A Day Trip to Sichang Island

Even though I had been out all day on Saturday on my trip to Ratchaburi Province, I had signed up for another day trip on Sunday. It was a busy weekend, but lots of fun! Bright and early on Sunday morning, I met up with a brand new travel group led by a Chinese expat named Ally. It was her first time to lead a tour, and she did a great job! There were nine of us in total, and with such a small group, we all became good friends. I even got to see someone I knew: Scottish Michael, whom I met on a walking tour a few weeks back. 

on the old ferry to Koh Sichang

We met up at Asoke BTS Station, boarded our hired van, and drove two hours to the town of Siracha for a group trip to one of my new favorite islands: Koh Sichang! 

From Siracha, it's just 50 baht ($1.50) and 45 minutes to take the ferry to the island. I enjoyed the cool sea breeze blowing into the ferry as the old wooden boat chugged and sputtered across the gulf. On the ride, I chatted with two other American guys, Paul and Bill, about where to find the best Pizza in Bangkok. Paul is from Chicago, so he has high standards about what makes a good pizza.

Koh Sichang - the closest island to Bangkok

It was hot and sunny, with hardly a cloud in sight! That meant that we were going to have good views and beautiful skies on our trip, but it also meant that it was going to be a hot day! The forecast says it should get cool soon... but it's been extremely hot lately.

colorful fishing boats

We hired a songtaew for the day to take us around the island. Songtaew literally means "two rows of seats". It's a type of transportation that is usually found around Thailand on islands, in rural provinces that don't have regular buses, and in more remote Bangkok neighborhoods. It's almost like a big tuk-tuk built into a pickup truck instead of a motorbike.

our hired songtaew

First, we drove halfway up the mountain on the northern end of the island to where a sprawling Chinese temple complex clings to the steep hillside. This is the San Chao Pho Khao Yai, or the Shrine of the Father Spirit of the Mountain.

San Chao Pho Khao Yai - the Shrine of the Father Spirit of the Great Mountain

The temple dates back centuries, when trading junks from the south of China would dock at Koh Sichang as the mercantile gateway into Siam. The temple was built for the sailors and merchants to pray for fortune and safety on their travels.

ornate dragon decorations at the temple 

The legend goes that some Chinese sailors saw a magical light shining out of one of the caves on the side of the mountain on Chinese New Year long ago. Today, this temple is still one of the busiest and most popular spots in Thailand to celebrate the Spring Festival, and draws visitors from across Thailand and even from as far away as China itself!

dragon's claw 

The stairs were steep, and by the time we reached the top of the hill, I think everyone was drenched in sweat. It was then that we noticed the little cable car steadily climbing to the temple from the parking lot...

maybe we should have taken the funicular 

The temple is really more a collection of a dozen or so small shrines, each set into a small cave or nook in the side of the mountain. The main shrine is the cave shrine of the Father Spirit. This is the cave where the Chinese sailors were led by the magic light. They found a rock formation that looked something like a human, which over the centuries has become the central piece of the temple and the holiest place on the island.

fthe cave shrine

The walls of the cave temple are covered in strips of red paper. People will write their wishes and prayers on these Chinese prayer tags, and stick them to the raw stone of the cliff side using red wax. Nearly every wall of the deepest parts of the shrine are covered in these long strips of paper.

One particularly popular shrine features Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King. This lucky deity was immortalized by the Chinese classic "Journey to the West". Sun Wu Kong is a monkey who attained magical powers by studying Taoism, and eventually accompanied a Taoist priest from China to India in order to collect the teaching of the Buddha to bring back to China. This shrine is especially popular during the Spring Festival.

another cave shrine at the temple 

The temple offers some of the best views back across the island. Koh Sichang is fairly small, and from the hilltop, you can see all the way to the hills on the southern tip of the island.

a view of Koh Sichang from atop the mountain 

Next, the songtaew driver took us even further up the mountain to a small white shrine containing a Buddha Footprint.

Acharee, the only Thai adventurer in the group, jokingly asked if we had ever seen Jesus' footprint.

"No", I said. "But I don't think that his feet were quite that bit."

Buddha's footprint 

Of course, a Buddha's Footprint isn't supposed to be a literal footprint, but instead a representation of the (metaphorical) path that the Buddha walked. Buddha footprints are meant to be a reminder to his followers that the Buddha left a spiritual path to be followed. Basically, it's a reminder to figuratively walk in the Buddha's footsteps.

These holy relics are large stylized footprints, often depicting Buddhist iconography such as the Dharma Wheel. This one was covered in small squares of thin gold leaf, left as offerings by visitors.

we appreciated the cool breeze on such a hot day! 

We were grateful for the cool breeze up at the top of the mountain. We took turns ringing the huge bronze bell, which sounded a deep clang across the hilltops.

mountaintop shrine 

A little further on, a small path led to a small stone chedi wrapped in golden cloth. It's a holy site of some sort, though I'm not sure of the significance. We walked to the chedi and admired the views of the island from the peaceful mountaintop.

looking down across the island

Next, we drove back down the mountain to a viewpoint on the far side of the island facing away from the mainland and out to the sea. This side of the island was completely undeveloped; the village, hotels, and shops are all located near the pier.

enjoying the cool sea breeze

I had never seen Koh Sichang this way before! It's actually a much more beautiful island than I had realized. The sea here comes right up to the short cliff side, and there's a small trail that loops around the viewpoint. This area feels almost like a deserted island, with lovely sea breezes, tropical flowers, and very few people.

a quieter side of the island 

We hiked down to the cliffs and spent a half hour or so walking on the trail down to the rocky beach. The water was a deep clear blue, and the rugged and undeveloped beachfront almost make me feel like I had been marooned. It was a really nice and relaxing place, and Bangkok felt very, very far away.

seaside cliffs 

We had lunch at the beach. It was a long weekend, a new holiday of remembrance of the death of King Rama IX. I had never seen Koh Sichang crowded before, but the beach was packed with Thai families on weekend trips or day trips from Bangkok. We weren't able to get a seat under one of the beachfront umbrellas, so we went to an indoor restaurant instead. In the end, we were glad we did, because the moment we sat down the skies opened up, releasing a tropical downpour over the island. We enjoyed our seafood lunch in smug satisfaction as the beach-goers scrambled for cover!

low tide at the old palace 

Finally, we went to the ruins of the old Summer Palace, the landmark which first put Koh Sichang on the map. The island was a favorite with King Rama V, who would spend holidays at his beachfront villa.

fishing boats in the bay 

There's not much left of the old palace, though. When the French invaded Indochina in the 19th century, they also tried to take Siam. They got as far as the east coast before being repelled by the Siamese army. Thailand, which literally means "Land of the Free", is incredibly proud of being the only Southeast Asian country never to have been conquered or colonized by a foreign power.

Though Siam defeated the French invaders, Koh Sichang was seen as too close to the border to be safe. The Summer Palace was moved piece by piece to Bangkok, where it now stands in the Dusit neighborhood as the Vimanmek Teak Mansion.

taking a break from the heat of the day on the royal bridge 

A few buildings of the old 19th century palace still remain, including a guesthouse for foreign visitors (now a coffee shop) and a few other odd buildings (now the palace museum). There are also some eerie abandoned staircases and pathways leading past empty fountains and overgrown gardens.

exploring the ruins of the old palace 

It's a really cool place to visit. As you walk through the old palace, you get to pass lots of historic buildings, shrines, and monuments to the king.

The palace is located right by the sea, and although swimsuits are forbidden in the royal area, people were able to splash around in the beautiful beach. Others sat on benches looking out at the waves and sipping iced coffee. It's a pleasant and relaxing getaway, and I can see why the king was so fond of it as a royal retreat.

we had to watch out for millipedes!

In late afternoon we again boarded the ferry to cruise back to Siracha. There, our van driver was waiting to pick us up at the pier and take us back to the city. It was a smooth ride back to Bangkok. What a weekend! I don't think I've done so much in a long, long time. In fact, I don't think I've ever taken two day trips in one weekend before! I was exhausted on Sunday evening, but really happy to have had such a fun time.

leaving the island

I'm also glad to have met such a great group of people!

a wonderful group of fun and friendly people