Tourist sites packed over the weekend

Heavy traffic was observed to and from Bang Saen beach in Chon Buri yesterday due to the influx of tourists who wanted to spend the long weekend there after seeing pictures of the clear weather in the area.

Similar traffic conditions were observed on Sukhumvit Road as well as local roads heading to the beach, which required management by traffic police.

The beach and its nearby areas were crowded with tourists. Shopkeepers at the beach said that the influx of visitors — many of whom had arrived at the beginning of the long weekend on Saturday — has helped their businesses.

Besides Bang Saen’s close proximity to Bangkok, the water there is clear and the beach clean and beautiful, said the shopkeepers.

Saowapa Sawatpeera, director of the Institute of Marine Science at the Burapha University’s Bang Saen campus, told the Daily News newspaper that in the early months of the year, the wind and the tide would bring trash and mud ashore.

The wind and the tide moving from the shore to the sea also resulted in clear water and ensured an absence of jellyfish.

Meanwhile, in Nakhon Phanom, thousands of people went to Phra That Phanom temple early yesterday morning to participate in a naga worship ceremony in accordance to local customs and belief.

Visitors performed a ceremony for the seven nagas who are believed to be the guardians of the temple and the city, wherein a relic of the Buddha is stored.

The ceremony takes place at 2am on the 5th day of 11th month of the lunar calendar, which fell yesterday.

Thanadul Phunikom, 32, a representative from Kalasin College of Dramatic Arts said this is the fifth year they had come to perform in the ceremony.

Not only had they enjoyed the event, but they also believe that doing so would help ensure their prosperity.

Over the holidays, visitors flocked to a number of tourist sites, such as the Saphan Mon bridge in Kanchanaburi, Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park in Phitsanulok, and the marketplace at Mae Sot in Tak province.

As a result, many places of accommodation were fully booked over the long weekend.