Ishtmus of Kra, Prachuap Khiri Khan.

---

tourism

Well, there I am....back in holland behind the computer, having just finished my first day of wellpaying, mindnumbing work. Thanks to my dad who provides me with limitless acces to internet, I have discovered the wonders of things like YOUTUBE.
So now i am listening to my very own playlist, which is ofcourse full of foreign music.
TIP: FOR SOME REALLY POPULAR INDONESIAN MUSIC, search for "SAMSON-KENANGAN TERINDAH" , I promise you'll love it.

So, yeah, left kanchanaburi by bus and train. Was very surprised to see how dry the landscape looked south of bangkok. Everything looked like it hadn't seen rain in weeks.
Arrived in the heat of the day, but the guesthouse was very close to the trainstation luckely, so after dumping my bags, i went for a stroll.
Man, i was so happy i chose this place, although i didn't know much about it.
For a thai town it is very quiet, and the broad bays, ending in headlands with hilltops topped by little temples, the reasonably clean swimmimg water and the low prices, make it such a worthwhile place to crash for a couple of days before heading back on the cattle track down south.
In town there is something called the monkeytemple, from where you have amazing views accross the bays and prachuap itself. Go just before sunrise, and you can see the sun sinking behind the hills of Myanmar, while at the same time you're trying not to make eyecontact with the scores of monkey's thinking you're there to feed them.
(warning......they do bite, and they are not very friendly)
Prachuap is situated right at the most narrow part of south thailand, where, from the eastcoast to the border of myanmar, it is only 12 km!

Walking along the bay to the next, you arrive at the bottom of mt. lomnuak, the hill on the headland. This is the place you will find the monkeys, as seen in this blog.
Although not wild, i reckon they must be semiwild, i mean, the town is not far, but they live in the bush on the hill. Just don't buy anything to feed them, that way they hopefully stay semi -wild.
In the bay, you rent a truck tyre for 30 baht, and a lounge chair (as seen on the photo) for 10 baht!!! Talking cheap! And food and drinks, including beers are cheap too.
Late afternoon though, you'll be sharing the beach with several groups of thai childeren and teenagers, who all arrive by bus from school or something.
No really, this is a nice place, there are some tourists, but not many, and prachuap has a great boulevard to spend the evenings wandering.
The nightmarket is set on a fresh, brandnew piece of concrete, a lovely townsquare, with the clock and all. It's a great place and so dirt cheap! I had a big portion of whatever (ex: chicken-cashew rice) AND a big chang for 80 baht!!!!!
Try getting that on one of the islands.
Anyway, i did some serious relaxing, qoz these were my last days.

After i had soaked up enough sun, i took the evening train back to bangkok. I choose the 3rd class again, for i didn't have enough money for the 2nd, and well, on my way there, it really wasn't that bad. And i figured that because it was a nighttrain, it would probably be nearly empty, and i would have a bench for myself!! Well, think again. I stepped inside the train, and honestly, i had to wriggle my way through legs and sleeping people, just to be able to find a spot in the overhead compartment to dump my backpack.
There wasn't even room for myself to sit and i wasn't planning on waking up thai people, just so i could spend the next 7 hours wedged in between a family, trying not to move.
So immidiately i made my way over to the doors, where i managed to sit down, legs pulled up or jammed under my buttocks. This was the moment where i started regretting my choice. Fortunately, i soon made a friend, pontap i think his name was. So together we spend the night listening mp3, talking and smoking. And the night went by pretty quick actually. Soon we arrived in the urban sprawl that is bangkok. So i said goodbye to my newmade friend, and thought i'll take a taxi down to kao san, seeing that i had just spend 7 hours very uncomfortable. I must have looked a "greeny", coz the guy says 300 baht!!!
What a joke, anyway, i did land myself a driver who was willing to drive on the meter, but this guy turned out to be new. So after a lot of circling around the total wasn't 50 baht like normal, but 70! Breakfast was eaten amongst the late drinkers from the night before.
Since i hadn't slept that night, i spend lots of time that day in the park on the chao phraya river, reading the bangkok post and taking naps. (what a way to spend a day ha?!)
Left suvarnabhumi airport at 22:30 that night to arrive in Tehran at 02:30 with mahan air.
Recieved a coupon for even more food in the transit lounge, and at 05:30 we took off again to dusseldorf. From there i took the fast ICE train, and after the usual and expected delays with the local trains in the lovely country that is holland, i was home...............

Oh well, there is an end to everything they say, isn't it? This time i hope to do things a bit different though.No more slaving for months on end just to spend 2 or 3 months in asia, qoz it's just too short i think, and you don't get to know the country.
So hopefully will recieve my TEFL diploma this year, after an intensive 1 month course in the UK, and that will provide me with a one year contract in s.e.asia, teaching english.....
Cross my fingers it'll all work out, in the mean time i continue my mindnumbing job (with a baht in each jeans pocket for good luck) and if there is anything worth showing or writing about in 2007, i won't hesitate to let you know.
Thanks, frisian traveler.

---

Photos

CUTE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
semi wild monkeys, just outside the town in a a park, wauw!

fish drying in the sun
boulevard of Prachuap khiri khan

manao bay
not a bad way of spending your last days now, is it?

prachuap bay
seen from monkey temple

looking down from mt khao lomnuak

me and pontap
nighttrain to bangkok

Comments

[Myung]

beter laat dan nooit :P
Hey Johan! Hoe gaat het? Ja, ik herinner je nog hoor, had alleen moeite met jou traceren op internet. Toen jij reageerde op mijn weblog, kreeg ik niet automatisch een e-mail adres mee. Ik zit momenteel in Koh Tao (Thailand) alwaar ik in training ben om Dive Master te worden. Heb het nog altijd naar m'n zin. Ben jij ondertussen alweer een beetje geaclimatiseerd in ons kikkerlandje? Heb je nog contact met Mardi? Groetjes Myung ([e-mail])

[twintraveller maarten.]

hey bru, i am waiting for an new update, where are you're awsome stories about the alpaca's. anyway about that pic. laying on the beach in thailand with chang beer you forgot something to write below it ..;) spending the last min. on who's .....;) hey johan good luck overthere and keep hanging on in what you doing ...! maarten