I know I have shown a bunch of pictures of empty sandy beaches and suns set over the ocean, and I know it is getting to be a little repetitive. But what else am I supposed to do when I find myself in a country that is all about the beach and it is unwise at this time for me to leave. So I am going to check out the beaches. That was my goal yesterday, to take a little drive along the coast and see other places of interest.
There is a lot of coastline to cover, and there was no way that I was going to be able to get to all of it, so I decided to just look at the coastline in the south, looking at Noi Harn Beach, and Noi Kata Beach as well as a couple of the viewpoints along the way. Monday is a good day to visit the beaches, especially right now. Noi Kata Beach was completely empty except for the sand crab that scurried out of our way as we walked along the shoreline. But it was Noi Harn Beach that was my favorite and the one that I will be going back to later this week to swim in the ocean. The water was clear, the beach was clean, and the waves towered over the people out there. One of my favorite things to do at the ocean is to jump into these waves as they crash over me. I could spend hours doing that, and Noi Harn is one of the safer places to do this. I know I should learn how to surf while I am living in Thailand, but that might take too much effort and money, but if I did learn, this coast would be the place to do it because I do not think I have seen so many big and perfect waves in my life.
But yesterday was not all about the beaches. The viewpoints were also great stopping places and not just because of the views that they offered. They also had a little bit of culture with them. Prom Thep Cape had some great views of the surrounding islands, one of which had a secluded monastery on it. There was also a lighthouse that appeared to be a place that you could explore during times without a pandemic.
And there was a Buddhist shrine up there as well, except this one was ringed by a series of carved elephants as if they would protect it. At first I though it was decoration until the only other people up there bought some flowers from an attendant so they could pray.
It was an interesting experience to go out and see other things besides a beach. I know that they are the big draw to this area, but I am also glad that there are other things to experience. It will make this stretch of my trip more interesting and give me some culture at the same time. All it takes is a simple drive to explore more.
John Collings 