Chumphon is a town that Lonely Planet describes as ‘of no particular interest except that this is where southern Thailand really begins’. Chumphon Pak Nam is a port town about 10 k down river from Chumphon.

Tourism is an important part of the economy of Thailand. For good or bad, areas that attract tourists change to appeal to that market. I love the ‘no particular interest’ places. Without the economic influence of tourism they have changed little and give a taste of what I see as the real Thailand.

During the Songkran (Thai New Year) holiday, seven of us took a week to explore the south of Thailand. One of the group has a relative who retired from banking to buy a fishing boat based at Chumphon Pak Nam.

As my photos show we walked through the town to the beach at the end of the main street. We returned to a fish dinner presented with typical Thai hospitality. That night we went fishing for squid. I am not a fisherman but I love being at sea.

The following morning we took another walk through town to the market before exploring the beautiful coastline.

1 & 2 Main street Chumphon Pak Nam

3 Our boat is the furthermost from the wharf. We reach it by scampering over the others.

4 & 5 The morning market

6 Breakfast at a local restaurant

Right hand column from top

1 Main street

2 A small island lies just offshore from the beach at the end of the main street.

3 Fishing boat and wharves

4 Apparently the squid are attracted to the strong lights. Well, that's the idea. We didn't catch too many.

5 Ead and I show off our tie-dyed fisherman's pants—a bargain from the morning market at only 39 baht (A$1.60) a pair.

6 The coastline in this area is littered with islands like this.