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Tha Mai - Chanthaburi Although not widely known, the eastern province of Chanthaburi had played vital roles in the country's history. Today's drive is a journey through time that will help you gain a better understanding of the difficult past and a realisation that we shouldn't take the land we have today for granted. We'll start from the Noen Soong intersection at Kilometre 318 of Highway 3 (Sukhumvit) where you should veer off the highway onto a well-paved road that leads to Tha Mai. After roughly three kilometres you'll reach a T-intersection where your road runs into Highway 3147. Tha Mai is to the right but we're going left. Less than three kilometres from the T-intersection, you'll find a narrow road on your right with a sign that says it's the way to the sacred pond and Wat Khao Ploy Waen. Along this community road, you'll find a few small intersections but the friendly local people should have no problem helping you out as long as you're not afraid to ask. To move on to the other points of interest, get back to the 3147 and go right. After almost three kilometres, you'll see the side road to Wat Plab on the right-hand side. (The temple is just 300 metres off the highway.) And from that point of the 3147, the National Maritime Museum and the Noen Wong Fort are only a couple of kilometres further. About 400 metres from the fort, there is a three-way junction. Go left towards Chanthaburi town. About two and a half kilometres up the road, just opposite a big public park, you'll see a wide road that cuts through an open field fringed with groves of Samet trees (Point E). About 700 metres up the road there's a three-way junction. Turn right, go on for a kilometre and a half and you'll find a T-intersection. The road to the left goes to Chanthaburi. But we're not going there yet so take the one on the right. This road will bring you past Wat Ang Hin and through a number of communities to Ban Samet Ngam. All the way, if you have any doubt about the direction, just stop and ask anyone. Everybody there can tell where you can find Phraya Tak's shipyard. |