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!

 

Hat Chao Mai National Park

Sikao and Kantang Districts

Trang Province

Thailand

April 23, 2026

Hello,

Last month my Facebook Feed highlighted an ad for a cruise on the Andaman Sea.  I answered the ad, and booked a three-day two-night sail on the Mohana yacht. Gary, my good friend here, decided to join me. (For many years Gary actually lived on a boat in Seattle!)

Chan, the Cruise Manager picks us up at the Trang Airport in southern Thailand.  We drive to Hat Yao Beach where we spend the night.  In the morning, with a crew of three. we set sail for Kradan Island.  The next day we visit Muk Island. (Chan, Captain Boonchok and Sailor Ta.)

Sights and Surprises:

Hat Yau Beach is surrounded by limestone karst hills.  In the evening, facing west towards the sea, the hills darken and the clouds turn red-pink.  At dinner, I decide that before we set sail in the morning, I will take a sunrise stroll.  Will I be able to see the sun strike the hills from the east? I do! And more! **

The sea is calm and the winds gentle. When the winds freshen, Captain Boonchok turns off the motor.  Chan and Ta hoist the sheets. We sail!

Moored off Kradan Island. Gary paddles about in a rubber dinghy.  Wrapped with life jacket, Jan jumps in and “swims” around the boat. Then Chan paddles me to shore.  I shoot the sights along the beach.

The next day we visit Muk Island.

The sail is invigorating. The scenery inspiring.  The fresh food delicious.

The sail is invigorating! The scenery inspiring!  The fresh food delicious!

You in the neighborhood?  We’ll book another!

Cheers,

Jan

 

** Set back from the road, a Thai woman is busy with her morning chores. I take a shot.  I decide to show her the image.  She invites me to her home and offers tea.  Gai introduces me to Manfred, her partner in this sunlit morning paradise.

On the wall of their home, Manfred has hung a map of his original home:  The German Island of Juist in the North Sea. We commence an enthusiastic conversation in Thai-German-English!

Chan knows Manfred. (Here everyone knows everyone.)  When sailing out of the marina, Chan points out Manfed’s sailboat.  Manfred sailed here from the North Sea!  That raises two questions: How long did it take him to sail to southern Thailand?  What was his route?  Down the Danube to the Black Sea and Suez?  Or down the coast of western Europe through Gibraltar.

I make a mental note: When next in Europe and in honor of my encounter with Gia and Manfred, I’ll take the ferry to what appears to be yet another serene paradise: Juist!  No cars! Sand dunes and the Sea.   

I tire towards the end of my walk. A young man on a motorbike offers to take me back to my hotel room.  Out on the sail, Chan mentions that he knew that I had taken that ride.   Down here, folks are so kind.  And everyone knows everyone!

 

I have had many positive comments regarding this trip.  Thank you all.

My friend Jeremy wrote one of my favorites:

Great letter and pics 

As I have time on my hands, I composed a little haiku (5:7:5) in homage of your trip: 

Short voyage, long tales

Sea gifts him a younger heart 

Tides bow as he leaves