Located around 500 miles from Bangkok, Nakhon Si Thammarat is the country’s second largest province, covering an area of varying topography from mountains and plateaus to jungle and coastline. The focal point of Buddhism during the Sivichaya period, the province is home to several historically important temples and sacred relics of the Lord Buddha.
The large complex of Wat Phra Mahathat temple holds not only religious, but archaeological significance. Buddha artifacts, believed to have been brought from Sri Lanka more than 1,700 years ago, remain housed in a 252-foot tall pagoda which is the monastery’s centerpiece. Additionally, the complex boasts other important finds; Vihara Luang, Vihara Pho Lanka, Vihara Khot, Vihara Khien, and a museum.
An afternoon of seashell searching along the clean white sand of Laem Ta Lum Phuk is a popular weekend activity. Twenty-five miles from the town proper in Pak Phanang district, a cape stretches out into the Gulf of Thailand with a small fishing settlement on its western side and a strip of pine forest on the east, among which a variety of shells are free for the taking.
By car, the outskirts of the province can be reached along the routes of highways 4 and 41 while regular and air-conditioned buses depart from Bangkok’s Southern Terminal two to three times a day. Overnight trains with sleeper cars leave from the capital’s Hualumpong Station twice daily in the early evening.