Time frozen in Khlong Wan
“Time in a Bottle”, Jim Croche’s song that topped the chart in 1970s, seemed to make my stay in Khlong Wan even more memorable with the sound of waves rushing on the shore on the background.
Khlong Wan is a small town on the beach in Prachuab Khiri Khan province. In the past, people here made a living from fishing activities due to rich marine animals in the area. As time passed, the fishing village here changed its face and opened the door to welcome visitors like other seaside towns.
A number of locals turned their homes into bungalows or simple resorts. Today, boutique hotels were built and a high-rise hotel is being constructed no matter whether the villagers like it or not.
The sand is not powder white but the sea remains clean. The wind is fresh. There were some mosquitoes in the evening and they disappear later at night. The evening is quite cool although it can be very hot in a summer day.
Heavy rain in the rainy season is not a problem. Many ageing Europeans have called Khlong Wan their home, at least for many months in a year.
People are very nice. The food is cheap. Goods are sold at normal and not “tourist” price. What else would you look for?
There are many tourist destinations in the area, including nice temples, sacred Buddha images and goddess in other religion or belief, such as Garnesh.
If you find it too quiet, you are recommended to go up north, heading to Ao Manao to enjoy papaya salad, grilled chicken and some Thai sweets before watching deer, sheep and ostrich at the Sufficiency Economy Learning Center in the 5th Aviation Regiment, Royal Thai Air Force. If you care for something adventure, there are many adventurous activities such as tower jump, archery, ATV ride and many more
Another activity that you should not miss while in Khlong Wan is to watch interesting fish at the Wa Kor Science Park, only 2 kilometres from Khlong Wan downtown.
While you can buy things at 24-hour convenient stores, you can also visit the morning fresh market that begins early and finishes around 9 a.m. Most of the local restaurants also close before 9 p.m. To me, I found this charming and unique to this seaside town.