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.

Pagan - Myanmar

Pagan, the most important historical site in Burma, is truly amazing. It lies along a major bend of the Irrawaddy River where its east-west course turns and flows south.

It lies in the most dry part of the dry zone of Central Burma, so during the dry season, the mighty Irrawaddy is nothing but a small creek. The river was a quite disappointing site when I was there.

Pagan (or Bagan) briefly became the capital in 847 AD. But it was not until from 1057 that Pagan became great. That year was when Pagan became the capital of the first "real" (i. e., united) Burmese kingdom. King Anawrahta, consolidated political and military power over all of Central Burma by conquering both the Pyu and the Mon peoples.

After Anawrahta conquered Thaton (the Mon kingdom), he brought back to his capital the Theravada scriptures in Pali, a large number of Buddhist monks, and artists and craftsmen of every description. From the Mon monks, the Pagan people received their alphabet, religion and scriptures. Moreover, an extraordinary architectural and artistic activity began. In a little more than two centuries, he covered the city and its environs with thousands of splendid monuments of every shape and size

The square temples dominated by Mon influence are distinguished by their dark corridors, which are dimly lighted by perforated windows, and by the bright frescoes with Mon writing on the walls. The typical Pagan Style temples are bright and airy within, with imposing plan and height. But there are also some temples with intermediate forms.

It all ended in1287. The Pagan kingdom fell to the Mongols, after refusing to pay tribute to Kublai Khan. Abandoned by the Burmese kings, the city declined as a political centre, but continued to flourish as a place of Buddhist scholarship.

Up to around 5,000 monuments or buildings were constructed although "only" 2,200 remain (in more or less dilapidated state) within the 40-50 square kilometer area.

What I really liked about Pagan (back when I visited) was that it was very low key, very untouristed.

I stayed in a nice little hotel with rooftop restaurant from where I could have breakfast while enjoying the view of stupas and ruins. After breakfast, I made my way around the area at a leisurely pace on my rented bicycle.

Cambodia - Kep

Kep is a former playground of the French and Cambodian elite. Crumbling mansions, razed by the Khmer Rouge, still sit atop the hill.

Over the last few years, much of the beach-side property that had for decades hosted nothing but ruined villas and tangled jungle has been snapped up by foreign royalty, merchant bankers, expatriates and wealthy Khmers among others.

But the town should not be visited for its architectural beauty. People seeking beautiful sandy beaches should also go elsewhere. 

   

Kep offers tranquility - which basically is a nice way of saying that the most exciting thing is the "local products" annual fair with rickety merry-go-rounds - and is an excellent base for motorcycle rides into the countryside. 

In fact, the sunset viewed while enjoying the food at a seafood restaurant located right on the beach is one of the best things Kep has to offer.