Phang Nga – Koh Phra Thong

Koh Phra Thong Beach - White and Wide

This is a wonderful island with wonderful beaches and highly varied fauna and flora, which make the island a great destination to explore.However, visitors must be ready to accept that this island (supposedly) is the last tambon in Thailand to not have a public electricity grid, which means inhabitants only have electricity for three-four hours each evening. Although there is a ferry from the pier at Muh Koh Surin National Park’s office, there is no fixed schedule for departures. Transport to / from the island is mostly by means of long tail boats with Ban Ded being the main connection point on the mainland. After departure from Ban Ded, one passes through mangrove before crossing a short stretch of open water to reach the island.

All but one of the island’s five resorts have only basic structures (huts or tents) for rent. The Oasis Resort offers the best value for money with extremely friendly owners and large tents right on edge of a magnificent beach.

Around 600 people live on Koh Phra Thong. The island doesn’t have any paved roads, but does have some narrow concrete tracks, barely wide enough for one vehicle, that connect most of the populated locations to each other. Other locations are reached by tracks short-cutting through the wilderness. 

The eastern shores of the island are mostly mangrove forests. If you can get a local to take you around in a small boat to see birds and monkeys.The western shores of the island have kilometer after kilometer of truly unspoiled sandy beaches. There are no beach chairs or sun parasols, but plenty of crabs.

Map of Koh Phra Thong indicating savanna area in red

The interior of the island is dominated by a large sandy savanna – tall grass, shrubs, small trees (mostly pine and cajuput) – with small lakes and ponds full of mussels. The savanna is home to around 70 deer, 40 hornbills, and an unknown number of feral pigs. I borrowed a 20-year old book with information on the island. It listed eight different frogs, but 16 different snakes, so it is advisable to take due care when walking around on the savannah or in the forest on the island.To get around on the savanna is relatively easy in the dry season, but during the rainy season, the tracks turn muddy and often disappear as ponds become lakes.

The island has three villages and the southernmost village, Ban Tungthae, is basically cut off from the rest of the island during the rainy season. It had more than 300 inhabitants 10 years ago. But the tsunami dealt a hard blow to the village from which it hasn’t recovered. At present, Ban Tungthae is home to only around 60 villagers and the school is deserted.

Local Transport

The intermittent supply of electricity, poor infrastructure, and basic accommodation brought back memories of Koh Chang 20 years ago. However, even back then, Koh Chang had far more (backpacker) tourists than Koh Phra Thong has today. Back then, Koh Chang was also a popular destination among adventurous university students from Bangkok whenever there was a long weekend. Koh Phra Thong is far more quiet although it does on occasion get some visitors dropping by on their way to / from Muh Koh Surin or if boat services to Muh Koh Surin are suspended due to rough seas.

Big Bird defending its nest against nosy tourists

In any case, although Muh Koh Surin is amazingly beautiful, it is also small and it is easy to get bored. Koh Phra Thong is far larger and offers a multitude of activities, so it is far easier to spend long time on that island. I highly recommend a visit. 

Prachuab Khiri Khan - Ban Krut

South of Bang Saphan - Chumphon in the distance

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2013/12/prachuab-khiri-khan-bang-saphan.html

Ban Krut is 65 km south of Prachuab's provincial capital. It is a great oasis for people loving deserted beaches albeit it gets busy on long weekends. The small town has a train station, but most visitors reach it by car. The town's main attraction - apart from beaches - is a big Buddha overlooking the town, but activities, such as building figures (rather than castles) in the sand are also arranged to keep visitors coming.

Angry Sand Birds

The Huay Yang National Park is nearby. It is named after a seven-tier waterfall, which also gets many visitors on long weekends. These are mostly locals going to cool off and play around. In the dry season, there is not much water to play around in.

Huay Yang Waterfall

The national park also have trekking trails and - reportedly - you can cross into Myanmar after 5-6 hours on foot depending on your stamina and agility.

To me, what is so attractive and interesting about Prachuab and Chumphon provinces is that there are long stretches of deserted and undeveloped beach. There are so many places where one can pull over, set up a hammock, lay down a mat, and have a picnic. Some of the beaches may appear untidy to people that are used to beaches being "combed" by resort owners. However, flotsam and other stuff left behind by high tides or storms are part of nature.

Beach Au Natural

Rayong Beach Life

Rayong's beaches are an easy drive away from Bangkok. They are less crowded than Cha Am, Hua Hin, Bang Saen, and Jomtien and some beaches are of superb quality. I prefer those in Klaeng, especially the one just before one reaches the Laem Mae Phim beach, but you should do your own exploring.

Take a Stroll

Surat Thani - Koh Phangan

I had vowed not to return to Koh Phangan as the island surely would be different than when I first visited. That was back in the days before Full Moon Party was invented, when no road connect Had Rin to the rest of the island, when there was no electricity and no swimming pools. But I had a business appointment on the island, so I decided to combine it with some R&R.

Had Rin Nai

Had Rin Nai is still a very nice beach, but Had Rin Nok is not that great. And the area behind it is now packed with structures put up with no prior planning making roads and alleys a maze. Many structures are shoddy constructions intended to house party revelers in bunk beds. Delicious food is not to be had as bars and sellers of buckets (with alcohol of questionable origins) outnumber restaurants on Had Rin Nok. The service staff are mostly from Myanmar and have little training, which can result in interesting combinations being served. For example, I was given chopsticks as utensils for a plate of Italian pasta.

That being said, Koh Phangan has many beaches apart from Had Rin. A drive along the coast from Thong Sala to Ban Chalok Lam will take you past several nice bays, which I would prefer over Had Rin, but none of them can be said to be deserted. I went to see Ban Chalok Lam because when I first visited, that bay was used as a graveyard for fishing vessels. When fishing vessels were retired from service, they were pulled up on the beach and cannibalized for parts.

Thong Nai Pan Beach

Ban Thong Nai Pan used to be hard to reach, but the road has now been upgraded - when I first visited, it could only be reached on horseback.

They worked when we bought them - why check if they still work?

On the ferry back to the mainland, I noticed that safety concerns are not high on the list of the ferry company's priorities.

Chonburi - Pattaya Fireworks

Every year in November, Pattaya City arranges a fireworks competition stretching over two evenings where several nations vie for the honors. I have enjoyed the view both from the exclusivity (USD 100 tickets) of Hilton’s terrace bar and from a less luxurious beach chair (USD 1.50).

The view from up high at Hilton is far better than from shore side, but down at street level one meets more interesting aspects of real life. Last year, a Russian enjoyed the show together with a bottle of Thai whiskey. When the bottle was almost empty, he decided to go for a swim. Fully dressed and seriously drunk, he made it waist-high into the sea before he collapsed. Several good Samaritans rushed to pull the Russian back on the beach where he sat, drenched and smiling, for the rest of the show. 

Ubon Ratchathani - Sirindhorn Dam

Ubon is more than waterfalls, two-colored river, and caveman art. Ubon also has beaches. The most popular ones are along the banks of the reservoir formed behind the Sirindhorn Dam.

Ice cream anyone?

One grabs a space in one of the floating "houses" and settles down for some great food, a swim in the reservoir, and a tour on the banana boat. If you want, the ice cream man will bring you refreshments.

Chonburi - Ban Bang Saray

I first visited the “English Club” in Ban Bang Saray in 1999. Back then, Bang Saray was a sleepy fishing village with a few good seafood restaurants. The “English Club”, actually named “The Bang Saray Club“, is a restaurant trying to maintain some of the atmosphere of a member’s only club for gentlemen, e.g., by maintaining a dress code. 
I forgot why the club back when was located where it is, but there is a distinct deficit of high-society types in Bang Saray, so the club is slightly derelict. Service is slow, prices are high, but the atmosphere is relaxing and views across the bay to Jomtien and Pattaya are interesting.

Ten years ago, I was briefly involved in my friend’s attempt to sell Bali-style houses to foreigners. The project did not get off the ground. Things have moved ahead fast in Bang Saray since then. In recent years, a lot of housing estates and guest houses have been built as Bang Saray has become a popular destination for European retirees.

The beaches around Bang Saray are not impressive, but the beaches north of the small harbor are popular destinations for picnic. The beaches to the south are slightly better, but are located inside a Thai naval base. However, the guards can easily be talked into letting you inside the base.

Chonburi - Sattahip

Samaesan is a small "typical" Thai fishing village just south of the port / base used by the Royal Thai Navy. The smell is the first thing you notice in Samaesan. The pungent smell comes from the cooking, drying and processing of small fish (whatever they are called). During a boat trip you will see thousands of "silver fish" making big jumps out of the water around the boat. Thai people like to eat this fish dried or fried in oil with sugar and salt.

http://samaesan.com/Location/shop-19.html

To escape the smell, visit the beautiful temple on the hill. From there, there is the view of islands just off the coast with their white beaches and crystal-clear water.

The waters around the islands have several coral reefs and the wreck of Hardeep, which was sunk in the Second World War. It is now at the bottom of the sea at 26 meter and is a popular destination for SCUBA divers. The wreck is home to moray eels, sea turtles, and a lot of other marine life.

Wreckdiving is exciting and challenging. But the sea around Samaesan has strong and treacherous currents, which can be dangerous - I ran out of air during one of my Hardeep dives - so one has to be extra careful.

http://www.thaiwreckdiver.com/hardeep_wreck.htm

Chantaburi - a multitude of options

Chantaburi has something for everyone. The province has great beaches, highlands with waterfalls and hot springs, remnants of gem mines as well several destinations for history buffs. In a temple in the city center, Buddha statues are kept in a building with a roof shaped like the helmet worn by the great Taksin who won Siam back from the Burmese.

Chantaburi was from where the general (later king) gathered his forces, built his fleet, and subsequently launched his attack on the Burmese. Later, Siam came under pressure from the expansionist French that didn't think French Indochina was quite large enough. French troops therefore marched up the coast from today's China and didn't stop until they reached Chantaburi. 

French-built "Chicken-shit Prison"

They occupied the territory until the king of Siam gave two of "his" Cambodian provinces to the French. The French combined incarceration of Thai prisoners with farming - there is a structure near Laem Singh, which used to have prisoners on the ground floor while the top floor was a chicken coop. Due to gravity, the prisoner were "showered" in chicken droppings, which they obviously saw as a great insult.

Beach destinations include Laem Singh and Hat Chao Lao (with Laem Sadet)

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/12/chantaburi-laem-singh.html


http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/02/chantanaburi-chao-lao.html

The road from Chantaburi city to Sa Kaeo city goes parallel to the Thai border with Cambodia and there are a couple of small "border markets" and lots of waterfalls along the way. The key destination in that area is Soi Dao.

Rolling hills near Soi Dao

Surat Thani - Koh Samui Reminiscing

Koh Samui is today a modern resort island with direct international flights making it easy for tourists to get to the island.

It is not particularly Thai anymore as it competes to find its spot in the market place where other "beach & party islands" like Phuket and Bali vie to attract the same crowd. While Samui tries to move upscale, it still also attracts tourist hordes from Russia and the modern version of backpackers on their way to / from the monthly Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.

When I first visited Koh Samui, there were no scheduled flights - the airport was tiny (could only be used by single-engine prop planes) and rarely used, there were no Full Moon Parties, and locals seemed mostly engaged in growing coconuts. Many people lived in wooden houses on stilts with their livestock - water buffalo included - roaming around freely.

The beach roads in Chaweng and Rawai were rough gravels roads. Bo Put was a sleepy fishing village where the local shop (too small to be a supermarket) doubled up as restaurant, post office, and exchange booth. There were no resorts with infinity pools and beach chairs, but the beaches were absolutely stunning and totally deserted.

I also remember that my visit to the waterfall was an adventure. Only the main road circling around the island was paved (concrete). All other roads were gravel roads. The road to the waterfall quickly became a track only to be used by motorcycles. A few kilometers from the waterfall, the track became impassible except on foot as it wound its way through the pristine jungle. After a semi-arduous journey, it was with great pleasure one stripped off one's wet T-shirt and jumped into the cold water at the foot of the waterfall.

Today, Samui's beaches aren't deserted and access to sights such as waterfall are neither arduous nor for free.

Trad - Koh Chang Reminiscing

To me, Koh Chang, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Phi Phi were the original Bounty islands ... i.e., with beaches and scenery as if they could have been backdrops in commercials for Bounty chocolate bars. That sentence is on purpose in past tense because it was true 20 years ago, but these islands have developed dramatically over the past decades.

The beaches are still stunning and it is still possible - although difficult - to find quiet spots.

During my first visits to Koh Chang, the road from the ferry to Had Sai Kao (White Sand Beach) was only partially paved with concrete. The road stretched from Had Sai Kao to Had Khai Bae (Rooster Crow Beach) was gravel and without bridges at several of the river crossings. The road ended at Had Khai Bae.

The ferries were converted fishing vessels and only for people, not for vehicles. They stopped not only at Ao Sapparot (Pineapple Bay), but continued to Had Sai Kao and Had Khai Bae. So, after I realized that, I stayed on the ferry until last stop.

Back then, there was no entrance fee to visit the waterfall, there were no elephant rides, no condominium developments, and no "gibbon rides". Banana boats could only be found at Had Khai Bae.

Back then, Koh Chang was a heaven for backpackers and students like me on a tight budget. I could take a long weekend trip down (leave Bangkok Friday evening, return Monday evening) for less than 1,300 baht (roughly USD 50 back then) with all my expenses covered.

Today's youth and backpackers require air conditioning and comfort, so prices are obviously a lot higher now. The Robinson Crusoe experience is gone, but the sunsets are still great.

Prachuab Khiri Khan - Bang Saphan

Prachuab is home to the world famous tourist destination, Hua Hin, complete with golf courses, water park and fake floating markets.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2012/11/prachuab-khiri-khan-hua-hin-floating.html

However, Prachuab has / is much more than Hua Hin. In the southern part of the province, you will find Bang Saphan. It is mostly known as the starting point for the ferry to Koh Talu

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/09/prachuab-kiri-khan-koh-talu.html

But Bang Saphan district should also be considered a tourist destination in its own right. Apart from the obvious attraction of long stretches of nice beaches with very few tourists, it it also an area with numerous small fishing villages where life goes on untouched by the hustle and pollution that Bangkok is known for. As the beaches generally are open and exposed to storms, canals have been dug along (and behind) the beach to ensure that fishing vessels can be tucked away there in bad weather.

20 km north of Bang Saphan, you find Ban Krut (or Kroot) Beach. It is one of the most developed beaches of the area, but it is not busy at all.

Wat Thangsai sits atop a small hill at the north end of Ban Krut Beach. Views of the bay and the ridge of rolling hills inland can be had if one walks the final stretch to the top of the hill.

Chumphon - Beaches and Sand Dune

Chumphon is a great beach destination.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2012/01/chumphon-monuments-beaches-and-coffee.html

But the province apparently also has several interesting sand dunes. One is - according to the sign - the most distinct Thai sand dune in Chumphon. That made me wonder whether there are sand dune of other nationalities in Chumphon. I didn't find any, but the question remains unanswered.

Anyway, the sand dune may be distinct, but it isn't impressive.

However, if you want to visit it - or the wide deserted beach - then it is located just south of the border between Prachuap and Chumphon provinces.

Phrachuap Khiri Khan - Monkey Business

Ao Manao is just south of the provincial capital.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/10/prachuap-khiri-khan-ao-manao.html

It markets itself as "City of Dolphins and Monkeys", which may appear a bit weird. But a few kilometers north of the city is Khao Sam Roi Yot (300 Peaks National Park) and just north of that is Dolphin Bay. It is named like this (in English, not in Thai) due to the frequent sightings of dolphins.

At the northern edge of the city is Wat Thammikaram, which to foreigners is marketed as Monkey Temple. The name stems from the fact that many (and I mean many) monkeys live in the temple and on the hill (Khao Chong Krajok), which the temple sits atop. The temple provides excellent views of the bay and countryside, and you can feed or watch the monkeys on your way up the stairs leading to the temple.

Ao Prachuap - viewed from Wat Thammikaram (direction north) with Khao Sam Roi Yot seen in the distance.

View from Wat Thammikaram (direction south) of town with Ao Manao seen in the distance.

The Dan Singkhon Border Crossing (the border to Myanmar) is less than 20 kilometers away from the city in direction south. It is worth a visit if you are in the area anyway.

Rayong Beaches

A couple of months ago, an oil leak from a tanker was badly managed. As a result, oil slicks marred the sea around Koh Samed. However, PTT (responsible for the leak and for the clean-up) has in recent weeks been busy announcing and advertising that Rayong's beaches are now all clean.

View from Chak Pong Beach westward towards Hin Suay Nam Sai

Today, I visited Chak Pong Beach and Rim Pae Beach, the two best beaches on mainland Rayong. There was absolutely no sign of any oil slicks. The beach sand was nice and the water crystal clear.

View from Chak Pong Beach eastward towards Laem Mae Phim

As the sun was shining, it turned out to be a great day.

Rim Pae Beach - view of Koh Samed

Cambodia - Sihanoukville Revisited Again

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2013/03/cambodia-sihanoukville-revisited.html

The beaches of Sihanoukville are beautiful, superb, unspoiled, and relatively unused although the main beach can get crowded on weekends. Here in the rainy season, they are not much of an attraction because when it rains in Sihanoukville, it pours.

However, if you visit during the dry and warm seasons head east of town. There you will soon leave the crowds behind you while the beauty of the beach increases. Soon you will end at an estuary where your main risk is to have the tranquility disturbed by a herd of cows.

There are also beaches to the west of Sihanoukville – for example, Hun Sen Beach located a few kilometers before the oil depot - that are totally deserted. Almost no tourists venture west of the Port of Sihanoukville. The most likely reasons are that the first kilometers of road are in a terrible state of repairs and that this first stretch of road goes through slum-like fishing villages. Those facts will deter most tourists daring to venture outside of town on their own.

Thailand - SCUBA

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2012/10/thailand-off-deep-end.html

There is a normally unseen world beneath the ocean’s surface. There are many companies offering trips and certification in diving with Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) equipment. If you have time and loves the sea, diving is definitely a hobby you should consider taking up.

Don't get too close or I'll bite

Underwater photography can relay the sights that can be had, but diving is an activity that involves all senses (except maybe smelling) and is an exciting and rewarding experience. 

Can you see me?

Moreover, speaking from personal experience, it is an activity that is much more relaxing and overall better in tropical waters than in colder climates.

Cambodia - Sihanoukville Revisited

A couple of years ago, when visiting Sihanoukville, I got the feeling it had become like a town in the wild west – money could buy you anything and opportunities abounded for investors flashing cash. Russian tourists and Russian money (of dubious origin) poured in. Big plans were hatched and entire islands were snapped up (e.g., www.morakotisland.com) by investors with deep pockets.

Now, the situation is quite different. Some of the Russian money men stepped on the wrong toes and their projects went nowhere. The bridge to Koh Phous (Morakot Island) was opened with great fanfare January 1, 2012, but then closed almost immediately thereafter.

Russian tourists no longer flock to the beaches around Sihanoukville, so several hotel projects have been put on hold. For a guy like me, that’s great because I don’t like crowds and the beaches near Sihanoukville are superb.

One side effect the “Russian boom” (although now bust) has had is that the Internet got filled with warnings that the Cambodian islands all were about to be turned into playgrounds for the ultra-rich. Among back-packers, this created a rush to visit these islands before they disappeared. To stay on one or more Cambodian islands became an almost mandatory activity for back-packers passing through Sihanoukville.

As a consequence, the few rustic resorts that were on the islands could not cope with the demand and they expanded capacity. Moreover, entrepreneurs rushed to sign lease agreements and build new resorts in order to meet the demand. Still today, occupancy rates on the islands remain high so more and more bungalows are being built on the islands.

In other words, the big bad Russian plans are no longer a threat to the Cambodian islands, but the demand created by back-packers is gradually resulting in that the Cambodian islands soon will be Paradise Lost just like Koh Samui and Koh Phangan and many other Thai islands are.

Anyway, if you are not a beach freak, there is also a quite nice waterfall to visit while in Sihanoukville. That is, if you can find the dusty road that will take you there. They could do a lot to improve road signage in Cambodia, but I get by with sign language to get directions.

However, some times this approach may result in mistakes and detours, which simply has to be taken as an added experience. In one instance it may take you to a rural village during rice harvest or it may take you through a slum where one gets a taste of what it really entails living on less than USD 2 per day.