We have only one day and that's enough to explore #SiChang island, the smallest district of Thailand with an exotic Chinese temple, a historical royal palace, natural beauty, sandy beach🏖️ and fresh seafood.
We have been to #Sriracha and stayed at #Balcony for many times but never been to #KohSiChang (Si Chang Island) yet. We don't want to miss this small island in our plan of the third visit again so we book a shuttle van from the hotel to Koh Loy pier on the second day stay. After early breakfast 🍳, around 15 minutes on the road and 45 minutes on a ferry, we arrive safely on Koh Si Chang. Then rent a pick-up truck for 8 people (or cheaper Skylab Tuk Tuk if less than 6 people), a driver will take us to all 5 spots following the program tour which are Chao Pho Khao Yai Chinese shrine 🐲, a royal palace 💒, Chong Khao Khad, Stone Inscriptions and Thampang beach ⛱️. After the trip, I ask my kids what they love about Koh Si Chang and here are their top 5 answers;
1. Transportations 🚐🛳️🎢. To the island, various vehicle transfers are excitingly offered. Kids love taking a minivan from the hotel, then an adventurous ferry into the Gulf of Thailand showing them some offshore cargo ships as Sri Racha is close to #LaemChabang deep sea port. After hopping ashore , a pick-up truck with two-row seats takes us to explore the land. Also, at Chao Pho Khao Yai Chinese shire on the hill, kids can take a cable car up there.
2. Chinese temple 🐲. Up the hill, this ornate dragon-infested temple dates back to the days when Chinese traders anchored in the sheltered waters. All Chinese gods in cave rooms in different platforms look dramatic enough for kids to get exotic experience. My daughter says she likes to light the incense sticks and stick gold plates at #KhaoYai statue which is sacred stalactite.
3. Seafood and good cakes 🐟🦐🦀🦑. There are #seafood places by the roadside cooking freshly caught produce but the one that locals always suggest is Pa Noi's (Aunty Noi) street seafood. Every dish is yummy and not pricey. Adults love Prawn with Garlic and most spicy ones. Kids prefer BBQ Squid, Crab Meat Fried Rice and Seafood Steamed Egg. However, lunch here is popular so seated early before noon or later than 2 p.m. if your stomach can wait. After main dish, not far from Pa Noi's in walking distance, kids can take sweet time 🍰 in chill ambiance at Somewhere by Cape & Kantary Hotel. Coffee ☕ and matcha green tea are worthy to order too. Here serves international and easy food like pizza 🍕 as well. If no crowd, kids can learn to make pizza with the chef sometimes.
4. Millipede in summer palace 🦠. While parents are relaxing with natural beauty at #PhraChudadhuj Palace, kids are looking for millipedes all over the place. Some are alive and lots are dead. I am not sure why they have so much fun in this National Geographic activity but they really have a lot of excitement when they run around and can find one.
Si Chang has the ambience of a fishing village 🛳️🐟 and was a place to convalescence of Siamese royals 🤴👸 due to its beautiful scenery, pristine air and close proximity to Bangkok. King Rama V the Great built the palace as a royal residence 💒 where he stayed and worked during his holidays on the island. Also sometime his crown sons and queens were sent to recuperate from illness here. After the Franco-Siamese crisis in 1893, the palace was deserted. Since the 1970s, it has been maintained by Chulalongkorn University and was re-opened as a #museum exhibiting the history of the palace and the island in four mansions.
Despite the beauty of nature and architecture, children are still looking for the animals on the ground. Surprisingly, my younger son is happy to pick up frangipani flowers from the floor too.
5. Air-conditioned ferry 🛳️. After we spend more than an hour at the palace, kids intend to go back to swim in the hotel's pool so we head back to the pier to catch a #ferry at 4 p.m. It's a shame that we can't visit another 3 places; Chong Khao Khad for the best sunset scene 🌄, Stone Inscriptions at a beautiful royal temple in partially Gothic style and playing on Thampang beach 🏖️. Anyway, it might be a good decision as the ferry at later hours will be more crowded. Also all kids fall asleep as soon as they get on board. If we have taken them to further spots, they would have been too tired and easily got cranky at dinner, esp. my smallest boy.
So, I think the cool air in the boat cabin can be one of their favourite from Si Chang trip for this reason 😴.
P.S. Phra Chudadhuj #Palace is daily opened from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.but the #museum in mansions will be closed on Monday. Free entry.
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