Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [216]
KO KHAM
Just northwest of Ko Mak, this tiny island is recommended for underwater explorations. Like Ko Wai, Ko Kham sees a lot of day-trippers bobbing around in the water. There is only one place to overnight here: Ko Kham Resort (08 1393 1229; r 400-2000B), which is tiny, simple and a tad overpriced. Speedboats (70B) zip across from Ko Mak Resort, and other boats will stop upon request. You can also kayak across from Ao Suan Yai on Koh Mak.
KO RAYANG
Rayang Island Resort (0 3950 1000; www.rayang-island.com; r 2400-3360B) Another tiny island off Ko Mak and another tiny resort. The Rayang Island Resort has fifteen refurbished one- and two-bedroom bungalows. There are no day-trippers, so it’s wonderfully quiet. If you do want to be noisy, you can rent the whole island for €500 per day. If you’re sleeping here transport is included, otherwise a speedboat will cost 150B.
PRACHINBURI & SA KAEW PROVINCES
The town of Prachinburi is worth a look for its interesting hospital, and the area is a good base from which to explore the southern stretches of the Khao Yai National Park (Click here). Also in the region, along the length of the southern escarpment of the Khorat Plateau, are the contiguous Thap Lan and Pang Sida National Parks.
The rural areas of Prachinburi and Sa Kaew Provinces are peppered with many small Dvaravati and Khmer ruins. Sa Kaew means ‘Jewel Pool’, a reference to various Mon-Khmer reservoirs in the area. Not much more than loose collections of laterite blocks, most are of little interest to the casual visitor; keep going east on Rte 33 to Cambodia and see the real deal at Angkor Wat.
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PRACHINBURI
In Prachinburi the Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital (0 3721 3610; www.adhaibhubejhr.org; 32/7 Moo 12, Th Prachin-Ahuson) is renowned across Thailand for using traditional medicine to develop herbal remedies. The hospital’s shop (open 8.30am to 8.30pm) sells affordable health and beauty products. The soaps, including galangal and mangosteen variants, are excellent, and the safflower herbal tea is recommended for lowering cholesterol. Buy these authentic products before your local Body Shop or Starbucks launches the mass-market versions.
Attached to the hospital is a serene massage room (massage per hour 160B) where masseuses take your blood pressure before they begin. Next door is a baroque edifice built by the hospital’s founder, Siamese governor Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr. It’s now a museum of herbal medicine. A túk-túk to the hospital from Prachinburi’s bus station is 40B, and from the train station is 60B.
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Getting There & Away
Buses leave for Prachinburi (95B to 115B) from Bangkok’s Northern (Mo Chit) bus terminal. Four trains a day (two to three hours; 42B to 110B) travel from Bangkok’s Hualamphong station to Prachinburi.
AROUND PRACHINBURI
There are a number of Dvaravati and Angkor laterite foundations in the area around town. Southeast of Prachinburi via Rtes 319 and 3070, in the village of Ban Sa Khoi (between Khok Pip and Sa Maha Pho on Rte 3070), is the Angkor-period Sa Morakot (Emerald Pool; admission free; daylight). This was an important Khmer reservoir during the reign of Angkor’s Jayavarman VII. Original laterite-block sluices, along with assorted sir·mah (boundary stones), naga (a mythical serpentlike being with magical powers) sculptures, pedestals and a sandstone lingam can still be seen here. Water from this reservoir is considered sacred and has been used in Thai coronation ceremonies. You’ll need private transport to get here.
Further west on Rte 33, the town of Nakhon Nayok is a popular getaway for Thais from Bangkok keen on outdoor adventure, especially year-round rafting. Sarika Adventure Point (0 3732 8432; Nakhon Nayok) runs combination trips featuring rafting on the nearby Tha Dan dam and mountain biking (one day 1800B). There’s also