Life's a beach at Ao Man Ao

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From PKK we had a great day out on the bikes. Just around the corner from our hotel was the entrance to a Thai Air Force base. Luckily for us, the main road goes straight through the base so we were able to have a bit of a look around. No security issues here! No photography near the runway though!!

Riding through the base it was hard to imagine that it was a military establishment. This was especially so when we got to the far side and reached the beach! It was gorgeous and, whilst the wind and waves were still a bit of a problem in PKK, the beach here was a scene of serenity. First though, we had some sightseeing to do.

Now you may question what sightseeing you can do on a military base. Well, this base has a small outdoor museum with vintage aircraft to look at and a few monuments and memorials. It was the sight of a big battle during World War II ending when the Thai and Japanese forces signed a truce. There are also monkeys. These ones are cute and friendly and not the least bit aggressive. Much more to our taste!! The only annoyance there was the large crowd of Scouts and Guides making a lot of noise and getting a little too friendly with the monkeys. Their bus soon came to take them away though and then we had the site to ourselves.

We cycled back along the coast road and found a stretch of deserted beach. There we relaxed for an hour or so, sunbathing and swimming. It was bliss. Eventually though, a military vehicle drew up close to us and told us we couldn't sunbathe there and we had to move on. Spoilsports!! Still, it was probably time to move on anyway.

The road continues through the Ao Man Ao beach area with shops and restaurants but we carried on away from the base to the next town. There was't a lot there but the temple looks nice and there were some extraordinary street lamps around. On our way back we stopped off for some freshly grilled squid in Ao Manao which was delicious. The beach there seems to have suffered badly in the recent storms which was a shame, but we have been told it's much nicer when the tide is out.

Back in PKK we relaxed for our final afternoon by the pool. In the evening we were subjected to a lot of LOUD singing from a stage but we couldn't figure out why it was there. Luckily it was out of earshot from the hotel so the next day we were nicely rested and it was time to move on.

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Comments

[Donna and Neil]

How cute!
You are right, they are really cute and cuddly monkeys, ahhh they are the cutest we have ever seen...what type are they do you know? Seems like you enjoyed your time in Thailand, you have another holiday coming up with Tet don't you? What are your plans?

[rrruss]

Monkey business
They were spectacled something or other beginning with L. Can't remember!!! Off to Malaysia in a week. 2 holidays in quick succession!!!