I continue this exploration of the province of Chanthaburi, located about 3.5 hours from Bangkok. After telling you about the city and its history, its main national parks such as Namtok Phlio , the most "famous" and most recently, a trip inland between the village of Nong Bua and the "island" of Ko Proet , I am taking you this time along the coast.
And I want to make it clear that this is Laem Sing in Chanthaburi, because there is also a beach of the same name in the middle of the west coast of Phuket (which is also worth a look by the way), although there it is also a whole district of the province of Chanthaburi in addition to being the name of the main beach.
Laem Sing Beach
So we begin with the nerve center of the area, so to speak, Laem Sing beach, which can be considered the main beach in the region. Stretching for over 3 km, it features a series of small resorts, mainly on the eastern part of the beach, and of course, a few restaurants.
I made my first photo stop when the distance between the road and the beach was barely 40 meters. To do so, I crossed a plot of land used by a local fisherman (with his permission, of course) to make his wooden fishing baskets. On this stretch of Laem Sing, the beach isn't very wide and is lined with coconut palms.
In contrast, the further west you got, near the bridge spanning the Chanthaburi River, the more the vegetation changed, as it became lined with fir trees and the beach was much wider. That's where we settled down, at one of the restaurants with tables right on the beach. Unfortunately, I don't have the name (it's not listed on Google Maps…), but I know the parking lot is right next to the Leamsing Beach Resort ( see here on Google Maps ).
Tuek Daeng (red building) and Khuk Khi Kai
It was less than a kilometer after the restaurant that we arrived at the level of the square of the "red building" (Tuek Daeng in Thai). A sober name designating this building remaining from the French occupation. The building was built at the beginning of this period, in 1893, at the same time as the Khuk Khi Kai prison.
Tuek Daeng is a simple brick building with red-painted walls and a red-tiled roof. A single-story structure, Tuek Daeng measures 32 meters long and 7 meters wide. Inside, there are five interconnected rooms. It was built on the remains of another Thai fort, Fort Phikhat Patchamit, constructed during the Siamese-Vietnamese War, whose bricks were reused in its construction. It served as the French headquarters for the Laem Sing estuary and housed the garrison soldiers stationed at the Laem Sing camp until the end of the occupation of Chanthaburi in 1904.
Much later, in 1984, the building was renovated into the Laem Sing District Public Library. However, the idea didn't last, and today the site is no longer a library but operates as a simple tourist attraction, with free admission, as there's not much left inside besides a few explanatory panels in Thai only and an old cannon. It's the only building that has survived all these years because, although nothing specific is mentioned, there must have been more than one building on this site, housing an entire battalion (the rest being at the other camp, located in the city of Chanthaburi).
Next to the building, the area was quite quiet when we visited. It's near the waterfront, offering a view of the bridge spanning the Chanthaburi River as it flows into the sea at this point. In the distance, we could see a white temple with a fitting name, Wat Khao Laem Singh (Temple of Lion Peninsula Hill), and fishing boats moored nearby.
As for Khuk Khi Kai, it's a small, square brick tower, only 4,4 meters wide on each side and 7 meters high, with two rows of vents and a high roof. Located 350 meters from the Red Building, it was in fact a prison (sometimes considered the smallest prison in the world) because, yes, there was nothing else there but this single tower. Built by the French starting in 1893, its purpose was to imprison Thais who resisted French troops.
The current name Khuk Khi Kai can be translated as "chicken poop prison." When it was in use, it didn't have a roof, as one might think it has since disappeared, but only a wire mesh enclosure with a chicken coop… The chickens would then continually dump their excrement on the prisoners… Yuck…
Phairi Phinat Fort
To get there, we crossed the Taksin Maharaj Bridge, which offers a beautiful view of the estuary. We then followed the road that passes the Laem Sing Peninsula, where our next stop is located: the ruins of the old fort. Let's be honest, there isn't much to see in itself. But that's if you only consider the "old fort" aspect, since that's what they're pointing you to. And of the old fort, only a few old cannons remain (it's not even certain they're original, but probably added just to say, "Hey, did you see, there used to be a fort here!") and some marks on the ground recalling the site's function.
It should be noted that these were essentially gun turrets intended to protect the coast in case of a Vietnamese naval invasion. The kingdom feared retaliation following the Siamese invasion of southern Vietnam during the Second Siamese-Vietnamese War (1831-1834), when the two nations were fighting, among other things, for control of Cambodia. It was therefore during the reign of Rama III (1824-1851) that the construction of this fort, which boasts a strategic view of Laem Sing beach, was ordered.
Making today an excellent spot to admire the beach and the view offered by this hill. It is also a place of refuge for macaques hanging around in this area, the opportunity to observe a few wild monkeys if you have not yet had the opportunity in Thailand.
In addition to this viewpoint and the "remains" of the fort, one can see an old chedi on the hillside. While there was already an earlier, smaller chedi whose date I haven't been able to find, this latest one was built on top of the original in 1904 during the reign of Rama V. Entitled the Freedom Chedi, it was built to commemorate the withdrawal of French troops from Laem Sing, after France returned the territory of Chanthaburi to Siam (following the Pak Nam incident, which I discuss in my article on the city of Chanthaburi ).
The old lighthouse of Laem Sing
Less than a kilometer after our stop at the fort, we continued along the coastal road on the Laem Sing peninsula, heading towards the lighthouse. I knew that to reach it, we would have to walk a bit through the forest. But before that, we stopped to see a kind of shrine by the sea, which offered a view of Laem Sing beach. Initially, we thought there might be restrooms somewhere, but also because the road didn't go any further. We parked on the rise above this spot, and after taking a few photos, we passed the barrier marking the end of the road to continue our journey towards the lighthouse.
We passed the houses of the staff managing the lighthouse and the area (even if the latter now works automatically, powered by a solar panel) which border a gravel beach (large sand, let's say), then we crossed a small bridge which leads to the entrance of the path going up the hill where the lighthouse is located. In total, there is a 400 m climb to get there. Be careful of the rubble, but it is still quite easy, because we reached the lighthouse in just 15 minutes.
Next door, an old wooden hut that once served as staff quarters lies abandoned. The view from the lighthouse is superb and overlooks all of Laem Sing, including the beach, the Taksin Maharaj Bridge, and the Laem Sing estuary, where the Chanthaburi River flows into the sea. And speaking of the name, did you know it means "Lion's Cape"? This comes from the fact that at the foot of this peninsula is a rock said to resemble a lion's head. To see it, there's a viewpoint 50 meters from the lighthouse, and in addition to the rock, you can also see a small island in the distance called Ko Chula (likely named in honor of Rama V).
Khao Laem Sing Forest Park and Ao Krathing Beach
After getting back in the car, we returned to the intersection just past the "fort" (where we saw several monkeys in the middle of the road) to take the other road, also a dead end, leading to the "Forest Park." Khao Laem Sing Forest Park is a protected area on the peninsula (but it doesn't have national park status, mainly due to its very small size). Aside from the surrounding forest, what I was most interested in was seeing the beach associated with the park.
Some people were coming back from swimming as we walked down the stairs to Ao Krathing beach (I always write the local name like with the temples and the famous word "Wat", but FYI, Ao means "bay").
Upon reaching the undergrowth bordering the beach, a sign "kindly" warns visitors to beware of venomous snakes lurking in the area. Okay, we'll be careful then. It's just after 16 p.m., and there aren't many people around, apart from a few families on one side and a group of people drinking at one of the available picnic tables. That's the advantage of a national park, where this kind of behavior is prohibited, because, well, here, I unfortunately doubt that all their trash was picked up by the end…
We didn't linger too long on this otherwise beautiful beach, as I wanted to see another one right away, but it's a nice place to rest for a while if needed. The sand is soft, rather light-colored, and the whole place seemed quite clean.
Hat Ao Yang
Last stop for the day before heading to our hotel. Since it was in a different area than Laem Sing, that'll be for another post, but if you're interested in the hotel, it was the Peggy's Cove Resort , located near Kung Wiman Beach. We wanted a change from the hotel we'd stayed in in Chanthaburi , both to get closer to Bangkok (it was only 30 km difference, but still).
To get back to our last visit, the name of this place can be translated as Rubber Tree Bay Beach. Here, the sand is almost orange (accentuated by the sunset we were watching), but since there are rocks, I don't know if it's suitable for swimming. However, the area is somewhat developed, as we passed a few hotels and restaurants. It's a beach with a landscaped shoreline, but surrounded by vegetation, and since it's at the end of a cul-de-sac, I imagine it generally remains quite peaceful.
If you are going to Chanthaburi, you might be interested in these other articles:
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