This trip is feasible but not as entertaining as the bicycle trip to the White Temple. I didn’t find a way to to come back to town by a completely different route, so instead of taking the same itinerary I made the return trip faster by eventually taking the main road, which is not enjoyable. If it’s a clear day and the weather is not too hot (it was too hot for me!), you can go back by the same road and try to look around for alternative streets, or even go further west than I did into the countryside.
Before you go / how to plan
See the tips and tricks on my other post about How to go to the White Temple by bicycle. The same precautions apply here!
Suggested route
Basically this route starts directly north from the city centre on one of the main roads, crosses Kok River on the closest bridge, and then ventures west into the countryside.
Distance: 32 km
Time: 5 hours including all visits.
Difficulty: easy except a few steep roads. Some bits on a main road with traffic. Can get very hot and sunny especially on the way back.
Price: for the bike, 0 to 150 THB / day; museum entrance fee 80 THB.
Click here to see the map in detail.
The Here Wego app (free) is very much recommended for guiding you through bicycle trips.
The excellent website Hobo Maps provides interesting biking maps and travel advice for the area as well.
Sights on the way
You’ll see fields and temples, a few lakes (one quite big), people farming and fishing.One temple, not very far from the airport, is definitely worth a visit: Wat Mangkol Thawararam (Wat Khrua Khrae). It is huge, colorful and looks brand new. Look how tiny I look under Buddha!
Baan Dam Museum itself (Black House)
Just like the White Temple, Baan Dam Museum is the brainchild of a crazy, awesome Thai artist, but a different one: Thawan Duchanee.Whereas the artist behind the White Temple seems obsessed with horror and pop culture, this one seems to have a passion for animal horns, animal skulls, human penises, toilets, and black.It’s actually a huge and beautiful garden with dozens of black houses, some big and some small, with different themes. It’ll take an hour or so to visit.
[…] Also, check out my bicycle itinerary for the Black Temple (Baandam Museum)! […]