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Na Jomthien - Samae San What will you find if you venture along Sattahip coastline between the famous beaches of Pattaya and those of Rayong Province? More beaches! And these hidden sandy stretches, most of them under the care of the Royal Thai Navy, are just examples of the interesting sites you'll discover. Let's start today's journey from the Na Jomthien Tambon Municipality Office just south of Pattaya's Jomthien Beach. (The municipality office stands at roughly Kilometre 159 off Sukhumvit Highway.) To get to Ban Amphoe Beach, our Point A, drive southward along Sukhumvit (yes, it's Highway 3 on the map) for almost a kilometre, make a U-turn in front of the Thai-Austrian Technical College, and turn left onto a side road next to the post office. The beach is just a few hundred metres off the highway. From Ban Amphoe, get back to Sukhumvit and continue southward. Less than a kilometre from the technical college veer left off the main highway onto Rural Highway 1008. About 3.5 kilometres up the 1008, you'll find on the left-handside the minor road to Wat Maap Fakthong. That's also the road to the flower farms. Continuing on the 1008, you'll soon reach a traffic circle. The road straight up leads to Wat Yannasang Wararam. The road to the right will go around a reservoir to Anek Kuson Sala and further to Khao Chi Chan. The road in front of Khao Chi Chan can take you to Sukhumvit Highway without having to retrack along the 1008. As you find your way back to Sukhumvit, drive south. Less than three kilometres down the highway, having passed the famed Nongnooch Tropical Garden, you'll find a side road to Bang Sarae on your right. From Wat Bang Sarae Khongkharam near the fishermen's community there's a small road that leads you back to Sukhumvit, around Kilometre 165. Further south, at Kilometre 167, you'll find the gate to the Royal Naval Rating School and the Klet Kaew Bay. Now back to Sukhumvit. Almost 11 kilometres from Royal Naval Rating School, you'll see the main gate of the Royal Thai Fleet (Kong Rua Yutthakarn) on the right-handside. Check in at this gate and you can drive inside to visit Dong Tan Bay, the Marine Turtle Conservation Centre, HTMS Chakrinaruebet and the Nang Ram Beach. Ban Samae San, our last stop, is just a few kilometres further east. |