Round-island ride
We were well-rested. Had a good night sleep and were raring to go.
After a simple breakfast, we went back to our rooms to set up the bikes.
Then we rode North towards Bo Phut, the next town after Chaweng.
It was a smooth ride and along the way, we found out that the island is hilly with lots of undulating terrain.
Bo Phut - Nathon
The sky was bright and we could feel the heat all along the way.
Traffic was a breeze and cycling around Thailand, I noticed that the cars and truck would make an effort to avoid you.
Basically, we were the only couple on a small bike and were the only people wearing helmets.
We reached the town of Bo Phut where the giant Buddha statue is found.
Took a couple of photos there and continued the journey towards Nathon.
Scores of tourists arrived in droves at the temple in Bo Phut.
After snapping some shots, we were on our way.
From this town, its a long ride towards the port town of Nathon.
This is where ferries from the mainland berthed.
We rode the undulating terrain towards Mae Nam and while we were cycling, we saw an old-timer on a mountain bike in full riding gear.
He was the first Thai cyclist we saw on the road.
Since motorcycle rentals are cheap, people hardly cycle in Ko Samui.
A spectacular climb
After Mae Nam, the journey becomes really interesting.
We had to climb a hill, about 25% gradient. The initial climb was smooth until we reached the last stretch, which
was impossible to cycle.
Michelle and I got off our bikes and started pushing.
At this point, we figured out that it was pointless to hurt ourselves.
After a short distance, we were at a viewpoint on the hill.
Then, it was a fast downhill roll towards Nathon.