahnThat cave is amazing! I'm looking forward to seeing the photos on a large screen.

Glad that this physically demanding day ended with a delicious and nutritious meal. Yum!
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