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While Hua Hin may not offer as many of the all-night delights of many international resorts, there is plenty to do for those looking for a leisurely holiday.
This palace, midway between Hua
Hin and Cha Am, was built by King Rama VI as a rainy season retreat in 1923.
Known as "the palace of love and hope," the palace has recently been renovated.
The elevated teak walkways and airy rooms provide a beautiful view of the
beach and Gulf of Thailand. Admission is free and it's a quiet place to spend
a few hours. Occasionally concerts and theatrical events are staged in the
Samoson Sewakamat Hall of the palace as was done in June, 1996, in honor
of the 50th anniversary of the King's accession to the throne.
The palace is located within the grounds of a Border Patrol Police camp.
Just tell the guard at the gate that you're going to the palace and you'll
be admitted. Motor transportation is recommended as it's a few klicks from
the main gate on Petchkasem Road back to the beach.
This waterfall is about 60 km west of Hua Hin towards the border with Burma. While the trek to the top of the nine cascades takes a few days in the dry season, one can see the first few levels on a day trip. This area is part of the Kaeng Krachan National Park and arrangements can be made with the park staff for guides and camping equipment. Simple bungalows are also available but arrangements should be made in advance. There are Karen villages in this area that can also be visited. There are three caves about half way between Hua Hin and the waterfall, near the village of Nong Plab but exploring the caves is probably a day trip in itself.
Petchburi is about 120 kilometers
south of Bangkok (80 kilometers north of Hua Hin) and is best known
for King Rama IV's (King Mongkut) summer palace overlooking the city from
atop Khao Wang. Phra Nakhon Khiri Palace, now an historic
park, was built in 1860 and is a mixture of Thai, Chinese and European
styles.
The views of the surrounding area from the hill are tremendous and the gardens within the park are most pleasant. There are also many temples scattered around the complex built on the three hillsides. Though the hill is only 92 meters high, the walk to the top is not as easy as it looks and there is a tram on the west side, away from the city. The park is open 0830-1630 and the palace/museum 0900-1600.
There is an annual fair at the park which takes place in early February.
A couple of kilometers from Khao Wang, on the road to Hua Hin are the Khao Bandai It caves. The caves are within a hill upon which is a monastery built several hundred years ago during the Ayutthaya era. There are several caves housing many Buddha images. Take a flashlight.
Petchburi is well known for Kanom Mo Kaeng, a Thai sweet made of crushed steamed mung bean, egg, coconut milk, and sugar and Khao Kriap, a dried pastry made from coconut, sugar and sesame which is grilled over a charcoal fire before serving. These and other local sweets and fruits are available at many shops along Petchkasem Highway.
There are also a few factory outlet stores in the Petchburi area for the shoppers. The largest and newest is Premium Outlet which is actually closer to Cha Am. There are many shops and it has recently expanded. There is also a food court and at least one large restaurant. This is a popular place to stop when traveling from Bangkok to Hua Hin. There are also shuttle buses available from Hua Hin to Premium Outlet.
About 100 km north of Hua Hin, Ratchburi is known for its pottery. A famous temple there is Wat Mahatat. The main reason to go however is the evening show at Khao Chongsphran Cave when the thousands of bats fill the sky at sunset.
Ratchburi is also home of the famous
floating market at Domnoen Saduak. Farmers congregate early each morning
in produce-laden boats to sell fresh vegetables, fruit, spices, poultry and
the like.
Rides in the long-tailed boats on the local canals can also be booked here.
This could be a good stopover on the way from Bangkok to Hua Hin, but only if you leave Bangkok quite early in the morning as the market opens at dawn.
Samut Songkhram is located at the mouth of the Mae Klong river to the Gulf of Thailand. It is best known for its salt farms and fruit production. It is the smallest of the Thai provinces. There is a Lychee fair in late March and a Pomelo fair in August.
Two sights worth seeing in Samut Songkhram See Map, either as a day trip from Hua Hin or as a break while traveling between Bangkok and Hua Hin, are the floating market at Amphawa and the sandbar at the mouth of the Mae Klong River at Don Hoi Lot.
While the floating market at Domnoen Saduak is probably the most well known market in Thailand, especially to tourists, the market at Amphawa is also quite interesting. Held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday late afternoon and evenings, there are very few foreign tourists so not so many of the tacky knick knacks sold at inflated prices as in Domnoen Saduak. This is not to say that Amphawa is a unknown treasure. It is very popular among the Bangkok hordes and can be unbelievably crowded on Saturdays and Sundays, especially during school breaks or long weekends.
The market is located next to the King Rama II Memorial Park so you can park your car there, visit the park, and then wander through the little town of Amphawa and the floating market and sample the snacks and sweet drinks for sale. There are many places to sit along the river Mae Klong, just down the klong from the market where you can watch the boats go by on their way to the Gulf of Thailand.
Just down river from Amphawa, across the highway to Bangkok, is Don Hoi Lot. Don means sandbar in Thai and Hoi Lot is the Thai name for Razor Clam and many are found along the sandbar, as are many others species of clams and mussels.
There are many restaurants situated at the mouth of the river at Don Hoi Lot and there is an abundance of fresh seafood, including the Hoi Lot. This is a very popular place to have lunch if you're traveling from Bangkok to say, Hua Hin, or further south.
As with Amphawa, Don Hoi Lot, is very popular with the Bangkok folks and can get very crowded on weekends and holidays.
A good way of seeing both Don Hoi Lot and Amphawa is to go on a Friday that is not a holiday. Plan to arrive in Don Hoi Lot for lunch and then drive up to Amphawa (maybe 30 minutes away) in mid-afternoon when the market is setting up. Stroll along the river and then return through the market before it gets too crowded and then continue your journey as the mobs arrive.
Prachuapkirikhan is about 90 km south of Hua Hin and the provincial town is built around the long, crescent-shaped Prachuap Bay. There are several hotels and bungalows with the Hat Tong Hotel the largest hotel on the bay front near the busy fishing pier. Prachuap is probably what Hua Hin was like a few decades ago, with the town still relying on the sea for income, rather than the tourist trade.
At the north end of town a small hill rises from the coast. This is Khao Chong Krachok (Mirror Mountain) where a natural arch at the top allows you to see through to the sky on the opposite side. There are 395 stone steps to the summit and dozens of monkeys to taunt you while on your way. The city maintains quiet bungalows for rent in the shadow of the hill--Thaesaban Bungalow, Chai Thalae Road. Tel: (032) 611-204. Staying here, you can get an early start on your mountain climb and enjoy the sunrise surrounded by the fragrant frangipani trees in the monastery on the top.
Prachuap is smaller than Hua Hin but the seafood is just as good, and cheaper also. There are many restaurants in town but the best meals are found in the dozens of food stalls that spring up along the quay each night at dusk. Don't worry about needing to speak Thai, just point at a dish that looks tasty on someone's table and one just like it will appear at your table in minutes, though these minutes may drag if there's a crowd as most "kitchens" only have one burner.
Prachuap Bay is not very clean for swimming but there is a beautiful little bay just south of town called Ao Manao (Lemon Bay) that is long, quiet, and lined with beautiful casaurina trees. There are many food stalls selling snacks and beer. There is a small fee for using the beach chairs and umbrellas. A tram runs a few times each day from Prachuap to Ao Manao. This bay is in a military camp but there is no entrance fee.
Only 55 km west of Bangkok, Nakhon
Pathom is best known for the Phra Pathom Chedi, the world's tallest Buddhist
monument. Standing over 120 meters high, the chedi was first built over a
thousand years ago but destroyed during a Burmese invasion in 1057.
King Mongkut visited the site in the mid-nineteenth century when it was known as the oldest Buddhist monument in Thailand and began reconstruction of the temple over the original chedi a few years later. This attempt later collapsed during a storm and King Chulalongkorn led the construction to its present state.
There is an annual fair at the temple which takes place in late November.
Nakhon Pathom also hosts The Rose Garden, a riverside tropical park-cum-country club. There is an 18-hole championship golf course,excellent accommodation facilities and a Thai Village where a daily afternoon show features traditional activities such as folk dances, a Thai wedding ceremoney, an ordination, sword fighting and elephants at work.
Probably best known for the Death
Railway Bridge depicted in the movie, The Bridge Over the River Kwai,
Kanchanaburi is about 130 km east of Bangkok and about a 3 hours drive from Hua Hin. Though the film was made in
Sri Lanka and the actual bridge is made of iron and concrete rather than
wood, a visit to the rebuilt and usable bridge, the Japanese War Memorial
and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, can certainly give one a feel for the
over 100,000 POW lives lost building the bridge and railway to Burma.
There is an annual River Kwai Bridge Week in Kanchanaburi with a light and sound presentation at the bridge, archaeological and historical exhibitions, folk entertainment, cultural shows, and rides on vintage trains. This festival is in late November or early December.
The rivers Kwai Yai and Kwai Noi
are surrounded by lush tropical foliage and there are many resorts and floating
lodges and guesthouses for the traveller who would like a break in one of the most beautiful
areas of Thailand.
Though Kanchanaburi is much larger than Hua Hin and also has many tourists, it sometimes seems much more laid back than Hua Hin. This is because many of the hotels are resorts and are located outside the city center, taking advantage of the natural surroundings. There are not as many restaurants selling farang food but there are many restaurants along the river offering very tasty Thai food with beautiful views of the river.
There is also a new mini-van service between Kanchanaburi and Hua Hin. There are four trips daily for the 3 hour trip (0900, 1200, 1500 and 1800). The office in Hua Hin is near Hua Hin Tansamai Shop on Petchkasem (Soi 56) and the van stops in Kanchanaburi at MuBan Jong Charoen which (I am told) is near the main train station in Kanchanaburi. The cost is 220 Baht each way.
Kanchanaburi is also the home of several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries with many waterfalls, caves, and varied wildlife.
The Three Pagoda Pass, 241 km from town, marks the border with Burma. There is a small but thriving border market. Sangklaburi is the largest town before the border and offers the largest wooden bridge in Thailand, beautiful temples, Mon markets and many guesthouses built along the large lake there. Well worth a visit if you have time.
There are many new golf courses within a few minutes of the provincial capital.
It should be pointed out however that several of these courses are said to
be encroaching on the lands belonging to some of Thailand's most beautiful
and treasured national parks. Any golfer with children and/or gonads will
avoid such parasites as there are many courses to choose from with more benign
ecological practices.
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