12 December 2022
Steve and I left Chompu Nakarin Serviced apartments around 8:30am for a reasonably early start. Our first stop was Wat Khok Yang, a small temple with a beautiful garden. After that, we went to look for Naklua Pier, but we had some trouble finding it. We followed a sign that led us down a narrow road with an old jetty at the end, but it wasn’t the port we were looking for. We eventually found the correct pier, but it was closed for renovations.
We decided to drive to Mot Tanoi Beach, which was a short distance away. The beach was beautiful, with white sand and clear blue water. We walked along the beach for a while, and then we drove to Ko Libong, a fishing village. The village was very charming, with narrow streets and traditional Thai houses. We saw many fishermen working on their boats, and we even met a few who spoke English.
After lunch, we drove to Hat Yao Pier. This pier was also closed for renovations, so we decided to drive to Sun Beach in the National Park. The beach was amazing, with rocky outcrops and dead trees rising out of the sand. We spent a few hours exploring the beach and taking photos.
We then drove to Sikao, a small town where we bought some food and drinks. After that, we drove to Hua Hin Beach. The beach was rocky, but it was still beautiful. We spent a short time on the beach before driving back to our hotel.
On the way back, we stopped at a few temples, including Wat Kamon Si and Wat Khlong Thom. We also saw a rolled over concrete truck and a police accident. We arrived at our hotel around 7pm and went for a walk around the area. We found a restaurant for dinner and had a great meal. We met a waitress named Trang who spoke English and was very helpful. We went back to our hotel after dinner and had a good night’s sleep.
13 December 2022
Steve and I started our day by walking down to the Changchun Chosukong Shrine (Chinese). Alison had found caricature statues from the TV series Monkey here in 2020, and this time, there were new rows of golden arhat statues. In Chinese Buddhism, these 18 arhats represent the original followers of Gautama Buddha who had followed the Eightfold path and attained the four stages of enlightenment. They are a popular subject of Buddhist art, and the shrine itself was a beautiful piece of architecture.
After a quick visit to a local fresh food market, we returned to the hotel to pick up our car. We then drove towards Ao Nang. Our first stop was Wat Kaew Ko Wararam, the largest Buddhist temple in Krabi. It is located up on a hill overlooking downtown Krabi, and the grounds were well maintained with many beautiful plants surrounding the building.
We continued driving towards Ao Nang beach, and had a quick stopover at Cafe Amazon for some coffee. On the way to Ao Nang, Alison caught sight of an interesting-looking cafe with a classic restored 1956 Ford C750 Big Job 4.9l V8 pickup. The cafe was called Garage 37 Cafe, and it had great memorabilia, Harley Davidson motorcycles inside, and great food with friendly staff.
We had an incident with our car. We were involved in a minor fender bender, and the police were called. The tourist police, regular police, and the wonderful owners of the cafe, Kannika and Joe (Jatura), all helped us out. We used security surveillance video to discover who had hit our car, and Kannika spoke on our behalf with the police and the insurance company. We had everything sorted out in a couple of hours, and there was no cost to us. It was an interesting interaction with the Thai police, insurance company, and justice system. We had lunch at the cafe (burgers and fries with a Chang beer) and then left to go to Ao Nang. Thank you both so much for your help and smiles.
We spent a short time at Ao Nang beach. There were interesting islands and long tail boats moored off the beach, but it was too crowded for us. We headed back towards the hotel, stopping in on the way at the Tiger Cave Temple. The visit was cut short by a heavy downpour of rain.
Back at the hotel, we headed over to the market for another delicious meal and to say goodbye to Trang. We had a great time exploring the city and its surroundings
14 December 2022
Steve and I checked out of the hotel at 8:30 AM and decided to head north into the mountains. Our first stop was Thamma Park (Ban Khao Na Nai), a Wat high in the mountains. We were greeted by the sound of birdsong and the sight of lush greenery as we entered the park. The Wat was built in the traditional Thai style, with intricate carvings and beautiful murals. We spent some time exploring the Wat, admiring the architecture and taking in the peaceful atmosphere.
After leaving Thamma Park, we continued our drive north. By 11 AM, we reached Ban Sadet, an incredible set of chedi on high mountain tops. We climbed to the top of one of the chedi to take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. We could see for miles in every direction. The views were simply stunning.
After taking in the views, we made our way down from the chedi and stopped at a small cafe for refreshments. The cafe owner was very friendly and helpful. She gave us some great recommendations for places to visit in the area. We thanked her for her help and continued on our way.
Our next stop was That Put Bang Riang. This temple is home to some of the largest statues in Thailand. The statues are set high into the mountains and can be seen from miles away. We climbed to the top of the viewing platform to get a closer look at the statues. They were even more impressive up close.
We spent some time exploring the temple and taking pictures of the statues. After that, we headed back to our car and continued on our way to Takua Pa.
By 5 PM, we had reached Takua Pa. We found a restaurant for dinner and then headed to the beach to see the sunset. The sunset was absolutely beautiful. The sky was ablaze with color and the waves crashed gently against the shore. We sat on the beach for hours, just enjoying the peace and tranquility of the moment.
It was a perfect day. We had seen some amazing sights, met some friendly people, and enjoyed the beauty of nature. We were both exhausted but happy as we made our way back to our hotel.
15 December 2022
Steve and I left the Good Morning Hotel at 8:30 AM this morning after a fairly reasonable night’s sleep, even though the bed was pretty hard. No sooner had we turned onto the highway to head north than we appeared to be held up in some sort of traffic jam with police lights flashing ahead in the distance. Alison could see what appeared to be either a procession or a protest, so we pulled over onto the side of the road to see what was coming.
It turned out to be a grand procession by students of the local high school celebrating their 50th anniversary. There were all sorts of different groups: the marching band, groups raising awareness of various social issues, the cadets—all in amazing outfits ranging from beautiful formal gowns to amazing fantasy outfits. We filmed and photographed the passing parade for what seemed like over an hour, then drove down to their school where the parade terminated. We continued to take more photos. It was amazing what the students had achieved. There was also a sports carnival on at the same time. Before leaving, we had a late breakfast of Thai fish cakes and omelettes.
We got back on our way and visited a number of seaside ports and beaches on the way to Ranong, some of which we had visited back in 2019. The first stop was Khura Buri Pier, where all the fishing boats were docked, with fish catches being unloaded and processed. While walking along the wharves looking for photo ops, we were given small cups of tea by a small group of men sitting outside a café. It was quite refreshing. We tried to talk, but the conversation was too difficult, so we thanked them and moved on.
Next was a “restaurant on the beach” further up the coast in Khura Buri where we had a wonderful lunch back in 2019 with Neil and Connie. Unfortunately, the building is now deserted and abandoned, although there is another small restaurant that remains open for business.
Pra Pas beach was next up the coast. This was a part of the coastline badly affected by the 2004 tsunami that hit the west coast of Thailand and took over 4,800 lives, leaving over 8,500 injured and 4,500 missing. Evidence of the destruction can still be seen today, and you come across many tsunami evacuation centers up and down the coast. We also came across a lagoon with a number of moored fishing boats.
Time to fill up the tanks at PTT—fuel for the car and coffee for Steve at Café Amazon. Fuel consumption was up a bit at 6.83 liters per 100 kilometers, but understandable as we had been through some mountainous roads the day before.
The last beach spot was Laem Son Pier, which was on a small island linked by a long, narrow bridge. It was a mooring spot for a number of longtail boats and fishing boats. We sat on the end of the jetty and watched the approaching storm clouds.
On the way back to the highway, we went to stop on one of the bridges to photograph the boats below, only to be confronted by a large monkey sitting on the bridge railing. We quickly moved on.
We booked into our motel and drove out to the lighthouse pier to watch the sun go down. We went down onto the Grand Andaman Hotel pier, which is the pickup and drop-off point for guests to take them to the hotel on the Burmese island of Koh Son. The hotel is a casino and can be used as a visa border run.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for a tasty meal in a restaurant in Ranong. We had pad Thai with pork, one of the best we’ve had in a while, and a very generous helping.
We had a long and tiring day, but it was also a very rewarding one. We saw a lot of amazing things and met some great people.
16 December 2022
Another early start, this time leaving The Boat House at 8:40am. We decided to head out to Chumphon via the 4001 route, which took us past the Mae Hot Spring, where we stopped for a small walk around. The water was a bit too hot for our liking, but it was still interesting to see.
We drove on a bit further and saw a Wat being built next to the Ra Wio Na Ram Priest’s Camp site. It was still under construction, but we could see that it was going to be a beautiful temple. There were lots of young builders (apprentices?) working on the site, and they all seemed very friendly.
We continued on our way and soon came to a cafe perched on the side of the mountain. We stopped for a coffee and a piece of cheesecake. The view from the deck was spectacular, and we could see for miles around.
After our coffee, we continued on our way and soon came to some serious road works. The road through the mountain was being rebuilt, and it looked like it would be a long and slow process. We were glad that we weren’t trying to drive through here in the wet season!
We finally made it to Chumphon and stopped at Khao Fa Chi View Point. The views from here were amazing! We could see the river below us, and in the distance we could see Myanmar. It was a beautiful sight.
We stopped at the PTT for a bit of lunch and some drinks from 7-Eleven. After lunch, we visited Wat Suwan Khiri, which was an interesting temple. We also visited Wat Tham Sing, which was a temple in a cave. It was really cool to see the monks working inside the cave.
We checked into our hotel, The Southgate Residence, which was a nice hotel. After we checked in, we went back out for a drive. We were hoping to find a sunset spot, but we didn’t have much luck.
We did, however, find Wat Kherson Udomsak Wanaram, which was a fairly average Wat under renovation. We also visited Hat Sai Rai, which was a memorial site.
We went down to the beach, where the surf was much larger than on the west coast. We watched the waves for a while, and then we headed up to Khao Matree View Point. The views from here were amazing! We could see the city to the west and the beaches to the east. Unfortunately, the smoke from the fires in the area was a bit of a distraction, but it was still a beautiful sight.
We headed back to the markets to find some dinner, and then we went back to the hotel. We were tired from our long day, but we had had a great time exploring.