Today is our last in the small squid fishing village/beach town of Ban Krut on Thailand's south-central gulf coast. Geoff did some extensive online research to find this place. It's not featured in any guidebooks as yet since its primarily a local beach retreat. There's no way it can last though... Ban Krut is wonderful!
The beach is (obviously) the main highlight. Ban Krut beach is roughly 18km long, and less than half of it is fronted by resorts and bungalows. The rest is completely deserted. The coconut palms sway in the breeze overhead as you stroll along the golden sands. The ocean is very calm and shallow, warm and refreshing. You are alone except for the sand crabs!
We haven't made our way to the more popular backpacker islands to the south of Thailand, but from what we have heard it is a very different story there. Ban Krut is great to visit, but also seems like a great place for the locals to live. To give you an idea, all the food and drink establishments close around 8pm. For the most part the beach-goers here are the local teens and families enjoying an afternoon swim, and the locals sit side-by-side with the tourists at the beachside restaurants.
Our days start with an early visit to the morning market for breakfast, which we eat outside on the porch of our bungalow. If it's really hot we will go to the beach to collect shells and take it easy. If the temperature is moderate we will explore the area on rented bikes. There are secluded coves and beautiful Wats within biking distance, and the working fishing village to the south is nice (although it smells strongly of dried squid!)
As the afternoon cools down the beach starts to fill up with maybe 50 people along the whole 18km of beach. Positively crowded! There are beach bars serving cold beers and fruit shakes and vendors selling delicious spicy papaya salad with sticky rice.
In the evening the dinner options are shockingly good for such a small town. There are a few farangs (white guys) with Thai wives who have opened restaurants catering to the few Western visitors and the results are delicious. Of course the Thai food options are also spectacular. The freshest squid we have ever eaten!
These farang-Thai couples are also wonderfully open and inviting. Byron and Kasama in particular have taken us a bit under their wing. Last night we enjoyed their hospitality at a small dinner party at their restaurant. We met some other nice farang locals and retiree couples and drank sangria well into the night beneath the full moon. It's a hard life! We are really grateful to have found this place and these people.
Tonight we head north to Chiang Mai, to explore the rest of what Thailand has to offer.
-Gillian
