Cha-Am blog by onlychaam

       ขอเชิญชมการแข่งขันเจ็ทสกีชิงแชมป์ประเทศไทย สนาม 4 เป็นสนามสุดท้ายรอบตัดสิน ที่ชายหาดชะอำ การแข่งขันนี้ เป็นการรวมตัวของ “ขุนพลนักแข่ง” และ “เรือแข่งเจ็ทสกี” ที่ดีที่สุดระดับโลก รวมมูลค่านับ 100 ล้านบาท โดยเจ็ทสกีแต่ละลำได้พัฒนาเทคโนโลยีพื้นฐาน 255 แรงม้า จนมีขุมพลังมากกว่า 450 แรงม้า โดยมีทั้งสิ้น 16 รุ่น ตั้งแต่ระดับมือใหม่, กึ่งอาชีพ และโดยเฉพาะระดับโปร 4 ประเภทเจ็ทสกีแชมป์ประเทศไทย สำหรับคนที่ชอบความเร็ว ความท้าทายต้องไม่พลาดศึกครั้งนี้จะมีขึ้น วันที่ 3 – 4 กรกฎาคม 2553 ณ บริเวณจุดชมวิวชายหาดชะอำ จังหวัดเพชรบุรี

If you have been near the Amphoer, where the Wednesday night market takes place, you will have noticed that the whole space is taken by shops selling food, clothes, furniture, plants and all you can find on a typical Thai market. It’s part of the “Khong dee meuang Cha-am” festival, with concerts every night during ten days (June 10 to 19), and the usual “ngan” (various stalls) that always comes with this sort of event.

June is also the time for the annual Jazz Festival, which will take place in Hua Hin, from June 18 to 20. There will be two stages on the beach, one in front of the Sofitel and the other in front of the Intercontinental (between soi 79 and 81). Check this website for the lineup, which includes Thai musicians, and Asian and western artists like Noon (Japan), The Brass Monkeys (Philippines) or Lee Ritenour (USA) and Jack Lee Asianergy (USA).

Sunthorn Phu was a very famous Thai poet, even known as the “Siamese Shakespeare”. He was born in 1786, under the reign of King Rama I, and became immensely popular after he wrote Phra Aphai Mani, a long poem relating the adventures of two princes. The anniversary of his birth is celebrated on June 26 at the Sunthorn Phu Memorial Park in Rayong, with shows based on his plays. It would be a nice day to visit Puek Tian beach, a few kilometers north of Cha-am, where huge sculptures of Sunthorn’s fictional characters are immersed in the sea.

Cha-am is changing quickly these days. Poeple who spend half of the year here will probably be surprised when they come again (usually in October or November), and even full time expats could have trouble keeping tracks of hotels and restaurants that keep opening or closing.

Krua Krungthep (Bangkok kitchen) was a nice restaurant on Narathip road. There was a live band and a big TV screen playing at the same time, and you could eat at tables or on Thai cushions. Now it’s no more, it was razed to the ground and we don’t know what will be built next.

The Raya resort, on the southern part of the beach, has not opened yet but their restaurant already has. The setting is nice and romantic and the food is delicious, but oh my god, the bill is quite steep!

Finally, you may wonder what has become of the Kaenchan hotel, which was just after soi Cha-am North 5. Well, it’s been redesigned and refurbished, and is now known as the Unico Sandara hotel. More information soon on our hotels page.