Khao Takiab, Chopstick Hill

At the southern end of the bay, Khao Takiab — Chopstick Hill — closes the beach with a rocky headland. At the foot of the hill a standing Buddha about twenty metres tall faces the water, and a temple sits on the hill above, reached by steps. From the hill the view looks back north along the whole curve of the beach towards town; in the late afternoon the sun is low in the west and lights the sand from the side, which makes this the one good evening frame of the bay.

This is temple ground: shoulders and knees covered, the Buddha photographed on its own rather than as a backdrop to a pose, nobody climbing anything to get higher than the image, and the kiss kept for the beach below. For a proposal, the beach beneath the hill works at sunrise or in the late afternoon, off temple ground and with the ring well away from the monkeys.

The hill has a troop of monkeys, and they are wild animals that go for bags. Keep food out of sight, close every zip, carry nothing loose in your hands, and keep the ring in a pocket — never in a box you take out on the hill. Watch them from a distance, and do not feed them.