Bang Saphan Yai ..... in and around

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07-12-2011, 10:47 AM
Bangyai

Bang Saphan Yai ..... in and around

During our flight from Bangkok one of the places we shacked up for a few nights was Bang Saphan Yai , mostly to meet up with other refugees like ourselves before heading on to Ranong. Our own car was stranded in Bangkok but luckily our friends had wheels so we were able to get out and about a bit and check out various attractions.

The best value place to stay on our stretch of Beach was the Ladawan Boutique Resort at 800 a night including breakfast. We knew there were cheaper places over the bay but not having wheels of our own ,we couldn't check them out.
As it was, at least the Ladawan was near our friends

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The rooms were pretty nice , although not much of a view.

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And I must admit , a wardrobe with hangers would have been nice instead of this arty farty substitute .

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Lobby area was very nice though , with internet available

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Just over the road was the beach and the hotels very nice resteraunt

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Not the most beautiful beach in the world but as I never go on them anyway it at least made a nice backdrop for my Leo

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Having arrived here by train from Prachuab it was a nice spot to chill out and watch the locals do their fishing thing.

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After a nights rest , our friends and ourselves decided to head for a nearby waterfall for Loy Gratong which was a lot better than floating one around our living room back in Bangkok. On the way we visited a temple just outside town with some caves attatched.

The entrance is behind this shrine
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Next up was Sai Ku waterfall , about 20 k to the South of town.

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Walk this way ...............

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There are several levels to these falls. This is at the bottom end by the side of the trail

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Halfway up the main fall comes into view. Very pretty indeed.

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We set up camp here and our tour guide Rose gave Ms Bangyai the lowdown on the salient points of this beauty spot. A very interesting discourse with a lot of usefull pointing

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There are other levels higher up but I couldn't find the trail and didn't fancy scaling these jungle vines to the top. One slip here and its goodnight vienna as there are plenty of jagged rocks to fall on.

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Besides , it being Loy Gratong , there were plenty of attractive sights to be seen from our chosen camp spot

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And then came along this very cute little girl and while her big sister went off exploring , she made a very photogenic subject indeed , sat all on her own in the shallows.

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Just wished I'd taken a full head shot but I was a bit rushed because she was getting ready to move. As it was , I just shaved the top of her hair off which was a pity. But the eyes are pretty captivating.

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Shortly after this she got up and toddled off. Had to cross a little ravine 6 inches wide to catch up with her sister but was bold enough to take hold of my hand to make the jump.

Wanted to get a snap of ants departing with our lunch but the little buggers would not pose for the macro shot so it proved a bit tricky. You get the idea though :

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On the road to ranong there is another waterfall with a very high drop but the name escapes me and it wasn't well developed so we only stopped for a few minutes

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So that was our Loy Gratong. A lot better than we could have hoped for back in Bangyai.

As I'm still having computer problems, replies to comments might be a bit slow so appologies in advance.
07-12-2011, 11:38 AM
Strongarm

Nice one mate, thanks for posting!!!
07-12-2011, 12:25 PM
FarangRed

Some great photo's there mate.

I stayed this place couple of years ago, the web-site is shit

:: SAILOM RESORT BANGSAPHAN ::
07-12-2011, 05:23 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarangRed

Some great photo's there mate.

I stayed this place couple of years ago, the web-site is shit

:: SAILOM RESORT BANGSAPHAN ::

Thanks for the Link FR. If we're down that way again I'll check it out. The only downside of being on the beach at Bang Saphan is the complete lack of public transport. Not even a motorcycle taxi to be found. Definately a place where you need your own wheels
07-12-2011, 07:20 PM
aging one

Bloody great photos mate. All of them, but your child cold and wrapped in the towel was really nice. In April of 2010 we went down to a wedding of a friend who was marrying a great gal from just down the road towards Surat. They put us all up at the beach. I had the big one right on the water, just down from the first restaurant picture. We had a great time, the Europeans really seem to love it. The sites all around are great, but as you said the beach itself is just a nice Thai beach. Damn the water was actually hot in late April.
Great wedding though.
07-12-2011, 07:28 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by aging one

.....your child cold and wrapped in the towel was really nice.

Not my child AO but if she was I'd be a pretty proud parent. Cute as a button and the look she gave me when I helped her cross some rocks would have melted anyone. :)
07-12-2011, 08:15 PM
Thetyim

When you visited the caves did you see the monkey that rings the bell ?

Originally you had to get the cave lights turned on by calling at the house (monastery?) just before the cave. The door bell was a hand bell. After a while a monkey was used to ring the bell whenever he saw someone coming up the lane and the lights got turned on for you.
07-12-2011, 09:35 PM
Chairman Mao

Great little thread mate, cheers.
07-12-2011, 10:39 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thetyim

When you visited the caves did you see the monkey that rings the bell ?

Originally you had to get the cave lights turned on by calling at the house (monastery?) just before the cave. The door bell was a hand bell. After a while a monkey was used to ring the bell whenever he saw someone coming up the lane and the lights got turned on for you.

Must have been monkeys day off TY or maybe he was on a bender the night before because we never saw him. But you are right about getting one of the nuns to turn the lights on.
I took some more pictures but set up the camera wrong so they didn't come out well, as you can see from the ones I salvaged.
07-12-2011, 10:42 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chairman Mao

Great little thread mate, cheers.

Thanks for dropping in CM. Hope you had a good Loy Gratong holiday.
Mind you , when I was unattatched I had better things to do on my days off ! :)
08-12-2011, 07:41 PM
pescator

Very nice thread and generally a very nice area.

We stayed at Ladawan too and ate at the same restaurant.
That restaurant just across the road from Ladawan serves some of the best thai food we have ever had. It was, however, closed during our last visit.
I am glad to see that it has reopened, hopefully with the same chef. I would revisit the area just for that reason. ;)

We moved on to another beach resort - Sananwan Beach - after a few days as my kids wanted to swim on a much nicer beach.
Beachfront Bed & Breakfast - Sananwan Beach

Waterfall Sai Goo is a lovely spot and usually deserted during week days. You managed to capture the nature of this place very well.
There is no trail to the higher levels of the waterfall only those vines to hold on to.
I didnt fancy going there myself, but my kids did, so I had to tag along.
There is a rope across the fall on the second level, as several people have been swept away by the strong current during rainy season when this fall is quite powerful.

PS. If you have the time and inclination to do so, then it would be great see your pictures from Ranong too. Another hidden gem.

Cheers
09-12-2011, 03:14 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by pescator

PS. If you have the time and inclination to do so, then it would be great see your pictures from Ranong too. Another hidden gem.

Cheers

Thanks for that. I'll upload some of Ranong and the Andaman Club as soon as I have a spare couple of hours :)
11-12-2011, 04:53 PM
blowin

Hi Bangyai just enjoyed reading your post in cold wet Ireland and it put an smile my face !! My wife is from Chumpon so we visit all that area often and I agree it is an great area to visit and we always visit Ranong too and enjoy the hot springs.
11-12-2011, 07:51 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by blowin

Hi Bangyai just enjoyed reading your post in cold wet Ireland and it put an smile my face !! My wife is from Chumpon so we visit all that area often and I agree it is an great area to visit and we always visit Ranong too and enjoy the hot springs.

Thanks for that blowin. We meant to check out the hot springs in Ranong too but couldn't quiet find the time. Maybe next time. :)
05-05-2012, 02:04 PM
zingerhk

How many farang live in Bang Saphan? Is there enough to do there? I went but only saw a small number of Farang, perhaps I missed the right area of town??
05-05-2012, 03:02 PM
Bangyai

Quote:

Originally Posted by zingerhk

How many farang live in Bang Saphan? Is there enough to do there? I went but only saw a small number of Farang, perhaps I missed the right area of town??

Not a lot. Thats one of the attractions. There is absolutely nothing to do there except eat , drink and relax. You need to bring your own entertainment and your own wheels as there is no public transport either....not even a motorcycle taxi service. Its a very quiet place.
06-05-2012, 10:16 PM
caller

Quote:

Originally Posted by zingerhk

How many farang live in Bang Saphan? Is there enough to do there? I went but only saw a small number of Farang, perhaps I missed the right area of town??

Most farangs are to be found a few k's south of the town around the area where the Coral hotel is. Try these sites:

bangsaphanguide.com/

bangsaphanguide.com/forum/index.php