Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [458]
Royal Diamond (0 3241 1061; www.royaldiamondhotel.com; Mu 1, Th Phetkasem; r 1200-1800B; ) The carpeted rooms are a bit dingy, despite the swank lobby. Still, it’s perfectly adequate, with TVs and refrigerators in the rooms.
Eating
Local dishes include kà·nŏm jeen tôrt man (thin noodles with fried spicy fishcake), the hot-season specialty kôw châa pét·bù·ree (moist chilled rice served with sweetmeats) and kà·nŏm môr gaang (egg custard). You’ll find these, along with a range of standard Thai and Chinese dishes, at several good restaurants in the Khao Wang area. Lots of cheap eats are available at the night market, near the northern end of the centre of town.
Other good eating spots are along the main street, Th Panichjaroen, leading to the clock tower. North of Khao Wang, Lamiet (no roman-script sign) sells good kà·nŏm môr gaang and fŏy torng (sweet shredded egg yolk). Across the street from Khao Wang, an unnamed food stall serves delicious kôw lam (sticky rice and coconut steamed in a length of bamboo).
Sirirat (0 3242 6305; 85 Ratwithi; breakfast, lunch & dinner; dishes 10-50B) Dishes up big, piping-hot bowls of noodles at the right price. Look for the black-and-white chequered tablecloths.
Rabieng Rim Nam (0 3242 5707; 1 Th Chisa-In; dishes 40-180B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This teak riverside restaurant serves up terrific food with a surprising degree of sophistication, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a water monitor cruising through the river below you. The menu is enticingly long, so take your time and discover our favourite – the delicate banana-blossom salad.
Getting There & Away
There are hourly services to/from Bangkok’s southern bus station (1st/2nd class 133/119B, two hours); the bus terminal for air-con buses to/from Bangkok is near the night market. Other bus destinations to/from Phetchaburi include: Cha-am (35B to 100B, 40 minutes), Hua Hin (50B to 120B, 1½ hours), Prachuap Khiri Khan (80B to 115B, three hours) and Surat Thani (300B, eight hours). These destinations are served from the bus station just east of Khao Wang. If you’re coming from the south, you may be dropped off on the highway. Motorcycle taxis await and can take you into town for around 40B.
Ordinary buses to the southern provinces leave from the corner of Th Bandai-It and Th Ratchadamnoen. Local buses to Hua Hin and Cha-am depart in the town centre, on Th Matayawong.
Frequent rail services run to/from Bangkok’s Hualamphong station. Fares vary depending on the train and class (3rd class 74B to 115B, 2nd class 143B to 358B, three hours).
Getting Around
Shm·lór and motorcycle taxis go anywhere in the town centre for 30B to 40B, or charter them for the whole day from 300B. Sŏrng·ta·ou cost 10B around town. It’s a 20-minute walk (1km) from the train station to the town centre.
Rabieng Rim Nam Guest House (Click here) hires out bicycles (120B per day) and motorbikes (250B per day).
KAENG KRACHAN NATIONAL PARK
At 3000 sq km, Thailand’s largest national park (0 3245 9293; www.dnp.go.th; admission 200B; visitors centre 8.30am-4.30pm) is home to the stunning Pa La-U waterfalls, and includes long-distance hiking trails that snake through forests and savannah-like grasslands, past cliffs, caves and mountains. Two rivers, Mae Nam Phetchaburi and Mae Nam Pranburi, a large lake and abundant rainfall keep the place green year-round. Animal life includes wild elephants, deer, tigers, bears, gibbons, boars, hornbills, dusky langurs, gaurs, wild cattle and 400 species of birds.
To explore Kaeng Krachan you really need your own transport, but it’s worth the effort as this majestic place sees few tourists. The best months to visit are between November and April.
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Sights
Hiking is the best way to explore the