Thailand Chanthaburi: from Nong Bua village to Ko Proet island, visit between land and sea Chanthaburi, Eastern Provinces, Travel to Thailand 5 (6)After the "episode" on the Chanthaburi Province National Parks, I invite you to follow the series, and this time, I take you on the road leading to the coast. Because before detailing the different beaches and interesting points along the sea, there are some visits that may be worth a look on the road between the city of Chanthaburi and the main beach of Laem Sing.Starting with a tour of the village of No Bua, with its undeniable charm despite the quietness during the week, to the fishing village of Ko Project, a peninsula located 10 km from the beach of Laem Sing. Summary hide Nong Bua Walking Street Maritime History of Chanthaburi Shipyard of King Taksin the Great Khai Noen Wong and the National Maritime museum Between Earth and sea The atypical island of Ko Proet Nong Bua Walking StreetNo Bua is a small town less than 10 km south of the city of Chanthaburi. I had spotted the places on Google Maps under the term of No Bua walking Street, because the village welcomes (especially weekends) visitors to stroll along its old main street, lined with wooden houses.Luckily, not knowing if I would be able to park in the village itself, I found a space right at the entrance by squeezing into the side of the road. The heat was abnormally high for this month of January and it is more or less a habit in this case, we avoid walking too long under the sun. We quickly lined up in the shade of the houses and began our visit, greeted by mostly closed storefronts.The street is meant to be photogenic, even if it must be admitted that during the week, it clearly lacks atmosphere and shops, and if photography is not your thing, clearly the places could lack interest in this case. Because apart from the old houses, there are indeed some murals highlighting the places, a recent fashion of adding street art to beautify old streets whose authorities generally do not know how to attract local tourism other than by making an “Instagram ready” site. The interesting part is not more than 200 m long, so it costs nothing in terms of time and we had quickly gone around. A few shops were still open, so we took a look at the stores, just like the few people we also met in passing.Just like us, nothing prevents you from stopping nearby for 15-20 minutes, even if it is calm, it remains a very local and not very touristy atmosphere.The road through Nong Bua descends towards the seaside, we passed it on our way to Laem Sing beach, where you will find the red house (Tuek Daeng), a remnant of the French occupation.Nong Bua is also crossed by a river and a canal, both bordered by mangroves, legion in the region. It is therefore also a village housing a few fishermen and a fish market, unfortunately not active at the time of our visit around noon (I imagine that it is more active in the morning, without knowing if it is every day or not ...)Mangrove in a canal crossing the village.Fishing boats along the river.Maritime History of ChanthaburiDue to the historical importance of the city (I talk about it in my article on Chanthaburi city), which ships could easily reach from the sea by sailing up the Chanthaburi River, on There are several sites in the region related to the maritime history of the region.Shipyard of King Taksin the GreatThis site was on my list of things to see, because it is located not far from the village of No Bua, but in the end, I skipped this visit in favor of the seaside. The site was highlighted following the discovery of an old wreck of a wooden ship, it is considered to be the shipyard that served the future king A taxi after the latter retreated fromAyutthaya and as he prepared his counterattack.The remains of a wreck are located on land made available by its owner Mr. Chaleow Bantaowong, then a fundraising campaign was initiated to purchase additional land. Later, the administrative organization of the subdistrict of No Bua, who is responsible for this area, has requested budgetary support from the Department of Local Government for the 2003 financial year. The budget is intended to develop tourism, to build a permanent exhibition building in the region, near from the first pond, where the wreck of the ship was found, to build a roof over the ship and to improve the twin buildings that already existed as a demonstration area and a shop selling local produce.Monument in front of the Shipyard of King Taksin the Great.The exhibits inside the museum are permanent displays of royal biographies and royal activities of the king A taxi the Great. The exhibition also presents the context, evolution, archaeology and history of the province of Chanthaburi.As I was unable to go there, the above information is taken from the Thailand museums website.Opening time : Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 16:30 p.m.Entrance fee: Free !From the city, I think we should privatize a songtaew.Khai Noen Wong and the National Maritime museumKhai Noen Wong is an old fort built by Rama III as part of a defense system against possible Vietnamese invasions during the first half of the 19th century. You will pass by the old wall made of laterite brick and can admire these old cannons, which are worth a quick stop before heading to the National Maritime Museum. The location may seem a little "out of the way" today, but it must be understood that in almost two centuries, the course of the river has probably deviated from its course of the time, because it can be assumed that the fort had the river in its sights before.The tower of the ancient Khai Noen Wong Fort in front of the courtyard of the National Maritime Museum.The museum was inaugurated in 2001 and is one of the museums with a real appeal due to the modernity of the exhibitions and the layout of the rooms. In this case, you have 6 corresponding to 6 different subjects distributed as follows:Hall 1: Exhibition on trade routes and goods and the way of life of sailors, the centerpiece of which is a replica of a Chinese junk.Hall 2: Introduction to underwater archaeology techniquesHall 3: “Warehouses” of antiques, where various old pieces from the region are exhibitedHall 4: Ships and waterside lifestyle, referencing the Thai people's long-standing connection with riverside lifeHall 5: Room presenting the history of Chanthaburi and the characteristic assets of the provinceHall 6: Room dedicated to the great king A taxi, considered the liberator from the Burmese yoke and a sovereign still very much appreciated by the people todayFind more details on the site of the museums of Thailand (well done but only in English).Junk room.Model room.Opening time : Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 16 p.m.Entrance fee: 100 Baht per adult – 20 Baht for Thais and free for over 60s.From the city, I think you have to privatize a songtaew (I don't know if there is Grab in the area).Between Earth and seaAfter these visits, it is the opportunity to continue towards the seaside to reach Ko Proet for example. This is the moment to evoke the landscape characterizing the seaside, on a large portion extending up to 5 km inland, the shrimp farms. You should know that Thailand does part of the biggest global producers with an export volume of around 200 to 250 tonnes per year. Although the margin is shrinking with the arrival of competitors such as India or Ecuador, at its peak this volume represented almost 10% of world production. As you cross the area, you will see many basins dedicated to aquaculture.One of the many seaside pools in Chanthaburi.A shrimp farm.There are also beautiful views of the region from the bridges spanning the rivers in the area. This is the case, for example, when crossing the Bang Bridge. Sakao, where a few locals meet to fish in the river Phlio, coming from the waterfall of the same name. We then have a view of the mountains in the background on one side, with floating houses, probably for fish farming this time. The entire edge of the rice fields is dotted with mangroves, giving the region a rather wild appearance.Anglers on Bang Sakao Bridge.Floating houses on the Phlio River.A view of the river with a mountain in the background.The mangrove bordering the area.The atypical island of Ko ProetAs every time I plan a trip to a new place, I browse Google Maps to find places that look interesting. My eyes then fell on this little piece of land jutting out into the sea, Ko Project. Looking at " Street View", I then see that the alleyway passing through the village is also lined with wooden houses, and as it is by the sea, that was all I needed to go and see for myself.I mentioned it in intro, Ko Project is a peninsula, whose name suggests that it might even be an island since, if you don't know yet, Ko in Thaï, means island (That's why you always have names like Ko Samui, Ko Phangan etc., with an exception, Phuket, which is nevertheless an island). It is likely that the road directly linking the island to the "mainland" did not exist before or that the thin strip of land was extensively developed to improve accessibility to the island, transforming it into a peninsula.A local story would have it that its first inhabitants were Chinese merchants passing through with their junks and that the original name of the island was Koh Loses (Open Iceland).If I respect the chronology of our stay, this was not after the visits mentioned in this article itself because after No Bua, we went to Laem sing. No, it was another day and we were doing this tour after having toured the city of Chanthaburi. So it was late afternoon when we landed on this little piece of land.And it's fair to say that at this late hour, in terms of fishing activity, it's close to zero. So it was a village with a rather deserted appearance that we were crossing, after having parked a bit haphazardly at the entrance to the street leading to the group of wooden houses on stilts. That left us 600m to go to the end of the road which ends at what looked like the island's port cooperative.In Jitima's words, "there's not much here" when I saw pretty colorful houses, we clearly didn't have the same feeling. In his defense, it was very quiet, no shops, nothing to put under your nose in terms of snacks, souvenirs, no murals or other.Some locals encountered.Just a few locals outside, an old closed restaurant with a front sign saying “Restaurante Pelicans " and the remains of a Spanish-language menu in chalk, a foreigner who had tried to settle in? I admit that it piqued my curiosity. On the other hand, we came across a brand new hotel, well, a hotel, rather a guesthouse given the size, but modern in appearance and contrasting with the rest of the village, clearly giving more of a "hotel" look than a guest house (which, in my opinion, given the location, is not the most logical).Casually, going to the end of the road and taking pictures while hanging around, it took 20 minutes there, and 20 minutes back while chatting with a local after having come across an adorable puppy rewarding us with all his love as he passed in front of his house.Restaurant…Houses on stilts.Here we are at the end of the street, where fishing boats are parked.Still no more people…Meeting with a resident and her puppy.However, the ride did not end there. Curious as I am, I wanted to head towards the island's temple, soberly called What Ko Project, because when I arrived on the island, before parking, I saw signs indicating it on the left, when we were going on the right. But the interesting point is that in addition to the temple, it indicated a " viewpoint"Even though it was only 500m, we took the car again to park at the temple and be ready to leave afterwards. We also had to hurry a little, because it was approaching sunset time. The temple itself is nothing extraordinary. And at the time, I thought that the view in question was the one we had from the balustrade next to it. A view of the continent, with the mountain of the Namtok Phlio National Park in the background and the shrimp farms in the foreground.Wat Ko Proet dominates the island on its mound.The view from the temple.The road that continues a little behind the temple.I thought, yeah, OK. But luckily I didn't stop there. Seeing other cars arriving, I generally saw no one going there, which was also a bit chaotic to access (damaged terrace). On the other hand, I saw a green area at the back, where you could see the sea and people going into the woods on the side. I thought, AH, that must be more like it.And indeed. Signs quickly confirm that the true viewpoint of the temple is indeed in this direction. And we say point de view of the temple, because the latter is part of the land belonging to it. There is no "ticket" as such, but a donation is more than welcome, so whatever. We do so and here we are, walking along this dirt and pebble path. 300 m to go, a bit tricky given that it goes uphill and it was not very well developed when we went there so it was sometimes a real pain given the slope. At the top of the climb, you arrive at the foot of the cliff, but this is not the actual viewpoint, although the view is already quite good.The path to the viewpoint.I hurry to immortalize the setting sun, in case the time to reach the real viewpoint makes us miss the best moment. The latter is "shifted" higher on the left compared to the arrival point. We then pass in front of an old structure (shelter ?) then a wooded area, and that's it. The timing was perfect, it was the first day of the year, January 1st, the days being quite short, the sun sets before 18h and it is then shortly after 17h30 when we arrive at the viewpoint.Below we can see an old concrete staircase leading to the foot of the cliff, where there is apparently a cavity, struck by the waves which outline the rough coasts on this side of Ko Proet.Just in time!For this eroded and wild aspect, the Thais do not hesitate to compare it to a little Bali… (cliffs being generally rare, apart from karst rocks with vertical walls). But if Thailand likes somewhat pompous "titles" (another example, Sat Phan Bok, nickname the "Grand Canyon" from the land of smiles…), it is certain that with this place, still little known, it adds an undeniable attraction to Ko Project, beyond the village itself.But as things can change quickly in Thailand, I saw that since our visit, a café has opened on the edge of the cliff. (the Sky view cafe). This will probably be a game changer and attract more people, because besides the obvious stunning views, I imagine the access road has since been improved to accommodate this building. And I will end this article by mentioning a remark that has already been made to me: I should not talk about this kind of place so that they remain "little corners of paradise". But conversely, not sharing would simply make the blog obsolete, because it would mean only talking about places and information that are already known.Cruel dilemma… But for me, the choice is made, and I always start from the principle that le Word of mouth of any kind happens with or without a blog.If you are going to Chanthaburi, you might be interested in these other articles:What to visit and see in the “moon city”?Namtok Phlio and other national parksWhat to visit around Laem Sing BeachWhat to do between Kung Wiman and Chao Lao beachesDid you like the article? share on Pinterest! Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 5 / 5. Number of votes: 6 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Île Sea and beaches Museum Village 0 0 Roman 22/03/2020
