More than 1,000 cyclists answered last week’s call from budget airline Nok Air to join the charity rally “Ride for Life” to raise funds to treat kids with heart disease through the Cardiac Children Foundation of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana.
The event, part of the ongoing “Nok Gives Life” project, was successful in its aim, raising Bt460,872 for the cause from registrations and pledges.
For the cyclists travelling from Bangkok and elsewhere to participate, the bike ride was also an opportunity to attend Nakhon Si Thammarat’s annual Khanom Festival as well as sample some delicious Southern fare.
Our group was quick to indulge in the seafood specials, heading straight to Khanom Jeen Mae Yai restaurant for a lunch of rice noodles in a succulent curry sauce made with blue swimming crab and vegetables. Our host for the weekend was the Chonnapa Resort, which fronts on to Khanom’s unspoilt beach and where after another sumptuous seafood dinner, we passed a restful night ready for the exercise the following day.
“Ride for Life” kicked off from the Khanom Golden Beach Hotel on Na Dan Beach and participants, among them Win Sirivongse of Sqweez Animal and GMM Grammy’s young artists Phurikoolkrit Chusaksakulwiboon, Tawan Vihokratana, Weerayut Chansook and Atthaphan Phunsawat, were ready bright and early to catch the opening ceremony.
The first section of the bike activity was held on the road parallel to the beach over a distance of 15 kilometres with the first stop at Kwang Pao Bay.
Formerly known as Thong Ta Pao Bay, the area is surprisingly untouched by man with pristine white sand and crystal clear water. All too soon we were back on our bikes, peddling another 15 km to Ban Khuan Thong School before tuning and cycling back to the hotel.
Later that night, we headed to the Khanom Festival, which this year draw more than 10,000 music fans to listen to Ben Chalathit, Win Sqweez Animal, Getsunova, 25 Hours and Potato. The rain, which had been threatening for several hours, held off for the show but drenched concert-goers as they started to leave.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.