Wat Phu Kao Thong

(Golden Mountain Temple)

Numpud Village, Muang District

Trang Province

24 April BE 2569

Sawasdee Krap,

I was surprised when my guide referred to this region in South Thailand as “Suvarnabhumi.”    (“Suvarnabhumi” is the name of the modern airport in Bangkok.)  Apparently, the designation of this area of Southeast Asia as the “Golden Land” goes back more than 2000 years when Buddhism began to arrive.  Even further back into Thai mythology. *

Perhaps the land is “golden.”  Yet certainly the scenery is Green!  Forested hillsides. Cramped jungles. Ubiquitous agriculture.  Green.  “Golden.”

This weekday morning, my guide and I are here alone at Wat Phu Kao Thong, a highly admired and popular temple complex.  Wat Phu Kao Thong sits among magnificent trees that in their height and elegance pay homage to the limestone cliffs. 

At first, we meet the golden statue of Somdej PhraBuddhacarya (To Phrahmaramsi), commonly referred to as Somdej Toh, one of Thailand's most revered Buddhist monks.  He is watching over the creatures of Buddhist Virtues.  Much later, when we leave the complex, we encounter an ornate temple glistening in the midday sunlight.

The focus of our Pilgrimage lies at the center of the complex: the Wat, the sanctuary of Reflection. With an assemblage of images of Devotees both tiny and grand, the enormous and golden Reclining Buddha welcomes all those with a Good Heart who come in Peace.

Carved directly in a rock face cliff above the Buddha stands a white marble statue of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Folks here a special affection for this image of the Buddha.  Buddha wears the Manora.  The concept of a Buddha statue wearing a Manora (or Nora) crown refers to distinct cultural images primarily found in Southern Thailand. **

Suvarnabhmi. “The Golden Land.”

A Golden Day at Wat Phu Kao Thong.

Peace.  Compassion

ความสงบ

Jan

* Buddhism spread to Southeast Asia between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century CE via maritime trade routes linking India to the region. Missionaries and merchants brought the teachings to Suvarnabhumi (the "Golden Land"), an ancient, semi-mythical region often associated with modern-day Thailand, Myanmar, and surrounding areas.

The Legend of Suvarnabhumi

• The "Golden Land": Ancient Indian and Sri Lankan texts, such as the Mahavamsa, refer to Suvarnabhumi as a prosperous trading region in the East. It was highly valued for its gold and spice trade.
• The Ashokan Mission: According to Buddhist chronicles, the Indian Emperor Ashoka dispatched two monks, Sona and Uttara, to Suvarnabhumi around 250 BCE to propagate the Dhamma.
• Historical Debate: The exact geographical location of Suvarnabhumi is debated by historians. While Thai scholars often point to Nakhon Pathom (the center of the ancient Dvaravati Kingdom, Myanmar scholars identify the Mon city of Thaton as the historical heartland.

**The Manora Headdress (Serd).  The traditional headpiece worn by a Manora dancer is called a Serd (เทริด). It is a tall, pointed, ornate golden crown topped with a flame-like motif.

The most famous example of this unique iconography is the Manora Reclining Buddha housed in a cave shed at Wat Phu Khao Thong (วัดภูเขาททอง) in Trang Province, Thailand.  It is notably the only Buddha image in this Nirvana (reclining) posture in Thailand that features a Manora headdress. 

Kantang

Kantang Province

Kingdom of Thailand

23 April 2026

Hello,

The drive from Hat Yau Beach to Trang City is uneventful.  We pass through farming communities and small-towns.  The main street is lined with shops selling automotive and agricultural equipment.  “Not much to write home about.”

As Chan is our driver now, he is determined. He first takes Gary and me to the Kantang Hot Spring Forest Park. The spring is inviting.  The forest park provides a canopy walk.  The trees are clumped together in a green mass that sways with the breeze.  Birds welcome us.  After that lovely walk we make a stop at the Kantang Railway Station (1917).  It’s still a working station.  And a tourist stop.

I take the obligatory shots in both places.  Even a video of bird song in the park.  As is my wont, I shoot a tour group at the railway station and, naturally, pose with them as well.

Compared to the images of my sail on the Adaman Sea, the photos at the Hot Spring and the Station are underwhelming.  Tentatively I decided not to post the photos.

Then it hit me!  Counting! Counting Provinces in Thailand.

I have done my share of counting.  Counting countries!  For example, The Century Travel Club counts countries visited when you have only changed planes in an airport. They also count remote areas and territories. Alaska and Puerto Rico and mainland USA count as three countries! My count is well over a hundred, the obvious requirement for membership.  But that’s not for me. 

The Most Traveled People club counts not only countries but also provinces within certain countries.  But how can I determine the provinces during my many visits to France?  I did try.  But only with some research. Finally, I became so frustrated as I tried to determine the provinces I had visited in China, I deleted the app.

My bottom line:  I count only UN recognized sovereign countries.

By the way, my friend Larry proudly announced that he has visited all fifty states of the United States!  He beats me by five!

Thailand has seventy-seven Provinces.  How many have I seen?  I started counting.  I’m up to forty-nine.  So…Kantang Province, the home of the Hot Spring and the Railway Station makes Fifty!

Now that’s a milestone! A worthy reason for me to post the photos!

What are you counting?  

Books read so far this year?

Lifetime number of species of birds seen in the wild?  

Number of Coen Brothers videos you have watched and watched again?

 Number of grandchildren?

Number of visits, telephone calls made, and letters sent to relatives and friends?

My friends, here’s our secret: Let’s keep on counting!

Cheers,

Jan

PS With a bit of (delayed!) research, it took all of two clicks of my mouse, I am embarrassed to report that Kantang is not a province of Thailand.  Kantang is a District of Trang Province.  So I'll keep on traveling and keep on counting provinces:  South again to Nakhon Si Yammarat Province or furthest south to Songkhla Province on the Malaysian border?

Travel buddies welcome!

Jomtien Beach

Chonburi Province

Thailand

October 2, 2023

Hello,

My friends Gary and Pat own a home in Ban Chang, a small city in Rayong Province.

Since I have rented an apartment in Jomtien Beach, in nearby Chonburi Province, I visit them frequently.  They are marvelous hosts.

Occasionally we have an adventure to a local site.  It's either colorful or "delicious."

Bangkok

Thailand

Monday

August 5, 2019

Hello,

Last month, my friend Gary and his partner Pat invited me to spend the weekend with them at their second home in Ban Chang, a small town in Rayong Province, a two hour’s drive south of Bangkok.

I met Gary ten years ago in my condominium building.  He is a retired American expat from Seattle.  Pat, a Thai citizen, is an executive at a Thai corporation.

Gary and I meet frequently for lunch in Bangkok.  We discuss our personal concerns as well as the issues of the day, both here and abroad.  The rules for the Thai Retirement Visa seen to change by the hour.  We share our pleasant memories and our dismay at current events “back home.”

Gary and Pat are “bikers” … the unmotorized kind.  Gary just got back from a ten-day ride in Laos and Thailand.  We agree that in Southeast Asia, as well as many other places in the world, especially in the rural areas, and despite the language barrier, most folks are curious, hospitable and kind.

The highlight of our weekend together is the visit to the Golden Mangrove Field.  We stroll along the “boardwalk” through the mangrove forest adjacent to the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand.  Lots of photo opportunities for the dense, exotic scenery and the smiling Thai visitors.