World On Board: Day 31: Off beaten path

Day 31: Off beaten path
Thailand : Thung Kha to Ao Yai-i
Distance: 63 km
Time on board : 4 hpurs 38 mins
Cumulative distance : 1688 km

How i choose my day to day destination? I just look at google map and search for place with possible camp and food water nearby and ranging from 60 to 90 km. After 2 consective days of riding 80 plus km, today i took it easy, found a place on google map 60km away. And it has nice beach and a cave. Interesting.

Since today is a short ride, woke up later than my usual 6am. Pack up and thanked the monks. Last night i had a soundful sleep, because there were no dogs in that monastery. Skated to Chumpon city and continued on to Thung Wua luan beach. That beach is much better than Krabi's Ao Nang. Water is crystal clear and way less tourist crowd than Ao Nang. Went for a dip to cool down.

After thung wua luaen beach, the terrain turns hilly. Stopped at Pathio police station for water. At a town, a car wanted to pass me some water, i couldn't see a road divider and my wheel got caught. Thankfully i am fully protected, not a single scratch.

Ao Yai-i is truly a off beaten path cos there is no sign indicating where to turn. Thanks to Google map, found a side road and entered into Ao Yai-i beach. Went on another path in search for the Yai-i cave. It turns out to be a retreat for monks to mediate. Sort of a monk resort. Climbed into the cave and was awed by its sheer awesome aura. I really earned and paid through my sweat and blood to come here. That makes the destination worthwhile. When you work toward something, your reward just gets sweeter, as you know you deserved the right to be here. Green emerald wall in the cave.

Chatted with monk and they invited me to camp for the night. Though i planned to camp at Thung zang beach, but with the monk's offer I cant refuse. This cave is rarely visited by tourists cos it is never featured in any lonely planet or wikitravel. I managed to discover this place through google map and longboard touring. Any form of manual touring makes you discover off beaten path.