Chill-out zone on the east coast
Trip Start
Jun 04, 2005
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18
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Trip End
Apr 05, 2006
Prachuap Khiri Khan,
Thailand
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The madness of Bangkok loomed large for us and in the end the 'chill-out' option won the day, so on Saturday we caught the local bus from Khao Sok to Surat Thani, and from there a four-hour express train to Prachuap. Our first public bus experience was a pleasant one, as was the train - very comfortable, cool and not crowded at all
Bay with fishing boats
. The 360 baht train fare even included a complimentary lunch, though we have to say it was worse than any plane food we've ever had! Cold, stodgy rice accompanied by a smelly fish curry and some dry strips of fried chicken... thanks but no thanks!In the mid-afternoon we arrived in seafood heaven. Prachuap Khiri Khan is a small town stretched out along a wide bay, with hundreds of fishing boats moored in the shallow blue-green water. It is a real working town with very few tourists (we spotted two other 'farang' couples during our three days there) and much of its economy is based around fishing.
As a consequence, the seafood is absolutely awesome. Informal, outdoor restaurants offering fresh fish, prawns, calamari, clams etc. are dotted along the seafront promenade, and the aromas of barbequed fish and stir-fried seafood fill the air in the evenings. We joined the ranks of local clientele at these outdoor places every evening, and had some of our best meals so far.
Our room at the Suk Sant Hotel was pretty basic, but had a wonderful seaview balcony and was spotlessly clean. On Sunday and Monday, after grabbing breakfast at the local market, we took long walks along the sandy white beaches - on Sunday we walked north, to the very edge of the wide bay along which Prachuap is situated, and on Monday we walked over to the next bay to the south, called Ao Manau. The beach here is looked after by the nearby Thai airforce base, so it is spotlessly clean and pretty quiet. We spent the day lazing on deck chairs, swimming and, reading. Bliss! Our first real beach day without too much activity!
By the time we left Prachuap on Tuesday morning, we were well-rested, well-fed and ready for bustling Bangkok. We took a reaalllly slow train to the capital - seven hours to cover approximately 300km. Again, however, we enjoyed the experience of travelling (cheek by jowl, this time) with locals.
