Thursday 31 August 2017

Mangrove Walk at Pran Buri National Forest Park


Pranburi National Forest Park

Pranburi National Forest Park
Moo 1, Tambon Paknam
Amphoe Pran Buri
Chang Wat Prachuap Khiri Khan
77220, Thailand

This national park is about 25km South of Hua Hin. The mangrove walk is marked on Google Map so you should have no trouble finding the place. It's best to have your own transport instead of taking the public transportation as the forest park is quite a distance from the main road.

  Sebenarnya, sebelum pergi I dah tanya semua ahli rombongan GangMakanGoJalan samada kita nak pergi mangrove walk di sini atau Phraya Nakhon Cave di Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park yang memerlukan lebih satu jam perjalanan menaiki van dari Hua Hin. Masing-masing memilih mangrove walk yang jauh lebih santai sebab kami tak mahu habiskan masa sehari suntuk untuk aktiviti outdoor. Walaupun Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park nampak lebih menarik, trip kami lebih kepada leisure trip. Makan dan cuci mata.

  So, we went to the forest park on a Friday morning. There was no one else other than my group.  The van driver parked and waited for us in the empty parking lot. The area looked deserted. Well, there were a couple of other tourists and a family but we had the place pretty much to ourselves. The day was sunny but we were spared from the sun as the walkway is shaded by the trees. The mangrove walk was quiet other than sounds of insects.

Pranburi National Forest Park Mangrove Walk

  Sebelum berjalan, kami ambil gambar sikit-sikit. Tak ada orang, jadi memang tak ada siapa kacau. Kemudian, setelah pastikan ada bawa air dan pakai insect repellant, kami pilih jalan di sebelah kiri. Masing-masing jalan ikut kelajuan suka hati. 

  Following the board walkway, we stayed under the shades and saw some mangrove creatures. I don't remember what I saw but the authority provided some information board so you can identify the animals and water creatures you encounter along the way. Eventually, we arrived at a jetty. It was deserted as the tide was low. There were creatures on the wet sand, like a busy beach.

  Kalau ikut research, kita boleh ambil boat rides. Tapi bergantung kepada pasang surut air. Di sebelah kawasan letak kereta tadi ada visitor centre. Boleh tanya mereka kalau perlukan maklumat atau bantuan. 

Pranburi National Forest Park

  Then we continued walking until we found the observation tower. I climbed up and took some pictures. Mesmerising how we were surrounded by trees and above us, white clouds in the sky.

Pranburi National Forest Park

  Menara tinjau ni adalah spot untuk ambil gambar yang menarik macam kat bawah ni. Mujurlah masa kami pergi tu, cuma ada dua orang pelancong lain. Jadi puaslah kami turun naik ambil gambar dan berposing.

Mangrove walk at Pran Buri National Forest Park
Heaven knows how many pictures I have at this one spot

Pranburi National Forest Park

  There were seven of us. One prefers taking photos instead of posing for photos so we didn't have to take turn. Lucky eh?

  Dah puas ambil gambar di celah-celah pokok paya yang merimbun, kami berjalan lagi.

  It wasn't a very long walk. Perhaps because we were in a group so time felt short. After we emerged on the other side, we went across the road to the pine park by the beach.

  Pokok pine jenis casuarina atau rhu yang biasa ditemui di tepi pantai menanti kami. Ada kemudahan tandas awam dan restoran di kawasan ni tapi kami tak pergi tengok pun. Lengang semuanya mungkin sebab bukan hujung minggu.



  Some of us bought ice creams from a vendor there. Then we sat facing the beach, eating ice cream before heading back to town. We made a detour to Khao Takiab but it was noon and we were tired. After a quick photoshoot at the beach, we went searching for air-conditioned mall :)

  The place is free, no entrance or parking fee. Expect to spend a couple hours here if you enjoy nature walk. Try to avoid weekend as according to some reviews, it can get busy. Be sure to keep this place clean when you visit!


Friday 25 August 2017

Lobster Dinner at Lung Ja Seafood, Hua Hin

Lung Ja Seafood
Rupa dia lain sikit waktu malam sebab ada gerai and no trucks

Lung Ja Seafood

103/4-5 Dachanuchit Road Tambon Hua Hin
Amphoe Hua Hin, Chang Wat Prachuap Khiri Khan 
77110, Thailand

Hours : 1800 - 2300


One of the main reasons people go to Hua Hin is for the lobster. Orang cakap seafood di Hua Hin murah dan lobster senang nak jumpa. So, I scheduled seafood dinner on our first night in Hua Hin. Punyalah excited, budget untuk makan seafood ni I buat separate daripada our daily meals. THB11,200 total atau pun THB1600 per person. Eh, macam tak murah pun?

  Sebenarnya itu memang style I buat budget. Suka estimate tinggi-tinggi, kemudian adjust mana yang patut dan akhirnya dapatlah budget yang lebih masuk akal tapi masih ada buffer. Sebab tu jarang burst budget :P

  Anyway in reality, we did not have one lobster each. Tak mampu nak habis pun sebab makan dengan nasi dan ada ordered lauk lain juga. Kedai yang kami pilih namanya Lung Ja Seafood. You can find it on Google Map. Terletak di kawasan Hua Hin night market. Untuk tourist spot, harganya not bad la.

  Ada beberapa kedai seafood lain di sini. Boleh tengok dan pilih sendiri. Lung Ja Seafood ni selain harga yang berpatutan, ada jaminan kebersihan. Pelanggan pun nampak ramai tapi servis tak slow sangat. 

Lung Ja Seafood
Very helpful and friendly. Order yang diterima semua betul

  We ordered 4-sauce lobster, some tiger prawns, fried rice (egg only), sotong goreng tepung and ikan. Ada dua jenis masakan ikan yang kami pesan but I'm sorry I can't remember what we ordered. Mujur ada gambar > - <"

Lung Ja Seafood Hua Hin

Lung Ja Seafood Hua Hin

Tiger Prawn at Lung Ja Seafood Hua Hin

Lobster at Lung Ja Seafood Hua Hin

Lobster Hua Hin


Taste
Over all, delicious! Puas hati. Lobster ada sauce yang okay, ada yang biasa-biasa je. Nasi goreng sedap OMG. Kat Thailand ni kalau nasi goreng tak sedap, memang tak pernah jumpa lagi.

Price
Fair. Tak ingat exactly berapa tapi memang jauh beza dari budget. Lobster tak sampai THB2000, tiger prawn only THB500 for half kg. Murah walau pun mungkin tak banyak.

Ambiance
Busy, noisy (pasar malam kan) but tak smelly sangat. Rambut tak la bau makanan/asap lepas makan kat sini.


Nota: Restoran ni tidak sesuai untuk yang perlukan cop halal.