Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [393]
Sumrub Tornkruang (0 4451 5015; off Th Jit Bamrung; dishes 65-250B; lunch & dinner) This unexpected place, tucked away behind the bus station, is classy in a totally Thai way. Prices are reasonable for the properly prepared Thai (and some Isan) food.
Farang Connection (0 4451 1509; off Th Jit Bamrung; dishes 50-750B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) Also behind the bus station, this aptly named, British-owned place meets many travellers’ needs. The menu is a thick list of foreign favourites like chicken tikka masala, Wiener schnitzel and BLTs, and the liquor list is just as global. The Thai food is pretty good too. There’s an internet cafe upstairs and a small book exchange in the pub across the road. Wi-fi is free.
Coffee More (Th Tanasan; cappuccino 25B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This bright modern place just south of the train station has some of the best coffees in town, plus ice cream and other snacks.
Surin’s principal night market (Th Krung Si Nai; 5-10pm) is a block south of the fountain. Just to the west, by the clock tower, vendors fronting the municipal market serve until at least 2am. Both markets whip up an excellent selection of Thai and Isan dishes, including, as always, fried insects.
Surin’s surprisingly wild nightlife is centred on Soi Kola and Th Sirirat around the Thong Tarin Hotel.
Getting There & Away
BUS
From Surin’s bus terminal (0 4451 1756; Th Jit Bamrung) buses head to/from Si Saket (ordinary 60B, 1½ hours, hourly), Ubon Ratchathani (2nd/1st class 144/212B, three hours, hourly), Roi Et (2nd class 98B, three hours, hourly), Khorat (2nd/1st class 120/178B, four hours, every half-hour), Chiang Mai (2nd class/32-seat VIP 698/893B, 14 hours, six daily) and Pattaya (2nd class/32-seat VIP 412/584B, eight hours, hourly). Most of the frequent buses going to Bangkok (2nd/1st class 345/399B, seven hours) also use Surin’s bus terminal, including 999 VIP (0 4451 5344), which has a 24-seat VIP service (530B, 9.30pm).
Because of the casino, there’s a lot of minibus (65B, 1½ hours, every half-hour) traffic from the bus terminal to the Cambodian border crossing (open 7am to 8pm) at Chong Chom, where visas are available on the spot (see Click here for details). There’s little transport on the Cambodian side. A seat in a car will cost 500B for the four-hour drive to Siem Reap, but if you arrive late you may have to pay 2500B for the whole vehicle.
TRAIN
Surin is on the Bangkok–Ubon line and there are 10 daily services to both destinations. A 3rd-/2nd-class seat to Ubon (three hours) starts at 81/150B. To Bangkok (seven to nine hours) 3rd-/2nd-/1st-class sleeper prices begin at 183/389/1149B. Call Surin Station (0 4451 1295) for more information.
Getting Around
Surin is a very convenient city for travellers; virtually everything you’ll want or need is within a few blocks of the bus and train stations. If you don’t want to walk, túk-túk charge around 30B to 40B for a trip within the centre.
Pirom-Aree’s House, Saren Travel and Farang Connection all hire cars, plus the latter has motorcycles.
AROUND SURIN
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Ban Tha Klang
To see Surin’s elephants during the low seas-on, visit the Elephant Study Centre (0 4414 5050; admission free; 9.30am-4.30pm) in Ban Tha Klang, about 50km north of Surin. A little museum discusses elephants and elephant training, and some of the performers at the annual festival live here in traditional Suai homes sheltering elephants and humans together.
There are daily one-hour talent shows (dona-tions expected; 10am & 2pm, not during the festival) with painting and basketball among the many tusker tricks. The elephants bathe in the river after the second show. If you’d like to spend some quality time with the elephants, you can work alongside a mahout for 1000B per person. Book in advance. The village hosts an Elephant Parade around May’s full moon, with all the pachyderms brightly painted as part of the new monks’ ordination ceremony.
Ban Tha Klang’s homestay (08 1879