My first night on the road started properly once I left Hua Hin.

The ride itself wasn’t long — about an hour and a half — but it felt like a lot was happening. I was heading south, getting my direction, getting my bearings, just cruising and getting used to the bike with a big bag strapped to the back. Everything felt a bit unfamiliar, but in a good way.

I’d set up a chest mount on my GoPro so I could record some of the ride. Not for anything specific — just to have it. To remember it.

Hua Hin was bigger than I expected. Busier too. I hadn’t really spent time there before. It felt very different to Bangkok, but it was still lively. Big shopping centres, plenty of traffic, lots of foreigners around. It was cool. Busy, but manageable.

Once I hit the motorway and started putting distance between myself and the city, I tried to take as many coastal roads as I could. That’s when it really opened up.

You’d come around a couple of bends and suddenly there’d be a clearing. Green everywhere on one side, the sea on the other. Proper postcard stuff, but it didn’t feel staged. Just there.

Further along, the road pulled me inland. The coastline disappeared and I found myself riding through what felt like small mountains — moss, trees, exposed rock faces. Not huge, but impressive. It reminded me a bit of a smaller version of Krabi.

As the light started to drop, I realised I needed to figure out where I was staying.

I hadn’t booked anything. Not in Hua Hin, not anywhere else. I checked one place first — didn’t exist anymore. Just gone. Off the map. Fair enough. That set the tone.

I checked another place on Booking.com. It looked real. Still in Thailand. Still operating. So I pointed the bike in that direction and went for it.

It was getting dark now.

The roads got smaller. Dogs wandering around. Kids playing. I wouldn’t even call it a village — just a few buildings clustered together. Everyone looked at me as I passed. You could tell straight away I didn’t belong there.

“Falang, falang,” a kid shouted, waving.

I waved back and kept going.

Eventually the app told me to turn down a side road. I use the word road loosely. It quickly turned sandy. Bumpy. Potholes everywhere. Barely lit. On one side was a big clearing with what looked like palm trees, but much taller than I was used to. I’m still not sure what they were.

I remember thinking, Right — this is properly rural now.

I kept going and eventually rolled into the place.

Two or three motorbikes outside. One guy at the desk, which also doubled as the bar. Another person sitting nearby. That was it. No one else around.

It was right on the beach.

I liked it immediately.

He showed me the rooms. I picked one. A hut by the beach. I think it cost me around twenty or twenty-two euro for the night. Small fridge. Complimentary water. Shower. Air conditioning. TV. Everything I needed.

I ordered food at the bar. A pizza. Two cocktails. Nothing fancy, but it hit the spot.

After that, I went back to the hut and sat outside for a few minutes, just looking out at the sea. Dark now. Quiet. Waves in the background.

I remember thinking how long I’d wanted to experience more rural parts of Thailand. Less planned. Less polished. And there I was, first night on the road, already in it.

The trip was only going to be four nights in total.

I knew I had to make the most of it.