.
' When asked, try to answer
Do you like "mountains" or "sea" ???
It's not difficult to answer what you like, you know. '

Have you ever been asked or asked yourself? What do you like more, mountains or the sea?
A friend asked us… We hesitated to answer "I don't know."
But! Today we ask ourselves this question… because we have a 3-day long weekend, where will we take ourselves? Mountains or the sea?
I want to take myself to a place I like, a place I like (a place I like), but I can't choose.

The answer would be "the sea" immediately if it was hot weather.

But... the end of May, the rain has started, and we also want to see the green color of the "mountains" after the rain.
But... the end of May is still hot, the sun is so bright that the sea must be beautiful and clear.

Open to read travel reviews on various websites to find destinations.
My heart skipped a beat with one place, "Khao Laem Ya," camping by the sea, walking along the wooden bridge.
Climbing the mountain to see the view, waiting for the sunset. This place has both mountains and sea. The mountains may not be as green as we used to walk.
But this place should give us the answer to what we like more.

If it rains... we might see some green grass from the mountainous part.

If it's sunny... we'll probably see the beauty, the bright blue color of the sea...

No matter what kind of weather we encounter, there should be something to impress us, and within a budget that is not too high.

We did a little more research (thanks to our friends in the backpacking group ^^)

Close the review... and wait for the weekend to come. This is what it's like to be a salaryman... we just want to reward ourselves.

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2.

The truth is, our plan was a short trip, 2 days 1 night camping at Khao Laem Ya. We told our boyfriend that way. In our head, we had a hidden plan: to sneakily invite him to go camping on Koh Samet at Ao Luk Yon for another night ^^

But... the reality is that we woke up late! So it really became a short trip TT

For those who don't have much time, you can still visit Khao Laem Ya as a One day trip. Wake up early because missing out like the last trip is something that really sticks in your mind! We left Bangkok by van at the Victory Monument next to Century Mall, BH Rayong Pier, Ban Phe, Koh Samet. Tell him to drop us off at Khao Laem Ya.

(Currently, the vans have moved to Ekamai Transport Station.)

The fare is 200 baht per person. We left at 09.50 am.

Advice for taking a van... If you go in the morning, avoid sitting on the left side of the van because the sun shines directly on you. The sunlight is so bright that you'll be hot all the way. You don't even have to go to the sea, you can get tanned just by riding in the van!

The entrance fee to the park is 40 baht per person. We stood talking to the officer for a while. The officer told us to walk around one more bend and we would find the park office. We had to come here to register for accommodation and tent camping. The office is very shady ^^

For those who want to stay overnight but don't want to sleep in a tent, Khao Laem Ya National Park has bungalows available. Or if you want to sleep in a tent but don't have one, you can rent one here, along with bedding. But!!!! If you are going to rent a tent, try calling to ask if they are available to rent during this period.

As the rainy season has arrived, it's advisable to call ahead and inquire about the weather conditions and availability of camping space before heading out. This will help you avoid disappointment and ensure a smooth camping experience. When you arrive, you'll need to pay a 30 baht fee per person for using the facilities and present your ID card in exchange for a numbered tag to attach to your tent. The campsite is a short walk away, approximately one kilometer. You can either walk or hitch a ride with other tourists.

Those who bring their National Park Passport can get it stamped here, complete with a signature.

Let's go camping! 🏕️

Distance is not the issue, the issue is the sun!!! Tough and strong women like us will still melt, it's so hot that we have goosebumps!

I came across a fork in the road, and an official advised me to turn left and go down, saying it was a shorter route.

Looking from above, the water is very clear. I told you, the sun is strong, the sea will be beautiful and clear ^^

If you follow the path that the officer told you, you will find the first campsite first.

We put our belongings in the place where we planned to pitch our tent in the first field under the tamarind tree.

But we also secretly surveyed the second campsite.

The locals came out to welcome us...

We agreed to pitch our tents in Campsite 1 because it's quieter and less crowded.

Campsite 2 is closer to the shops and car park, so there will be constant traffic.

Sometimes there are large groups of motorbikes riding in.

Let's pitch our tents! The wind is strong... it's a bit difficult for us, as we're new to camping.

Stakes are essential, don't forget to bring them!

Ta-da!!! Sea view accommodation doesn't have to be expensive!

The tent next door was also robbed of mangosteen and the trash was rummaged through. Keep your belongings safe and throw them into the tent.
Tired of setting up the tent and fighting with the monkeys, I went to find some food to replenish my energy (actually, I was exhausted from the moment I walked in).
We bought our own food to cook, but this time we decided to order food because we heard it was delicious and worth the price ^^
There were a lot of dishes on the menu, but we chose something simple: 'Squid stir-fried with basil leaves served with rice, fried egg not cooked'.
Looking at the meatball stall, I saw steamed fish curry... The aunt said it was delicious, so I picked up one. It was steamed fish curry with basil and bitter leaf.
We chose basil ^^ Everything was delicious, both the rice and the steamed fish curry. This meal cost 155 baht.
Rice is 60 baht per plate, steamed fish curry is 15 baht per piece, and bottled water is 10 baht per bottle, two bottles.

When eating a sunny side up egg, we like to pierce the yolk to make it flow like lava and then mix it with rice. So good!

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3.
After we had our fill, our brains started working again. We realized that we had bought ingredients to cook dinner ourselves.
But! We didn't bring any lights, like flashlights, with us.
We were worried that it would be inconvenient to cook dinner, and there were a lot of monkeys at campsite 1.
So we asked the staff about the lighting at night. Both campsites have yellow lights for illumination.
But campsite 2 is brighter because it is near the shops and has tables and benches where you can eat.
As for the monkeys, there are none at night. They have to go to sleep too, but there are mosquitoes.
The staff also recommended campsite 2 because the wind is better there. The wind at night is not the same as during the day.

Now, so you don't get confused about the campsites, we'll summarize our understanding.

Campsite 1 (Walk towards the resort side, you can pitch your tent under the tamarind trees and around them)
-Quiet, few people, monkeys bother you during the day, lots of mosquitoes at night because it's next to the forest, you can play in the sea, if you pitch your tent under the tamarind trees, the leaves fall a lot

Campsite 2 (Located in front of the shops and tourist service center, parking lot and octagonal pavilion)
-Close to shops, more people, brighter lights, tables and benches, better wind (even better at night, it's still hot), no escape from mosquitoes

However...if it rains at night, you can take shelter at the tourist service center where there are staff on duty all the time. The octagonal pavilion can also be used.

In conclusion!...the two of us moved our tent from campsite 1 to campsite 2.
Because we wanted light and wind at night (which is still hot).
It will be more convenient for cooking dinner.

There are 3 toilets, no matter which campsite you pitch your tent, you can easily access the toilets.
Oh...a warning for those who don't like geckos!! They are very big, but if we don't do anything to them, they won't do anything to us either ^^

Choices...sometimes we have to make the wrong choice, but if it's not too late, we can still fix it. #Camping is the same.

After setting up the bed and eating, my boyfriend took a nap, but I asked to take pictures.

We love the sound of pine needles rustling in the wind. It's so pleasant to listen to. Sometimes we wonder if the sound of the pine needles we hear is them talking to each other. Are they talking to us?

At least we're not disappointed… we got to see the beautiful sea.

We may not have been able to swim, but some things don't need to be touched to bring joy.

The sea must be paired with sunshine to be truly beautiful and complete.

Sunlight makes the sea a deep blue, light blue, depending on the sun, depending on the shadow of the clouds.

The sea today… is it beautiful, or do we really like the sea?

We haven't decided yet… when the sun is less harsh, we will walk along the rocks and wooden bridges, and climb up to enjoy the view from the grassy hill!

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4.

There is also a nature trail here, with paths winding through rocks and wooden bridges.

There are a total of 9 information stations.

We skipped some stations without noticing, because we were busy taking pictures or enjoying the walk.

Ahead is Koh Samet, or Koh Kaew Pisut, in the literary work... The Story of Phra Aphai Mani.

There is always another side to beauty... We don't know how to say it. We can't tell others to do it.

If we... don't start with ourselves first. We have to start with ourselves first!

The path up is not too steep, allowing us to catch our breath.

I didn't get to see the sunset because I was busy making dinner... but I saw this instead: a small "rainbow cloud hat" ^^

We took a picture with the sign as a souvenir and sat down to rest. It was quiet, but we were happy.

The mountains... always challenge us. The steep path... tests our physical strength and determination.
We may not have seen the green trees we had in mind, but this grassy mountain made us want to lie down on the grass.
We love being up high like this... it feels so free.
Or maybe we just love mountains more?

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5.
We hurried back to make dinner before the sky got dark.

We sat down to make dinner on the stone table. We didn't want to do it near the tent for fear of ants.

The menu we prepared was very simple. We can't really call it a barbecue.

It wasn't pork steak either because we ate it with jaew dipping sauce. We didn't bring a gas stove, pork, or kitchen utensils to save money.

Ordering food would have been easier and cheaper, but we wanted to have a small activity where we could spend time together.

We would have loved to have a seafood barbecue, but the journey didn't allow it. We were traveling by public transport with other people, so we had to be mindful of how much we carried.

Let's take a look at the food… If it's edible, we'll eat it. If not, we'll throw it away!

Thinly sliced pork belly with butter-fried golden needle mushrooms. Sooooooooo good!

We use ready-made jaew dipping sauce because it's easy and delicious.

The fire that gave us light... that made us have to move our tents.

The evening light in the sky... made us put down our chopsticks and walk to capture the image.

We asked the auntie what time the shop closed. The auntie said half past ten.

But on the day we went, there must have been a lot of people...so it was open later than usual.

It was very quiet at night... Some people went back after the sun went down.

Only tourists who came to camp were left. We felt sleepy... We looked at the clock, it was only half past eight. Normally, we sleep very late.
The weather started to get hot, mosquitoes started to come. Don't forget mosquito repellent for those who camp.
It was hot to sleep in the tent, but it was windy outside the tent but there were a lot of mosquitoes.
We slept outside the tent and fell asleep early in the evening. We woke up with a lot of itchy bumps.
We couldn't play the internet because there was no signal (we both use the green network).
So we went to sit at the pier where the wind was strong and there were no mosquitoes. The moon was very bright tonight. We could see it without using a light.
It's good... At this time, there is a moon in the sky. We are in the present world without social media... There are only two of us.
We took a camera and took random pictures. We wanted to take some pictures of the stars, we wanted to take pictures of elephants, but we are still amateurs.
I don't know what kind of pictures we got. ๕๕๕๕๕

Last night we slept very little…because we were busy packing and preparing for this trip. We were sleepy…so we went to take a shower. We couldn't help it. Before going to bed, we set the alarm clock for 5 am. We were going to wake up to see the stars and the sunrise. We slept fitfully. When we turned around, our boyfriend had already gone to sleep outside the tent because it was hot. He would rather be bitten by mosquitoes. 555 We looked at the clock, it was 4 am. So we went out to sit at the pier like before…what was different was that the moon was gone and the stars had taken its place…the wind was blowing so hard that we felt cold.

It was like that night...the first time we talked on the last night of the environmental conservation camp.

At the Huai Sadong Bridge, there were stars like this in the sky.

We know you haven't been sleeping well, so we let you sleep on our lap. We talked and sang songs together.

Until the stars in the sky gradually disappeared, replaced by the light of dawn.

It's morning... The light came much faster than we thought. We couldn't see the sun because of the clouds.

But the beautiful light still impressed us.

After capturing the perfect shots and soaking up the atmosphere, it's time to head back and prepare breakfast.

Auntie's cooked-to-order restaurant isn't open yet. Let's have some instant noodles first ^^

Enjoying the view in front of the tent while eating... the light is so beautiful ^^

The sun came up very quickly, shining right into the front of our tent. By the time we packed up the tent, we were practically melting. We had to take another shower. We got ready to leave, walked out to tag our tent number to exchange for our ID cards, and called the van to pick us up in front of the office at 9:30 am...

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6.
At first, we were worried... that there wouldn't be anything to do here. The only activities available here are nature walks and swimming. The internet is also only available in some areas...

But you know what... having nothing to do actually gave us time to soak in the atmosphere around us, with the people we love.
Even though this was a short trip, arriving in the afternoon and leaving early the next morning,
we felt... completely satisfied. We had time to stand and gaze at the sea, sit and watch the stars and the sky.
Even though we didn't get much sleep... we were happy and energized to return to work in the bustling capital.
The cost of this trip was 1,129 baht per person, which may seem a bit expensive because we bought our own food to cook.
This price also includes miscellaneous items such as mosquito repellent, toilet paper, paper plates, and other necessities.
If you eat at restaurants, one thousand baht is more than enough. ^^

Going back to the question I asked myself at the beginning, whether I really like "mountains" or "the sea",
It's strange that sometimes when there are two options, we don't choose either...

'When there are questions, asked over and over again,
I have to keep answering you,
Which do you prefer, the mountains or the sea? "I prefer where you are."

'Whether it's on a mountain or by the distant sea, where do you like it... "I like it where you are" ^^'

You've got your answer!

Thank you for the review soundtrack, Mr. Su Bunleung ^^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SzCpI8cXac