Road flooding on the mainland, Donsak ferry road to highway

Road flooding on the mainland, Donsak ferry road to highway

This morning it was raining all the way from home to the ferry in Nathon. The road in Bang Rak was still flooded and this morning two firetrucks were pumping water instead of one as previously posted in one of my posts. This was all just warming up for what still was to come!

Once I got off the ferry in Donsak, about 5km onto the road direction main highway, I passed through a flooded road bit slightly too fast which caused big water fountains all around my car and a slightly higher heart rate for a moment or two. The first seriously flooded areas I encountered next to the road almost look idyllic, like the picture above shows. This changed rapidly though.

Next I knew the road was about to be flooded and the view changed drastically. People were out on the road, either watching the rain and the traffic go by or just because they couldn't literally stay in their houses because they were flooded.

The water looked more and more aggressive and willing to come and spoil my travel party to Koh Lanta.

That's when I hit the first patch of serious flooded road and my speed which was already reduced by now, was now down to walking speed. After this little patch of flooded road, I was wondering what else there would be in for me on today's travels! needless to say that rain was never really far away, although it was merely a drizzle at this stage.

Just a few kilometers after the first flood, almost near the highway, maybe just 6km away from it, this piece of work came in front of my car, a section of the road covered at it's deepest point in about 1 to 1.4 meters of water. In my broken Thai I conversed with a local policeman who thought that I would be able to get through with my 4 wheel. Well, my car looks like a 4 wheel bit it's not a 4 wheel, so I didn't follow up on his invitation to give it a go.

Soon after he came back and explained that a big truck would come and we could follow the truck so we didn't get lost on the road. I still wasn't completely convinced and righteously so.

A truck came from the opposite direction and was way up to it's doors covered in water, as the picture shows. The guys in the little boat just went out for just in case the truck would get in trouble. A very nice gesture!

Within a minute a second truck made it through, coming from the opposite direction. Soon enough a truck came from out side of the road and started to make it's way through, quickly followed by two cars. The truck stalled just before it started to get really deep and the two cars were caught out. One SUV could make it back in reverse but the other car got stuck as well and needed to be towed out.

I was just able to catch the children (!!) get out of the car and look at the shows floating inside the car, the whole interior flooded whilst they were out there!

Now my day was really made and I was already making plans to find a hotel and get some food. A couple of calls with my wife and friends of her who are from this area didn't help unfortunately and it was not looking too bright in chances of making it to Koh Lanta today so I could start the IDC tomorrow!

After a good 10 minutes the one police guy who initially suggested I travel through the flooded road came back and told me that if I would follow all the cars that were reversing, they would follow a road that wasn't flooded and would lead to the highway.

This was indeed the case and after about a 60 km detour and just one flooded are, see video above, we fin ally made about an hour later into Kanchanadit where I could get some diesel (!) at last, get something to eat and continue my travels for the day! Since Kanchanadit is more or less where the road to Krabi starts it was not too much time wasted. There was some heavy rain and very dark clouds on the way but also some dry patches. Around 4.20pm I finally made it on to Koh Lanta, slightly knackered but very happy to have made it in one piece!

Did I mention that it rains in Lanta?

The city of Nakhon Si Thammarat is heavily affected by today's flooding and Thai TV showed footage of search actions on one of Samui's beaches where a boy went missing in some big waves.

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See you tomorrow!

Camille