With
hardly any sandy beaches and a more erratic transport system,
the eastern coast of the island is visited by far fewer foreign
travellers than the western coast. Most of the places to stay
are in the south-east, in the villages of Salakphet, Jek Bae
and the newly established Long Beach. The largest village,
Salakphet, does not receive so many visitors and so it is
less developed and commercialised than Bang Bao. Life for
the welcoming locals revolves around fishing, eating and getting
away with as little other work as possible. The town is quite
spread out over flat terrain, ringed with mountains, and the
bay on one side. Perfect for getting about on motorbike.
Any
exploration of the area wouldn't be complete without a visit
to Salak Khok. A pint-sized fishing village that screams authenticity,
houses are built along a series of boardwalks that snake around
the canals of a mangrove forest. Red and aqua-painted fishing
boats line the boardwalks and you stroll around gives the
feeling that you've really discovered something special and
unique. It's an incredibly pretty, unspoiled area.
A
new business in Salak Khok has just started to rent out kayaks
that you can use to go exploring in the mangrove forest. It's
100 Baht for an hour's paddle or 200 Baht if you want a guide
along. The business also has a few traditional Thai row-boats
in which you can enjoy a romantic Thai dinner while being
rowed around the mangrove forest. It's like a strange juxtaposition
of the Amazon Rainforest meets the canals of Venice. The dinner
costs 1,200 Baht.
