Terra Incognita Bang Yai

Cycling through the countryside usually is a pretty safe experience, but of course road quality and other traffic can be tricky and we better not mention those dogs…

Whether people’s pets or street warriors, either can turn at a whim seriously aggressive!

But on the whole everything goes smoothly, just follow the paths/roads and check occasionally Mr. Google, right?

Piece of cake until you suddenly end up on a stretch where our digital map registers blank space: Terra Incognita…

Then we’re back like centuries ago, exploring “Hearts of Darkness” while looking at fanciful maps with signs like “Here Be Monsters”…

Recently I found myself in such a situation, having been cycling around Bang Len Soi 21 and slowly became more and more convinced that there might be trail to Bangmoung Municipality Soi 1!

This prospect - although potentially dangerous, cycling off the grid - somehow appealed to me a lot and on a Tuesday morning I decided to go for it!

Amply provided with food (half a packet of Fisherman Friends) and courage I left home despite my wife’s dire warnings about all possible dangers I might encounter on this epic journey.

The first stretch was easy going and the weather dry, all in all an auspicious start I thought.

However once I reached Bang Len Soi 21 things began to change, nearby Wat Bang Len Charoen looked gloomy, not to say forbidden, and the first hellhounds were crossing my trail…

Thinking of my fellow explorers Dr. Livingstone, Sir Richard Francis Burton, a.m.o. I regained my courage and continued following in their footsteps.

However I couldn’t follow their bicycle trails as they either walked/marched or rode horses/elephants/whatever, the times they are-a-changing' indeed!

I swallowed and cycled slowly into Soi 21/1 which according to Mr. Google was just a cul-de-sac, but by now I knew better.

Deep into the Soi some locals were performing sinister rituals with long sticks which didn’t look very promising, but I ignored them and carried gravely on.

Finally I arrived at a fork in the road, continuing left was a dead-end, but right might lead to fame and fortune for discovering a new route or an ignoble end halfway with my faithful folding bike rotting away and my corpse never be found again.

Desperate choices demand desperate actions, therefore I opened my pack of Fisherman Friends and swallowed a tablet…

The narrow slippery elevated concrete path wound its way through the impenetrable forest with only a few hovels in the area.

Locals avoided this area of Bang Yai for good reasons as I soon found out when my path was blocked by an ancient local pushing a bizarre looking contraption.

After making a few hand signs (obviously to ward off evil as I doubted if he had ever seen a White Man in this part of the world before) he made some space for me to pass.

Leaving him behind I felt much better, after all this encounter could have easily turned violent with lots of blood spilled!

The next part was suspiciously peaceful and just when I was about to lower my guard.., suddenly another obstacle appeared right in front of me!

I just managed to stop in time and looked in horror at the white monstrosity in front which completely blocked the path.

It turned around, growled evilly and I was about to soil myself when suddenly another local appeared shouting curses and more upon which the evil creature slowly stood up and slithered away, leaving me a sudden escape route.

Immediately I raced off, leaving both monster and my rescuer(?) in the dust…

Why the local saved my life will always remain a mystery but I had to continue as the end was in sight.