PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN

Before I planned for this tour, I have never heard of this place call Prachuap Khiri Khan.

I took a 2 hours train ride from Chumphon. It is my first time on Thai Railway. The train is more than 20 years old. It’s comfortable but all the fittings in the coach are worn. Lunch was served immediately when the train left the station. An hour later, coffee and pastry were served.

There is no PA announcement of name of arrival stations. Passenger has to monitor the train progress. I stay awake and track my GPS. The train stops at minor stations for no more than 2 minutes and it must be hell if one misses the stop.

The train rode through small rubber and oil palm plantations. Along the track are also dotted with coconut and bananas plantations.

This is a small and sleepy seaside city with modest traffic as compare to Hua Hin. But it gives a feeling of a relax place. There is a concrete walkway along the seaside with a super long jetty. Prachuap sits in the middle of the bay. The sea which is the Gulf of Thailand is to the east. The place is very windy and the waves rather strong. There are a few scenic islands not too far from Prachuap. Away from Prachuap are many tourist attractions such as island, forest and mountains.

Not far from the beach is a Buddhist temple that sits on a small hill call Khao Chong Krajok. There are concrete steps up this hill. There are monkeys everywhere and can be very intimidating. I saw a couple of tourists discontinued their climb due to fear for these monkeys. Because of the sheer numbers of monkey on the steps staring at people, it surely looks menacing. Once up on this hill, the view of this city and the seas and island is just breathtaking.

Views from Khao Chong Hill

 
 
 
 



Prachuap KK has a very busy and interesting night market. It easily stretches over a kilometer. With such wide varieties of food, this night market has effectively transformed into an open air restaurants. Besides food, the night market also have stores selling more popular wares.

Sunrise over Prachuap