I recently decided that with only only a couple of weeks left of the school holidays I would take the opportunity to head out on a short bike trip and visit some of the southern provinces. I had previously visited Nakhon last year but I was working on the trip and didn't have the advantage of a motorcycle to fully explore the town. The first time I visited I was using the excellent songthaew service as my primary mode of transport and despite it's convenience it does limit you slightly in terms of what you can explore.
(Clock Tower 1)
The town of Nakhon Si Thammarat is located on the east coast of Thailand but the town is not situated by the sea. The first thing that stuck me about the town was it's sheer size. The main road heading towards the train station up through the old town literally goes on for miles and suffers heavily from traffic congestion. After a very long drive up through Nakhon Province I arrived in town at around 2pm and immediately set about looking for my hotel. I had originally planned to stay at the Siam hotel but for the life of me I could not find it. I was determined to find it because they had air conditioned rooms available for only 300 baht but after nearly an hour of searching I decided to stay somewhere else. I ended up staying at the Nakhon Hotel which is only a stones throw away from the train station. The fan room was basic but generally clean and although the bed was extremely hard it was fine for one nights stay. The room cost 200 baht and they even let you park your bike in reception which was good for me.
(Nakhon Hotel)
After a shower and a quick nap I decided to explore the town a little and find some dinner. The last time I stayed here I only visited one part of town so I was shocked to discover how big Nakhon really is. I spent nearly an hour just driving around town and exploring before getting dinner. The town is very well developed and has every possible amenity under the sun. The town has large shopping centres, tons of markets and is full of places places to eat and drink. The town even has a stand alone McDonalds complete with drive through and delivery service. The town also sprawls out far and it was clear to see that the people living in the centre are very wealthy and affluent. There are some of the most beautiful houses you are ever going to see on the small Soi's linking the two main roads. I ate a standard dinner at a small restaurant and then headed to one of the cities numerous markets to get some snacks. Once snacks had been attained I headed back to my hotel room and called it a night because I wanted to be up early to check out the historic part of town.
(Clock Tower 2)
The next day I woke up early and headed out to explore more of the town. My first task was to get some breakfast and then take it to Thalad park which I had found on my previous trip to Nakhon. The park is located about 2km north of the city on a small road on the left just before the entrance to the army complex. The park is extremely quiet and peaceful and does actually have roads running through it, which you can take your bike on if you don't fancy a stroll. The park is home to various lakes and picnic spots as well as a fairly well maintained Japanese garden. I would recommend that anyone who is looking for a quiet spot to relax in Nakhon should check out Thalad Park after all it is free.
(Thalad Park)
The rest of the morning was spent discovering the old town. The old town is home to a number of tourist attractions such as relics and temples. I would say that the best way to see the old town is on foot by simply walking from the area around the train station south on the main road. There are various venders selling cold drinks and fruit along the road but the area isn't overly touristy so you will be free to make your own way without being hassled or caressed by touts or people trying to sell you things. One of the first attractions which will take your eye is the old city wall which was used to protect the town in case of attacks in times gone by. The place is full of statues and memorials to historic people connected to the town and of course Thai Kings, Princes and Princesses. I spent about an hour pottering around the old town and thoroughly enjoyed taking in the sights and taking advantage of the beautiful scenic photo opportunities.
(Nakhon Si Thammarat Old Town)
One of the main attractions of Nakhon is its beautiful temples and the town is easily one of
the best places for 'temple hopping' in the south of Thailand. The most visually striking temple is located right in the centre of the old town and is considered one of Nakhon's primary attractions. Wat Phra Mahathat Woromaha Vihan (วัดพระมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร) was constructed at the time of the towns founding and features an extremely large and striking chedi. I have been to the temple once before with my girlfriend who seemed very excited about visiting it and I would say this is the primary attraction for Thai's visiting the town. The temple has huge religious importance and is considered the most important temple in the south of Thailand. The temple grounds are also home to a large number of buddha statues and a small museum and is certainly one of the more impressive temples I have visited during my time in Thailand.
(Wat Phra Mahathat Woromaha Vihan)
I really enjoyed my time in Nakhon Si Thammarat and would definitely recommend the town to potential visitors. The town has more then enough attractions for someone visiting for a few nights and I actually wished I had a little longer to stay here and explore more. The temples are absolutely beautiful and the relics found in the old town are more then worthy of a visit. I think that where Nakhon truly excels is in combining these old traditional parts of town with the new modern areas which feature every convenience you could possibly hope for. The town is awash with hotels and it is clear that the tourist industry is very well developed but I can honestly say that I barely encounted another western tourist during my entire stay there so I am guessing that most visitors are Thai. The prices in town are typical of a provincial capital so a trip here won't break the bank and the town is an ideal stop off point from either north to Surat Thani or south to Songkhla or Hat Yai.
I think this would be one of the most ideal towns for an expat to live in Thailand. The town is extremely well developed and western amenities are well catered for but the costs are low and you could easily get by on a small budget if you lived here. Although I didn't encounter many westerners during my time here the fact that there are so many schools and the town is so developed leads me to believe that there is probably a sizeable expat community living within the town too. I would definitely consider living here if I were to move to another province although it's sheer size is a negative factor for me because I would prefer to live in a smaller town with slightly more character for example Satun.
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