Nakhon Sri Thammarat - Khao Luang National Park

Khao Luang National Park covers an area of 570 sq.kms. and the main attractions are waterfalls. I don’t think I need to show more waterfall pictures, but I will say that Karom Waterfall is impressive. It falls 1,300-1,400 height in 19 levels.

In danger of stating the obvious, I just want to point out that driving in national parks during the tropical rain season entails certain risks, As the above picture shows, I found one of the entrance road blocked - the first landslide I encountered, I had managed to drive over, but the second one was a bigger obstacle.

Criss-crossing Nakhon Sri Thammarat's hilly interior on small gravel roads was great fun, but sometimes one has to make  a U-turn even in a 4WD vehicle.. 

I also enjoyed visiting the Kiriwong village, where the ambience is laid-back and with a whiff of being isolated although only a few dozen kilometers from a main highway. There are basic restaurants along a small river, so one can eat while watching the fish (and some kids) play in the stream below.

While driving over one of the ridges just south of the national park, I passed a wall pictured below. Now, why one would want to promote ozone was beyond me. However, the Thai text is actually claiming that this particular location has the best or cleanest air (not ozone) in all of Thailand.

Nakhon Sri Thammarat - Wat Phra Mahathat Vihan

Nakhon Sri Thammarat is a very old city by Thai standards as it is more than 1,000 years old and contains many buildings and ruins of historical significance. It was originally located along the coast, wich explains why the city is oriented north-south (i.e., long and narrow).

While the chedi is now in Sri Lankan style, it is said to be built on top of an earlier Srivijaya style chedi. The chedi completed a renovation in early 2009 and now appears like new. Adjoining to the north is the Viharn Kien, which contains a small temple museum.

The chedi is the symbol of the Nakhon Si Thammarat province, present in the seal of the province. It is also displayed on the 25 satang coin.

Wat Phra Mahathat Vihan is the most important temple of Nakhon Si Thammarat and indeed in all of southern Thailand. It was constructed at the time of the founding of the town, and contains a tooth relic of Buddha. The 78 m high chedi (Phra Baromathat) is surrounded by 173 smaller ones.

  

A few years back, there was a frenzy to get hands on amulets from Wat Phra Mahathat Vihan as word spread that owning such an amulet would ensure the owner the winning numbers in the state lottery. Needless to say that soon a mass production of „lucky amulets“ started. For the temple and for middle-men, this was a very lucrative trade for a while. 

Satun - Thale Ban National Park

Satun is the southernmost on Thailand's west coast, bordered to the south by Malaysia. Satun is one of four Thai provinces with Muslim-majority population.

The province is a must-explore province for beach-lovers - the islands, e.g., Koh Tarutao and Koh Lipe are stunning. However, this blog is about main-land Satun. which turned out to be a big positive surprise for me..

The same-named provincial capital of Satun is a decidedly sleepy affair, but that it its charm.

For example, at the local branch of the National Museum, I was probably the only visitor that afternoon so both (sic!) staff took it upon themselves to give me a guided tour. However, as tourists rarely come to town, the tour was in Thai as the staff wasn't proficient in English.

Satun is mostly mountainous, with plains flattening out the central and coastal areas. The province is also home to Thale Ban National Park, easily visited on motorcycle from the provincial capital.

Bung Thale Ban is a large swamp that is situated in the middle of a valley and surrounded by Chin and Wang Pra mountains. In the mountains, there are several beautiful waterfalls and caves. Communist insurgents are said to have hidden themselves in some of the caves during the 1970s.

The swamp covers an area of 320 square kilometers and is full of freshwater fish and shells. There is an abundance of Bakong trees around the swamp.

Nearby is the almost never-used Wang Prajan border post for crossing into Malaysia.

Surat Thani - Khao Sok National Park

This park has virgin rainforest dotted by limestone mountain ranges and a big reservoir in the middle. What attracted me to visit is that Khao Sok is said to be inhabited by plenty of rare wildlife such as wild elephants and tigers, but of course, I didn’t encounter any on my two visits.

What I did experience was a jungle trek and a quite amazing tour of a horseshoe shaped cave. You entered following a creek into a cave. As the cave narrows, you carry on in the darkness. As the cave narrows to only a few dozen centimeters, the water depth increases. You empty your pockets to carry the contents above your head and squeeze on nudged by the guide. Suddenly, it widens again and as you exit the cave, you realize that the cave exit is less than 100 meters from the cave entrance.

This cave tour was shut down by authorities a few years back after a flash flood killed a few tourists.
What I also tried was to stay at one of the first resorts that offered tree-top accommodation. I stayed in a wooden “house” built on tree branches stretching out over a creek.
Seemed a good idea at the time. But to sleep in a tree top over water during the rainy season … well, let me just say that it was a very humid experience.

Satun - Mountain Life

Satun is mostly known for its islands, but there are also things to see away from the Andaman Sea.

If you take the time to explore along the mountain range, you'll find numerous waterfalls, a hot spring and more rice fields than I've seen in Krabi, Trang, Phattalung or other southern provinces. Satun also has some of Thailand's largest caves.

And in Satun city, there is a famous mosque as well as very interesting branch of the National Museum.

Krabi - Sea, sun, and white sand.

Koh Lanta was very charming. However, soon after Thai Airways started with direct flights to Krabi, the tourist arrivals went up at an alarming speed. And especially so after somebody decided to put tarmac on Koh Lanta’s main road.


I liked it more 10 years ago when one needed to drive a pick-up to reach the wonderful beaches on the middle and southern portions of the island.


The most beautiful beaches in Krabi are the ones reached from Ao Nang by long-tail boat, but nowadays these beaches can get quite crowded in the high season.


It is amazing to ponder that 20 years ago, mainland Krabi was not a part of anybody’s itinerary. Backpackers complained bitterly if they missed the ferry to Koh Phi Phi and had to spend a night in boring Ao Nang.


For years now, McDonald’s, Irish pubs, and bar beers are among what Ao Nang has to offer. Today, there are probably more tailors in Ao Nang than on Saville Row. These tailors – although born in Burma – speak Swedish to entice Scandinavian sun-seekers to buy suits made in nearby sweatshops.


Long live mass tourism.

One reason I'm annoyed is of course also that there in the good old days weren't entry fees for going to places like the hot spring and the Emerald Pond. Now, these destinations have become national park areas and entry fees are charged. 

Trang - Town

Situated along the Andaman coast, Trang province features a spectacular karst dotted coastline, a string of islands ideal for sun-seekers, and a forested interior.

The islands of Trang have developed into an ideal alternative destination for those who want an island getaway but don't want to share it with 10,000 others.

The region is famous for being home to a large population of dugongs, the Indian Ocean cousin of the manatees. Like manatees, they're docile animals that spend most of their day grazing at beds of sea grass. They're increasingly rare in the wild, with the sea near Koh Libong being one of the best places to see them in the Thailand.

Dugong has been adopted as a symbol of the province, and appears on everything from the official Trang seal, to boxes of local Trang cake.

The eponymous provincial capital is an old seaport, and echoes of a lingering history can be seen in the crumbling wooden houses that dot its avenues. It's a laidback place, where architectural development seems to have stopped in the 1970s, and the town's taxi fleet (Toyota Crowns and Datsuns) also appear to mostly have been procured during that decade.

But the increasing number of tourist have resulted in development and upgrades. So where I used to enjoy sipping the local coffee at a kopi shop, these small charming shops have increasingly been replaced with modern places more palatable to the taste of Western tourists.

Trang - Nature

A drive out of town or away from Pak Meng is highly recommended.

You should go to the Khao Luang and Banthat mountain ranges where you will find plenty of water falls (such as Prai Sa Wan pictured in this blog), caves, trekking trails and relaxation.

There is also a botanical garden and as well as Khlong Lan Chan "non-hunting area", which is very tranquil and perfect for a picnic on the banks of a picturesque lake.

Of personal interest, I know that the Nature Adventure of Southern Thailand some years arranges a 4WD challenge.

It is an off-road "race" for members of off-road racing clubs in Thailand and from foreign countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc., normally with more than 100 cars participating.

Lastly, Trang has a museum proudly showing the history of rubber in Thailand.

Trang was the first Thai province where rubber trees were planted. Governor Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi brought rubber from Malaysia and planted it here before anywhere else in southern Thailand in 1899.

Trang - Pak Meng

Trang's mainland beaches lack the glamor of the island beaches, but can actually be very charming.

The best beach is at Pak Meng. The sand here almost sparkles, and the view is of towering limestone karsts and beautiful sunsets.

The beach is popular with local tourists, especially on weekends, and the beach is lined with seafood restaurants from where the sunset can be enjoyed.

Each December, during the "Fisherman's Festival", there is a one week celebration of fishing including a "Fishing Competition of the Trang Sea" sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

This celebration includes local arrangements, e.g., Pak Meng district authorities arrange a beauty contest, a "cutest kid" contest as well as a night or two with live music.