Night with the Police 16/02/2011: Krabi to Takuapa 150.33km

The day started well right from breakfast where I had a feast of pancakes and honey. I was pretty dead set on camping today so I got a few supplies if I did. I needed to camp to save money, I have been spending way too much, although I will get plenty of opportunities in places like Mongolia till then my options are limited.

On the move the object was to try and live cheaply today but I still could resist the need to buy drinks of ice tea and orange juice (helps with the blood sugars). Today I ended up on some of the best roads I think since New Zealand, at the time I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the right road but it was smooth, very few cars and had twisty widening down hills, it was so joyful to cycle on, the corners seemed to lean with the turn and I felt like a moto GP rider leaning into the corners, well not quite but I was having fun.

My Police mate whose name I forgot.

Lunch I stocked up on a bit more food, I even thought I could get away with carrying a couple of eggs of which only one survived, RIP the other egg. I was finally in the part of Thailand I wanted to be, jungle, spectacular rock faces and just locals, not a single 7/11, big petrol station (they just sell it in glass bottles) and everybody was happy living the good life.

I made good ground so was aiming for Takuapa, I heard a story of a couple who just wondered up to local police stations and asked to pitch their tent up apparently never refused so I decided to try my luck when I got there but I kept an eye out for any other potential camping spots as knowing my luck I’d be refused. Once I arrived in Takuapa it was a decent sized town and locating the police station I asked a police officer suggestively if he knew of anywhere where I could put my tent up. He was friendly enough but didn’t seem massively keen on letting me camp within the police ground so instead said to go to the National Park ‘just over there.’ Bugger I thought so I headed back along the road I was going to ride tomorrow back tracking slightly. The art to finding a good camping spot is one that is hidden from view of people sounds easier than it is because you then need an area which has a nice flat area of soft (ish) ground. I still had  about 30 to 40 minutes of sunlight left so I wasn’t panicking, knowing when it is dark I will be spoilt for choice. A couple of kilometers from the town there was a small police box which I always manned by one or two people, I’m not entirely sure the purpose. I pulled up to ask if I could pitch a tent up somewhere immediately without hesitation the answer was yes, these guys were a bit more relaxed and I put my tent up underneath a battered canvas car porch. After a shower curtsey of a bucket I got on with dinner and got some water boiling. My new police friend however invited me to have rice and curry with him, shower and fed, luxury. He spoke little English but just enough so we could talk. After we’d eaten I offered to wash up but he wasn’t having it so I used the rest of my hot water and had another brew. A bit later a few more policemen showed up, these guys were in full uniform and looked the business. If you’re going to mess with these guys and muck their uniform up they will kick the crap out of you (I’d imagine). My police friend (for the life of me I forgot his name, grrrr) then gave me a beer to my surprise he was having one to! Only later did I find out he was going home, I think he said his wife was pregnant. He was a good guy and seemed a top police man to, I thanked him for his hospitality before he left. I retreated to the tent where I’m again just dripping with sweat, yuck! I feel pretty secure here, no one is bothering me, I mean whose going to.