Mainland capes: The most notable and extraordinary in Thailand (Part III)
My favorite four mainland capes are revealed in this final post of three.
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And now for the last of three posts counting down the 12 most notable and extraordinary mainland capes across all of coastal Thailand.
The first post spotlighting capes #9-12 is here, and the second post wrapping up capes #5-8 can be viewed here. After this post is complete, I’ll combine all three into a longer article featuring all 12 of these wonderful capes.
Laem Singh
Laem Singh district, Chanthaburi province, Eastern Gulf
Slotting into the #4 spot is the ‘Lion Cape,’ which is such a prominent part of Chanthaburi that a whole district is named after it. At the feet of the forest-cloaked hills that form the cape’s belly, an east-coast road passes Wat Khao Laem Singh’s graceful white wihaan and the historic Phairi Phinat Fort, where visitors can climb past a monkey troupe to enjoy a grand vista that includes Ko Chang on clear days. At the road’s end lies Ao Krathing, a rust-hued beach with no development other than swings and facilities provided by a small forest park.
Cross the bridge that fords the photogenic Chanthaburi River Estuary to find the sweeping golden sand of Hat Laem Singh and a pair of nearby historical sites that French occupiers built as prisons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of them is known as Khuk Khi Kai, or ‘Chicken Shit Prison,’ after the slits in the roof where chickens were placed above tortured prisoners. More comfy are the affordable family-run resorts and guesthouses that often come with beachfront eateries serving savory soft-shell crab that’s farmed just up the road.