View Dao Jandhra

Our one night break at the View Dao Jandhra, Tha Takiap District, in Chachaengsao province was too short. Next time we will stay for a few nights and completely unwind. Located in a rustic, rural hamlet, the resort is in flower gardens with lots of interesting birds and playful squirrels, and has a choice of individual spacious 'homes' with en-suite toilet, baths and showers, or studio units with shower and toilet. We went for the 'home' and found it comfortable and tastefully decorated with an attractive floral theme. We breakfasted on wholewheat toast, sunny side-up eggs, fruit and freshly brewed coffee. The resort has good 4G internet, cable TV, a salt water pool and the breakfast terrace was adjacent to a small pond with hungry fish waiting to be caught. Next time I'll take my rod too. We took a 25 minute drive to the nearby Khlong Si Yat Reservoir at sunset and had a walk along the top of the dam. We had a wonderful dinner near the dam at ครัวเจ๊เอี้ยง ('cru jay heang') at prices for marine and freshwater seafood dishes that would have cost treble in Bangkok. The local livelihoods include agro-forestry of hardwood trees like teak, rubber tapping, and oil palm, cassava and rice cultivation. In the late evening, after a relaxing drink by the pool, we heard itinerant elephants moving through the nearby rubber plantation and we saw evidence of their tracks and dung on the road the following morning.