Day 15, Friday 21 October
Hopping Down at Hop Inn.......At Hop Inn in Nakhon Si Thammarat there is the morning ritual of heading down to the reception area to get coffee and hot water. Hop Inn is a national chain offering budget accommodation and by not offering catering facilities they can keep costs down. To compensate, they do supply a microwave to warm up ready meals if needed but today is all about getting an early start. After a lot of site visits in Satun yesterday, we covered little more than 20% of our distance back to Bangkok by the day's end.
Having booked our final night's stop of this tour in Prachuap Khiri Khan tonight, it's a big ask to cover 500 kilometres in one day but fortunately we get a good start and depart just after 8am. I'm aiming to cover this distance by 7pm. That allows for a couple of arranged site visits. The first of these is 62 km away.
Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) Temple.......Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) Temple known for its 'Egg Boy' statue, said to grant wishes. According to legend, (novice monk) Ai Khai was a boy following Lung Pho Thuad on pilgrimage. When Lung Pho Thuad came to Wat Chedi, he ordered Ai Khai to stay there and look after the temple for him. Unfortunately, Ai Khai died young but his spirit has lived there ever since and never fails in his promise to look after the temple for Lung Pho Thuad.
So far, I haven't established a connection with chickens except that 'khai' in Thai is an egg but here there are chickens, lots of them. The iconic cockerel or rooster with its attractive colouring is symbolic in many ways in Thailand. For example, at every shrine to King Taksin the Great. The sheer quantity of these pottery pieces keeps the kilns busy all year round and you really have to visit this site to witness the thousands upon thousands of 'chickens' in shops lined up along the roadway for at least a kilometre in every direction leading to this Chicken Temple. I'll leave you to decide whether you want a chicken on your mantle piece to bring you good luck.
Noen Teawada Viewpoint.......Now, for only the second day on this tour, I get behind the wheel to help out. We're heading north towards Surat Thani province but I should have guessed that this long day of transition would include unscheduled stops as we head for the coast still in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. We arrive at Noen Teawada Viewpoint, a new attraction built on a hillside near Nai Phlao Beach with gorgeous views of Khanom Bay and out into the Gulf of Thailand. Here is another fine example of Thai imagination and artistic design. Walkways, platforms, viewing towers and bridges allow a visitor the very best viewing experience and with the coffee shop and other conveniences included why would you not want to stay here a while. Well, in our case we just don't have the time. The detour has taken the best part of an hour. Entry to this attraction is 20 baht.
Diversion.......We must crack on and enter Surat Thani province but another issue arises. There is major roadworks at the junction with the main highway 41. A diversion is recommended on Google Map which takes us to the north of Surat Thani completely avoiding the area. Even so, this takes us on minor roads with inevitable delays. Finally, we can connect with the 41 in Tha Chang district. At a rest stop Katoon takes over driving again and soon she just cannot resist yet another unscheduled stop, this time in Chaiya district.
Laem Pho.......Amid my concerns over time constraints, I just have to accept, she's found another hidden gem. Laem Pho is just amazing, located on a headland sandwiched between the Tha Chana estuary and the Gulf of Thailand. This is yet another location to just chill out. Thais are so lucky to have such a variety of locations like this, the only restrictions all year round being the weather which right now is sunny, the temperature creeping over 30 Celsius. Leam Pho is not the place you want to leave in a hurry for as well as wonderful sea views this area boasts of shellfish of great variety and here among the street sellers is an open-air food court devoted to seafood. As it's well past lunch time, this is the ideal place to sample those shellfish. The hoi prik pao (shellfish in a sweet and spicy sauce) and khai jeow boo (crab omelet) are incredible. We stay here as long as we dare. I guess this sort of thing is bound to happen. I must learn that the value of the here and now is more important and let the future take care of itself.
Chaiya Railway Station.......We return back to Hwy 41 but not before stopping at Chaiya railway station simply so that I can take some recent photographs although I'm not expecting any services passing through Chaiya at this time of day.
Lots to Do........Katoon drives on north into Chumphon province where we plan another site visit; this one scheduled. Into midafternoon, a couple of issues cause more concern. Major roadworks on the 41 delay us around 20 minutes and then after a bright and sunny day so far, dark clouds appear in the distance which soon turn into a canopy of charcoal grey. Traffic becomes heavy with slow moving trucks. Recalibration of our route planner to allow for so many delays now puts our arrive time in Prachuap Khiri Khan at 8pm. Still south of Chumphon in Sawi district, we arrive at what has to be our final stop of the day but it's still raining heavily.
Wat Phra Borommathat.......The legend of construction of Wat Phra Borommathat has it that in the year 1260 AD, King Thammasokkarat (the king of Nakhon Si Thammarat) had stopped over at a deserted temple in Sawi. Here he found a flock of crows cawing and flapping their wings on an old brick mound. The king then instructed the removal of rubble which revealed the remains of a large pagoda which within was found a large casket containing the relic of the Buddha. The king then ordered the reconstruction of the pagoda and named it 'Phra Borommathat Kawipeek' (the Pagoda of the flapping crow). Later the name was lessened to 'Phra Borommathat Kawi and finally distorted to 'Phra Borommathat Sawi'.
The Fine Arts department announced the registration of this monument in the Royal Thai Government Gazette dated 21st of December 2001. Since then, this temple has been reconstructed with work completed in 2016.
Still More to Do.......There's little more than 30 minutes of daylight left and we are still well south of Chumphon. Katoon has her hands full dealing with heavy traffic as we reach this provincial capital then head along the bypass continuing north. Fortunately, the traffic eases a bit and we make better progress but by this time it's already dark. The best estimate now of our arrival in Prachuap Khiri Khan is 9:00pm. It's now in these conditions that my companion displays excellent driving skills. Driving along Thailand's major highways at night is not for the faint hearted. Fortunately, now there are no further delays and we arrive in Prachuap Khiri Khan exactly as predicted at 9:00pm.
Paskon Boutique Resort.......Locating suitable accommodation can be a bit of a lottery despite reviews and good information on online booking sites. We were in Prachuap Khan Khan on the first night of this tour and then stayed at The Rest Hotel but in trying to rebook this accommodation for tonight we found it fully booked. Instead of choosing apartment style accommodation I've taken a chance to book a bungalow type really not that far from The Rest. It has to meet our requirements as it's too late in the day to make alternative arrangements. Thankfully when we arrive at Paskon Boutique Resort, we are made most welcome and the accommodation proves top drawer. In terms of our needs, it has everything, is modern and spacious and exactly what we need after such a long day on the road. It's also well under budget at just 500 baht/night. There's food in the larder and a cold beer so that should be it for the day. Tomorrow will be a different animal with just half the distance we travelled today needed to reach base in Bangkok.
Next Page.
Hopping Down at Hop Inn.......At Hop Inn in Nakhon Si Thammarat there is the morning ritual of heading down to the reception area to get coffee and hot water. Hop Inn is a national chain offering budget accommodation and by not offering catering facilities they can keep costs down. To compensate, they do supply a microwave to warm up ready meals if needed but today is all about getting an early start. After a lot of site visits in Satun yesterday, we covered little more than 20% of our distance back to Bangkok by the day's end.
Having booked our final night's stop of this tour in Prachuap Khiri Khan tonight, it's a big ask to cover 500 kilometres in one day but fortunately we get a good start and depart just after 8am. I'm aiming to cover this distance by 7pm. That allows for a couple of arranged site visits. The first of these is 62 km away.
Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) Temple.......Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) Temple known for its 'Egg Boy' statue, said to grant wishes. According to legend, (novice monk) Ai Khai was a boy following Lung Pho Thuad on pilgrimage. When Lung Pho Thuad came to Wat Chedi, he ordered Ai Khai to stay there and look after the temple for him. Unfortunately, Ai Khai died young but his spirit has lived there ever since and never fails in his promise to look after the temple for Lung Pho Thuad.
So far, I haven't established a connection with chickens except that 'khai' in Thai is an egg but here there are chickens, lots of them. The iconic cockerel or rooster with its attractive colouring is symbolic in many ways in Thailand. For example, at every shrine to King Taksin the Great. The sheer quantity of these pottery pieces keeps the kilns busy all year round and you really have to visit this site to witness the thousands upon thousands of 'chickens' in shops lined up along the roadway for at least a kilometre in every direction leading to this Chicken Temple. I'll leave you to decide whether you want a chicken on your mantle piece to bring you good luck.
Noen Teawada Viewpoint.......Now, for only the second day on this tour, I get behind the wheel to help out. We're heading north towards Surat Thani province but I should have guessed that this long day of transition would include unscheduled stops as we head for the coast still in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. We arrive at Noen Teawada Viewpoint, a new attraction built on a hillside near Nai Phlao Beach with gorgeous views of Khanom Bay and out into the Gulf of Thailand. Here is another fine example of Thai imagination and artistic design. Walkways, platforms, viewing towers and bridges allow a visitor the very best viewing experience and with the coffee shop and other conveniences included why would you not want to stay here a while. Well, in our case we just don't have the time. The detour has taken the best part of an hour. Entry to this attraction is 20 baht.
Diversion.......We must crack on and enter Surat Thani province but another issue arises. There is major roadworks at the junction with the main highway 41. A diversion is recommended on Google Map which takes us to the north of Surat Thani completely avoiding the area. Even so, this takes us on minor roads with inevitable delays. Finally, we can connect with the 41 in Tha Chang district. At a rest stop Katoon takes over driving again and soon she just cannot resist yet another unscheduled stop, this time in Chaiya district.
Laem Pho.......Amid my concerns over time constraints, I just have to accept, she's found another hidden gem. Laem Pho is just amazing, located on a headland sandwiched between the Tha Chana estuary and the Gulf of Thailand. This is yet another location to just chill out. Thais are so lucky to have such a variety of locations like this, the only restrictions all year round being the weather which right now is sunny, the temperature creeping over 30 Celsius. Leam Pho is not the place you want to leave in a hurry for as well as wonderful sea views this area boasts of shellfish of great variety and here among the street sellers is an open-air food court devoted to seafood. As it's well past lunch time, this is the ideal place to sample those shellfish. The hoi prik pao (shellfish in a sweet and spicy sauce) and khai jeow boo (crab omelet) are incredible. We stay here as long as we dare. I guess this sort of thing is bound to happen. I must learn that the value of the here and now is more important and let the future take care of itself.
Chaiya Railway Station.......We return back to Hwy 41 but not before stopping at Chaiya railway station simply so that I can take some recent photographs although I'm not expecting any services passing through Chaiya at this time of day.
Lots to Do........Katoon drives on north into Chumphon province where we plan another site visit; this one scheduled. Into midafternoon, a couple of issues cause more concern. Major roadworks on the 41 delay us around 20 minutes and then after a bright and sunny day so far, dark clouds appear in the distance which soon turn into a canopy of charcoal grey. Traffic becomes heavy with slow moving trucks. Recalibration of our route planner to allow for so many delays now puts our arrive time in Prachuap Khiri Khan at 8pm. Still south of Chumphon in Sawi district, we arrive at what has to be our final stop of the day but it's still raining heavily.
Wat Phra Borommathat.......The legend of construction of Wat Phra Borommathat has it that in the year 1260 AD, King Thammasokkarat (the king of Nakhon Si Thammarat) had stopped over at a deserted temple in Sawi. Here he found a flock of crows cawing and flapping their wings on an old brick mound. The king then instructed the removal of rubble which revealed the remains of a large pagoda which within was found a large casket containing the relic of the Buddha. The king then ordered the reconstruction of the pagoda and named it 'Phra Borommathat Kawipeek' (the Pagoda of the flapping crow). Later the name was lessened to 'Phra Borommathat Kawi and finally distorted to 'Phra Borommathat Sawi'.
The Fine Arts department announced the registration of this monument in the Royal Thai Government Gazette dated 21st of December 2001. Since then, this temple has been reconstructed with work completed in 2016.
Still More to Do.......There's little more than 30 minutes of daylight left and we are still well south of Chumphon. Katoon has her hands full dealing with heavy traffic as we reach this provincial capital then head along the bypass continuing north. Fortunately, the traffic eases a bit and we make better progress but by this time it's already dark. The best estimate now of our arrival in Prachuap Khiri Khan is 9:00pm. It's now in these conditions that my companion displays excellent driving skills. Driving along Thailand's major highways at night is not for the faint hearted. Fortunately, now there are no further delays and we arrive in Prachuap Khiri Khan exactly as predicted at 9:00pm.
Paskon Boutique Resort.......Locating suitable accommodation can be a bit of a lottery despite reviews and good information on online booking sites. We were in Prachuap Khan Khan on the first night of this tour and then stayed at The Rest Hotel but in trying to rebook this accommodation for tonight we found it fully booked. Instead of choosing apartment style accommodation I've taken a chance to book a bungalow type really not that far from The Rest. It has to meet our requirements as it's too late in the day to make alternative arrangements. Thankfully when we arrive at Paskon Boutique Resort, we are made most welcome and the accommodation proves top drawer. In terms of our needs, it has everything, is modern and spacious and exactly what we need after such a long day on the road. It's also well under budget at just 500 baht/night. There's food in the larder and a cold beer so that should be it for the day. Tomorrow will be a different animal with just half the distance we travelled today needed to reach base in Bangkok.
Next Page.
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) Temple,
Chalong, Sichon District
Noen Teawada Viewpoint,
Ao Khanom, Khanom District
-------------------------------------------------
Surat Thani Province
Laem Pho, Phum Riang, Chaiya District
Chaiya Railway Station, Chaiya
-------------------------------------------------
Chumphon Province
Wat Phra Borommathat Sawi,
Sawi, Sawi District
Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) Temple,
Chalong, Sichon District
Noen Teawada Viewpoint,
Ao Khanom, Khanom District
-------------------------------------------------
Surat Thani Province
Laem Pho, Phum Riang, Chaiya District
Chaiya Railway Station, Chaiya
-------------------------------------------------
Chumphon Province
Wat Phra Borommathat Sawi,
Sawi, Sawi District