Chumphon

The name derives from "chumnumphon" which can be vaguely translated as "friendly meeting place". For Thai people Chumphon is renowned as the "gateway to the south".

Many years ago:
Arriving at Chumphon Cabana next to Thung Wua Laen Beach in a late afternoon of the year 1986  with our VW campervan, we were welcomed with garlands placed around our necks. The staff applauded and shouted: "The winners! The winners!"
We were quite a bit surprised about this very special reception, but just enjoyed this new found popularity.
A few minutes later a Toyota Landcruiser with a  rooftop tent entered the premises and Miss U-Pin, the front office manager solved the riddle:
A motorcade from Bangkok arrived this very evening after a rally along the coast of Thailand. They spent the night at this beach resort which was in those days already very popular among the locals, long before a few enterprising farangs detected the beach as a superb holiday destination.
We became friends with the staff and the owners. As a token of their appreciation they offered a special discount for all the tourists who would later arrive carrying our Thailand Travel Guidebook by Stefan Loose Publications.