A lush ride

When I was new to mountain biking, Phu Khae Botanical Garden in Saraburi was one of my favourite places to ride at weekends. Besides the fact that it’s not far from Bangkok and that the trail there ran under cool tree shade, the gai yang (grilled chicken) and som tam (papaya salad) sold at stalls inside the garden were inexpensive and delicious. Recently, after at least a decade and a half of no chance to visit, I finally got to return to Phu Khae and found that things have changed... for the better.

Before we get to my “new discovery”, allow me to tell you a few things about Phu Khae first. The botanical garden, officially opened in 1950, was the first of its kind in the Kingdom. Somehow, such gardens are run by different agencies. This one is under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Phu Khae covers over 5,000 rai (around 800 hectares), on both sides of Highway 1 near the Y junction that is its namesake.

The trail I used to ride was on the east side so my friends and I went straight to that part. Going through the entrance, I still remembered the time when another friend had his bike wiped off the roof of his car by the height barrier. Luckily, there was no damage to the frame but the rim of the front wheel needed to be replaced.

Strangely, as we got inside the garden seemed unfamiliar. I couldn’t even find the gai yang stalls. The trail too seemed to have disappeared, as if nobody bikes there any more. But that couldn’t be true since just a week before we came somebody had posted a video clip on YouTube claiming the trail he was riding on was in this botanical garden.

We wasted no more time and went to a group of workers who were cutting the overgrown grass to ask where we could find the bike trail.

“The mountain bike track is over there,” one of the workers replied, pointing to the other side of the highway. “Riders go there every evening.” As for the chicken stalls, he said they were removed a couple of years ago.

So we moved to the west part of the botanical garden. As soon as we entered the main gate, we were greeted by a sign on the left-hand side shouting “Bike Park”.

With delight, we followed the sign and hit the trail right away. It ran southward along the boundary of the botanical garden’s woodland. As we gradually climbed up the mild slope, the highway on the other side of the fence seemed deeper and deeper down below. The old track that used to be on the garden’s east portion was all flat.

After the long straight ascent, the trail began to go into the woods, winding through the mixed deciduous forest which at this rainy time of year is lush green. There were some more short climbs and descents but no difficult obstacles. This single track may not be challenging enough for those seeking extreme thrills but it’s ideal for daily training and a pleasant ride with friends or family.

Apart from the mountain bike trail, out of the woods there is also a paved cycling lane for beginners who are not keen on off-road riding or young children. The boy shown in one of the photos was riding by himself while waiting for his father to finish work. He was eager to show us around.

The cycling lane led us to different parts of the botanical garden where numerous species of trees and plants are on display. Some of the trees have history, like the rang tree ( Shorea siamensis), which was planted by King Bhumibol in 1968 and the teak trees grown from tissues of the original trees that were cut for the major renovation of Bangkok’s Giant Swing a decade ago.

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 Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.

Pongpet Mekloy is the BangkokPost’s travel editor and a mountain bike freak.