Wiggling towards nirvana
To me, Bang Saray, a short drive southward from the more touristy Pattaya and Jomtien, has always been synonymous with great seafood. There are quite a few famous restaurants there, especially near the fishing piers. Recently, however, I’ve gotten to learn first-hand that Bang Saray has a lot more to offer than that, thanks to expat friends. They’ve even helped me experience nirvana.
For over a year now, Paul Haines of England and his family have made Bang Saray their second home. Almost every weekend, they leave Bangkok for this laid-back town on the east coast. The nirvana I mentioned earlier is not the transcendent state but the name Paul has aptly given a section of the single track near his Bang Saray home.
Recently — together with Joris Laperre, a Belgian expat, and his wife Wanchalerm, who were kind enough to give me and visiting Swiss rider Marcel Isler a ride from Bangkok on their pickup — I finally got to ride the trail Paul mentions so often on Facebook.
Before the afternoon ride, we had lunch in Bang Saray town, between Paul’s condominium and the trail. There, we were joined by a couple of other foreign riders who live in the area. The small local restaurant where we sat had a detailed English menu, and it’s not the only one in the area that caters to an international clientele. Here and there in the small town, you can find eateries — some of them run by expats — that offer decent European food. Suddenly, Bang Saray reminded me of Prachuap Khiri Khan, a serene haven for expats south of Hua Hin and Pran Buri. Like many Thais who usually drop by Bang Saray just for those seafood restaurants around the pier area, I never noticed this.
But the town of Bang Saray boasts one thing its counterpart on the other side of the Gulf of Thailand doesn’t have: a mountain bike track.
As soon as we finished lunch, Paul led us to the west end of the town and through a gate guarded by navy men. The sign says it’s the Navy’s Recruit Training Centre (RTC). That rang a bell for me; I have long heard about the RTC’s bike trail. For some reason, over the last few years, the cross-country race they used to have here was no longer held. Thanks to Paul and other local bikers, the trail is constantly maintained and still fun to ride.
According to Paul, who carried a machete on our ride to clear away overgrown vegetation and fallen trees, the trail is technical and made up of two sections.
“The first part I call ‘Wiggle Wiggle’,” he said, explaining that it’s a tight-winding, up-and-down trail that tests the rider’s balance and control.
“The second is ‘Nirvana’, a flowing forest single-track that ends with a shooting out of the forest, onto the beach,” he added. This beach he referred to lies within the compound of the RTC. One of its ends is graced with shiny golden sculptures of characters from Thai literature, Phra Aphai Manee. From the beach, you can see the tall buildings of Jomtien in the distance.
After the fun-filled ride, while enjoying a refreshing iced latte by the sea, I think I understand why Paul calls the latter section of the trail Nirvana. The flow and speed was mind-freeing and the feeling was probably the closest laymen like us can get to the real thing.
Well, see you here again next Thursday. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to the Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.
Pongpet Mekloy is TheBangkokPost’s travel editor and a mountain bike freak.