Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Cha-am
POP 72,341
Cheap and cheerful Cha-am has long been a popular beach getaway for working-class
families and Bangkok students. On weekends and public holidays, neon-painted buses
(called ' chor ching cha '), their sound systems pumping, deliver groups of holiday-
makers. It is a very Thai-style beach party with eating and drinking marathons held
around umbrella-shaded beach chairs and tables. Entertainment is provided by the banana
boats that zip back and forth, eventually making a final jack-knife turn that throws the
passengers into the sea. Applause and giggles usually follow from the beachside audience.
Cha-am doesn't see many foreigners; visitors are usually older Europeans who winter
here instead of more expensive Hua Hin. And there are even fewer bathing suits on dis-
play as most Thais frolic in the ocean fully clothed. This isn't the spot to meet a lot of
young travellers or even a good option for families of young children who might be over-
whelmed by paparazzi-like Thais in holiday mode. But for everyone else, Cha-am's beach
is long, wide and sandy, the grey-blue water is clean and calm, the seafood is superb, the
people-watching entertaining and the prices are some of the most affordable anywhere on
the coast.
Festivals & Events
Crab Festival
( Feb) In February, Cha-am celebrates one of its local marine delicacies: blue crabs.
Food stalls, concerts, and lots of neon turn the beachfront into a pedestrian party.
FOOD
Gin Hoy, Do Nok, Tuk Meuk
( Sep) You really can do it all at this annual festival held in September. The English
translation means 'Eat Shellfish, Watch Birds, Catch Squid' and is a catchy slogan for all
of Cha-am's local attractions and fishing traditions. Mainly it is a food festival showcas-
ing a variety of shellfish but there are also bird-watching events at nearby sanctuaries and
squid-fishing demonstrations.
FOOD
Sleeping
 
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