The ancient town of Sakon Nakhon in Thailand’s Northeast is setting out to draw visitors with a new tourism campaign that plays with the sound “tham” in reference to dharma, thammachart (nature), and wattanatham (culture).

“These sum up Sakon Nakhon’s characteristics and identity,” says Noppadol Paitoon, vice governor of the province.

“This year, in line with Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha ‘Thai Niyom Yangyuen’ sustainability project, we are supporting local residents in generating more income and drawing tourists’ attention to visit to our villages.”

Sakon Nakhon is one of three provinces – the other two are Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan – being billed as “sanuk” or fun destinations for a vacation. Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom both have airports making access from Bangkok and elsewhere convenient, whether for a weekend break or a longer stay.

“This ‘sanuk’ group is designed into a kind of a triangular tourist route, starting from Sakon Nakhon’s three districts Mueang Sakon Nakhon, Tao Ngoi and Khok Si Suphan and featuring the attractions of Phu Phan Ratchanivet Palace, Phu Phan Education Development Centre, Praya Tao Ngoi, which is the inspiration behind Jintara Poonlarp’s ‘Tao Ngoi’, quality beef production, Ban Phutai and Phra That Choeng Chum. Making up the base of the triangle, Nakhon Phanom is a city that revels in the slow life and offers a range of cultural attractions along the Mekong River such as Paya Sri Satta Nakarat, while Mukdahan has its Indo-China Market. Many One Tambon, One Product (Otop) villages line the routes to those tourist destinations and also offer homestays,” he adds.

“In line with the government project, we are developing 54 villages in 14 districts into tourism destinations. We encourage the villagers to learn and practise folk performances, cook local foods and demonstrate their Otop goods to welcome tourists. Sakon Nakhon is well known for pha kram (indigo-dyed cotton), and is dubbed a ‘World Craft City for Natural Indigo’. We don’t want our products to be presented just twice a year at Muang Thong Thani because we have to eat everyday. So, these villages should be strong enough to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to absorb the local way. We are also planning to set up a ‘talad pracharat’ (green market) where the villagers can take their products to sell,” says Noppadol.

Sakon Nakhon is well known among Thais for its five Buddhist pagodas, namely Phra That Choeng Chum, Phra That Dum, Phra That Phu Phek, Phra That Si Mongkol, and Phra That Narai Jeng Weng, as well for such highly revered monks as Man Phurithatto, Wan Uttamo and Fun Acaro.

Our first visit is to Phra That Choeng Chum – one of the most sacred pagodas in the country. This 24-metre-high, white and gold stupa, made of bricks and mortar, was constructed to protect the footprints of the four incarnations of Buddha and is located right in the centre of the city.

Slightly out of town is Phra That Narai Jeng Weng. Built in the Baphoun style of ancient Khmer art from sandstone on a laterite base, it features a lintel carved with the story of Lord Krishna killing the lion. History has it that the pagoda was entirely constructed by women who competed with the men who built Phra That Phu Pek.

Sakon Nakhon is also home to several interesting temples, among them Wat Tham Pha Daen, which preserves Lord Buddha’s footprint, and Wat Tham Phuang, renamed Wat Tham Apai Damrongtham, which is a series of temples in the park telling a story of the Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death. The last temple representing nirvana features a magnificent statue of a reclining Buddha.

In terms of thammachart or nature, Sakon Nakhon has plenty to offer including Nong Han Lake, Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park, Phu Phan Ratchaniwet Palace, and many stunning waterfalls and cliffs.

“The main target group in terms of visiting the lake through the ‘three tham’ campaign has been the elderly. But now we are turning to younger people and planning to attract them to the lake,” says Vice Governor Noppadol.

We take a longtail boat from the pier of Nong Han, the largest freshwater lake in the Northeast and sail towards Koh Don Sawan, which is home to a deserted temple and an abundance of flora and fauna. A popular spot for bird watching, it is best enjoyed from the wooden pathway that surrounds it.

Ban Nam Phu is home to floating gardens, which have been developed from the traditional form of agriculture practised by the Intha, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group living around Inle Lake in Myanmar. In Nong Haan, floating agriculture is being explored as a way to get rid of the over-abundant freshwater algae and water hyacinth present in the lake by using them to build the floating garden beds. It is hoped that the floating agriculture will also attract tourists.

The culture aspect of the “three thams” is centred on St Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Ban Tha Rae designed to resemble Noah’s Ark, as well indigo, and we are shown how to make an indigo-dyed handkerchief at Huean Nang Kram then stroll along Pha Kram Walking Street admiring the selection of indigo-dyed products as well as sampling the local cuisine.

“We are especially proud of our Wax Castle Festival, which this year runs from October 19 to 24. For this festival, we cooperate with every district as well as our neighbouring provinces for the parade on October 23. It will feature many cultural performances along the main street of the municipal district,” Noppadol says.

AS THE plane continues its journey southwards from a wet and sticky Bangkok to Hat Yai, I allow myself to dream of strolling on a pristine beach, only to have my hopes dashed when I learn there’s a 60 per cent chance of rain during my three-day trip to Songkhla and Satun.

The weather app appears to overly pessimistic – or perhaps we are in that 40 per cent window – because as we come in for landing at Hat Yai International Airport, I see only a clear sky reflected in the azure waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

Street art covers many walls in Songkhla Old Town. 

Sightseeing is first on the agenda though and after a pleasant 40-minute drive from the airport to Songkhla Old Town, I find myself seated in a classic Singora Tram travelling back almost 500 years to the days when this southern city was a major trading port for sea merchants from Portugal, Holland and China.

Perched on the east shore of the Isthmus of Kra, this area is famous for its unique local cuisine, beautiful architecture, striking street art and chic hostels. At the corner of Nakhon Nok Road, the 105-year-old Hub Hoe Hin rice mill has been transformed into the headquarters of the Songkhla Heritage Club and showcases the exhibitions of its founders and of the town.

It was opened in 1914 by Ministerial Marshall Khun Rajagitgaree (Junliang Lim-saowapreuk) and was used as a Japanese medical storage facility during World War II. Later, the Lim-saowapreuk family closed the mill and shifted their business to a small ice factory and to exporting para-rubber. In 1982, this site was converted into a pier for small fishing boats and is now in the capable hands of Rangsi, an engineer and a third generation member of the family.

Singora Tram Tour takes visitors to explore the Songkhla Old Town and the beaches.

“Formerly known as Singora, Songkhla boasts the ruins of archaic towering city walls, fortresses and sanctuaries, testaments to the unique multicultural communities where Muslims, Thai and Chinese have been living together for several centuries.

Four years ago, Rangsi returned to his hometown and set up the Songkhla Heritage Society Club to promote cultural tourism,” says Professor Seubsakul Srisuk, a member of the club.

“We teamed up with artists and local residents to create street art to draw the attention of tourists. Our aim is to have Songkhla join Malacca and Penang on the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites.”

A short walk from the mill is the Apothecary of Singora. This 150-year-old Chinese-Hokkian-style house has undergone a modern overhaul but retained its old structure. Herbal inhalants jostle for space with handicrafts created by local residents, all of them for sale.

The tram driver rings the bell as the vehicle turns right into Nakhon Nai Road, which is home to attractive Sino-Portuguese and Sino-European buildings, similar to the ones on Phuket’s Thalang Road and Bangkok’s Charoen Krung’s Road.

Baan Nakhon Nai promotes itself as a community museum. 

“In terms of location, Songkhla can be divided into three periods – Ban Pha Daeng, Ban Laem on the Sathing Phra Peninsula and Bo Yang – dating back more than 300 years. The Old Town has long been a business district for Chinese residents and the merchant traders from Holland, Portugal and Malayu,” a local guide says.

Mostly built in the reign of King Rama V, Nakhon Nai Road is home to Baan Nakhon Nai, a luxury residential compound that’s been turned into a community museum and boutique hotel. Featuring a two-storey Chinese-style wooden house and a four-floor Sino-European building, it presents a large collection of black-and-white photographs and sculptures of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej that trace his life and works throughout his 70 years on the throne.

Rare editions of ancient Chinese-style wood beds, wooden furniture and elegant ceramic ware are on view in the museum and the hotel offers six well-designed guestrooms.

The Old Town is famous for local dishes.

A little further on, Nang Ngam Road’s shophouses, teahouses and Thai bakeries make it a popular dining venue for both locals and visitors. The 81-year-old Kiat Fang eatery specialises in making oversize buns and Songkhla-style hot stew with pork, liver and offal cooked in coconut milk and herbs. The classic teahouse called Hub Seng serves dumplings and a breakfast set with tea and coffee though most people seem to be tucking into home-made kaya toasts.

The Mae Chawee Dessert House is famous for sticky rice stuffed with shredded pork and egg yolk and Ice Cream Oang is a hit with kids and adults alike with its wide variety of toppings and the ice cream served in a lovely painted jar.

In the narrow alleys of Yala, Pattani and Raman Roads, colourful street art covers the walls of many old residences and portrays the daily life of Muslim fishermen and the Thai-Chinese cuisine scene including a Thai sweet house and Chinese noodle pushcart.

An iconic mermaid status has sat on the rock for 52 years. 

The tram trundles on to Chana Road and deposits our group at Songkhla Phra Thammarong Museum, the former residence of former prime minister and respected statesman General Prem Tinsulanonda, who was born in Songkhla. Established in1987, it’s a traditional Southern-style Panya-style wood house with a trapezoidal roof to resist against storms. Inside visitors admire the family antiques and learn about his early life.

The tram tour ends at the nine-kilometre stretch of four beaches – Kao Seng, Chalaphat, Samila and Laem Suan On, where an iconic mermaid status has sat on the rock for 52 years. Students are forming a long queue to take selfies with her and some tourists touch her breast following a local belief that those groping a mermaid’s breast will meet their soul mate in Songkhla or get a chance to come back here.

 Khao Kho Hong offers the striking views of the Hat Yai landscapes.

I look longingly at the beach but before long we are in a van heading back towards Hat Yai to climb up the peak of Khao Kho Hong, where a towering Buddha status stands. This is the best viewpoint to admire the sunset and views of Hat Yai landscapes, though our attention is somewhat distracted by a villager putting on an adorable bird show.

We start the next morning with a dim sum breakfast then head to the Satun Geopark Museum in Thung Wa district. Opened in April, this is the first Geopark in Thailand and covers four districts –Thung Wa, Manang, La-Ngu and Mueang.

With a submerged landscape dating back more than 500 million years, a time when early organisms introduced oxygen to the Earth’s atmosphere, the geopark area is blanketed with Paleozoic marine sedimentary rocks including limestone, sandstone, mudstone, shale and chert.

Satun Geopark Museum has a display of fossils. 

Inside the museum, visitors can pour over the fossils of trilobites, nautiloid, graptolite, ammonite, stromatolite and elephant teeth that are found in several areas of Satun. Younger visitors can enjoy a 15-minute 3D movie and learn about the Earth and our origins, while the elephant gallery shows why pachyderms play such a leading role in Thai culture.

Leaving the museum, we spend two hours paddling a canoe with local experts to explore the Stegodon Sea Cave. Formerly known as Wang Kluai, it was renamed after the archaeologist team from Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University identified a piece of fossil found by a villager in 2008 as the genus Stegodon, an enormous elephant that lived one million years ago.

It’s a 3.4-kilometres cruise in the darkness and our guides use torches to spotlight stalagmites and stalactites that look variously like diamonds, elephant trunks, a rabbit, turtle, lobster, fountain, dinosaur, angel’s wing and more. Fossils of ancient shells and octopus can also be spotted on the cave wall.

Visitors enjoy kayaking in the Stegodon Sea Cave. 

My hopes of making it to the beach materialise on the last day as we board a long-tail boat at Pak Bara pier for a two-hour cruise to Talay Waek. Along the way we are greeted with stunning views of a cliff that resembles an outdoor theatre when the shadow of the trees appear and move on its wall and Laem Jarakhe, which was once home to plenty of sea crocodiles.

We disembark on the two-kilometre sand dune of Talay Waek, opposite Ban Bo Jed Luk fishing village and Pha Chai Ni, where the customers of a local teahouse used to be challenged to jump from the cliff to the water to clear their debts if they survived.

The sun is out and we swap our long-tail boat for canoes, kayaking to Prasat Hin Pun Yod, home to the white beach hidden in the rock that resembles a magnificent castle with thousands of peaks.

I look up at the clear blue sky and offer a small prayer of thanks before taking off my shoes and start walking along the beach.