Some friends of mine took me to Cha Am, a small seaside city in Phetchaburi province. It is a medium sized city, and is fairly quiet. Most of the visitors are Bangkok residents looking for a quick getaway for the weekend, and I didn't see any foreign tourists here.
This is not to say that foreigners won't like it here - it's just that they are more likely to visit nearby Hua Hin which they might find more comfortable. Things are fairly cheap here, especially compared to Bangkok or Phuket.
In the middle of Cha Am, there is a large hill with temple built on top of it. There is a cable car that takes you to the top, but, of course, this was being repaired on the day I visited.
There are many paths on the way up to the top, and it is fairly quiet, except for the monkeys.
It's sort of odd to have a large hill in a predominately flat landscape, but the view is nice.
The hill is dominated by extremely tame (but hungry) monkeys. Most of the monkeys hang around the base where all the visitors arrive, but there's a few at the top too.
This is Phra Ratchaniwet Marukhathayawan, a summer palace that is open to the public.
It's sort of like a big park, and it is located right on the ocean - very nice.
All along the beach there are plenty of places to eat. This scene is very typical at Thai beaches - people actually try to avoid the sun.
... and whenever the camera comes out, the Thai ladies start posing.
