Day 12, Tuesday 18 October

Restrictions.......Overnight there is a lot more rain evidenced by the sound coming from the aluminum roof over the porch outside but as I awake this morning there are things on my mind. Firstly, arriving back late yesterday, I didn't get much done on my daily blog. It's important that I keep this up to date to avoid losing track of things. It takes an hour and a half to catch up. The other issues involve water. First, we need to boil some for coffee and take breakfast out on the verandah consisting of food bought at the market in La Ngu last night. The heavy rain will also cause issues if it continues throughout the day. Presently the ground is waterlogged. The small road outside the resort is partially flooded from water spilling over from the hilly ground nearby. No drainage channel exists which is bad news for small cyclids that I see floundering in the road way. If they survive the traffic they will perish anyway when the water subsides. I manage to rescue a few back to the roadside.
Pak Bara Beach.......The area around Pak Bara beach has not been explored so far so that is the priority for the day but we are also on the move again probably into Satun City. As we depart, yet again it is not early enough for me to feel comfortable, now gone 10.30am. We first head along Pak Bara beach road and locate the viewpoint. That complete we head to the pier.
Pak Bara Pier.......It was way back in 2014 when I was last here and it's strange how one's perspective changes with the mode of travel. Back then we didn't have a car and travelled exactly as those who are presently using this pier are. Of course, it brings back memories but I'm only here today out of curiosity. One thing I wasn't aware of then is how busy this pier is with services to the islands of Taratao, Rawai, Lipe and more including Langkawi which requires immigration facilities. Add to the tourist traffic you have food sellers, many tour booking offices, national park staff, fishermen etc. etc. This is a really busy port.
Khao To Ngai National Park.......We return past Green Hill Resort which lies in the shadow of that green hill, arriving at a viewpoint at the entrance to Khao To Ngai National Park. We decide to pay the park fees if only to use the pedestrian bridge. But here there is a geological fault line on the south of the small isolated Khao To Ngai mountain about 7 kilometers from La-ngu. The geological fault line can be seen on a cliff at the seafront accessible by the footbridge from the national park office. This fault line site is an important geological structure in the Satun Geopark marking a difference between red sandstone sediments of the Cambrian epoch with limestone rocks formed in the Ordovician period.
The walkway is an experience in itself, perched as it is around the cliff edge but we get an extra treat by observing the antics of a small group of dusky langurs. Entrance to the park is 100 baht.
Ka Sing Beach.......From here we head into Lang-Ngu then west to the coast in an area not covered yesterday but with very similar geography. However, before we've hardly started the heavens open again. It's not looking good for the rest of the day. We make it to Ka Sing beach which is described as a viewpoint but this is yet another unspectacular and debris strewn beach of little interest but nearby is something rather more interesting.
Bo Chet Luk.......At Bo Chet Luk there are seven wells covered inside by bricks with cement and cement paving on the ground around the wells. There is a legend that the first settlement of Sea Gypsy sailed from a far-off island to this area. They dug many wells for a water supply but no water came out until the seventh well filled with water. The seven wells are now preserved in the village. I take a quick look around Bo Chet Luk harbour where there are more iconic long-tailed boats but all this time the rain keeps falling and there's little point in continuing. We have covered this area as best we can. Any further excursions will have to be made from Satun which is where we are now headed.
Rain Stops Play.......It's just an hour's drive to Satun and I soon begin to draw up a short list of options for our stay tonight. After a few calls and visits the list is down to one. At Thawan Apartment there is no breakfast as expected but the building is quite new and the rooms spacious. This accommodation has to be the best so far for just 600 baht. Not long after check-in we go down town where there are plenty of dining options just 4 minutes away.
The heavy rain today has again proved a nuisance with just 2 or 3 hours of exploring achieved, some of it in dreadful conditions. Yet I don't think my visit to Satun has been particularly compromised. I feel all the principal attractions except for the islands in the west of Satun province have been visited covering most of the Geopark area. To the east and north there are still some important sites but I feel I can reach these tomorrow. This will be the final full day devoted to site visiting and I'm already getting a feeling of winding down.
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