From Phetchaburi to Surat Thani
Destination:
Phetchaburi
Traditional Thailand at its best
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Two major traffic routes lead from Bangkok to the South: the four-lane Petchkasem Highway No. 4 and the single-track southern line of Thailand's State Railway.
From Phetchaburi to Surat Thani, a distance of 530 km, the railway track always runs near the coast, however it is seldom possible that you can glimpse the sea. It crosses through smaller and larger cities, but only Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan are situated right on the Gulf of Thailand.
The Phetchkasem Highway H4 even runs a few kilometers further away from the coast passing wide around all cities on the way.
Still, the sea is never far away. Short detours lead to small bays and fantastic beaches for swimming and sunbathing.
The more you travel south, the more lush the landscape.
On many beautiful beaches simple and comfortable beach hotels were established during the last years, mainly for local weekend tourists.
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You should not get tempted by fast buses and comfortable night trains that pass quickly through this region. Even it takes some time to make a detour, it is worthwhile as you can gain insights into a part of the country that is almost untouched by tourism.
If you travel by slow local trains it is easy to make a stopover on the way, as a connecting train will pass by again latest the next day at the same hour.
Large aircon buses from Bangkok run only to provincial capitals and to main tourist destinations. Travelers on these buses who like to make a stopover often have to change to local transportation.
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The border between Myanmar and Thailand runs along the mountain ridge of the central Tenasserim mountains. Although this mountain range is only 800 to 1,500 meters high, clouds release rain on its western slope during the southwest monsoon. Therefore the beaches from Hua Hin to Surat Thani offer mostly good weather even during the rainy season.
The highest rainfall on the Gulf Coast occurs from October to December, although we have seen Chumphon more than a meter under water in September, too.
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