Day 4 – Hat Yai to Chumphon
After our one night stop-over in Hatyai, we would be breaking new ground, going further north than we had ever done before on our previous drives. Instead of heading to Phuket as we normally would do, our destination for the day was Chumphon, capital of the Chumphon province, a 480km drive from Hatyai.
This was a straightforward drive on the main AH2 highway, with two lanes making it easy to overtake slower vehicles. We still got to see interesting sights like people taking their cows for a walk along the side of the road. Another more scary sight was a tractor trailer driving driving towards you along the road shoulder on the wrong side of the road. These Thai highways are never dull, and these means that as drivers, we always need to be on the alert, no matter how safe the conditions seem. Never take things for granted. We also counted no less than 8 animal carcasses on the road, you never know when a dog or a cat might rush out from the side of the highway. In one of our previous drives, we had a huge dog do just that in front of our vehicle as we were speeding along the fast lane and it took a lot of composure on my part to stay come and not overreact and endangering my family in the vehicle.
Being a new route, we were unsure where we could stop for lunch, and we ended up along a roadside food outlet at a petrol kiosk. There was not much available, and we settled for the soup noodles, which thankfully were delicious and well received by the kids!
After lunch, we proceeded along our way. Following our GPS, we approached Chumphon town but made a U-turn to take a “shortcut” through some farmlands. The road sign literally said “Shortcut to Chumphon!”
This last bit of the drive was quite a scenic one, taking us through some lovely countryside roads, with farm tractors, railroad crossings and so on.
Finally, after a full days drive on the longest leg of our journey so far, we were rewarded with a view of the beautiful coastline.
Shortly after, we arrived at the Novotel Chumphon resort, where we would be putting up for one night.
This was a quiet place, with not many amenities or shops in the surrounding area. The rooms were big and comfortable, but the decor felt old and in need of a refresh.
Arriving in the mid afternoon, we wanted to take the kids for a dip in the pool, but it started to drizzle so we decided instead to take an early dinner at the resort restaurant.
After that, with the family resting comfortably in the room, I decided to take a walk out to explore the beach and the surrounding area.
As mentioned, there was not much to do outside, only to enjoy the fresh air and scenic beach views, especially as the sky started to turn dark.
This is part 6 of my 2018 Drive from Singapore to Thailand Blog Series, click HERE for part 7 where I share about the drama of losing a passport!
2018 Drive from Singapore to Thailand Blog Series:
- 2018 Drive from Singapore to Thailand
- Getting a Grip
- Taiping Tyrannosaurus
- A Completely New Border Crossing
- First time in Hatyai
- Cantering Towards Chumphon
- Passport Panic
- Breaking the Bangkok Barrier
- A Home Away From Home
- Kids Love Kidzania!
- Rayong Night Drive
- A Rayong Adventure
- Time to Head Home
- Driving in Heavy Rain
- Craft and Japanese
- Rock Climbing and Mini Golf
- Scenic Drive Through Phang Nga
- From Money Changer to Money Taker
- Putrajaya Paradise
- The Last Leg with my Concluding Thoughts
- Route Summary
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Blog Series
- 2019 Thailand Fly & Drive (Bangkok, Khao Kho, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son Loop, Chiang Khan, Khon Kaen, Khao Yai, Pattaya)
- 2019 Cameron Highlands Brothers Drive
- 2018 Bali Drive
- 2017 Hungary Winter Drive
- 2017 Hokkaido Winter Drive
- 2019 Drive from Singapore to Thailand (Krabi, Phuket)
- 2018 Drive from Singapore to Thailand (Bangkok, Rayong)
- 2017 Drive from Singapore to Thailand (Krabi, Phuket)
- 2016 Drive from Singapore to Thailand
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