[TH] Phetchaburi: spending 1-day at the hidden gem

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Arriving at Phetchaburi

I arrived in Bangkok early in the morning and took a minivan from the Mo Chit Bus Terminal to Phetchaburi. The ride took around 2 hours and I arrived in Phetchaburi at 10 am. It was a super chill town away from the tourists and the hustle and bustle of a big city like Bangkok, a place with friendly locals and genuine connections. I strolled towards the train station to get an overnight train ticket to my next destination, Surat Thani, that night.

Friendly encounters

Encounter 1

I walked past a small alley with little traffic along the route and since the weather was great, I took the opportunity to sun my gears. After reading about the detrimental effect of moisture on a tent’s weather-resistant coating, I was paranoid about spoiling my father’s expensive gear. Moreover, it was also chill and nice to bask in the sun and show some tender care to my gear.

As traffic appeared, I hurriedly swept my belongings to the side of the road. Seeing that my gears were sufficiently sunned and warm, I began keeping them. Suddenly, a granny on a scooter pulled up beside me and struck up a conversation in fluent English.

“Where are you going?”

“The train station.”

“Oh it’s a distance, I can bring you there,” she signalled me to get onto the scooter.

Grateful for the unexpected kindness of the granny, I enthusiastically accepted her offer. I then frantically scrambled to gather and keep my belongings. Flustered as she seemed to grow slightly impatient, I stuffed my sleeping bag down its container pouch and it into my backpack, and tried to pack my tent as fast as I could. Finally, everything fitted into place and I hopped onto the back of the scooter.

During our brief journey to the train station, we continued our conversation. I learned that she was a retired English teacher who now spent her time gardening and travelling. Her daughter now lives in Belgium after having lived and worked in various countries. The granny expressed her joy at being a grandmother and shared her desire to spread kindness and peace in a world filled with hostility and chaos. Whilst brief, I was moved by the authenticity and warmth of our interaction.

Encounter 2

We arrived at the train station and bid our goodbyes. I went to the counter to get my tickets for the night but realised that the berths were sold out. I ended up getting a Class 2 Seating Coach ticket for the overnight ride. There is wisdom in booking your tickets in advance after all.

As I sat on the bench looking intently at the timetable before me, an uncle asked me if I needed help and told me that I could get the tickets from the counter as he pointed to it. He appeared so genuinely helpful that I felt bad that I’d already gotten my ticket and hence had not needed the piece of information he offered. I asked him where the toilet was and he cheerfully pointed me in the direction outside the ticketing hall. I thanked him and we smiled at each other.

These encounters left me with a warm feeling of being welcomed in a foreign land. My brief stay in the town was characterized by the friendliness and relaxed atmosphere, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I grabbed some quick bites from the street vendors near the train station and was surprised by the large packet of Thai milk tea. Ice cream with glutinous rice was a first for me as well. While I’m used to seeing ice cream served on bread, which is common in Singapore too, serving it with glutinous rice was a new experience.

Ice cream with glutinous rice in bread, Thailand

Khao Luang Cave

By the time I was ready to start the sightseeing, it was already noon. I chose Tham Khao Luang, a mountain cave temple, as the first spot. Whilst it was a walkable 2.2 km from the train station, I decided to Grab-bike my way around to preserve time and energy. The rides were affordable at ~40 bahts per ride too.

As we winded up the slopes to get to Tham Khao Luang, I was relieved that I didn’t have to climb my way up. The ride ended in front of the ticketing building and I went in and got my ticket for 10baht.

I asked and left my backpack in the pavilion so I could visit the cave without the burden. The gentleman at the pavilion was kind enough to remind me to tie the plastic bag containing my food as a precaution against the monkeys (which I will learn a painful lesson from later on). Speaking of monkeys, there are so many of them around! Especially so around the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park area. More on that later.

After some gentle steps upslope, I reached the gate of the cave where there was another flight of stairs descending into the cave. The grandness of the cave, the beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites, the sunlight shining through the cave hole, the Buddha images, and the lush greenery outside all made for a fascinating experience. For a chance to see the sunlight shining through the main cave hole, it was suggested to visit around 10 am. I had arrived past noon and was happy to be able to still catch glimpses of it in the smaller cave hole.

The compound was interesting but not huge and my visit lasted around 35 minutes.

Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park

The second and final sight I visited was the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park. The site was built in 1860 as a royal summer palace of King Rama IV. Royal halls, palaces, temples, and pavilions scattered around the compound together provided an informative glimpse into the history of the place. If you like monkeys, this can be a great place for monkey watching too (there are so many of them). I spent close to 3 hours exploring the park, including the time taken to and fro the street level.

How to go

The compound is situated on a hill and you can either walk or take a short funicular ride up.

To take the funicular ride, head to the west entrance where you will get both the admission ticket (150 baht) and the funicular ticket (80 baht).
I took the east entrance along Kiri Ratthaya and walked up. It took me around 25 minutes with my ~10kg on my back.

What I liked

There are explanation boards strategically placed to provide some information about the buildings to visitors.
The museum was well-maintained
Multiple sites to explore within the compound
The view of the city was nice and lots of opportunities to take lovely photos in the compound
The staff were kind enough to let me leave my backpack in the visitor centre whilst I explored the compound

What I liked less

Information is generally brief, even in the museum
Exhibition in the museum was limited
Whilst there are many buildings in the compound, not all are open to the public

Things to note

Photographs are not allowed within the buildings
Lots of monkeys around
Can be pretty hot and humid in the day so keeping hydrated is important. There are vendors in the compound selling drinks.
If you want to visit multiple or all the sites in the compound, be prepared for lots of walking. I clocked ~5300steps during the visit (including to and fro the street level)

Monkeys

I’ve mentioned before in this article, and I will reiterate once more, be mentally prepared for the monkeys and guard your belongings and food! I was oblivious and watched as a muscular monkey approached me. I did the most tourist act of pulling out my phone for a photo. Without hesitation, the monkey leaped and tore the plastic bag containing my tapioca (which I had forgotten about) and milk tea from my grasp. He headed straight for the tapioca and triumphantly walked away. I dared not translate my shock into actions, fearing retaliation, and could only gaze as he sauntered off. There goes, my tapioca.

Monkey in Phetchaburi, near Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park

Monkeys at Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park

Ending off the day

I exited the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park area and reached the street level at 4 pm. It was just in time to catch the bustling after-school market as students streamed out of school.