Day 13, Wednesday 19 October

Lots to Do.......Waking up in Thawan Apartment is as comfortable and convenient as it gets but I cannot afford to relax just yet. There is still a lot to do. Leaving for our last full day exploring in Satun province at 10pm isn't ideal but let's just get on with it and start in the city itself. Satun isn't the biggest provincial city so there are only a handful of attractions on my list.
Satun Museum.......It's so obvious but not always convenient to visit local museums first. Site visits mean much more armed with information beforehand. Satun Museum has national status but functions much as a local museum. There is enough information here to deal with aspects of the history, administration, religion, culture, society and geography of Satun. There are also surprises.
The museum is housed in the Kuden Mansion, an historic building in its own rite. It was built in 1902 by Phraya Phuminatpakdi (also known as Tonkubaha Ruddinbenkumae), who was governor of Satun during the reign of Rama V (1868-1910). It was intended to be a palace for the king to reside in on his visits to the South. The mansion was classified as a historic site in 1988. Kuden Mansion displays aspects of colonial architecture. Entry is 50 baht.
The most surprising thing for me is the presence of an ethnic group locally known as the Sakai but more respectfully called Maniq. Integration of ethnic groups, used to living in isolated locations into mainstream society is a slow and gradual process but I've never come across a group where there's no integration at all. Travelling around Satun as I've been doing takes you deep into the rainforest but you have to imagine the terrain without roads which have only recently been constructed. If elusive wild animals live in these forests, then why shouldn't there be wild people? It's at Satun Museum I begin to learn about these people but it was yesterday that Katoon stopped the car and photographed a group of them sitting on an armco beside the road emerging from the forest to witness the world the rest of us live in. This illustrates the value of visiting museums.
City Tour.......Still in the city Katoon goes searching for street art. Art on the sides of buildings is particularly popular all over the Malay Peninsula. There's been a bit of walking to do as we head past the clock tower and Central Mosque ending up at Wat Chanathip Chaloem.
Wat Chanathip Chaloem was formerly known as Wat Mambang and is believed to be over 200 years old. It was officially established as a temple on 5th December 1882 and was renamed Wat Chanathip Chaloem in 1939. Some original structural features remain in the Phra Ubosot (ordination hall).
More Rain and More Seafood.......It's time to move out of the city and head west to a popular viewpoint on the coast about 20 minutes away. To reach it we need to pass through part of those remote tropical rain forests where you will frequently find a troop of macaques. A few people live near the roads or in cleared parts of the forest but most earn a meagre living in the coastal fishing communities. As we head to Haad Sai Yao, heavy rain starts again and we reach Leam Tanyong Po a viewpoint on a scenic coastal road before reaching Haad Sai Yao. With rain still falling, we take a more extravagant lunch consisting of sour prawn curry, crab fried rice and deep-fried Asian sea bass. It's a pleasant location on Satun's west coast where the rain begins to ease. We make a brief stop at Sai Yao Pier but there's nothing remarkable here so we begin our journey back but with a detour.
Ban Che Bilang.......It's just a few kilometres to Ban Che Bilang where there is a pier for larger fishing vessels and a processing facility but while it's another photo opportunity there is not that much to see so we head back to Satun. Here we join highway 406 heading south to Tammalang pier just 15 minutes away.
Tammalang Pier.......At Tammalang Pier just the same as at Pak Bara Pier we make a reunion with the past. It was here in 29 October 2013 that we arrived from Langkawi Island in Malaysia by speedboat. When we arrived then, we were processed though immigration and customs and whisked off to Satun for an overnight stay but we arrive here now in very different circumstances. The customs building is completely deserted apart from a lady on information duty. This is in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle at Pak Bara Port further up the coast. There is just one ticket office here but no tour company offices or food sellers. In fact, it's so quiet that all the gates to the pier are open; I even walk down the passageway that I walked along while queuing at immigration after disembarking. I stay a while taking it all in, watching a few fishermen on the pier and gazing upstream at a larger fleet of fishing boats. Then, what happens next, I didn't expect.
Urban Forest.......Unbeknown to me and others who use this pier, right next to the customs building is an urban forest with a mangrove trail. An official from the parks service clutching a bunch of bananas invites us to follow him into the mangrove along a familiar concrete walkway. I am intrigued as we enter the twists and turns but on calls from our guide, the first customers arrive; cute langurs followed by more. Unlike at Pak Bara, I can get close enough for good photos as the langur troop arrive for their treats. Normally you are not allowed to feed wild animals in Thailand's parks but our guide explains that the intention is to keep these langurs contained in this area instead of encroaching into nearby villages. It also helps with education of groups of schoolchildren who regularly come here.
It's interesting to note the diversity of both flora and fauna in the mangrove with fauna including macaques, kingfishers, hornbills, sea eagles, many species of crab, mudskippers and the not so cute Malayan Python. It's no wonder the langurs are so agile. This park is an attraction I would never have thought of and created with some thought for visitors. It's good to see the floating raft walkway leading to the water's edge. This allows views of the margin at any level of the tide.
Incomplete.......Obviously, this excursion has affected my visit schedule and when my companion wishes to head back into Satun to get some washing done I realise it's all over for the day. A number of attractions lie to the north of Satun so I hope to visit enough of them in the morning to say I've covered this province adequately but it is also a day of transition meaning we are leaving Satun and the province completely. It remains to be seen how much distance we can put in tomorrow as we head north on our return journey.
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