Chumphon - Wednesday 10 December
Dec. 22nd, 2025 12:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeAfter a busy few days of sightseeing and a long day of travelling, I needed a lazy day and Wednesday certainly delivered. Indeed, it's the closest I have ever been to one of those tropical beach holidays so favoured by the wealthy. The only disappointment was that we couldn't get to see the pink dolphins due to the weather. The sea was still quite tempestuous, with thunderstorms predicted for the Thursday, meaning there was no way of going out to sea. This is definitely something for next time though.
With the dolphins out, we decided to stay in the Chumphon area, with Gao and I meeting up in the hotel breakfast area at 9:45am. There are quite a few vantage points and countryside trails here, but my phobia of snakes got the better of me and we decided to sit that out. After a decidedly average breakfast of white toast and jam that was presented in tiny plastic pots for some reason, we left the hostel shortly after 10am. Our first destination was the Pak Nam Chumphon Town, a fishing village that hugs the river tightly. Most of the houses here are on stilts, with the river splitting the village in two. Fishing is done here in the traditional manner and while a handful of the huts have been converted for tourist stays, the vast majority are inhabited, making this a living working community. We had a nice walk around the boardwalk, spying a huge monitor lizard swimming underneath the buildings, trying to dodge all the rubbish that had accumulated in the water. It was here that we also saw a nice piece of graffiti which saw a cat replace his eyes with two fish. This is Gao's current avatar. The estuary here is the main reason behind the profitable fishing. We were there mid-morning but most of the work had already been done, giving the place quite a laid back vibe. It was certainly wonderful to explore, although we did only see it from one of the banks. We thought there was little point doing the 20-minute drive to the other side to see largely the same thing.
Our next stop was the Mu Ko Chumphon National Park. This is one of those places that charges tourists ten times the local rate, which annoys me, but the money spent was still worth it. This is essentially an elevated walkway through a mangrove forest, with signs at various intervals detailing the flora you could see. I've never been huge into trees, but the atmosphere was quite incredible as we picked our way through the area. We ended up talking an awful lot about politics during our visit here, which I found quite fascinating. There is loads of wildlife in here too, including monkeys, but alas we did not see any. We could have hired a boat and gone into the swampland too where we could have perhaps seen whales and dolphins. The walkways were still good though, with the trees wrapping over you, forming a canopy. In places, we were navigating between the tree trunks, which shot high into the sky. In places, perhaps it was a little intimidating, but I found experiencing a whole new terrain quite exciting.
It was time for lunch after this and I was in for a treat as Gao took me to a local restaurant he knew. It was quite spendy - indeed it was the most expensive meal on this trip - but it was one of the best meals I have ever had. As we waited for our food, I went through the bureaucratic hoops I needed to do to get into Malaysia and shortly afterwards, lunch was served. We opted for a local fish in sour plum sauce along with the biggest and juiciest prawns I have ever seen. I am not one for seafood, as I have mentioned before, but these crustaceans were unbelievably sweet and tasted wonderful with the homemade sauce. As I am not used to prawns, Gao had to de-shell them for me, while he also pointed out some of the best cuts for the fish. I just had to scoop the meat from the bone, ensuring I picked up some of the sauce too. This was perhaps a little too sour for me, but the fish itself was divine. Still hungry, Gao recommended we order deep fried soft shell crabs. This was again a new one and you could tell they were crabs as you could see their legs and pincers. I found this a little off-putting and opted for the ones that looked a little less crab-like. Still, served with Thai sweet chili sauce, they were delicious. We grabbed some durian crisps to go - which we ate in the car the following day - and left the restaurant wholly satisfied. While here, we also got to see one of the best views of the world ever from a urinal.
More views followed as Gao drove me to a place that is just being developed, again by the sea. The surf was battering the concrete balustrades and although there was one person and a van here when we arrived, once we had left, we were all by ourselves. I found this quite humbling in a weird way and perhaps a little scary, but I was still swept up by the wonderful view of the shore.
Our next stop saw us travel about 90 minutes north to Baan Ko Tieb Beach. The advantage of this is that's a little hook of land that forms a bay, meaning it faces west rather than east. This means it's the perfect place to catch the sunset, while the islands dotted in the bay only add to the romanticism of the place. What wasn't romantic was the state of the toilets, which were exceptionally grim. We got here about two hours prior to sunset, which afforded Gao the opportunity to work on Lookky's fursuit arm and me to lie in a hammock drinking a beer. It was great thinking that while I was watching the sun go down over the Gulf of Thailand, people in Europe were trudging to work in the December gloom. There were also two beach doggos to keep me amused, one male and one female, with the latter particularly enjoying playing with the children. The hammock and bench where we were sat belonged to a local bar and as the sun set, we ordered Thai BBQ. This is similar to its Korean equivalent except it was served on a circular metal tray with coals underneath it. You wipe the top with lard and then place the meat upon it. We got a big platter including a whole range of things from pork and bacon through to squid and mussels. There was also a soup which you put around the circumference of the BBQ, which meant that any meat juices from the cooking flavoured it. You throw a load of vegetables in here too, making it an excellent way to finish the meal. Halfway through our dinner though, the lights were dimmed and a fire show began. These guys were twirling sticks with fire, or blowing on scepters by spitting gasoline at them. This resulted in an incredible flaming effect, although I got the impression these people were amateur as they did drop their sticks on occasion. Still, watching them twirling to some obnoxiously loud rap music was a good way to spend half an hour, and we then went back to our dinner. Indeed, the music was probably the one thing that I would have toned down here. During my time on the hammock, a range of Thai songs and English-language pop was played. 'Rockstar' by Lisa was perhaps the most amusing, but it did detract from the romanticism of the place.
There were loads of other highlights here too. I enjoyed watching the canoeist who was paddling with her doggo, while the sheer cliffs behind us replete with foliage gave the place a detached and mystical air. There were loads of bars and it was clearly tourist orientated, but there weren't many around and the vast majority were local. They also had quite a few craft beers too, even if the trans waitress we had got somewhat confused when I asked for them. Alas, while having beer, I needed to go to the toilet quite a few times which hampered my ability to relax, but once I had found the better quality toilets, it was generally fine. This also meant that I could wander up and down the beach a bit and spy the twinkling red and green lights of the boats on the water. It was an incredible afternoon and watching the sun go down here over the islands was magical.
We had an hour and a half drive back to Chumphon after this and I was already starting to flag. We left shortly before 9pm with the aim of heading to the bar where Lookky works. Tonight was its grand opening and we'd promise to swing by, but by the time we arrived, it was pushing 10:30pm. The music, as always, was unbearably loud but at least it was a live band, while we could sit outside at least and chat in relative peace. Lookky was delighted to see us and we chatted with another member of staff, who I think was quite bored. There seemed to be too many staff for customers really, but then this was just a soft launch, with the main event being the following Friday. The beer itself was fine, and again served with ice which adds a refreshing air but does dilute it significantly, while we also got a bowl of nibbles to try too. The bar itself was on the main clubbing strip - a mile of road in Chumphon's outskirts - and it definitely seemed lively despite it being a Wednesday. Indeed, for a town of such a modest population, I am surprised that such nightlife could be sustained, but then it is a tourist place.
Gao wanted to head back to the craft beer bar we had visited the night before to pick up some beer and knowing this closed at midnight, this meant we didn't have long in Lookky's bar. We bade our goodbyes and she said she couldn't wait for my next visit before we headed back into Chumphon centre. The idea had been to stay at the craft beer bar for a drink but, as with the night before, there was a loud guitarist and singer playing and conversation would be limited. Therefore, we just picked up the cans of drink we wanted and headed out. The Thai coconut and mango porter was exquisite as I got to try it at our final destination of the evening, the same ramen place we had visited the night before too. Gao had been told that it was open again and this time they were serving a pork-based ramen. Ultimately, though, this tasted quite similar to the one from the night before and we both felt a little disappointed.
I headed off shortly after this and headed back to the hostel. It had been a last-minute decision, but we realised we might as well stay there again another night rather than heading back to the beach. We had an early start in the morning and the hostel was more conveniently placed. I made sure to get myself a single room off the bat this time, although Gao was happy with the shared dormitory arrangement. Anyway, after such a busy yet relaxing day, I had little trouble falling asleep and was suitably refreshed for my final day in Thailand the next day.
With the dolphins out, we decided to stay in the Chumphon area, with Gao and I meeting up in the hotel breakfast area at 9:45am. There are quite a few vantage points and countryside trails here, but my phobia of snakes got the better of me and we decided to sit that out. After a decidedly average breakfast of white toast and jam that was presented in tiny plastic pots for some reason, we left the hostel shortly after 10am. Our first destination was the Pak Nam Chumphon Town, a fishing village that hugs the river tightly. Most of the houses here are on stilts, with the river splitting the village in two. Fishing is done here in the traditional manner and while a handful of the huts have been converted for tourist stays, the vast majority are inhabited, making this a living working community. We had a nice walk around the boardwalk, spying a huge monitor lizard swimming underneath the buildings, trying to dodge all the rubbish that had accumulated in the water. It was here that we also saw a nice piece of graffiti which saw a cat replace his eyes with two fish. This is Gao's current avatar. The estuary here is the main reason behind the profitable fishing. We were there mid-morning but most of the work had already been done, giving the place quite a laid back vibe. It was certainly wonderful to explore, although we did only see it from one of the banks. We thought there was little point doing the 20-minute drive to the other side to see largely the same thing.
Our next stop was the Mu Ko Chumphon National Park. This is one of those places that charges tourists ten times the local rate, which annoys me, but the money spent was still worth it. This is essentially an elevated walkway through a mangrove forest, with signs at various intervals detailing the flora you could see. I've never been huge into trees, but the atmosphere was quite incredible as we picked our way through the area. We ended up talking an awful lot about politics during our visit here, which I found quite fascinating. There is loads of wildlife in here too, including monkeys, but alas we did not see any. We could have hired a boat and gone into the swampland too where we could have perhaps seen whales and dolphins. The walkways were still good though, with the trees wrapping over you, forming a canopy. In places, we were navigating between the tree trunks, which shot high into the sky. In places, perhaps it was a little intimidating, but I found experiencing a whole new terrain quite exciting.
It was time for lunch after this and I was in for a treat as Gao took me to a local restaurant he knew. It was quite spendy - indeed it was the most expensive meal on this trip - but it was one of the best meals I have ever had. As we waited for our food, I went through the bureaucratic hoops I needed to do to get into Malaysia and shortly afterwards, lunch was served. We opted for a local fish in sour plum sauce along with the biggest and juiciest prawns I have ever seen. I am not one for seafood, as I have mentioned before, but these crustaceans were unbelievably sweet and tasted wonderful with the homemade sauce. As I am not used to prawns, Gao had to de-shell them for me, while he also pointed out some of the best cuts for the fish. I just had to scoop the meat from the bone, ensuring I picked up some of the sauce too. This was perhaps a little too sour for me, but the fish itself was divine. Still hungry, Gao recommended we order deep fried soft shell crabs. This was again a new one and you could tell they were crabs as you could see their legs and pincers. I found this a little off-putting and opted for the ones that looked a little less crab-like. Still, served with Thai sweet chili sauce, they were delicious. We grabbed some durian crisps to go - which we ate in the car the following day - and left the restaurant wholly satisfied. While here, we also got to see one of the best views of the world ever from a urinal.
More views followed as Gao drove me to a place that is just being developed, again by the sea. The surf was battering the concrete balustrades and although there was one person and a van here when we arrived, once we had left, we were all by ourselves. I found this quite humbling in a weird way and perhaps a little scary, but I was still swept up by the wonderful view of the shore.
Our next stop saw us travel about 90 minutes north to Baan Ko Tieb Beach. The advantage of this is that's a little hook of land that forms a bay, meaning it faces west rather than east. This means it's the perfect place to catch the sunset, while the islands dotted in the bay only add to the romanticism of the place. What wasn't romantic was the state of the toilets, which were exceptionally grim. We got here about two hours prior to sunset, which afforded Gao the opportunity to work on Lookky's fursuit arm and me to lie in a hammock drinking a beer. It was great thinking that while I was watching the sun go down over the Gulf of Thailand, people in Europe were trudging to work in the December gloom. There were also two beach doggos to keep me amused, one male and one female, with the latter particularly enjoying playing with the children. The hammock and bench where we were sat belonged to a local bar and as the sun set, we ordered Thai BBQ. This is similar to its Korean equivalent except it was served on a circular metal tray with coals underneath it. You wipe the top with lard and then place the meat upon it. We got a big platter including a whole range of things from pork and bacon through to squid and mussels. There was also a soup which you put around the circumference of the BBQ, which meant that any meat juices from the cooking flavoured it. You throw a load of vegetables in here too, making it an excellent way to finish the meal. Halfway through our dinner though, the lights were dimmed and a fire show began. These guys were twirling sticks with fire, or blowing on scepters by spitting gasoline at them. This resulted in an incredible flaming effect, although I got the impression these people were amateur as they did drop their sticks on occasion. Still, watching them twirling to some obnoxiously loud rap music was a good way to spend half an hour, and we then went back to our dinner. Indeed, the music was probably the one thing that I would have toned down here. During my time on the hammock, a range of Thai songs and English-language pop was played. 'Rockstar' by Lisa was perhaps the most amusing, but it did detract from the romanticism of the place.
There were loads of other highlights here too. I enjoyed watching the canoeist who was paddling with her doggo, while the sheer cliffs behind us replete with foliage gave the place a detached and mystical air. There were loads of bars and it was clearly tourist orientated, but there weren't many around and the vast majority were local. They also had quite a few craft beers too, even if the trans waitress we had got somewhat confused when I asked for them. Alas, while having beer, I needed to go to the toilet quite a few times which hampered my ability to relax, but once I had found the better quality toilets, it was generally fine. This also meant that I could wander up and down the beach a bit and spy the twinkling red and green lights of the boats on the water. It was an incredible afternoon and watching the sun go down here over the islands was magical.
We had an hour and a half drive back to Chumphon after this and I was already starting to flag. We left shortly before 9pm with the aim of heading to the bar where Lookky works. Tonight was its grand opening and we'd promise to swing by, but by the time we arrived, it was pushing 10:30pm. The music, as always, was unbearably loud but at least it was a live band, while we could sit outside at least and chat in relative peace. Lookky was delighted to see us and we chatted with another member of staff, who I think was quite bored. There seemed to be too many staff for customers really, but then this was just a soft launch, with the main event being the following Friday. The beer itself was fine, and again served with ice which adds a refreshing air but does dilute it significantly, while we also got a bowl of nibbles to try too. The bar itself was on the main clubbing strip - a mile of road in Chumphon's outskirts - and it definitely seemed lively despite it being a Wednesday. Indeed, for a town of such a modest population, I am surprised that such nightlife could be sustained, but then it is a tourist place.
Gao wanted to head back to the craft beer bar we had visited the night before to pick up some beer and knowing this closed at midnight, this meant we didn't have long in Lookky's bar. We bade our goodbyes and she said she couldn't wait for my next visit before we headed back into Chumphon centre. The idea had been to stay at the craft beer bar for a drink but, as with the night before, there was a loud guitarist and singer playing and conversation would be limited. Therefore, we just picked up the cans of drink we wanted and headed out. The Thai coconut and mango porter was exquisite as I got to try it at our final destination of the evening, the same ramen place we had visited the night before too. Gao had been told that it was open again and this time they were serving a pork-based ramen. Ultimately, though, this tasted quite similar to the one from the night before and we both felt a little disappointed.
I headed off shortly after this and headed back to the hostel. It had been a last-minute decision, but we realised we might as well stay there again another night rather than heading back to the beach. We had an early start in the morning and the hostel was more conveniently placed. I made sure to get myself a single room off the bat this time, although Gao was happy with the shared dormitory arrangement. Anyway, after such a busy yet relaxing day, I had little trouble falling asleep and was suitably refreshed for my final day in Thailand the next day.
