Pe Paew has kindly arranged an
annually get-together for the
travel lover gang for a short trip to “Si Chang” Island. 22 members can join this meeting. Our first stop is at
Klong Suan Market, a canal-side
shop house community. It lines at the banks of
Prawet Burirom canal at
Tambon Theppharat in
Chachoengsao and
Tambon Klong Suan in
Samut Prakan. The charming of this 100-year-old market is its maintaining resident's traditional way of life untouched by the travel of time. It is the every day market for local resident, not just the weekend market for tourists.
How to get there:จากกรุงเทพฯทางที่สะดวก คือ ไปตามทางมอเตอร์เวย์ (กรุงเทพฯ-ชลบุรี) ไปจนถึงทางแยกอ่อนนุช ให้แยกซ้ายไปจะพบสามแยก ให้เลี้ยวขวาเข้าทางหลวง 3001 (ถนนสายอ่อนนุช- ฉะเชิงเทรา) เดินทางไปอีกประมาณ 15 กิโลเมตร ถึงทางเข้าตลาดคลองสวนด้านซ้ายมือ เลี้ยวซ้ายเข้าไปอีก 200 เมตร บริเวณหน้าตลาดมีลานจอดรถ
หากเดินทางจากถนนบางนา-ตราด ถึงกิโลเมตรที่ 35 เลี้ยวซ้ายเข้าถนนทางไป Thai Country Club ประมาณ 15 กิโลเมตร จนเจอถนนหมายเลข 3001 เลี้ยวซ้ายไปประมาณ 2 กิโลเมตร ถึงตลาดคลองสวนหรือ จากแยกร่มเกล้าไปอีกประมาณ 27 กิโลเมตร ตามทางหมายเลข 3001 ถึงตลาดคลองสวน ใช้เวลาประมาณ 30 นาที
หากเดินทางจากฉะเชิงเทราไปตามทางหลวงหมายเลข 314 (ฉะเชิงเทรา-บางปะกง) กิโลเมตรที่ 14-15 แล้วเลี้ยวขวาเข้าทางหมายเลข 3001 จนถึงตลาดซึ่งอยู่ด้านขวามือHaving breakfast at the market, then we go straight to “เกาะลอย” pier to buy a boat ticket to
Si Chang Island.
Koh Si Chang, or Sichang Island, has a special place in the history of the Chakri dynasty. Three former kings vacationed there. King Mongkut, or Rama IV, admired the island for its fresh and clean air, which he believed contributed to the long lives of the people who lived there. The face of Sichang Island changed considerably during the reign of King Rama V as it became a busy port and one of the gateways to Siam. After Prince Vajiravudh (who would later take the throne as King Rama VI) stayed on the island for over eight months to recover from an illness, Sichang became the most popular place for convalescence for members of the royal family.
Getting There :
Located off the coast of the fishing town of Sri Racha, Chonburi province, this island has many sites of historical value. Boats leave from the pier near Koh Loy, Sri Racha and take 45 minutes to reach the island.
Where to Stay :
Accommodation on the island is limited, as is the water supply. There is no natural source of water on the island, so the inhabitants reply on rain water stored in large cisterns that were built when the island was developed about a century ago.Visiting the
Saan Chao Pho Khao Yai or a Shrine of the Father Spirit of the Great Hill.
This place went back to the days when junks from Ming China anchored in the sheltered water on the east side of the island. Founded around a cave from which seafarers saw a magic light shining into the night, around Chinese New Year the shrine draws tens of thousands of mainly Chinese supplicants from as far away as Jakarta and Beijing.
We then visit the
Rama V palace.
The royal summer residences took place on 1892 when Prince Chudadhuj Daradilok was born to Queen Sri Bajarindra on July 5, 1892, at Chudadhuj Throne Hall on the island, and a traditional ceremony was held a month later to bless the new-born prince, and the Sichang summer palace was bestowed with the name Chudadhuj Palace.
The summer palace compound boasted four mansions, 14 halls and a pavilion surrounded by many ponds, brooks, cliffs and caves. The palace's architecture reflected the social and political climate of the time it was built. The Western influence is evident.
Regrettably, it was the rise of Western colonialism that forced the royal family to leave the island. The Franco-Siamese conflict regarding sovereignty over neighbouring Laos led to aggression by French gunships which blockaded the Chao Phraya River. The French also stationed their troops along the eastern coast of Siam, and Sichang Island was no longer considered safe for royal sojourns.
Though the Franco-Siamese treaty relinquishing land on the left bank of the Mekong River to the French was signed in 1893, the French did not pull out their troops until a decade later. The palace was left vacant and some mansions under construction in the compound were left unfinished.
In 1901, however, King Chulalongkorn realised that Munthat Rattanarot Mansion was still not finished, and he ordered the golden teakwood building to be dismantled and brought to Bangkok. By royal decree, the mansion was brought to Dusit Palace and rebuilt as the renowned Vimanmek Mansion.
The octagon stone base where the original mansion once stood can still be seen at the compound of the Chudhadhuj Palace on Sichang Island.
Since it is raining all afternoon, we spend our time catch up each other's well-being.
Our gang of four starts touring Jiuzhaigou National Park.
