A Day in Bang Kachao

In my search for “the road less travelled by” I ended up spending my last day in Bangkok cycling around the island of Bang Kachao.

How to get there: 

From the city centre I took a train to Khloe Toei MRT. It’s fairly simple, just go to the nearest station, find a map and follow the lines until you reach Khloe Toei. From there, I got a motorbike taxi, reluctantly at first. But it was around 40 baht, the cheapest option for solo travellers. For bigger groups, you can take a grab or hail a taxi, just tell them to get to the pier and say you want to get a boat to the island and they should know where to take you. Yes, you’ll find that most of the drivers won’t be able to speak fluent English but it’s not something a little pointing on your phone/map and dramatic arm gestures won’t solve. 

From the pier, I was able to buy a return boat ride to the island and rent a bike. (80 baht for the whole day inc boat ride) The boat took me to the top left side of the island and from there, the park was very close by.

In retrospect, I think it is a place better appreciated with other people.

The park area was a beautiful place to ride around especially for a beginner like me. It is a brilliant place to take your family especially children. You can also enjoy birdwatching and fish feeding. It was fairly quiet, definitely off the tourist path! For solo travellers, it’s a perfect place to get lost and breathe in some fresh air but in retrospect, I think it is a place better appreciated with other people.

Don’t make the same mistake as me and ride your bike on the left side of the road. Other than that, once your in the island, you can explore as much as you want. After leaving the park, I anxiously cycled on the main streets and tried to look for the floating market only to get lost into the main road where I had to ride with the bigger cars! There were loads of interesting hidden spots along the way such as temples and statues. In the end, a local told me that the floating market was closed or at least it’s what I assumed as she kept on saying “NO” while pointing at the location of the market in my map.

Though I wasn’t able to communicate well with the Thai locals, I experienced how their immense kindness transcends any barriers

At one point, my curiosity got me in an endless alleyway, I eventually had to ask a local for help. Instead of just pointing me the way in broken English knowing I would not understand, he went ahead and walked me back to the park and helped me cross the stream using the raft. Though I wasn’t able to communicate well with the Thai locals, I experienced how their immense kindness transcends any barriers.

Final thoughts on the island:

I imagined the island to be smaller and free from cars, accesible only to bikes. The blog I read before going, mainly used photos from the park and this shaped my expectations of the island. At first, I was disappointed, then later disappointment was replaced by anxiety when I ended up lost on the main road. But I think what’s more disappointing is that I let myself imagine the place through the eyes of others. In truth, it was a wonderful place to get away from the city and to relax. And I didn’t regret spending the day there at all! (Also I'm very proud I actually managed to maneuver myself around the area by bike!)

Though I visited some of the touristy sights in Bangkok like Wat Arun temple and the Grand Palace because of the lack of time and budget, I decided to skip on the other “essential” Thai experiences and that’s how I ended up in Bang Kachao. I have learned during the short space of time I have traveled that no itinerary is perfect. You are bound to miss out on something, and especially when I travel solo, I am limited to certain things due to my budget. In fact, I left Bang Kachao knowing I haven’t fully explored it. However, I have learned to simply enjoy just being in a new place. To get lost in a new and unfamiliar world, to go for the experience and not to tick lists. And most importantly, to meet new people and bridge gaps despite the initial barriers. Any travel is travel and for me, to take one step out of my comfy box is an achievement in itself.

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