Khao Pla Noi เขาปลาน้อย - Kanchanaburi Rainy Season

July 30, 2017

Long weekend and it is the rainy season..

Up early and on the road before the masses. It takes 3 hrs to get to Sai Yok Yai from Bangkok.

Time for a rainy season Khao Pla Noi ride กาญจนบุรี อำเภอไทรโยค.
Coming back, even leaving early on the Sunday afternoon, takes 4 hrs or slightly longer.

I want to go up ” Enduro Mountain ” เขาปลาน้อย in the rainy season. 6 th time to ride up here.

Previously dry season and once a month after the rainy season had finished.

Load up the pickup and wake up the next morning at 5 am.. On the road at 5.30..

We decide to go and ride the trail that cuts between the mountain and takes you out to the paved road heading up to Pilok.

Back in April when we tried.. We were stopped and told we can’t proceed as the area is full of horny Elephants.
A local rubber tapper had been killed a few weeks earlier by an Elephant.

So we decide to give it a go if safe now.

We ask a local that was heading out of the area if it is safe to go in.
He said it is fine.. The Elephants are out late at night and early morning.

As we started to go in.. The trail was like ice.. Slipping and sliding everywhere.

So slippery Filip couldn’t even stop and ran in to the back of me after I crashed.
Hard to even stand up and not slip when taking small steps.

We discuss. Filip really wants to try and go further in. I relent. Lets try a little further.
This time we ride off the trail and in between the rubber trees where we can get better traction.

Still slipping and sliding all over the place and forced to join the track every now and then.

We reach this new check point.. Not here previously when Mike and I went through April 2016.

Not allowed to pass as there are more and more Elephants coming in to the area from Burma we are informed by the Rangers.

(It does make you wonder what is happening to the forest on the other side of the border. If the Elephants are all moving over here.. Suspect the someone getting stuck in and raping and pillaging with the new port going in)

Sleeping upstairs to avoid the Elephants in the evening.

K. Boonrod.. Very cool guy.

He is the boss of the area. We usually see him 2 or so times in a day of riding around the area.

Super friendly and happy to have a chat.

Keeping the Elephants out of camp 😉

We sit out a big downpour and then continue on.. This looks like nothing to difficult right..

Down the bottom.. The rear just flicked out from under me in a fraction of a second.

Hard landing and sprained thumb.. But otherwise OK..

Swelled up nicely and painful.. Continue on, not much standing up on the pegs for the rest of the day.

Back along the slippery trail…

So glad to get back to the beginning and stop for a drink and lick my wounds.

We decide to ride some dirt and check out one of the water falls.

Previously in April.. The waterfalls were pretty much dry or nothing much to see.

It is a public holiday. My Thai ID Pink card.. Meant I got in for free.. Otherwise.. 300 baht for foreigners..

Nice waterfall.. but not worth 300 baht..

Now the waterfalls are in full splendor.. Might head back out here again in the rainy season and do a waterfall ride..

Then we made our way back to the resort.. The usual way, with a bit of exploring.

Checking out where this and that trail go..

Plus a play around here and there.

More stunning scenery..

Trying to find a short cut through..

Dead end.. Nice ride through to here though..

Riding along and think.. This looks interesting.

We stop and say.. Lets have a look.. Looks like fun.. Not far to get back to the resort now.

I do my usual line.. You go first.. I will take the pictures 😉

It is fun too.. Not slick.. but just good old fashioned mud..

Run off / creek to cross.. Must come back and ride this in the dry season.

Always the little crossing that bite the hardest.

This really looked like nothing. Smaller / easier than what we had been doing all day..

In we both get and up to our waist, pushing the bike out..

Full of water and no way getting the bike started.. Plus, only 1.5 hours of day light left.

So I tow Filip all the way back out to the road, that was fun through the mud.

Towing up to this point.. Then push through and tow again.

We then tow the bike back to the resort.. Just as well as we lost most of the next day getting the bike sorted.

Milk for oil.

A handy shop with Oil’s and all sorts of things in Sai Yok.

GPS Co-ordinates for the shop.

The end of the day and we decide to check out the river we usually ride through.

If impassable.. Then no need to waste an hour plus coming this way in the morning..

We will just head straight up the 323, take the short cut through the Hintok Camping area and done.. Just hope the gate is open as we plan to leave early in the AM.. 6 AM riding.

Too deep to cross.. Up the 323 it is.

Up early and the wild life is out and about…

Then over the famous Sai Yok suspension bridge..

Refuel so we have a full tank and 1.5 litres to dump in further up the track.

Plus stop and get breakfast.. Forgot to recharge my GPS.. We know the tracks, just nice to have it and make way points. Bought some Double A batteries in the shop.. They lasted 1 hr 30 mins in to the ride.

GPS showing a message that the batteries are low.

Up to the first guard house and single trail up to the 4 WD tracks..

It was still early and very damp, mist and cloud hanging in the air plus the forest is wet.

We were soaked through half way up the mountain, only to get wetter as we made our way to the top.

I put on a T-Shirt under the body armour.. To act as insulation.. It did the job.. still chilly up the top though.

The track up the mountain from the first guard house.. 28 KM up to the top.