It wasn't a perfect night's sleep by any means for me, as I woke up too early. As always, I like to start the day with nitpicking. I don't know why, given the size of the room, the bathroom is so small, with water from the shower spilling over the entire space. In the bedroom there is a shelf but just a foot wide. I can just about work in it. Just a couple of plug sockets serve the entire room, hardly enough. As mentioned last night, the major convenience is just walking out of the door for a meal, but the downside of being in the town is traffic noise. The hotel lends itself to a stopover, nothing else.
Lang Suan lies at the southern end of Chumphon province and has an excellent coastline. It is not a too difficult 7 hours from Bangkok, but we will make one more stop to allow us to visit some attractions in the province before we head north later.
We head down to the dining room to see what we've paid extra for, but oddly, we were asked to pre-order last night. The American breakfast is quite good with toast, juice, and some fruit. Hot beverages are self-service. Our attention now moves to the weather. Yesterday it rained all day in Chumphon, and today may fare not much better. It's cloudy, and then during breakfast, a rain shower passes through. By now a plan has developed for the day, which breaks down into three parts. This morning we will see what attractions we can manage to visit, and we have a priority list. This afternoon I'm checking in at Chumphon Hospital, feeling I need more medication. I'm also aware that my blood pressure is too high. Best get that seen to. The evening is reserved for entertainment in Prachuap Khiri Khan, where we will stay overnight.
The first attraction we wish to visit is in the next district of Sawi, requiring a left turn from HWY 41 (AH2) and a drive of 22 km into the mountains. We arrive at Wat Roj Damn to visit Hin Dam Gorge, expecting to see something grand, but what's here is not what the name conjures up. Hin Dam Gorge (also known as Klong Hin Dam or Khlong Hin Dam Gorge and locally dubbed the 'Grand Canyon of Chumphon' or 'Grand Canyon Black Rock') is described as 'a striking natural landmark.' It's a narrow limestone gorge carved by the Hin Dam River, featuring dramatic, steep, dark rock walls, eroded stone pillars, and shallow, clear waters that create a unique, otherworldly landscape'. In terms of the water flowing through the rocks, it seems I've picked the wrong day. After recent rains, the stream is muddy brown, carrying with it quite a lot of debris. The rock formations here are unusual enough to allow poetic license to use such names as 'Stonehenge.' There's no comparison.
We head back to the main HWY 41 and on towards the coast. Along the Sawi coastline there is quite a lot to see, and it's no surprise that we've missed attractions here on previous visits to Chumphon. The next attraction is Sea Horse Ban Thong Tom Yai, a charming, centuries-old fishing community known for its deep ties to the sea and eco-conscious tourism. Standing proudly at the end of the road is the statue of a seahorse. Seahorses thrive in the shallow, seagrass-rich waters beneath villagers' homes and around traditional bamboo fish traps. Here today during a period of unsettled weather, the high tide is lapping over the pier. It's coming up to midday, and Katoon has one more attraction on the list just a little further around the coast.
We're looking for Bo Kha Beach and follow the narrow road through Dan Sawi fishing village. When the tarmacked road ends, there is a dirt road right up to the beach. The dirt road is reinforced by countless seashells washed up over time: there is no bleach-white sand here. What is here on this shell beach is a natural stone arch carved out by the ocean locally called Pradoo Maha Samut (Ocean Gate). It's here we take a lunch of boo pric pao (crab curry). The time spent here gives us little leeway now to get to Chumphon. By the time we reach the hospital, it's 2:30 PM, which ideally should have been 1:00 PM.
Initially things seem to go well in terms of the wait to see a doctor, but the blood-pressure issue lands me on a stretcher. Wheeled into the examination room, I now have two issues to confront with the same lady doctor I saw, which kicked things off last week. Regarding the cellulitis, there is more work to do as the doctor orders three more days of injections. She also arranges extra medication for the blood pressure. Time-wise there will be the usual 30-minute injection, but when that's set up, the time exceeds that by a country mile due to the slow drip setting. When all is done, I'm wheeled out to the hospital entrance and just left there. By the time Katoon arrives, it's 5:30 PM, and I don't know where 3 hours have disappeared. What I do know is that there is no longer enough time for me to make it for the planned evening entertainment. I know my health comes first, but there would have been no problem if we'd have stuck to the plan. What we face now is a drive of more than 2 hours, mostly in the dark. As we approach Prachuap Khiri Khan, our arrival at our accommodation should be around 8:00 PM, but we still have to order some food and complete the check-in process. As we approach the Suksopha Resort, I can see the lights of Sam Ao Stadium and hear the drums beating, but I'm just too frustrated and tired after a long day's travel to consider watching the second half. The decision made, what happens next is even more frustrating. Having watched three games so far on this visit to Thailand with an average of a goal a game, the game between Prachuap and Ayutthaya has turned out to be a real thriller, with eight goals scored and honors shared. The best I can do is enjoy the highlights later.

Source: Visit