http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/trave ... by-the-sea (Many photos)
Down by the sea
The coastal town of Mahachai has many more delights to offer visitors than just seafood
Published: 14/06/2012 at 02:16 AM
Newspaper section: Life
The small province of Samut Sakhon is better known for its seafood market than as a weekend destination. Most of the time when we drive South, we just quickly try and pass it because Highway 35 is not an enjoyable driving experience, as it is always under construction.The coastal province along the Gulf of Thailand was in the spotlight recently when Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's opposition leader, visited migrant workers there. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 migrant workers in the fishing industry and more than 3,000 factories in the province.
The Samut Sakhon Marine Aquarium is in Khok Kham in Muang district. It is small and has no admission fee. Opened as a pilot project of the Samut Sakhon Fisheries Research and Development Centre, the aim is to educate people about marine ecology. It displays beautiful ocean fish, such as naso fish, and sharks. Unfortunately, the aquarium does not keep local fish or other sea creatures found along the coast of Samut Sakhon, such as the piddock clam.
Despite being known for its industrial belt, the tiny coastal province, especially Muang district, has lots of interesting places and many more things to see and do.
Also known as Mahachai, the town sits on the confluence of Khlong Mahachai and Tha Chin River, which obtained its name from the trading pier of Chinese immigrants in the 16th century. The influence of Chinese culture is all around town, including the Chinese-style shrine of the city's guardian and a number of other shrines along Thawai Road.
Mahachai is also home to the Mon, who immigrated to Siam during the King Rama III period. They built temples such as Wat Bang Yaphraek, which has a beautiful crematorium displaying Mon monastery architecture, and white-jade Buddha images in Myanmar style are displayed at Wat Khlong Khru, where an annual tak bat nam phung (offering honey to monks) is held on the 15th day of the waxing moon in September.
Almost across from Wat Khlong Khru is a local market where you can find a street foodstall selling ready to eat Myanmar food in plastic bags.
Not far from the market near Mahachai Villa Soi 10, there is a tiny mom-and-pop convenience store, which offers products from Thailand and Myanmar, such as tanaka powder, sarongs, balm and instant tea packs. Mahachai is also home to migratory birds during the cool season. Many can be spotted along the coast, though the best birdwatching spot is at the Samut Sakhon Mangrove Forest Research Centre in Tha Chalom. The centre was built on a reclaimed 400-rai (64 hectares) plot of land.
Its missions are to replant and preserve the mangrove forest, and research and develop quality of the soil and water in the coastal area. The low-profile centre also has a signboard educating visitors about the types of birds found along the coast and in the forest.
Next time while passing Samut Sakhon, make a turn into Mahachai as it's not just all about delicious seafood.
Places to eat
Mahachai holds an annual seafood festival, in March, in front of the city shrine and Wichian Chodok Fortress. The town is home to numerous seafood restaurants, namely:
Khun Toom restaurant
Call 034-840-465
Well-known for stir-fried crab roe with chilli, mackerel in sour and spicy madan (garcinia) soup, deep-fried snapper with fish sauce and crab fried rice.
Krua Lung Ya
Call 089-912-4267
Recommended dishes include miang pla krapong (deep fried seabass with herbs and sweet and sour sauce), yam chakhram (spicy and sour seafood with chakhram leaves) and grilled shrimp.
Ban Rim Nam
Call 034-411-483
If spicy crab roe dip, somtam pu ma and steamed pomfret in plum sauce make your mouth water, this is the restaurant for you.
Krua Uan Song Thai
Call 034-478-224
This eatery is well-known for various kinds of crab dishes.
Nhung Klong Song Talay
Call 089-699-3006
A bit hard to find, as it's in Mooban Golden Sea Garden, the restaurant offers a pleasant view, especially at sunset. Known for crab, squid and fish dishes, as well as spicy dip.
TRAVEL TIPS
Samut Sakhon is about 30km southwest of Bangkok. It is a small province with only three districts; Muang (aka Mahachai), Krathumban and Ban Phaew.
To visit the province, choices of transportation include trains (http://www.railway.co.th) from Wong Wian Yai in Thon Buri; buses (http://www.transport.co.th) leave the Southern Bus Terminal daily from 4.30am to 9.30pm. Alternatively, a van can also be taken from Victory Monument, The Mall Bang Khae, Mor Chit, or under Expressway 1 at Ramkhamhaeng Road. If you're driving, take Highway 35 and turn left at Mahachai intersection to Muang district.
This wood sculpture is believed to be the guardian of Samut Sakhon. It is housed in a Chinese shrine located in front of the city pillar and facing the Tha Chin River in Mahachai. Legend has it that the wood sculpture floated along the river and was found by locals more than 100 years ago. They built a shrine for the guardian, which later was given the name ‘‘Thep Phrachao Joam Muang’’ by King Rama III. The image is highly respected by locals, especially fishermen who pray for their safe journey before sailing out to sea. Every year, the city holds a procession ceremony to honour the guardian and this year the event will take place on June 25-26.
Wat Sutthiwat Wararam, or Wat Chong Lom, is on the mouth of Tha Chin River in Tha Chalom. Built in 1807, the temple is one of the most sacred places here and has been renovated several times. In 1960, Their Majesties the King and the Queen visited the area, offered robs to monks and joined the inauguration of the new gable apex of the ubosot (ordination hall). His Majesty the King also allowed his royal monogram to be presented at the centre of the gable. This ubosot is an ideal place for practising meditation because it is quiet and receives a pleasant breeze. The principal Buddha image of the ubosot is called ‘‘Luang Pho Hin Daeng’’, because the seated Buddha image has an extra index finger on his left hand.
This seated Buddha image — Luang Pho Pu — wearing sunglasses is the highlight of Wat Krok Krak in Muang district. The temple was built in 1832 on the banks of the Tha Chin River. It was accidentally burnt down almost 90 years later. The wooden ubosot, which houses the Buddha image, is the only structure to survive the fire. The event led to a strong belief in the power of the image. During the time of the temple’s abbot Luang Phu Krab (1920-1974), there was an outbreak of pink-eye so many people came to pray for recovery. When their eyes got better, they came to pay their respects and also placed a gold leaf on the eyes of the image. This did not please the abbot, who believed that the eyes should not be covered. He then put sunglasses on the image and since then it has become a symbol of the temple.
The crematorium of Wat Bang Yaphraek in Muang district is outstanding with twin constructions built in Mon monastery style. Some visitors may mistake it for a pagoda housing a relic of Buddha due to its nine-tier roof and architecture, which has ornaments painted in gold. Wat Bang Yaphraek was built two centuries ago by the Mon, who migrated to Siam during the early Rattanakosin period. When the temple was renovated, a new ubosot was built, along with the crematorium, which has won several awards for its beautiful architecture.
These white-jade seated Buddha images are found in Wat Khlong Khru in Muang district. They were built in the Myanmar style for people to pay their respects. The temple was believed to be built by the Mon. It still has an old wooden Mon-style ubosot , which is under renovation. This temple still preserves a traditional Mon honey offering ceremony called tak bat nam phung . The event will be held on Sept 30 this year. People believe that offering honey will bring prosperity to their lives.
The Oriental white-eye is one of the bird species commonly found at the Samut Sakhon Mangrove Forest Research Centre in Tha Chalom sub-district. Birdwatchers often visit the centre to view local and migratory birds, especially from October to May. The research centre is home to 20 migrant birds such as the black-tailed godwit, sandpiper and whimbrel. A good spot to birdwatch is at the waterfront pavilion because it offers a wide view of the Gulf of Thailand. From here, you can spot fishing boats in the distance, flocks of egrets standing in the mud foraging for food during low tide, and eagles flying around, while mudskippers look for ghost crabs. This mangrove forest was built on abandoned land, which about 30 years ago was used as shrimp farms. After the shrimp industry took a dive due to low prices, as well as the breakout of yellow-head disease in 1986, the farms were deserted. About 400 rai (64 hectares) has been reclaimed by the centre so far.
This canon points towards the Tha Chin River on a crumbling wall of Wichian Chodok Fort, next to the shrine of the city guardian. Built in 1828 during King Rama III’s reign, the fortress was used to protect Siam from foreign invaders at the mouth of the river. Sadly, this piece of our history is not well maintained. Garbage surrounds the wall and is inside each canon, while the wall is covered in rude graffiti.
This shrimp market was the first stop of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who visited Myanmar migrant workers on May 30. It is a wholesale shrimp market where migrant workers divide the shrimp according to size into various plastic baskets and load them to buyers’ pick-up trucks. On the day of ‘‘The Lady’s’’ visit, work was halted and the market was filled with hundreds of supporters who spilled on to the frontage road leading to Krathum Baen. All dressed up, some even held red roses and carried pictures of Suu Kyi. Traffic came to a standstill until her car, heading to the office of the Migrant Worker Rights Network, a few kilometres away, passed by. Many followed her car, while the shrimp market gradually returned to normal.
Mahachai fresh market is open 24 hours and lies on the banks of the Tha Chin River, 200m from City Hall. It is a hub for fresh and dried seafood, offered at negotiable prices. Open from dawn to dusk, a kilogramme of mud crabs is about 240-260 baht, depending on size, and steamed mackerel starts from 20 baht. From 10pm it is replaced by the wholesale seafood market, which runs until dawn. If you fancy riding a tricycle, you can find one at this open-air market.
Mahachai train station is in Mahachai market. The station is open from 4.30am to 7pm, and trains leave almost every hour for Wong Wian Yai station in Bangkok. In the late afternoon, vendors ply their vegetables and fruits on the tracks. It is not not unlike the Mae Klong market at Mae Klong train station in Samut Songkhram, where you can see vendors selling their produce on the tracks, and have to keep moving their wares to let trains pass. If you also want to experience the Mae Klong market, take a train at Ban Laem station in Tha Chalom. First take a ferry from Mahachai pier to Tha Chalom and then it’s a short walk to Ban Laem station. The distance from Ban Laem to Mae Klong station is 33km.
Catch of the day — fresh fish in baskets. Samut Sakhon has a thriving fishing industry, which employs migrant workers from Myanmar. According to an employment agency in Samut Sakhon, there are more than 130,000 migrant workers, 100,000 of who are from Myanmar. The rest are from Cambodia and Laos.
in the road as a result of accidents. It was also the first time I've been in a restaurant/karaoke venue when someone has been shot..... 
Now I can still get it, but it's no longer free 
, although it's a lot less than I would pay in the shops.
Where I live in Por Jear (as in 'bear' I don't know how you spell it) there is nothing of the sort. A few Karaoke's dotted about but that's about it. I am close to my favourite restaurant ever though called T-Garden just past Bangbon 5 so all's not bad.