Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani Province

General Information Surat Thani (often in short Surat, Thai: สุราษฎร์ธานี ) is the largest of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).

Surat Thani

สุราษฎร์ธานี Statistics Capital:

Surat Thani

Area:

12,891.5 km² Ranked 6th

Geography

Inhabitants:

961,800 (2007) Ranked 22st

Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phang Nga and Ranong.

Pop. density: 74.60 inh./km² Ranked 65th

Geographically the center of the province is the coastal plain of the Tapi river, mostly grassland and some mangrove. In the west are limestone mountains of the Phuket range mostly covered with forests. The Khao Sok National Park is located in these mountains. To the east the hills of the Nakhon Si Thammarat (or Bantat) mountain range start to rise, protected in the Tai Rom Yen National Park. Many islands in the Gulf of Thailand belong to the district, including the tourist islands Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao, as well as the Ko Ang Thong marine national park. The main rivers of the Surat Thani province are Tapi River and Phum Duang River, which both drain into the Bandon Bay.

ISO 3166-2:

TH-84

Governor:

Niwat Sawatkaeo (since November 2006)

Map

Further protected areas are the Khlong Phanom and Kaeng Krung national park, Than Sadet-Ko Pha-Ngan marine national park, the non-hunting areas Khao Tha Phet and Nong Thung Thong and the wildlife sanctuaries Khlong Phraya, Khlong Saeng and Khlong Yan. The Hat Khanom - Mu Ko Thale Tai,

which will contain a few small island south of Ko Samui, is currently in process of creation.

Economy In 2005 census, the province was had a GPP about 94,020 million Baht (2,541 million US$) and GPP per capita was 97,936 (2,647 US$). The main agricultural products of the province are coconut and rambutan. The coconuts are often picked from the tree by specially trained monkey, mostly Pig-tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina). The monkey school of late Somporn Saekow is the most famous training center for these monkeys. The rambutan trees were first planted in Surat Thani in 1926 by the Chinese Malay Mr. K. Vong in Ban Na San. An annual rambutan fair is held in beginning of August, including a parade of highly decorated floats on the Tapi river.

Transportation The province is crossed by the southern railway, with the main railway station located at Phunphin. Parallel to the railway in north-south direction runs the Asian Highway 2 (Thailand Route 41). The major road in east-west direction is Route 401, as Route 44 in southwestern direction. Two regional airports are located in the province - Surat Thani International Airport in Phunphin and Samui Airport on Ko Samui. The islands Ko Samui und Ko Phan Ngan are connected with the mainland by ferries, which mostly start at Don Sak.

History

Ruins of the Wat Kaew in Chaiya, dating from Srivijavan times The area of Surat Thani was already inhabited in prehistoric times by Semang and Malayan tribes. Founded in the 3rd century, until the 13th century the Srivijaya kingdom dominated the Malay Peninsula and much of the island of Java from there. The city Chaiya contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is generally disputed. Wiang Sa was another main settlement of that time. After the fall of the Srivijaya it was divided into the cities (Mueang) Chaiya, Thatong (now Kanchanadit) and Khirirat Nikhom. While Chaiya was administrated directly from the capital, Thatong and Khirirat were controlled by

the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom. In 1899 they were merged into one province named Chaiya. In 1915 also the court of the Monthon Chumphon was moved to Bandon, which received its new name Surat Thani on July 29 1915 during a visit of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). In 1933 the monthon was dissolved, so the province became the first level administrative subdivision.

Provincial hall of Surat Thani The provincial administration was at first located in a building in Tha Kham (Amphoe Phunphin). It was moved to the city of Surat Thani in World War II, but when the Japanese invaded Thailand on December 8, 1941 was building caught fire and burned down. It was reopened in 1954. On March 19, 1982 it was destroyed again by a bomb planted by communist rebels, killing 5 people. A new building was built at a different location in the city, the former site of the provincial hall is now the city pillar shrine (Lak Mueang

Symbols The seal of the province shows the pagoda of Phra Boromathat Chaiya, which is believed to have been built 1200 years ago. The flag of the province also shows the pagoda in middle, placed on a vertically split flag with red color in top and yellow in bottom. The provincial symbolic flower is the Bua Phut (Rafflesia kerrii), a parasitic plant with one of the biggest flowers of all plants. The provincial tree is the Ton Kiam (Cotylelobium melanoxylon). The provincial slogan is เมืองร้อยเกาะ เงาะอร่อย หอยใหญ่ ไข่แดง แหล่ง ธรรมะ, which translates to City of 100 islands, delicious rambutan, big shells and red eggs, center of Buddhism. Red eggs are a local culinary speciality of pickled duck eggs, while the big shells refer to the plenty of seafood available. Center of Buddhism refers to the pagoda of Chaiya.

Administrative divisions

The province is subdivided into 18 districts (Amphoe) and one sub-district (King Amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 131 communes (tambon) and 1028 villages (muban). Amphoe 1. Mueang Surat Thani 2. Kanchanadit 3. Don Sak 4. Ko Samui 5. Ko Pha-ngan 6. Chaiya 7. Tha Chana 8. Khiri Rat Nikhom

10. Phanom 11. Tha Chang 12. Ban Na San 13. Ban Na Doem 14. Khian Sa 15. Wiang Sa 16. Phrasaeng 17. Phunphin

9. Ban Ta Khun

18. Chai Buri

King Amphoe 19. Vibhava di

The province has 3 towns (thesaban mueang) and 19 townships (thesaban tambon). The most important ones are the following 6 (complete list). There are also 119 tambon administrative authorities. Nr City . Surat 1. Thani 2. Ko Samui 3. Tha Kham 4. Na San Talat 5. Chaiya 6. Don Sak

Populatio Notes n เทศบาลเมือง 124,400 Capital of the สุราษฎร์ธานี Inh. province เทศบาลตำาบลเกาะสมุย 48,410 inh. Touristical island เทศบาลเมืองท่าข้าม 20,363 inh. Main railway station เทศบาลเมืองนาสาร 19,851 inh. เทศบาลตำาบลตลาด 12,955 inh. Historic town ไชยา เทศบาลตำาบลดอนสัก 11,357 inh. Main port Thai

. Surat Thani town

City pillar shrine

City pillar shrine

St. Raphael cathedral

River Tapi

Waterfront

Ko Lamphu

Si Surat Stupa

Wat Sai and nightmarket

Wat Dai Dhammaram

Wat Thammabucha

Understand Surat Thani is a gateway to the islands of Thailand's eastern coast: Ko Samui, Ko Tao (great for scuba diving), and Ko Pha Ngan. Though large it has a low density of 7-Elevens and so on. There are many Chinese temples.

Get in By plane Surat Thani airport is located about 20 km west of the city in Phunphin district. Thai airways has daily flights from and to Bangkok.

By train The Surat Thani train station, despite its name, is located in Phunphin, about 12km away from Surat Thani. Most comfortable are the overnight trains from Bangkok, which arrive in early morning. There are always many who try to catch the tourists and sell them trips to Surat or the islands directly - usually the most aggressive sellers are the most expensive...

By bus The new bus terminal is located a bit outside the city, however if you plan to go directly into the city it's usually possible to ask for a stop before. The old bus terminal in middle of city is now only frequented by the some private buses, which are however much more risky than the government buses.

By boat You can take the ferry from any of the islands nearby, taking about an hour. There is food on board and movies as well.

Get around When you get off the ferry there is a bus ride included with the trip (note the strange system of paper tickets combined with circular stickers that you stick on your shirt). It is a 45 minute bus ride down backroads from the ferry terminal to Surat Thani. More than one ferry terminal services Surat Thani.

See Being here is different than for most cities, as the residents here are used to seeing foreigners but don't bother with trying to sell things to foreigners for a living. Most tourists here are just passing through to the islands, as there are no real attractions within the city.

Ko Lamphu A popular place for picnic as well as for sports is Ko Lamphu, a small car-free island in the river Tapi, connected by bridge to the city at the city pillar shrine. A nice view is the riverfront, built as a promenade. In the evening hours there are also some food stalls there, however the night market concentrates at a sidestreet next to Wat Sai.

Wat Sai and nightmarket

There are several Buddhist as well as Chinese temples within the city, however none really notable. To the north is the Roman Catholic St.Raphael Cathedral, actually a small wooden church.

St. Raphael cathedral Outside the city, there is a monkey training centre near by in Kanchanadit. The hill Khao Taphet south of the city offers a great view over the city, as well as a the Si Surat chedi as some billboards with the animals living in that nonhunting area. Further south is the Khun Thale swamp, a nice small lake but without any further attractions.

Do 60 km north of Surat Thani is a small town called Chaiya, which gives a good representation of what small town life used to be like in Southern Thailand. It is one of the oldest towns in Thailand - dating to the 8th and 10th centuries. This was during the Srivijaya empire (~200 - 1400).

Eat The night market has some great food vendors. Particularly the rotis at the western end. Next to the Sahathai department store there is a Pizza Company outlet and a Swensens for expensive ice-cream. There's a restaurant called *Lucky*. It was the only time in a 6 months stay that we were disrespected by the locals. The food was also horrible and the owners were very rude.

Get out Most travellers in Surat Thani are on their way to or from the islands: • • •

Ko Samui - backpacker paradise gone upmarket Ko Tao - popular diving spot and a good place to get certified Ko Pha Ngan - home of the infamous Full Moon Parties

Surat Thani city pillar shrine

Pak Nam Tapi The Tapi River Mouth is some 5 kms. from Ban Don municipality. The area is particular rich in quality seafood restaurants.

Khao Tha Phet Wildlife and Nature Education Centre This is some 6 kms. from town along the Surat Thani- Na San route (Route No. 4009). It covers an area of 1,162 acres. and houses a number of caged wild animals near the Centre. On Khao Tha Phet, Tha Phet, at 210 metres above sea level, stands a stupa named Phra That Si Surat which houses Buddha relics donated by the Indian Government some 40 years ago. The hilltop offers a panoramic view of Surat Thani Town and the Tapi River.

Phra Borommathat Chaiya This ancient pagoda housing Lord Buddha relics is located in Amphoe Chaiya, 54 kms. north of the provincial capital, and dates back to the Srivijaya

period over 1,200 years ago. In the compound, there is the Chaiya National Museum consisting of two buildings. One exhibits stone and bronze sculptures discovered in the ancient city of Chaiya and the other exhibits artifacts of prehistoric down to historic periods from Dvaravati, Sri Vijaya, Lopburi, Sukhothai to Ayutthaya. Art objects and several other crafts are also displayed here. The museum is open daily between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. except for Mondays and Tuesdays.

Wat Suan Mokkhaphalaram Better known as Suan Mok, the temple is on Highway No. 41 some 50 kms. north of the provincial capital. Suan Mok's founder, Bhikkhu Buddhadhasa, is highly respected in Thailand, and internationally, and his 'back-to-basics' approach attracts Buddhist monks and lay meditators from many countries. A favourite sight for casual visitors is the 'Spiritual Theatre' which Buddhadhasa describes as a pictorial interpretation of Dharma. The building features an eclectic mixture of Thai, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Tibetan and European-style murals and sculptures.

Ban Phumriang This small handicraft village, some 6 kms. east of Chaiya, is renowned for its gold and silver brocade silk cloth and jute head wear.

Ratchaprapha or Chieo Lan Dam This is located 70 kms. west from Surat Thani on Highway No. 401 and another 12 kms. along an access road. An extensive lake beyond the Ratchaprapha Dam offers very beautiful scenery. Accommodation near the dam is available.

Khao Sok National Park This is largely jungle with undulating mountain ranges and rugged high cliffs. The park office is 1.3 kms. off the Surat-Takua Pa Road at Km. 109. Attractions in the park include Namtok Mae Yai which can be reached by car; Namtok Sip Et Chan (eleven-tiered waterfall), 4 kms. from the park office and other beautiful waterfalls and caves, mostly accessible by foot. Rare flora and fauna are found along nature trails. Dormitories, bungalows and raft-houses are available.

Monkey Schools There are two monkey schools in Surat Thani: one is located in Amphoe Kanchanadit, some 13 kms. from Surat Thani along Highway No. 401 and the other is at Ban Khlong Sai, Amphoe Tha Chang, some 35 kms. along Highway No. 41. Visitors are advised to contact travel agents for full details.

Oyster Farms Oysters bred in Surat Thani are substantially larger than those found elsewhere. Many farms are found around the estuarine areas of the Kradae Canal and the Thong River in Amphoe Kanchanadit. These farms can be reached by boat from the Tha Thong Quayside within 30 minutes.

Ko Samui This beautiful 247-square-kilometre island, one of the most famous attractions of Thailand, is some 84 kilometres east of Surat Thami's provincial capital. It can be reached by boat from Surat Thani town or by ferry either from Don Sak (some 7 kms from Surat Thani town) or Khanom (in Nakhon Si Thammart). A 51-Kilometre ring road encircles the island, which has numerous lovely beaches and bays, and is almost literally an island of coconuts and forested hills. Samui's best beaches line the northern and eastern coasts. The most popular are Hat Chaweng and Hat Lamai where, generally, attractive accommodation can be found. Besides marvelous beaches, other interesting attractions include the Samui Butterfly Park; the monkey Centre; the Hin Lat and Na Muang waterfalls; the phallic rock formations at the southern end of Lamai Bay, and a massive seated Buddha image on Ko Fan. The island's major sea front settlement is at Na Thon where shops, restaurants and tour agents are located.

Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park This marine park comprises some 40 islands northwest of Ko Samui and covers an area of 250 square kilometres of which 50 square kilometres is land mass. Most islands comprise limestone masses reaching heights of up to 400 metres and fringed by beaches and tropical rainforest. The park office is located on Ko Wua Ta Lap. Popular attractions include a high viewpoint, secluded beaches, Tham Bua Bok - a beautiful cave with spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations, and an emerald saltwater lake known as Tale Nai on Ko Mae Ko, which entails a strenuous climb. Another popular venue is Ko Sam Sao where an extensive span of coral reef and huge rock arch offers scenic views. A one-day tour package to Mu Ko Ang Thong is organised by some travel agents on Ko Samui.

Ko Phangan Another large island covering an area of 191 square kilometres, is 60 minutes directly north of Ko Samui. The island offers few comforts and can be explored by motorcycles. Hat Thong Sala, the major community of the island, is where the ferry landing and shops are located. In addition to white sandy beaches, there are also two beautiful waterfalls: Namtok Phang and Namtok Than Sadet, 4 kms. and 30 kms. from Hat Thong Sala, respectively. There is a mountain top temple called Wat Khao Tham where meditators may go for practice.

Ko Tae Nai This small island can be reached within 5 minutes from Ko Phangan. High jungle-covered hills, a long stretch of golden sandy beach and thriving coral reefs are some of its major attractions. Accommodation in the form of bungalows is available.

Koh Tao Coastline, Ko Tao, Thailand Ko Tao This is a small island to the north of Ko Phangan, which can be reached either from Surat Thani or Chumphon. There are several beautiful beaches and diving areas around the island. Simple bungalows are available. Like Ko Tarutao, Ko Tao was once a place where political prisoners were detained. Nearby Ko Nang Yuan is a coral island with a high viewpoint and long white sandy beaches.

Tai Rom Yen National Park The park covers forest areas in Amphoe Ban Na San and Amphoe Wiang Sa. A mountain in the park known as Khao Chong Chang once used to be the base of the Communist Party of Thailand. There are two beautiful waterfalls: Namtok Dat Fa, 33 kms. from Surat Thani and 13 kms. along an access road, and Namtok Muang Thuat, 20 kms. from Amphoe Ban Na San.Visitors wishing to stay overnight are requested to bring their own camping accessories.

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