IMPORTANT NOTE: The Turtle Release Festival is ON! The area is packed with vendors and tourists. Because of this, I took the cache out of it's location until the festival is over so it won't get lifted. To log this cache, just take a picture of the location and post it. It would be nice if you were included in the photo along with some pictures of the festival. And HAVE FUN at the festival!
A warm welcome to the district of Thai Muaeng in Phang Nga province Southern Thailand. Thai Muang Beach is also known as Turtle Beach as you can see from the giant turtle monument in the center of the square that the cache is located.
There's even Phang Nga's largest festival around March that celebrates the release of nearby Turtle Rehab facility. Be sure to catch this if you can.
You will see a LONG bike along the road. This is a popular destination for Thai and Farang tourists. If you like bike riding, or even taking long walks, this is a great place.
Across the street you'll have a HUGE selection of restaurants to choose from. There's even a couple of Michelin listed eateries with incredible dishes.
Thai Muang district is renowned for its natural and varied beauty. There are mangrove and evergreen forests, exotic mountainous National Parks, beautiful long stretches of almost deserted white powdery beaches, a coastal National Park, and a world famous offshore National Park dive location.
It offers nature lovers an unspoilt landscape of beaches, islands, dive sites, hills, mountains, forested valleys, mangroves and estuaries.
The name Thai Muang loosely translates to "the last stop of the tin mine" in Thai, and the district of Thai Muang was home to many Chinese tin miners who migrated to the area during the industry's boom in the late 18th century. The name came from when Chinese families lived on the banks of the river, and the husbands worked in the tin mines. The family members would sit by the river, not much more than a wastewater stream, to collect small reject particles of tin to sell. This was effectively, the "last stop of the tin from the mine". These days there are few reminders of the once booming tin mine industry in Thai Muang, but the beachfront location is perfect for those wanting to relax and get some peace and quiet.
The transliteration word "Muang" is thus in contrast with the word "Mueang" meaning a city centre throughout the country. There is a difference.
Some of the attractions and activities of Thai Muang district include:-
- the "original" Khaolak beach
- Khao Lak - Lam Ru national park
- Thai Muang - Khao Lam Pi national park
- several waterfalls
- Dive sites at Similan islands national park
- Thai Muang beach (adjacent to Thai Muang golf course)
- Tha Sai beach
- Bo Dan beach
- Bo Dan hotsprings
- Thap Lamu (departure point for Similan islands)
- Royal Thai Navy's Third Fleet Sea Turtle Nursery (at Thap Lamu)
- Marine Park conservation centre (at Thap Lamu)
- Thai Muang golf course
- Thap Lamu Royal Navy golf course
The district (Amphoe) of Thai Muang, has an area of 611.8 square kilometers and has six sub-districts (tambon) - these are Thai Muang, Na Toei, Bang Thong, Thung Maprao, Lam Pi, and Lam Kaen. There is a total of 49 villages.
With regard to Phang Nga province as a whole, it is a primarily agricultural province with beautiful diverse scenery. The chief cash crop is rubber, and rubber plantations cover a considerable area, especially noticeable along the roads. Aside from that, however, large areas are also given to food crops. Considerable amounts of rice, vegetables and fruits are produced in Phang-Nga. Phang-Nga province has an area of 4,170 sq. kms., a large part of which is forest, and is a melting pot culture of Buddhists, Thai-Chinese, Muslims and even sea gypsies.