Day 6, Thursday, 16 October - Bangkok
Final Day....... At Bleu Marine we know what to expect. There's no cooked breakfast but a good selection of snacks, buns, pastries, sandwiches, toast etc. In keeping with the previous days, there is no urgency to leave as the clock ticks towards 11.00am but finally we're on our way north. We are heading for Laem Chabang where I hope to find more trains but first, we head for a viewpoint near the port.
Suttangrak....... Taking a road passing north of the port area we arrive at a headland in Suttangrak. Here there is a restaurant with views out to sea, a troop of monkeys and of course a view directly across to the port area. With a few photos taken let's now get into some serious business done.
Laem Chabang Railway Station....... The proximity of Laem Chabang Railway Station to the port area is what brings me here with the expectation there are some freight locomotives here. There are, but not as many as I expected; just two Quisuyans parked up at the station. A reminder that this station handles no passenger traffic, it's for freight only and soon there is activity. Authorised drivers bring another Quisuyan locomotive to a halt at the station and a regular crew takes over. The locomotive soon departs with its train of containers bound for Lat Krabang in Bangkok. This is a signal for us to take lunch near the station, but hardly have we ordered than a similar engine hauls empty containers into the station. The crew vacates the locomotive as the train waits for clearance to enter the port area. This activity gives me a much clearer idea of how the system works.
Space Ispirium....... Plans for our return to Bangkok are hardly epic; just a few locations close together and with two down there's one more attraction 10 minutes away. However, as I set the GPS, I'm told that the attraction is closed today. All I can do is register its presence and move on.
For the record the Space Ispirium is a modern science museum focusing on space technology & the science of the universe, with a 3D cinema.
Si Racha Railway Junction #2....... With so much trainspotting success so far, it's a no-brainer that I head back to Si Racha again. A bit of reshuffling of engines may bring more into view that hide in the workshop or behind other locomotives. The result is that all 20 class 5100's have been spotted almost all of them at Si Racha. It's good work but now there's no reason to prolong this tour any longer and we set course for Bangkok arriving without traffic hold ups this time.
Conclusion....... This tour had to be different as honeymoons should be, and heading for the coast was an obvious choice. However, we didn't want to be amongst the chaos on this long holiday weekend. We did get a taste of it but generally found enough peace and quiet to make this tour work. It does seem strange that I concentrated a lot on the railway, not at all chaotic but we added a good mix of attractions as well. Our lie-ins in the mornings and gorgeous seafood meals in the evenings were wonderful and we never looked back wondering if we could have done things better which was the main thing.
First Page.
Final Day....... At Bleu Marine we know what to expect. There's no cooked breakfast but a good selection of snacks, buns, pastries, sandwiches, toast etc. In keeping with the previous days, there is no urgency to leave as the clock ticks towards 11.00am but finally we're on our way north. We are heading for Laem Chabang where I hope to find more trains but first, we head for a viewpoint near the port.
Suttangrak....... Taking a road passing north of the port area we arrive at a headland in Suttangrak. Here there is a restaurant with views out to sea, a troop of monkeys and of course a view directly across to the port area. With a few photos taken let's now get into some serious business done.
Laem Chabang Railway Station....... The proximity of Laem Chabang Railway Station to the port area is what brings me here with the expectation there are some freight locomotives here. There are, but not as many as I expected; just two Quisuyans parked up at the station. A reminder that this station handles no passenger traffic, it's for freight only and soon there is activity. Authorised drivers bring another Quisuyan locomotive to a halt at the station and a regular crew takes over. The locomotive soon departs with its train of containers bound for Lat Krabang in Bangkok. This is a signal for us to take lunch near the station, but hardly have we ordered than a similar engine hauls empty containers into the station. The crew vacates the locomotive as the train waits for clearance to enter the port area. This activity gives me a much clearer idea of how the system works.
Space Ispirium....... Plans for our return to Bangkok are hardly epic; just a few locations close together and with two down there's one more attraction 10 minutes away. However, as I set the GPS, I'm told that the attraction is closed today. All I can do is register its presence and move on.
For the record the Space Ispirium is a modern science museum focusing on space technology & the science of the universe, with a 3D cinema.
Si Racha Railway Junction #2....... With so much trainspotting success so far, it's a no-brainer that I head back to Si Racha again. A bit of reshuffling of engines may bring more into view that hide in the workshop or behind other locomotives. The result is that all 20 class 5100's have been spotted almost all of them at Si Racha. It's good work but now there's no reason to prolong this tour any longer and we set course for Bangkok arriving without traffic hold ups this time.
Conclusion....... This tour had to be different as honeymoons should be, and heading for the coast was an obvious choice. However, we didn't want to be amongst the chaos on this long holiday weekend. We did get a taste of it but generally found enough peace and quiet to make this tour work. It does seem strange that I concentrated a lot on the railway, not at all chaotic but we added a good mix of attractions as well. Our lie-ins in the mornings and gorgeous seafood meals in the evenings were wonderful and we never looked back wondering if we could have done things better which was the main thing.
First Page.
Chonburi Province
Laem Chabang Viewpoint,
Leam Chabang District
Laem Chabang Railway Station,
Leam Chabang District
Space Ispirium, Thung Sukhla,
Si Racha District
Si Racha Railway Junction, Surasak,
Si Racha District