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THAILAND TRAVELS: A Journal
PATTAYA (cont'd) & KOH LARN       Page 17



Sunday 20th October 2013:
Morning:
I was thinking about a pop down to one of the local swimming-pools which are attached to most condos... but alas thinking about it was as far as I got as apathy set in.

Drove down to Beach Road and decided on a walk along the palm-tree lined 'promenade'. Carried on down to and then along Walking Street with the intention of climbing up to The Lookout at the far end at the Port. But we decided it was just too hot to attempt it so strolled back to Pattaya Tai and dropped into a coffee shop for an iced cappuccino.
Dropped into our usual shop for a massage; opted for a head-and-shoulders option today... very good.

Sunday night: One of Aom's cousins, Yee, joined us for dinner at an unusual eatery. It's essentially a buffet whereby you help yourself to the huge choice of every thing. The difference with this place is that every table has a charcoal burner on it. Some of the food choices include raw fish, meats and vegetables which you cook yourself at your table [photo]. I opted for a huge self-served salad.



       

  • Aom and cousin Yuee dining at the eatery described above. Those crabs you have to cook yourself and they ate these after having their dessert ice-creams. Thai ladies have hollow legs I reckon.


Monday 21st:
Up early, bought some H2O and snacks from the 7-11 and we drove/biked down to Pattaya Port and the ferry terminal. Boarded the ferry to Koh Larn (koh or ko is Thai for island) around 09:20.

KOH LARN:
Ko Lan (or Ko Larn) is about four kilometres long and two kilometres wide occupying 3,411 rai (1 rai is equal to 1,600 square metres), Ko Lan is the largest of the "near islands" off south Pattaya, at the southeast end of the Bay of Bangkok, and on the east side of the Gulf of Siam. Administratively Ko Lan belongs to the Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chonburi Province.
It is an island of hills covered with low tropical forest. A Buddhist shrine is located at its highest point, 180 metres above sea level. The island has two small villages, Ban Ko Lan and Ban Krok Makhan, where there are lodgings and restaurants. Ferries connect Ko Lan to the mainland. Most of Ko Lan's eight beaches are on its west side. Most visited is Tawaen Beach, where there is a small harbour. The beach is lined with small tourist shops and restaurants. Other beaches are Tonglang Beach, Tien Beach, Samae Beach, and Naon Beach. Ko Lan has 1,567 hotel and resort rooms and two wharves.
Infrastructure is mainly narrow roadways surfaced with block paving. Some of the roadways are very steep with numerous hairpin bends and only wide enough for two motorbikes to pass by each other, but most roads are suitable for regular traffic.


Easy crossing to Koh Larn but the ferry we wanted which would have taken us to the far side of the island to Tawaen Cove/Beach didn't appear to be available. So we boarded a different one which took us to the main landing on the island.
All this meant that we'd have to jump a motorbike taxi to the cove and beach we've been to before in November 2012 and March 2013. Usual hairy taxi-bike ride but got there in about 15 minutes.
Spent the day doing beachy type things like dossing, swimming, dossing, swimming, dossing and then some pretty good snorkelling between around the coral bits offshore. Great stuff!
Caught the 16:00 ferry direct from Tawaen (they were running again) back to Pattaya.



       


       


       


       


  • TOP LEFT: The ferries at Pattaya Port that go to various island destinations.
    Interestingly, the ferry to the left, No 1, now lies on the bottom of the Gulf of Thailand. It was the ferry that hit a rock and sank on November 3rd killing 6 people in Pattaya's worst maritime disaster. [see PAGE 22 FOR THE FULL STORY]

  • TOP RIGHT: The Tawaen ferry and fishing boat jetty. These are all fishing boats; offshore ones in the background

  • SECOND LEFT: The smaller beach at Tawaen. On the left is the timber walkway which is the only way to get to this part of Tawaen beach.

  • SECOND RIGHT: Posing on that wooden walkway.

  • THIRD LEFT: Khemjira posing on her own on this one.

  • THIRD RIGHT: One of the local inshore fishing boats.

  • BOTTOM LEFT: Posing again. The jetty in the background. And, yes, it is the same lady, Aom, but I have to admit this shot was taken a year ago when her hair was short (poetic licence??)

  • BOTTOM RIGHT: ... and again. Different dress this time... her going back outfit.



And to finish off, here's a short snip of a movie of Tawaen:-