Scotties and friends took off on 25th June morning on an exciting trip to Chanthaburi. We stopped by a local’s favorite noodle place that serves a special recipe of squid broth noodles soup.
Next stop was the eco-tourism site of Tung Prong Thong. This 6,000 Rai mangrove field is the largest in Rayong and is a popular place for mangrove ecotourism. We walked through a 1km long wooden walkway that allows you to walk through the forest then took a boat ride out towards the seaside. Along the way the local boat guide told us about how the area was previously used to do fishery, shrimp farming and agriculture farming. He also entertained us with a story about his ancestral home which is over 100 years old and by the way is also a haunted house!
At the next destination our van driver took us to a fruit roadside stall that sells durians we love. We sampled Chaneekhai, Puangmanee, Ganyao, Kadoom, Monthlong – what a treat it was to get to sample so many varieties, it was the ultimate durian buffet! At such bargain prices and great quality we had to come back the next day to dabao back not only durians but mangosteens, sala, santol and longan.
After a sumptuous fruit feast we headed for Ban Hua Laem. We walked 50m out to sea on a wooden bridge to see a 200-year-old pagoda. Nearby is the Noen Nangpgraya Viewpoint which is the most beautiful spot for seeing the landscape of Chaloem Burapha Chonlathit Road.
For dinner we had a very lavish seafood meal that was cooked to order. On the menu were jumbo sized mud crabs, tiger prawns, fried pomfret, grilled cuttlefish and hoi chuptim shellfish. Thanks to the restaurant owner who is a friend of Winston’s this meal was both superb in taste at pocket friendly prices.
Sunday morning started by a visit to Samet Ngam Shipyard Park. The area was assumed to be firstly used by King Taksin of Thonburi as a shipyard to prepare vehicles for the battle against Burmese Army in 2310 B.E. According to Chanthanumat of the royal chronicle of Thonburi, King Taksin had 100 ships built in Chanthaburi before moving the troops to battle against Burma. There were many fantastic spots for photo-taking as the compound is built in a traditional Thai architecture with wooden floors.
We ended this trip with a pit stop at CHIM café on our way back to Bangkok. We ordered a bunch of items to try such as chiffon coconut cake, chocolate cake, pumpkin custard and coconut cake. It was a fabulous way to end this foodie trip and we all went home happily with bags of tidbits, fruits and one person even went home with a painting found at the local market.
A special thanks to Khun Suvimol for contributing this blog.
