New coastal road

When people think beaches in Thailand they certainly don't think Chanthaburi. They probably don't think of Rayong or Trat either - though some people may know Ko Chang (in Trat) or Ko Samet (in Rayong.) But actually the beaches in Chanthaburi are quite nice, and not yet buried under a sea of umbrellas or blocked off by luxury hotels. Faasai Resort is a ten minute walk away from Kung Wiman - or curving water in paradise. It is a rocky and sandy bay. The rocks are a reddish colour and this gives the sand its distinctive gold-red colour. The beach meets a forest covered hill at one end which we call Springwater hill and at the other, it bumps into a small round hill, which is a peninsula jutting out into Kung Kraben Bay. The peninsula is called Hua Laem, which is a fishing village, the home of the earliest inhabitants here, who were sea gypsies.

It is very quiet here at Kung Wiman, but we are wondering what it will be like in the future now that the roads are being rebuilt and widened as part of a massive project to link up the beaches from Rayong to Trat in a scenic coastal route. Eventually this scenic coastal route will go all the way to Cambodia and then Vietnam.

The beaches of Chanthaburi have many curves and estuaries and to visit them used to be a long and zigzaggy route. But over the last year or so a couple of new bridges have been built over the estuaries so now it only takes about half an hour to get from Kung Wiman to Laem Sing, a black sand beach with famous eatieries and Ocean Seaworld. the dolphin show.

A grand new road has gone in at Chao Lao Beach which looks a bit like a European promenade. Now sleepy Kung Wiman is getting the treatment. The country road past the resort is being widened and there are plans for sculptures and a kind of craft village not far from our resort. A pretty promenade area by the beach has already been built - though it is incongruous as the road to it is still full of potholes.

It is a multi year project. It is expected to take about a year to finish the Kung Wiman roads. They say there is even going to be another bridge linking up the peninsula with Laem Sadet, possibly the most beautiful beaches around here (though I still love Kung Wiman best.)

New roads always change everything. I have a feeling this sleepy littly fishing village may one day be an upmarket, ritzy little area.