Nakhon Si Thammarat is not on the usual list of Thai holiday places, and that is part of its charm. It is an old city on the Gulf coast of the southern peninsula, with a walled centre, a lot of history and a big temple at its heart. Wat Phra Mahathat is the biggest and most revered in the south, with a bell-shaped chedi in the Sri Lankan style that rises about thirty-seven metres, topped by a gilded spire that you can see across the rooftops. According to legend, the relics of the Buddha were brought here many centuries ago, and pilgrims have been making offerings since the city was part of the maritime trading empire of Srivijaya.
Around the main chedi, cloisters hold rows of Buddha images, and small shrines and halls crowd the courtyard. Locals come in the morning and the evening, tying cloth to the chedi, buying flowers and incense, and sitting quietly in the shade. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and take off your shoes before going into any hall. A museum a short walk away displays regional treasures, and the city is known for nielloware, a silver craft, and for nang talung, shadow puppet theatre, that you can still find in performance.
The ride from Krabi crosses the spine of the peninsula, about two hundred kilometres, on a road that climbs through limestone and rubber plantations and drops to the flat plain on the Gulf side. It is easy, mostly straight riding, with a surface that is good by Thai standards, though lorries slow things down. Keep an eye out for the monsoon, which hits the east coast from October to January, when roads can flood and storms last for days. The dry months from February to September are safest.
Nakhon Si Thammarat is a proper city of more than a hundred and twenty thousand people, so fuel, food and hotels are easy to find. Street stalls near the temple sell khanom jeen, rice noodles with a fiery curry sauce, which is the local dish and a decent reason for lunch. Behind the city, Khao Luang is the highest mountain in southern Thailand, with rain forest and waterfalls, if you have a day to spare.