Day 8, Friday 14 October

Naturally.......It's breakfast in the room again. We bring what we need. The only difference with Je t'aime is that we have coffee and a kettle in the room. I finish my blog for yesterday and set about making plans for the day. One thing I will have to get used to is that being a mountainous Andaman coastal province Trang's attractions consist mainly of waterfalls, caves, piers and beaches. There are so many attractions like this in Trang and the next province Satun that it's going to be a question of what to leave out. I have just five more nights here before I need to head back to Bangkok. I set about compiling a list of attractions which I note are mostly in Kantang District.
City Pillar Shrine (Lak Mueang).......As we head out of Trang it's gone 10am. Our first stop is not on my list but just 10 minutes southeast of the city near highway 403. It's unusual to see the symbolic pillar so far out of the city but I note that it was renovated in 1992. Located on the roadside of Trang-Kantang Old Street, Khuan Thani subdistrict, Kantang district, the City Pillar is heart and soul as well as a place to worship for Trang people. It stands on the site where the first town was located.
Nok Yung Waterfall.......The first location on my list is in the mountainous area in the north of Kantang district and I'm not expecting it to be the easiest. My fears are confirmed as the roadway up to Nok Yung Waterfall turns into a dirt road. This is not the best indicator there is something interesting here. This is confirmed as we are direct into the forest on an overgrown path only used by locals. Sure, there is a waterfall here but unspectacular. I record it but won't recommend it. The road continues to rejoin highway 4008 where we backtrack a bit to reach our next destination.
Kantang Hot Spring Forest Park.......Kantang Hot Spring Forest Park is just a few minutes after turning off the same highway. A forest park in Thailand means it will be maintained by the park's service with its own ranger station. Usually, these parks charge no fee or just a small fee but for the second time I've witnessed in Trang province they accept donations much in the same way as temples are financed. Once inside the park you immediately see the hot springs running at a temperature of about 50 Celsius. Obviously, visitors are allowed to enter the pools and I've done this a few times in various hot springs but these days I can't risk it for fear of developing cellulitis which has caused me serious problems in Thailand before. The concrete walkway through the forest though, is well to my liking. This interesting forest park certainly get the thumbs up from me. We head further west to the coast in the direction of Pak Meng to another beach.
Haad Chao Mai.......I've come here thinking that Haad Chao Mai is similar to Haad Pak Meng but it turns out to be the opposite. Adjacent to the Haad Chao Mai National Park, is just a tree lined beach and not a clean one at that with rubbish strewn out among the sea pine trees. Well, so far there's only been a 50% success rate so far. From here we head off down Kantang's rugged coastline but no too far.
Khuan Tung Ku Pier.......To the right is a turning to Khuan Tung Ku pier. Well, one of the very few locations in Trang that is familiar to me is this pier. It was here on the 2nd November 2013 that I departed for that interesting island of Koh Kradan, the recollection of which keeps cropping up from time to time. This time we're only here to take photos and bring back memories and it seems only appropriate that we take lunch here as well. It's on to the next location.
Ban Nam Lat.......For new visitors to Thailand the sight of rua hang yao (Thailand's colourful long-tailed boats) shouts 'get the camera out', such is the fabulous photo opportunity they present. Yet, almost everywhere there is access to any significant volume of water, you will find these boats: They are just that common. Katoon has located one of so many fishing villages on the Andaman coast. This one called Nam Lat. Here my dear companion who could mesmerize a scarecrow engages with the local community. What happens next surprises me because I thought fishing villages were all about catching fish. Well, I learn here there is a lot more to it than that. The villagers here take what nature provides but they also know that in order to survive they have to give nature a helping hand. One local man keeps crabs, squid and other sea creatures until eggs they produce hatch out. They are then released back into the water where they have a much better survival rate. Very soon I'm given the task of releasing newly hatched crabs into the bay, a sign of being blessed with good luck.
Close by, another family is engaged in the end process. When the crabs are about four months old, they are harvested and turned into crab meat. I've reminded myself to come back here in February next year to collect my prize. The success rate is back in the green but not for long.
Yong Ling Beach.......We continue down the coast to the next beach Yong Ling beach but find that this beach lies in part of the Haad Chao Mai National Park. Well, 200 baht just to take photos just doesn't compute with me. We move on, reaching Yao Beach and at last there is activity on the beach just when I was expecting none. A few restaurant and shop buildings here are enough to support a few tourists. The beach appears to be safe but still there is rubbish built up on the shore which could easily be cleared with a little organisation.
Haad Yao Pier.......It's just a short distance to Haad Yao Pier, the furthest point we can get before the Lat Chao Mai estuary. Such is the nature of the coastline in Trang that there seems to be a pier at every turn. The pier at Haad Yao is one of the larger ones. The obvious destination for boats leaving here is Koh Libong hardly four kilometres away and in direct view of the pier. Libong has an interesting attraction, the stone bridge but I'll just have to put it on my wish list as it's getting rather late now. Of course, there are a number of other locations that can be reached from this pier too. Just like everywhere else the more people per boat the cheaper it becomes. To help the situation, boats only depart when enough passengers arrive. Now, quite late in the day there is little activity here. There are still more sites on my list but time doesn't permit much more activity today and we must start the return leg.
Mot Tanoi Beach.......Returning north towards Kantang dare I add one more location? Mot Tanoi Beach is located on the opposite side of the Lat Chao Mai an is no distance as the crow flies but by road it's a 15-minute detour. Mot Tanoi is another fishing village but with a web of narrow streets. Figuring out where the beach is wastes time. We find Blue Lagoon Home, a mixture of cabins and huts but as least it is used for what we normally need a beach for. However, this is a location I certainly could have left out. East from here is the Trang River, there is another pier there, Pramuang Pier and further up the river Na Klua Port but we've run out of time and head for Kantang.
Kantang Railway Station.......Kantang has a railway station. It is the terminus to a line that extends to Tung Song Junction in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The station opened on the 1st April 1913. It was built from wood in a Victorian architectural style known as a 'Ginger bread house'. On 18th December 1996 it was registered as a monument by the Fine Arts Department. It is of note that Kantang had previous provincial status due to its location with access to the Andaman Sea.
Rasada Museum.......We've really left our visit to Kantang too late as Katoon has her own wish list. It's a pity we don't put out heads together sometimes. We reach Rasada Museum the ex-governor's house but too late; it's closed.
First Rubber Tree of Thailand.......One interesting site we can view however is the First Rubber Tree of Thailand. Rubber trees were first planted in Thailand around 1882 when the country was still called Siam. There is clear evidence that in 1899 Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahisornphakdi (Khosimbi Na Ranong) first brought rubber trees to plant here in Kantang District.
Dinner at J-Nok.......With a good highway connection, it's an easy run back to Trang from here where after another busy day there is some catching up to. For dinner we return to the same restaurant as last night, J-Nok.
As is finalize my notes for today I'm in a bit of a fix as I've totally underestimated the time needed to cover all of Trang province. There are so many estuaries and inlets that it's hard to get around by road. I have to extend my stay in Trang by one more night as there is such a big area to cover. However, I'm aware from today's travels that a fair number of locations weren't worth visiting. I have to be much more selective with which sites I need to cover now.
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