Khlong KhonKlong Klon is one of our favourite secrets in Thailand. Ideally located midway between Bangkok and Hua Hin (site of the wonderful Barai) this tiny fishing village is one of the most tranquil spots we have visited. We have always booked through Tong Tong, a tour-guide based in Bangkok - we recommend requesting Jerry as your guide if you do this. Oh, and by the way, we suggest booking early - there is a monthly limit of visitors who can do this tour. For a longer article about the area and the fishermen's way of life, please see our blog post.
For many, the main draw of Klong Khon will be the swimming monkeys, and we will come to these below. However, our abiding memory is the stillness of the water and the wide grin of a local fisherman who had caught a catfish. Cruising through the inlets and mangroves and out on the mirror-like sea, we were struck by the lives of the locals, living hand-to-mouth and deeply saddened to hear of the difficulties caused by a nearby factory, pumping effluent out and threatening the local ecosystem. |
These fishermen make their lives in a fragile environment and it may not be there forever, so see it while you can. You can try your hand at fishing for cockles (not as easy as it looks) or talk to the locals through your guide. Marvel at how low in the water the small heavily laden fishing boats dip and yes, there are those playful swimming monkeys. Although their usual diet consists of soft-shell crabs that live in the mangroves, as with most monkeys, bananas are a treat they cannot resist. Watching a family of monkeys crowding onto a single branch that slowly dips into the water is rather amusing. More so is hearing the sharp crack when a branch eventually, inevitably, gives way and the loud splash as a monkey hits the water. One word of warning - make sure you hide the bag of bananas. Ours was stolen by a boisterous male who immediately stuffed as many fruit into his mouth as quickly as he possibly could!
This is one tour of Thailand that is a little off the tourist track, but is highly memorable, partly due to the lack of other visitors. If you wish, you can have lunch in a stilted house in the lagoon. Feel free to contact us for a quote. |