10.March 2012
Surat thani to Nakhon Si Thammarat to Phangnga then back to Surat Thani all in 4 days 3 nights ,total travel distance 787km.

Surat Thani
i rented a Toyota vios from Avis Thailand for 3 nights that cost me 3364.08Bahts .
( 688+CDW 200+SCDW 160 ) = 1048bahts/day X 3 days = 3144 baht,
3144Bahts + VAT 7% 220.08Bahts Total =Bahts 3364.08
The car was clocked 64000Km when i collect it ,quite new i can say.
Perfect car for 5 of us with some light baggage
Total spending on fuel :-
239km 22.00 liters 880bahts @ 40.03bahts/liter ( 9.2liter/100km )
341km 28.54 liters 1160bahts @ 40.65bahts/liter ( 8.37liter/100km )
208km 17.3l liters 700bahts @ 40.33bahts/liter ( 8.32liter/100km )
Total : 3440 bahts

LCCT departure hall

master car rent,avis and budget car operators

Rate for van and ferry.

rate for bus and ferry.

Phantip operator.

raja ferry rate.

honda brio from master car rent ,price less then 900bahts per day.

First night we accommodate in Nakhon Si Thammarat, we stay in Teeny

Teeny House

12/51 Lung-Taladsod Khu Khwang Road. T. Ta wang, Nakhon Si Thammarat City Center,

Very good review hotel by agoda,good location and clean.

Standard room 450baht and triple room 650Baht ,Come with air con,mini fridge, tv and nice location , the best value stay during the whole trip, just one complaint the owner rare dog in the reception , the smell really bad, luckily not in the room.

triple room 650 bahts.

triple room siting area.

toilet .

standard double room 450bahts.

what else ,drinking time .

Brandy and whilsky, perfect match.

Then we went to a night market just around the city center, i think some event are going on, a big night market.

If i have transport i would like to buy one of these.

yummy roast pork 400baht /kg,

my lovely son .

鲎（hòu）亦称马蹄蟹。肢口纲（Merostomata）剑尾目（Xiphosura）海生节肢动物，共4种，见于亚洲和北美东海岸。虽又称马蹄蟹，但不是蟹，而与蝎、蜘蛛以及已绝灭的三叶虫有亲缘关系。鲎(horseshoe crab)是一类与三叶虫（现在只有化石）一样古老的动物。鲎的祖先出现在地质历史时期古生代的泥盆纪，当时恐龙尚未崛起，原始鱼类刚刚问世，随着时间的推移，与它同时代的动物或者进化、或者灭绝，而惟独只有鲎从4 亿多年前问世至今仍保留其原始而古老的相貌，所以鲎有“活化石”之称。又具有很高的药用价值

Nakhon Si Thammarat city piller.

fried pork skin, best match with beer.

coconut jelly ,nice .

insect fiesta.

i think more then 5 thousands people, all wear pink, all bless long life Thai KING. I love him too.

Teh tarik with fire

1 glass take away 25bahts,not bad.

Dinner we went to a restaurant call "GUI talay " along Siprat Road, Food price was reasonable ,this restaurant like an antique house , full of old " Jatukam Ramathep " statue.
Worth a visit, if you like authentic thai seafood.
We order half kg big prawn , flower sea snail, 2 vege's , fish for 5 person cost me 900bahts.

2nd day ,early the morning we went to a very important temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Wat Phra Mahathat

The Phra Mahathat Woramaha Wiharn temple with its huge chedi is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Thailand, and one of the very oldest. It is one of only six primary royal temples. The exact dates and order of construction are unclear, although it is known that the Phra Borom That Chedi at the center of the temple pre-dates the rest of the buildings by as much a six hundred years.

The chedi was built in 555, or 757 according to some sources, at nearly the exact center of the original walled city. It wasn't unusual for large monumental stupas to be built by themselves back then. The structure was originally smaller and in the squarish style of the Srivijaya empire. It is said to contain relics of the Buddha bought from Sri Lanka two thousand years ago. The chedi was enlarged and given its current 'Sri Lankan' shape around 1227, which is probably also when a temple was built around the chedi.

The chedi sits in a large cloister-like courtyard filled with a forest of 158 smaller chedis. The smaller stupas are in a variety of styles and appear to be funerary reliquaries built by the faithful over many hundreds of years

The base of the chedi is encircled on three sides by a covered gallery. Niches in the base of the chedi hold Buddha statues as well as statues of guardian elephants. Another row of statues in various styles line the spaces between the columns of the gallery.

On the north side of the chedi, which is sited off-center in its courtyard, a sequence of chapels extends out to the north side of the courtyard. The first chapel actually houses the stairway which takes you up to the platform at the base of the chedi. The stairs are guarded by many demons and standing Buddhas.

Jatukham Rammathep

Jatukham Rammathep is the name of an unusually popular amulet sold by some Buddhist temples in Thailand. The amulet is named for two princes of the Srivijaya kingdom of southern Thailand, and is believed to provide protection and good fortune to the bearer. Some legends hold that the name actually belongs to an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, whose worship was known in the south due to the presence of Mahayana Buddhism there during earlier eras.^[1]

The original Jatukham Rammathep amulets were created in 1987 by a Thai policeman namedKhun Phantharak Rajjadej who believed that the spirit of Jatukham Rammathep had assisted him in solving a difficult murder case.

During 2006, following on the death of Khun Phantharak Rajjadej, Jatukham Rammathep amulets began to grow wildly in popularity among Thais who believed in their ability to grant good fortune and solve personal problems. The amulets were initially distributed by a temple in the town ofNakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand. As the demand for these amulets grew, they began to also be produced at other temples in Thailand.^[2]

In April 2007, a woman died after being trampled in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukham Rammathep amulets being produced at the Mahathat Woromaha Vihan temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat.^[2] Later that month, in the face of a crime wave of daily amulet robberies, Thailand's Supreme Patriarch stopped providing materials from the temple, such as ash from incense, used to make the amulets.^[3]

Trucks with loudspeakers blare promotions for different series of amulets all day in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and colorful posters cover many walls.^[4]

It is estimated that sales of the Jatukham Rammathep amulet in Thailand will amount to over 20 billion baht during 2007.^[2]

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramaha Wiharn.

Jatukam Ramathep.

Inside the chedi.

Along the way going to Phangnga Khao lak ,

more then 300 chicken selling here , 130 baht for one whole chicken.

Wat Koo Khak in Khao lak, buddha chanting ceremony

Kui kak beach

ThaiLife Homestay Resort & Spa is the first Homestay in the Khao Lak area (located in Baan Naam Khem, Phang Nga Thailand).

http://www.thailifehomestay.com/index.php

rate from 2500bahts to 2800bahts special walking in rate.

Surat thani San Jao night market along the river open 5pm to 10pm.
Full of street food, thai beer and fashion wear.
I think more then 5000 people here.Annual 1 week event , we here the event held for the 3rd day.