Welcome to all who are reading and visiting this post.
First of all, I would like to inform you that this post is not a review.
It is simply a post created to share travel experiences and promote lesser-known tourist destinations.
The destination we traveled to this time is here:

"Phatthalung Province"

Let's get started!

For this trip, I plan to visit "Khao Ok Talu, Phatthalung Province" by taking the free train, which I usually do alone and feel lonely.

But this time, I'm lucky to have four friends to travel with, so I won't be lonely anymore. ^^

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We boarded the free local train (445) at Surat Thani station.
This train only operates in the southern region, starting from Chumphon.

We got 5 free tickets.

The train arrived on time at 9:45 AM. Let's go!

The train journey is a slow and leisurely affair, with passengers sitting comfortably for the five-hour trip from Surat Thani to Phatthalung.

Peeking out a little

Of course, there were plenty of food vendors on the train, and we couldn't resist trying a variety of snacks. We were so busy eating that we forgot to take any pictures! 5555

After finishing the meal and wiping his greasy mouth, he continued to take pictures to pass the time.

Brrrt! Brrrt! Brrrt! Brrrt! Brrrt!

The children looked at me, wondering what I was thinking. I felt a little embarrassed.

Nang Ploy asked me to take a few photos for her. Don't even think about teasing me.

He sat back down, put away his camera, and fell asleep. Zzz.
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.
.
.
He's still asleep. Zzz.
.
.
.
He's awake now. He woke up to see a family with a mother and child, and he couldn't help but feel a little homesick.

Looking out the window, wow, we've arrived in Phatthalung.
....The scenery along the way is quite good, beautiful.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, the train arrived at the Phatthalung platform.

A young child stood waiting with a bewildered expression.

After getting off the train, I went to find something to eat near the station. I ordered a plate of pork leg.

Ducks fly in formation.

The ascent to Khao Ok Talu involves 1,066 steps, a challenging climb that is sure to leave you sweating.

Paying respect to the Buddha statue for good fortune. Then, without further ado, I began my ascent. Heave-ho!

The view during the ascent was quite beautiful, but unfortunately, the southern region was affected by smoke from Indonesia, limiting visibility.

This is a fork in the road leading to the monastery, but I did not take that path.

Onward to the mountain! Whew, whoa, whoooaaa!!

Looking down, wow...

We've arrived. It took about 40 minutes. Look down. -_- Oh my god.

Upon reaching the summit, one encounters a majestic Buddha statue. A bow of respect is in order!

Here's the highlight: the origin of the term "Khao Ok Thalu" is a very interesting story.

After spending a considerable amount of time enjoying the natural beauty of the mountain, we decided to descend due to hunger and the approaching sunset. The descent was relatively quick, and we reached the foot of the mountain around six in the evening. After a brief rest, we continued walking to the police station to retrieve our belongings and find food at the market near the station. However, rain began to fall, preventing us from having dinner. Initially, we had difficulty finding accommodation, but a university senior kindly offered us a place to stay and dinner. We were incredibly grateful for their hospitality. To avoid unnecessary details, I will skip ahead to the next morning. We woke up feeling refreshed and energized after a good night's sleep. Our kind host also provided us with a delicious and affordable breakfast at a local dim sum restaurant called "Original Dim Sum."

"Out of respect and humility, I only ordered a small amount. It was really just a little bit, haha."

The hot tea is quite beautiful. Oops! I mean, it's delicious.

After a delicious breakfast, my friends and I embarked on a journey to pay respects to the "Phra Phuttha Nirokantarai Chaivat Chaturathis" or "Four Corners Buddha", of which only four exist in Thailand. Their construction follows the beliefs and ancient traditions of the country, dating back to the Ayutthaya period, where sacred structures were believed to protect the four cardinal directions of the kingdom. The creation of the Phra Phuttha Nirokantarai Chaivat Chaturathis embodies the concept of "Chaturabuddha Prakara", where temples or Buddha statues serve as fortifications on all four sides, safeguarding against enemies, warding off evil, strengthening the nation's destiny, and ensuring the well-being of its citizens. (Information sourced from Wikipedia)

The statue representing the southern direction, or "Dakshin", resides here in the province of Phatthalung.

Truly magnificent.

It's small.

The flowers at the entrance are quite beautiful. 5555

Map, please.

The next stop is still a place of worship, the "Kuha Sawan Temple", which is not far from the Phra Phuttha Nirokantarai Chaivat Chaturathit. Therefore, we will walk there, which is a little over a kilometer.

The morning sun brought a good sweat as I walked under the scorching heat. In the blink of an eye, I arrived at "Wat Kuha Sawan," a tranquil ancient temple.

Upon entering, you will see...

Our goal was to pay respects to the Buddha statue inside the cave at this temple. I won't explain further, let's just look at the pictures.

The atmosphere is quite gloomy.

There is also a path leading down to see the stalactites and stalagmites.

Beautiful.

After a short walk, we ascended. It was eerily quiet, with only our group preparing to move on to the next location.

The next station is "Wat Wang", located in Lam Pam Subdistrict, Mueang District. It is another ancient temple in this area.
As usual, I took my friends to pay respect to the Buddha.

The journey is not difficult at all, as most of the road is straight.

Due to the distance of approximately 8 kilometers and the lack of transportation, we were facing a challenge. While discussing our options with friends, a Lam Pam songthaew conveniently passed by.

The fare to Lam Pam was 20 baht per person. However, upon inquiring with the driver, we learned that songthaews operate less frequently on Sundays. This presented an obstacle as we still had several destinations to visit and needed to return to the train station. Walking was not a viable option.

Therefore, we decided to charter the songthaew for 250 baht. This proved to be a cost-effective solution as the driver agreed to transport us to various locations and then return us to the station. The total cost averaged out to only 50 baht per person.

As we drive, we will pass Khao Ok Thalu, which we climbed yesterday. See the holes on the mountain? That's where we climbed yesterday.

Temple of the Palace



After a short drive, we arrived at the ancient temple. It was incredibly quiet.
.....Let's take a look inside.

The entrance to the temple was impressive.

We will now enter the church. This is the wooden door located in the wall. Let's open it.
Creakkkkkkkkkk

In front of the church

The area surrounding the church

After admiring the exterior, we entered the church to pay our respects to the Buddha statue.

The interior has a majestic feel to it.

After finishing our prayers, we prepared to move on to our next destination. However, an unexpected event occurred. As soon as we stepped out of the temple walls, we were greeted by a dog staring directly at us. 5555

Exiting the temple, you will see a towering white pagoda.

The next place we will visit is the Old Palace - New Palace, located about 200 meters from Wat Wang (turn right after exiting the temple).


Old Palace - New Palace



Let's take a look. I don't know what to explain. Let's start with the old palace first.

Let's take a look inside.

Spooky, even though it's daytime.

Wow!

The overall picture is very beautiful. I like it very much.

Having visited the Old Palace, let's take a look at the New Palace.

A stylish pier is also available nearby.

Observing the uncles and aunts working hard, I couldn't help but take a few photos.

Let's continue exploring the new palace.

Equally haunting

Is this the chest in the story of the curse?

Let's take a look at the new palace. It's just as beautiful as the old one.

Having explored the old and new palaces to our satisfaction, we called a local tuk-tuk driver to take us to our final destination:


Saensuk Lamphu Beach



Today is Sunday, so we went to the Lam Pam Floating Market to stroll around, shop, and find some food to eat (the market is open every Saturday and Sunday).

We need to cross the bridge because the market is located on an island in the middle of the river. I like the bridge, it's beautiful.

While the number of shops is not overwhelming, there is still a wide variety of food to choose from.

And the result is… only one T_T

I'm not playing anymore, I'm hungry, let's find something to eat first.

The vendor shouted, "Take a picture of the vendor too! 5555 Here you go!"

I bought a glass of Doraemon orange juice.

And with that, I'll end with this picture, as it's time for my ride to arrive. This concludes our trip. Thank you to everyone who has read and visited. Thank you.

This trip was for 2 days and 1 night.
........I apologize if the story is not fun. ^^

Please keep my other posts in your heart. 555

Escape from suffering . . . Go to enjoy happiness at "Khiriwong", the village with the best air in Thailand http://pantip.com/topic/34149779
"Stop by...the roadside" Enjoy nature on the road Surat Thani-Phang Nga http://pantip.com/topic/34310176
Who said "Krabi". . . There is only the sea (Try Nong Thale and Wat Tham Seua) http://pantip.com/topic/34269519
Escape from the chaos, carry your bag on the train to see Trang city. . . in a chill way http://pantip.com/topic/34087150
Backpack through Khao Lom Muak - Khao Chong Krachok 2 days 1 night on a budget http://pantip.com/topic/34065031
Internship & Travel together in 2 months at "Chiang Mai" http://pantip.com/topic/33861567
Internship & Travel together in 2 months at "Chiang Mai" (Part 2) http://pantip.com/topic/33968119

Thank you. ^^

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