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Day 6 - Saturday 21 March 2015
Orientation……..Breakfast today consists of something I brought back last night and the free coffee. Despite hoping for an earlier start it’s still 10.30pm before I get going due to waking late. It was quite a busy day yesterday and today probably won’t be any easier as I continue to visit city sites I couldn’t manage yesterday. At least I have one thing in my favour. I’ve managed to get some measure of orientation around the city and it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate the other sites on my list. Late yesterday just when I’d almost finished for the day my camera gave up. I’m careful to keep spare batteries but I’d run out of memory space. I decide to sort this out back at Pan Garden. The one site I missed is now first on my list today.
Ho Phra Isuan (Shiva House)……..Ho Phra Isuan is located on Ratchadamnoen Road, just south of the city wall. It is an historical site of the Brahman religion. On display inside the house is the Shiva Linga, symbol of the God Shiva. Copies of important graven images are also displayed. The originals are in the national museum south of the city. At the time of my visit the house is being renovated and the grounds subject to archeological investigation. The Giant Swing which is part of local tradition is also within the grounds.
Orientation……..Breakfast today consists of something I brought back last night and the free coffee. Despite hoping for an earlier start it’s still 10.30pm before I get going due to waking late. It was quite a busy day yesterday and today probably won’t be any easier as I continue to visit city sites I couldn’t manage yesterday. At least I have one thing in my favour. I’ve managed to get some measure of orientation around the city and it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate the other sites on my list. Late yesterday just when I’d almost finished for the day my camera gave up. I’m careful to keep spare batteries but I’d run out of memory space. I decide to sort this out back at Pan Garden. The one site I missed is now first on my list today.
Ho Phra Isuan (Shiva House)……..Ho Phra Isuan is located on Ratchadamnoen Road, just south of the city wall. It is an historical site of the Brahman religion. On display inside the house is the Shiva Linga, symbol of the God Shiva. Copies of important graven images are also displayed. The originals are in the national museum south of the city. At the time of my visit the house is being renovated and the grounds subject to archeological investigation. The Giant Swing which is part of local tradition is also within the grounds.
Ho Phra Narai (Narayana House)……..photo. Ho Phra Narai is also on Ratchadamnoen Road, directly opposite Ho Phra Isuan. It is another Brahman temple. A Narai’s graven image was found in this temple carved in gray sandstone. The image, over 1,000 years old, is also in the national museum. The Ho Phra Narai sits shaded by a huge tree. Narai is an incarnation of Vishnu, popular to this day among Thais. This site is also subject to renovation.
Nakhon Si Thammarat City Museum……..After yesterday’s city tour there are now few remaining sites in the city that I intend to visit. I now head north of the city looking for the city museum. It’s located in Sri Nakharindra Park which I soon find on my left. The museum is located just a few hundred metres inside the park. At this museum I’m not quite sure what to expect. Presumably as the name suggests, it concentrates on the city’s past. When I arrive there is first an administration hall staffed by helpful personnel but there is no charge. Thereafter there are two buildings, each with two floors. On entry what you notice immediately is the lack of exhibits. In fact the whole museum is based primarily on photographic data with captions, video data, mock-ups and other visual aids and models. The exceptions from memory are the relics from WW2 and a collection of Chatukham Rammathep talismans. At the time of writing, I’m awaiting a precise definition of the latter. I didn’t clock the time I spent at this museum but it must have been a couple of hours at least so just what was it that was so interesting? Of course the narrative overlaps somewhat with what one finds at the national museum but the focus remains on the city itself, how it came to be established, it’s early religions, how it developed as a sea port, the effects of trade and the influence brought in from other nations, how it developed as a separate kingdom and ultimately how it influenced other kingdoms. The museum relates how conflict between kingdoms helped shape the city it is today. There is much cause for thought here and if you were to read this before you visited Nakhon Si Thammart then I would recommend you start here and not do as I did, leaving it to the end. It’s time for lunch but there are no restaurants in the park. The liberal appearance of mobile kitchens will have to do. If you are in the park and have time you should also visit Talad Zoo nearby and maybe some of the lesser sites but today the park has but one attraction for local people and that is the nature of the park itself as a recreation area.
Nakhon Si Thammarat City Museum……..After yesterday’s city tour there are now few remaining sites in the city that I intend to visit. I now head north of the city looking for the city museum. It’s located in Sri Nakharindra Park which I soon find on my left. The museum is located just a few hundred metres inside the park. At this museum I’m not quite sure what to expect. Presumably as the name suggests, it concentrates on the city’s past. When I arrive there is first an administration hall staffed by helpful personnel but there is no charge. Thereafter there are two buildings, each with two floors. On entry what you notice immediately is the lack of exhibits. In fact the whole museum is based primarily on photographic data with captions, video data, mock-ups and other visual aids and models. The exceptions from memory are the relics from WW2 and a collection of Chatukham Rammathep talismans. At the time of writing, I’m awaiting a precise definition of the latter. I didn’t clock the time I spent at this museum but it must have been a couple of hours at least so just what was it that was so interesting? Of course the narrative overlaps somewhat with what one finds at the national museum but the focus remains on the city itself, how it came to be established, it’s early religions, how it developed as a sea port, the effects of trade and the influence brought in from other nations, how it developed as a separate kingdom and ultimately how it influenced other kingdoms. The museum relates how conflict between kingdoms helped shape the city it is today. There is much cause for thought here and if you were to read this before you visited Nakhon Si Thammart then I would recommend you start here and not do as I did, leaving it to the end. It’s time for lunch but there are no restaurants in the park. The liberal appearance of mobile kitchens will have to do. If you are in the park and have time you should also visit Talad Zoo nearby and maybe some of the lesser sites but today the park has but one attraction for local people and that is the nature of the park itself as a recreation area.
On the right track……..From the park I need to double back as there is one duty I must perform and that is my ritual visit to the train station. Nakhon Si Thammarat is a terminal station and just as I arrive the 3pm service to Bangkok is waiting to depart. The arrival time in Bangkok is 6.30am in the morning. This gives you some idea of how far I am now from the capital but I would hope to reach it in lesser time than that. A local train bound for Phattalung is also waiting to depart so I’m happy with that. I’m now in a position to head out of the city for good yet as I make my way south down Ratchadamnoen Road, another Brahmin temple is signposted. Wat Phra Nakhon is located behind Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan and I take this in as well.
Pak Phanang……..On the south edge of the city I pick up signs for Pak Phanang. This district allows me to continue where I left off and follow the coastline south. The first natural feature I come across is the estuary and a pier where fishing boats land their catches in the mornings. This late in the day it’s almost deserted. However is does remind me that fishing is crucial in this area which is unsuitable for growing rice. I should clarify this by explaining that Pak Phanang lies on land that didn’t exist at the time Nakhon Si Thammarat was founded. Fertile land relies on sediments washed down by rivers but here the coastline has silted up. The city of Nakhon Si was originally on the coast whereas today it’s at least 10 kms inland. Much of the area around Pak Phanang was underwater 2,000 years age and there was no spectacular sandbar that today protects the estuary.
Cape Talumphuk……..Having left Nakhon Si as late as 3.30pm there’s not too much more I can do except look for accommodation. This again proves tricky as I head over the impressive road bridge that spans the estuary. There seems to be nothing around Pak Phanang itself but I’m not far now from the coast and start looking in earnest. The area is sparsely populated and finding a room is difficult. When I do find a resort, it’s overpriced for me. Time is now ticking on and not wishing to be too far from the town, I head back along the coast and along the sandbar, knowing well that the land will run out. Everywhere there is mangrove and wetland penned in with dykes. When I reach Cape Talumphuk, I find one of those communities untouched for centuries except for a few concrete structures and the motorbikes and a few cars of course. Everything here depends on the sea. When I head for the beach area seafood restaurants appear, their tables and plastic chairs lined up on the beach. To demonstrate how quickly the silt is being deposited here, even these latest structures are becoming detached from the shoreline. Heavy machinery has deposited a barrier of huge rock at the limit of the tide. It won’t be long before the land inside the barrier is put to some use. There are already signs of a roadway. While all this is interesting to me, I’m no further ahead in finding accommodation but I do get another lead. I must head back down the coast finding a road junction I’ve already past.
Relief……..The great orange fireball is beginning to disappear behind clouds on the horizon. In fifteen minutes it will be dark. I locate the junction and head inland for the two kilometres as instructed and there, thankfully, is a resort. When I check the rooms it’s at the high end of the luxury I’m used to, but cheaper than the resorts on the beach. I will be happy to stay here despite the brash pink interior. What is unsurprising is the lack of a restaurant so without unpacking. I’m off the find dinner wherever I can find it. Five minutes away I find a local restaurant. It’s really the first chance I’ve had all day to get a sit down meal and what’s provided is more than enough and cheap. Other than paying for the room, I’ve spent little all day and come out well under budget for a change. Returning to the resort is tricky now in the darkness but traffic is sparse on these rural roads and the bright signage of the resort comes into view. I can now relax and reflect on another busy day but oh dear! When I need to refine and upload my blog, I can’t get an internet connection. I had in mind to use this resort for a second night so I can explore the remainder of southern Nakhon Si Thammarat Province but now that’s in doubt. Next Page.