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Trat, the far
boundary of Thailand's east coast, has long been
much frontier territory, literally as it borders
Cambodia and figuratively in the somewhat
rough-and-tumble world of its gem mining past
and the busiest place here now is at the
municipal market located at the center of the
town.
The picture is changing slowly today, however,
with the growing popularity of the province's
big attraction, Ko Chang island, Thailand's second
largest island. Lying 8 kilometers off the
coast, Ko Chang island is the main isle in the
52-island archipelago that forms Mu Ko Chang
Marine National Park.
The main reason
tourists come here is to use Trat as a
transportation connection to Ko Chang or to
Cambodia. Mainly because of its
isolation, only now are the island's idyllic
beaches being discovered by international
travelers. Some of the beautiful beaches here
are Hat Sai Si Ngoen beach, Hat Sai Kaew beach, Hat Thap
Thim beach and Hat Ban Cheun beach. There is a choice of
cheap accommodation,
although infrastructure development is slow
compared to other Thai resorts, and it is
possible to enjoy the thrilling sense of
discovering a new tropical paradise.
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