Yesterday I had to drive over to Ban Nam Khem in Phangna to visit a couple of ladies who work in the same organisation as me. From where I live in Pak Phanang, I travel west to Nakhon Si Thammarat city, then further west to Thung Song, then north to Phun Phin, which is close to Suratthani. From there I turn left and head west over the mountainous road to Takuapa and the west coast of peninsula Thailand.
In my opinion, this is the most spectacular road in South Thailand. The road winds on through over 100 kms of beautiful green tropical forests and spectacular limestone mountains that just seem to pop up out of the ground. This is the route to get to Khao Sok National Park, an amazing place that centres around the enormous Ratchaprapa Lake. (Look it up in Google.) What the good Lord did in creating this highly attractive area, the Thai authorities improved on by flooding the vally with their 716 m long dam and creating the lake. Some people say this lake rivals the Three Gorges area in China, but I think that might be slightly exaggerated. Some people think the valley looked better without water.
The road itself is such a pleasure to drive. It has all the things that a good road requires - curves (and lots of them), climbs and descents and best of all, stunning scenery (plus good food and coffee places along the way). I get a sore neck just trying to take in all the peaks and cliffs as I drive by. After going through Takhun and Panom towns the road slowly weaves its way through the best area of all, before climbing up the Si Phangna Range. The other side drops down quickly and heads through another 30 kms of gently meandering way before finally arriving a Takuapa. One day I won't be on my way to meet someone, and I'll be able to take all day to drive and stop wherever I want to to enjoy the sights. Even better, I'll borrow someone's (hopefully largish) motorcycle and really make a splash of it.
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