Driving Around Khao Sam Roi Yot

Heidi and I took an old, rickety bus to Sam Roi Yot from Hua Hin, the ride taking about an hour or so. We stopped in a town along the highway and found out that we missed the appropriate junction.

Motorcycles had to bring us to Sam Roi Yot beach, 40 kilometers from where we got down from the bus. It was a scary ride on the highway; I was sure that a truck would run over us any second.

I relaxed a bit only when we made it to the smaller, less crowded road where things became scenic as the tall cliffs of Khao Sam Roi Yot became more visible.

Khao Sam Roi Yot literally means "Mountain Three Hundred Peaks" and is located in the province of Prachuap Kiri Khan. The national park is famed mainly for its limestone cliffs as well as its pine-shaded beaches, marshlands, caves, mangrove forests, and fishing villages.

We chose Sam Roi Yot for the weekend trip not only because it is close to BangCock but also because it is not yet crowded by tourists.

Our guest house (Blue Beach Resort, 0-9225-1908, highly recommended) is close to the beach. Such a great bargain and the owners were very helpful.

The sand is grayish and the water is shallow. A few meters into the sea we saw a couple of rocky islets whose main residents, we heard, are monkeys.

As the national park is too big to be explored on foot, Heidi and I decided to hire motorbikes. Now, I haven't driven a motorbike before, I was of course scared out of my wits. Heidi was encouraging though so I said might as well try it for once and stop acting like a wimp.

Fortunately we got the "automatic" kind (I don't know if there is any other kind). I just had to push a button and it started and then I used my naturally limp wrist to control the accelerator. I swear it was easy as using a hair dryer, even operating a microwave oven is more complicated.

After a tentative start, I eventually got the hang of it but I was reminded how dangerous it is to drive on a small highway when I saw this sign.

Our first destination was the Khao Daeng (it probably means Red Mountain) view point. The route was scenic, mainly tall karst cliffs with shrimp farms at their base. With the sun setting fast, we were totally surrounded by the silhouettes of those majestic cliffs.

Monkeys greeted us at the base of the view point. The well-marked trek was about three hundred meters and we clambered over huge boulders and sharp rocks. It was not as easy as strutting down the the catwalk, my dear. Several times I felt my heart was about to pop out of my chest.

The view from the peak of the cliff was worth the climb at least. The light was beautiful as the sun slowly slipped behind the mountains. From the top we saw a small fishing village close to a mangrove forest as well as beaches and more shrimp farms.

We also made a short stop at the village on our way back to the guest house.

The beach was quiet in the evening, we hardly had any thing to do but read. Besides, I had a sick tummy (thanks perhaps to the sea food in Hua Hin) and I felt very, very weak.

On account of the sick tummy, we had to cancel the kayak ride to the island the next morning.

Instead, we again rented motorbikes and drove to Tham Phraya Nakhon a huge cave with an opening at the ceiling under which stands a pavilion constructed during King Rama V's visit to the cave in 1890.

But no, bitches, I did not see the cave. I was freaking weak to climb it so Heidi had to do it alone and I was left at the restaurant, sleeping my ass off. Sigh.

The two gorgeous photos below are courtesy of Heidi.

Driving farther, we dropped by the Sam Roi Yot Visitor's Center where we shortly checked the mangrove forest (or was that rather a plantation, Heidi?).

Shortly after two in the afternoon, we headed back to the guest house, took a shower, packed our bags, and hopped on a car that brought us to Pranburi where we took a van back to BangCock, the ride taking over three hours.

Heidi, thanks for werqing Hua Hin and Sam Roi Yot with me. Truly, I'm proud of your progress in camwhoring, I'm seriously threatened now.