January 16, 2008
Klaeng - Rayong (almost): To the beaches
Our hotel room was disgusting but somehow I did manage to sleep. I find as I get older I have less tolerance for noise, dirt and discomfort. I used to see it as a challenge to be able to make do, now I see little point in putting up with bad rooms. It has nothing to do with the price.
Today we can leave the N 3 on a smaller road south to the coast. I prepare myself for encounters with dogs and have some stones handy just in case we're given a chase. This turns out to be unnecessary but makes me feel more secure when we pass the dozens of dogs sleeping on the road's shoulder.
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Mainly we pass rubber tree plantations and small homes. When we reach Mae Pim on the coast we stop for a substantial breakfast of bacon and eggs at a Dutch run restaurant. Now that was something I wouldn't have done earlier. When in Thailand, one eats Thai food, that was my rule. Nice to get older and feel freer.
We continue along the coast, dotted with a few hotels, construction sites and condos. In a small village called Suan Son we stop and get a bungalow for the night. We are across the street from the beach which is absolutely empty. This is high season and there isn't a soul to be seen. We go for a dip - I can't remember ever swimming in such warm water. For lunch and dinner we eat at simple beach restaurants where we're practically the only guests. This place is great but after eating and swimming there's not much to do.
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We are now a short distance from Ban Phe, jumping off place for Ko Samet, one of the most popular Thai islands. After a restful night in our bungalow, we cycle into town hoping to find a better map than the one we have been using up to now. No luck, just maps for Northern Thailand here. We get a cup of coffee instead and head off in the right general direction along the coast, and then inland, then back to the coast.
Again this stretch of the coastal road follows a beach of fine white sand and it's hard to believe that the beaches here are also empty. Just 55 kilometers from here thousands of tourists crowd the beaches at Pattaya, not to mention its bars, discos, shops, restaurants ... I've never been there but I've been told it's pretty lively.
Janos is getting desperate. He is looking for either a restroom or a secluded place in the bushes to take care of a basic human need but is having no luck. But then after about 17 kilometers, Whoa, we see a sign for Mikel's German restaurant. Bound to have a nice toilet there.
Not only does he have a toilet, he also has fast Internet. We rent a bungalow down the road, complete with orchids and palm trees, and take advantage of the quiet setting with Internet access. We stay two nights and catch up on our journals.
Mikel's and Tut's restaurant doesn't just have fast Internet and a clean john - the owners are friendly and have great food, both western and Thai.
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