We had some nice experiences during our second visit to Malaysia but the underlying purpose for that short trip was to get us out of Thailand so we could re-enter Thailand with a fresh 30 day stamp in our passports. I’d been reading about ongoing Muslim separatist violence in the southeast corner of Thailand so, to avoid that area, we made a quick push from the west past the border region and then slowly worked our way up through the southern peninsula toward Bangkok. We stopped in Hat Yai, Khanom, Chumpon, Kraburi (for one very strange night out in the middle of nowhere), and Petchaburi. Most of these places are smaller towns lacking in major tourist attractions but they nonetheless have a certain character, charm, and natural beauty.
There is just something so adorable about small Thai towns. Historic relics, as well as older ways of life, blend with the modern world in ways that can seem bizarre and even humorous but it’s perfectly natural for them. Warm smiles come easily, especially when we would practice a few Thai phrases with them. Huge potted plants hang from lovely old pastel colored balconies which line the chaotic streets. Teakwood shacks that are probably well over a hundred years old crumble amidst tangles of power lines. Shop owners can frequently be seen napping away the hottest part of the afternoon. Almost every town, regardless of it’s size, also has at least one night market with incredible food. Seriously amazing food. These small town night markets are endlessly entertaining, unique, and bursting with so much good take-away food that they broke down any notion of self-control that I may have had.
One such town that we lingered in for about 10 days was Khanom. It’s in a little corner of the east coast near where many people get ferries to Koh Samui, but it’s a little bit out of the way. The town itself is very small, spread out, sparsely populated, and surrounded by mountains, caves, lush jungle, and nice beaches. It’s a fishing town with a nice river cutting through the middle of it and a nice night market right by the water.
Because the town was so spread out it was essential that we rent a motorbike to get around. We’d gotten motorbikes before for a day at a time but we just went ahead and rented it for the whole time. Sure, I looked dorky with my ill-fitted helmet and undersized scooter but this was the key to some wonderful adventures.
Once we settled in and relaxed for a couple of days it was time to get out of town. We headed off toward the mountains for a cave that I’d read about. The likelihood of getting lost was very high. There’s nothing quite like cruising around rural areas of a foreign country on a motorbike, especially a place as beautiful as this. It’s exhilarating. We soaked up the mountain views from the main road and eventually turned off on a small road which wound it’s way through a completely shaded rubber plantation and to the cave. Unsurprisingly, we were the only ones there, except for a couple of caretakers. They told us that we needed to have a guide which was going to cost us… nothing. Lek, our guide, took us up a very long and steep trail of stairs, onto a little platform overlooking the surrounding hills for a rest, and into the cave. There was a small shrine at the entrance and then he led us through the winding passages of the cave and into some large chambers filled with beautiful mineral formations and sleeping bats.
Afterwards we hung out for a little bit on the platform listening to monkey sounds and looking out at the amazing view of the valley. Lek spoke a moderate amount of English so we took the opportunity to ask him about something we had seen at the night market in Khanom. As we were checking out an assortment of curries, we asked a very smiley and mischievous looking man what a particular pan was and he said it was monkey meat curry. We didn’t know whether to believe him or not. Lek confirmed that, while he personally didn’t eat monkey because of it’s similarity to humans, there were people around who ate it and it was entirely possible that the man at the market was being sincere. Fern and I decided that we should probably try it but on subsequent visits to that night market the monkey meat guy wasn’t there and it never happened. I feel confident that we’ll have more opportunities to eat monkey, although I’ve never actually seen it anywhere else.
Another frontier for us to discover on our motorbike was the coastline. We went to the beach that was right in town for an afternoon and it was nice, not amazing, but nice. The beach was almost entirely made of shells so we had a nice walk looking at interesting shells and swimming in the very warm water here and there. Admiring the beauty of seashells hasn’t gotten old and I hope it never does. They are so similar to each other and yet the ways that they are damaged make them unique and special. Countless little works of art. We would pick up shells, carry them in our hands for a while, and eventually put them back in the sand. Fern would say “I appreciate your beauty” as she let one go, knowing that it’s just not possible to keep every special shell.
I have a tendency to stare at maps for long periods of time and it occurred to me, after staring at maps of the Khanom area, that there might be some beautiful pieces of coastline within reach on our motorbike. We explored a hilly little road along the coast and came upon some incredible rugged rocky pieces of paradise. Sandy beaches blended with piles of boulders and interesting layered rock outcroppings. Tropical jungle provided a bit of shade in the afternoon. We ended up going back, and back, and back.
The only real factor making us tear ourselves away from the beach each day was our need to eat, which we satisfied with visits to one of the night markets. There was the one by the river, with the monkey curry which had an ever-changing schedule that I never figured out, there was a huge one that took over several blocks of the main street one or two nights a week, and there was a very small gathering of vendors, maybe six or eight of them, that were set up on the street close to our place every night. We’d head out for our dinner and come back to the hotel with a ridiculous assortment of take-away night market food, set it all out in our room, and have a giant floor picnic. I can’t even describe how good these dinners were.
There would be multiple types of spicy curry, fried chicken skins, piles of fried soft shell crabs and shrimp, fermented sausages, fritters, spicy papaya salad, crispy fried greens, spiced peanuts, many variations of sweet or savory coconut rice cakes, and more. We’d set it all out on the floor and let gluttony take hold of us. I’m fully aware that it’s not very healthy to eat this much food for dinner every night for the long haul, but we had a limited amount of time and so many things to discover, and it was so inexpensive that it just seemed silly not to try something that looked good.
Each of the towns that we stopped in was memorable in it’s own way. The night markets of Chumpon and Petchaburi were especially amazing although I suspect that Hat Yai has the goods too but we just didn’t take enough time to fully experience it. There was frequently a considerable language barrier which gave rise to an endearing shyness in many people but they made an effort, as did we, and we found them to be very warm and friendly. I could feel their curiosity about us almost as much as my curiosity about them. They weren’t out to suck tourist dollars out of us and they probably thought it was a little odd that we would choose to spend so much time there, particularly in Khanom.
It’s unfortunate that Thailand’s tourist visa (or rather the waived visa requirement) is only thirty days because that really doesn’t give enough time to get a feel for very many places. I’m certainly not the first person to think about working or volunteering here as a way to stay longer and form a deeper connection with this wonderful place.
jim@snorkelbandits.com