Monkeys and Sea Salt by the Seashore

Route: Samut Songkhram to Tha Yang, Phetchaburi
Distance: 66km

Today we were excited that we would finally reach the coast! The ride was lovely and the 35C felt so much cooler than other days.

Along the way it had been mentioned that we haven’t seen any monkeys yet. We were counting down kilometres to a bridge that we had pre-determined would be our “arrival” point at the seaside. At the top of the bridge we gazed out and it really felt wonderful to think of how far we’d come—Mountains, ancient ruins, big city traffic and now we were standing on what felt like the top of the world. We have cycled 1,149 kms to get to this point and we were taking it all in.

As we proceeded to descend the other side of the bridge we saw monkeys near the 7-Eleven. Big guys, little guys, chubby ones and skinny monkeys. A number of them were crossing back & forth (and back & forth) on the road. That made our day! One really curious and assertive little guy spotted our bikes parked against the wall of the 7-Eleven and he cautiously but bravely sauntered toward us, until he was about 8ft away. Likely he was hoping to find some treasures he could detach from our bicycles. He just sat there on the pavement and we had a little stare-down. He lost, and decided he best just return to his clan empty-handed.

Every town or city has a wat (temple), but this one was different. It looked Chinese in style, and was stunning both in size, and decor. Shiny, glittery, red & gold. We each stood around in awe of Wat Phet Suwan., a Chinese style Buddhist temple. There appeared to be a monk sitting motionless inside, perched up high, surrounded by all things beautiful.

Then came the big giant flat areas of land with very shallow water. We had a long time to speculate on what was happening because there were water-fields as far as the eye could see and we rode alongside them for what seemed like forever. At first we guessed some sort of seafood farming, but then we started to notice some where the water had evaporated off them, leaving behind a white substance. Then we noticed a field full of white mounds and we realized we were seeing sea salt works. Sea water is filled into large shallow pools then the sun does its work evaporating the water. What’s left behind is sea salt!

We found a little seaside resort and decided we wanted to swim in both the ocean and a pool. Very touristy around the coast and the price of hotel rooms is starting to reflect that. However, we did enjoy hunting for treasurers on the beach at night with a flashlight as the tide came in. Crabs, quick & crawly, and shells, both twisty and turquoisey.

Every day is a new adventure!