Surin

Surin (สุรินทร์) is a town in Isaan, Thailand. Surin is a quiet, nondescript, town. Its claim to fame is its annual Elephant Roundup, which takes place in November (book a room in advance). Surin's people have had a long relationship with elephants and they have become the provincial icon, epitomizing as they do raw power coupled with intelligence and strong kinship values. Plenty of Khmer ruins, beautiful silk fabrics, and highly-prized jasmine rice also make Surin a destination worth a visit.

Understand
Surin is the capital of Surin Province. Its population is small, approximately 40,000, but the province is densely populated. It lies about 450 km east of Bangkok and 50 km from the Cambodian border.

History
Surin's story dates back thousands of year when the Suay or Kuay ethnic groups migrated along the Mekong River to settle around the Dongrek Range. Kuay ethnic people, found in Thailand and Laos, are talented in catching and training elephants. Some 2,000 years ago, during the Khmer Era, the town of Surin was established. After the fall of the Khmer Empire, the town was neglected until 1763, when Luang Surin Pakdi (Chiang Poom), headman of Muang Tee Village, led his people to settle at Ban Khu Prakai, now the town of Surin. He later became the first mayor of the settlement.

By car
From Bangkok, Surin is just over a six hour drive. Head north via Hwy 1 (Pahonyothin Rd) and get onto Hwy 2 (Mittraphap Rd) at Saraburi. Use Hwy 24 (Chok Chai-Det Udom) via Nang Rong, Prasat, then turn left onto Hwy 214 to Surin. This route is 457 km long. Or at Korat, motorists can change to Hwy 226, via Chakkrarat, Huai Thalaeng, Lam Plai Mat, Buriram to Surin. This route is 434 km in length.

By bus

 * Bangkok's northeastern Bus terminal (Mo Chit 2) on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Rd has daily services to Surin. For more information, call Transport Co, Surin Branch . Kitchakan Ratchasima Tour Co,, Nakhon Chai Air Co.,.
 * Minibuses (60 baht) connect the town with Chong Chom, which hosts a border crossing with O'Smach in Cambodia.

By train
Trains regularly leave Bangkok's Hualamphong and Bang Sue stations for Surin. Ordinary trains take 8.5 hours to make the journey. For more information, call 1690,,. Surin Railway Station, or visit State Railway of Thailand.

Get around
Surin is a small, so most journeys in the central area can be made on foot. However, there are also samlors (rickshaws) and tuk-tuks. The larger hotels have cars available for hire. Keep in mind that no one considers overcharging a foreigner to be a serious crime. A samlor ride around the central region of the town is 40 baht, a tuk-tuk maybe 50-60 baht for foreigners. If in doubt ask your hotel for advice. When getting off the bus always be extra careful not to be taken for a ride while being taken for a ride.

See















 * Ban Buthom Basketry Village หมู่บ้านจักสานบ้านบุทม. The village is famed for its rattan basketry. The basketry is a major complement to the income the village derives from agriculture. A notable feature of the basketry is that the villages do not paint lacquer on the finished product, which may cause the growth of fungus, but soak their basketry with lemon, carambola, or kaffir lime to make it glossy.


 * Village of Chansoma Golden Brocade, Ban Tha Sawang หมู่บ้านทอผ้าไหมยกทองจันทร์โสมา บ้านท่าสว่าง. The village is highly recognised for its 1,416-heddled, gold-brocaded silk, being offered to the queen. The outstanding performance of the village is that it was selected by the government to weave cloth for the shirts of 21 APEC leaders and the shawls of their spouses.


 * Khwao Sinarin Handicrafts Village หมู่บ้านหัตถกรรมเขวาสินรินทร์. The community is famed for local-style silk cloth called "hol" which is considered the best silk fabric. Ban Chok village is the first village to produce silver buttons called "luk pa kueam" which is used as decorations for ladies.




 * Huai Saneng ห้วยเสนง. Huai Saneng Reservoir has a high and steep crest. Its southern area has a rich display of water lilies and flocks of birds. The palace of Mother Princess is at the headquarters of Phanom Sawai Forest Park. วนอุทยานพนมสวาย. The park has a hill with three peaks. The first peak, Yot Khao Chai, or the Man Peak, is where Wat Phanom Sawai is found. The second peak, Yot Khao Ying, or the Lady Peak, houses a medium-size Buddha image. The third peak, Yot Khao Kok, houses an octagon pavilion.


 * Huai Thap Than - Huay Samran Wildlife Sanctuary เขตรักษาพันธ์สัตว์ป่าห้วยทับทัน-ห้วยสำราญ. This is a lush area of jungle on the Thai-Cambodia border. The sanctuary has an education centre for the public. From October to December, wild flowers are in full bloom.


 * Pa Son Nong Khu Forest Park วนอุทยานป่าสนหนองคู. There is a clue showing that this area used to be very abundant forest in the past. There are Pinus mergusii grown all over the area, mixed with the dry deciduous dipterocarp forest. It is home only to small animals: squirrels, Malayan flying lemurs, wild rabbits, snakes, doves, coucals, and myna. Hornbills have been seen on occasion.

Khmer-era temples
These stretch from the border westwards to Buriram Province. There are few organised tours (tourism is not overly big in Isaan). You can always find an (expensive) rental car, with driver, at your hotel, or it is possible to visit the major temples by using the local public transport system (this is very cheap). Ask you hotel or guesthouse for instructions. (Most signs at the bus and train stations are in Thai, however, the staff are very helpful.)
















 * Ta Muean Group of Khmer Ruins กลุ่มปราสาทตาเมือน. The Khmer ruins includes three stupas in the same area.


 * Ta Muean Khmer Ruins ปราสาทตาเมือน. The sanctuary in Bayon Art style is built from laterite, like other architectures of King Chaya Varaman VII found in Thailand. A few Buddha images in the attitude of meditation in the niche are found here.


 * Ta Muean Tot Khmer Ruins ปราสาทตาเมือนโต๊ด. The sanctuary includes a principal stupa, made from laterite and sandstone, in a square shape with front balcony. Like other Khmer hospital's shrines, there is a pond outside the wall.


 * Ta Muean Thom Khmer Ruins ปราสาทตาเมือนธม. The biggest sanctuary in the group includes three stupas with the biggest at the mid and smaller ones on each side.


 * Prasat Si Khoraphum ปราสาทศีขรภูมิ. This Khmer-era prasat consists of five prang on a laterite base, all facing east. The main and largest prang is in the centre, with the four, smaller prang at each corner. All are built from sandstone and laterite. The lintel depicting Dances of Shiva is considered the most beautiful one among those found in Thailand and Cambodia. Three sides of the prasat are surrounded by a moat.


 * Tapiang Tia Khmer Ruins ปราสาทตะเปียงเตีย. The rectangular stupa was constructed from bricks, and has five lotus-shaped peaks. The stupa is in the Laotian-style, which dates it to the late Ayutthaya period (Tapiang Tia translates as duck pond).


 * Phum Pon Khmer Ruins ปราสาทภูมิโปน. The Khmer ruin includes four stupas, three made from bricks and one made from laterite. The biggest and the northern stupas are the oldest Khmer ruins found in Thailand, around the 8th century.





Festivals













 * Surin International Cultural Exchange.(formerly known as SIFF: Surin International Folklore Festival) เทศกาลการแสดงแลกเปลี่ยนศิลปวัฒนธรรมนานาชาติ (เดิมชื่อ เทศกาลการแสดงศิลปวัฒนธรรมพื้นบ้านนานาชาติ). Held every January by Surindra Rajabhat University. The festival features performances from many countries.


 * Si Khoraphum Khmer Ruins Celebration and Loi Krathong งานฉลองปราสาทศีขรภูมิและงานประเพณีลอยกระทง. The annual celebration is held every third weekend of November at Si Khoraphum Khmer Ruins. The celebration features performance, lifestyle of ethnic people (Khmer, Lao, and Suay), local performances, souvenir market, beauty contest, krathong contest, and floats.


 * Eel Festival เทศกาลงานปลาไหล. The fair is held at the field of Chumphon Buri District every third week of December, after the harvest, when eels are big enough to catch. Farmers normally can catch lots of eels at that time.


 * Long Boat Racing Festival งานประเพณีชิงถ้วยพระราชทาน. Organized in October every year. Four types of racing for the royal trophy and the contest of boat beauty parade will be organized on Maenam Mun in front of Wat Pho, Tha Tum District.

Eat
Surin has a fantastic night market. Be sure to try the Isaan sausage and Laos-style flattened chicken (gai yang), but be careful with the som tam (papaya salad). In addition to the night market Surin is liberally endowed with small restaurants, and the usual street vendors. Also the major hotels have reasonably priced menus.

Drink
Surin is not known for its many bars, but there are a few places offering drinks and nightlife. Most are located near the Thong Tarin Hotel. Adjacent to the hotel are two streets lined with small bars, restaurants, karaoke bars, and go-go bars. The larger hotels also have bars and restaurants. There are also several small restaurants managed or owned by expats scattered around town. The largest is the Farang Connection, followed by the Oasis, The Beach in Surin and N & N's German Restaurant, all near the bus station.

Go next

 * Buriram
 * Cambodia is accessible via the Chong Chom/O'Smach border crossing. The drive into Cambodia becomes very scenic as the road descends the Dangrek Mountains. At the border, between the two countries' immigration offices, are a couple of casino hotels. Visas are issued at this border, make sure you only pay USD20 for a Cambodian tourist visa. Touts will try to convince you to pay more. On the Cambodian side, O'Smach town, a collection of attap huts and unpaved streets, is less than 1 km down the hill from the immigration offices. It has at least three guesthouses for those arriving late and not able to make onward travel. It also has a market with cafes and a branch of Acleda Bank (no ATM).

Paramount Angkor Transport runs buses to Samraong and beyond from O'Smach town. Look for the attap hut with bus advertisements on the highway at the turning to the town. On the Thai side, minibuses run from Chong Chom to Surin (60 baht).


 * Si Saket