Petchabun - Si Thep Historical Park (2)

I went back to Si Thep, but actually there isn't much new to add to my previous blog

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/02/petchabun-si-thep-historical-park.html 

Si Thep is a nice destination for picnics and to learn a bit about how the tentacles of the Angkor kingdom spread across the region. What is interesting is that the ruins now are surrounded by a lot of sugar cane fields.
During the harvest season, the small roads leading to the few mills in the region are clogged. And around the mills, trucks (big and small) occupy huge parking lots where they wait for their turn to offload the sugar cane. To a casual observer, it definitely looks like a lot of time is wasted as the trucks wait for hours on end.

Saraburi - Muak Lek

Muak Lek district surprises many visitors with its own version of country and western culture. Dairy farming has been associated with the rolling hills of Muak Lek since Dutch and Danish aid agencies back in the 1960s started lending a hand with the establishment of a Thai dairy industry.

In the forested hills, an easy two hour drive from the center of Bangkok, one finds several resorts and a perfect setting for a weekend retreat even if one doesn't want to play cowboy or dairy farmer. The local river also has a small waterfall that is a very popular picnic destination. 

Sa Kaeo - Lalu (2)

First time I went to Lalu ( http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/02/sa-kaeo-lalu.html ), I got slightly lost in the small village. This time, I noticed a sign during my trial-and-error attempts to find the right road. Although in Thai, it started to dawn upon me why signs to lead visitors to Lalu disappear once visitors enter the village.

The sign I saw gave directions to a "visitor center". However, the "visitor center" is actually a parking lot from where unsuspecting and gullible visitors are supposed to rent a rickshaw motorcycle for the last two kilometers rather than driving themselves on gravel roads. .

Now that I've been to Lalu three times, that's enough. So although I've now saved the location in my GPS, I probably will not return.

Chantaburi - Chao Lao

Located east of Khung Krabain Bay is Chao Lao Beach. The beach is very beautiful and is popular among locals who come for picnics on weekends. It boosts brown sandy beach and shallow water suitable for fooling around.

Once upon a time - when I first visited - there were only a few resorts that all catered to Thai visitors coming down from Bangkok for a weekend. I was very impressed by the beach's white sand and clean water. But over the past five-six years, rapid development has taken place most clearly symbolized by that access to resorts (now fancy places with swimming pools and Wi-Fi) has been made easy by the construction of a modern new road complete with separate lanes for cars, mopeds, and bicycles.

DIRECTIONS: Coming from Bangkok towards Chantaburi, get off Sukhumvit when you see directions to road 3399. You can also take the backroads from Chantaburi city via Ta Mai and route 3352, but be warned that the one-way streets of Ta Mai can make passing through this town a bit of a navigational challenge.

The most scenic beach in Chantaburi is Khung Wiman adjacent to Chao Lao. The beach is flanked with pine trees while the water is clear and good for swimming. Next to Khung Wiman Beach is Khung Krabain Bay. It is the site of one of Chantaburi’s mangrove forests and to the Khung Krabain Study and Development Center under Royal Patronage. 


You can explore the mangrove forest via a 1,600 meter long wooden walkway and rent a kayak for paddling around, but don't expect to see any manatee apart from this concrete one.

Located opposite Khung Krabain Mangrove Forest is Laem Sadet Beach, which stretches for three kilometers. There are a few resorts on this beach and an aquarium has been opened.

Trad - Koh Kham (a trip back in time)

Koh Kham was once one of the best destinations for basic (backpacker style) accommodation on an absolutely amazingly beautiful island setting.

The island is small and barely a kilometer from Koh Maak (in the pic above, it is Koh Mak you can see in the background) and has crystal-clear waters plus a number of coral reefs easily within snorkeling distance.  

Since Koh Kham is very small, you can’t do much on the island, but it was ideal to relax in a quiet atmosphere with a book or with one of the many games found in the restaurant. If you want to do more than just reading or swimming, you can rent kayaks to cruise around the island.

Koh Kham was the perfect spot to really get away from it all.  However, in 2008 this all changed and the island was sold to an individual who "developed" the island into a four star destination -- the long running, rustic, and reasonably priced Koh Kham Resort owned by khun Lor has closed down.

Petchaburi - Kaeng Krachan

As Kaeng Krachan is Thailand's largest national park (see my blog April last year) it has many attractions, including a reservoir that can be used for fishing and kayaking, a golf course, whitewater rafting, waterfalls, and bird watching.

The most famous destination for people with a craving for a bit of rough road is the Panoen Thung "mountain". For those wishing to drive up to the campsite at Panoen Thung, timing is important.

From Bang Krang campsite, the road is in poor condition and certain times are allotted for ascent and descent. Times for going up are 5.30-7.30 am and 1:00-3:00 pm. Times for going down are 9:00-10:00 am and 4:00-5:00 pm.   


Driving to / from Panoen Thung is best done in a vehicle with good ground clearance and a solid suspension, but the drive is not an off-road challenge as there obviously is a (gravel) road. A standard saloon car can do the drive, but only during the dry season.


During the rainy season, it can at times be challenging to find traction, but the road is anyway closed during the months where 4WD potentially would be needed. So, the park rangers deprive us for a good opportunity to test our 4WD trucks and SUVs.


Although it definitely possible to reach the top in a saloon car during the dry season, due care has to be exercised by the driver. Whilst crossing the streams past Bang Krang campsite, the entry and exit from the streams' floors can be quite steep - quite a number of visitors have ripped parts of their cars' bodywork off at these streams.

Ratchaburi - Off road

Before people venture off road in their vehicle, it is best to know what to expect. So, there are a couple of driving schools in Thailand that teach people how to drive the 4x4 way.

Thinking "better late than newer", I joined a weekend course held near Suan Peung in Ratchaburi. The school insists that you pass the "basic" program before they let you in on their "advanced" course.

They start up with a half day of theory (how does a vehicle "work", in general and with four-wheel drive in particular) and that part is a bit tough unless you are pretty fluent in Thai because the lessons are in Thai.

Then, the next half day is spent driving on a closed circuit - a controlled environment - to let the driver get used to what to do when driving up / down steep inclines / declines, through sand, through water, across narrow bridges etc.

After that, there is a night drive on narrow, bumpy, gravel roads. The next day, the cars and drivers get taken up and down, through and across the hills and pineapple fields near the school before the drive ends with some refreshments and coffee in Suan Peung .

The advance courses are held during the rainy season and the drivers are taken through muddy, slippery roads in the forest rather than on dry roads cutting through pineapple plantations.