Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [394]
Srng·ta·ou run from Surin’s bus terminal (45B, two hours, hourly) with the last one returning at 4pm. If you’re driving, take Rte 214 north for 40km and follow the ‘Elephant Village’ signs down Rte 3027.
Craft Villages
There are many silk-weaving villages in easy striking distance of Surin town. The province’s distinct fabrics – principally pâh hoh, a tightly woven mát·mèe – have a Khmer influence. They use only natural dyes and the most delicate silk fibres from the insides of the cocoons. Surin silks aren’t readily available in other parts of Thailand (though they’re becoming easier to find in Bangkok), and prices can be over 50% cheaper.
By far the most famous weaving centre is Ban Tha Sawang, where Chansoma (08 1726 0397; 8am-5pm) makes exquisite brocade fabrics (pâh yók torng) incorporating threads coated in silver and gold. The weaving process is mighty impressive. Four women, including one sitting a floor below the others, work the loom simultaneously and can produce no more than 4cm a day. Many of the finished products are destined for the royal court, but you can custom order your own if you can afford at least 30,000B per metre. Dozens of other nearby shops selling more typical silks serve the masses of Thai tourists disgorged by a steady stream of tour buses. The village is just 8km west of the city via Rte 4026, but finding it can be tough on your own since English-language signage is scattershot. Srng·ta·ou (17B, 20 minutes) run regularly from Surin’s market, and a túk-túk should cost about 100B.
Ban Khwao Sinarin and Ban Chok, next-door neighbours 18km north of Surin via Rtes 214 and 3036, are known for silk and silver respectively. However, these days you can buy both in each village. One of the silk specialities is yók dòrk, a much simpler brocade style than what’s made in Ban Tha Sawang, but that still requires up to 35 foot pedals on the looms. Khun Manee, who runs Phra Dab Suk (08 9865 8720) on the main drag, takes visitors out to see silk being woven for 100B per person; you must call in advance. The silver standout is rà keuam, a Cambodian style of bead brought to Thailand by Ban Chok’s ancestors many centuries ago. Ban Chok Silver Co-operative (Glùm Krêung Ngeum Bâhn Chôhk; 08 1309 4352), south of the main road, creates unique silver jewellery. Srng·ta·ou go from Surin (25B, 1½ hours) to Ban Khwao Sinarin hourly.
The residents of Ban Buthom (14km out of Surin on Rte 226 on the way to Sikhoraphum) weave sturdy, unlacquered rattan bask-ets, including some rather flat ones that pack well.
Prasat Ta Meuan
The most atmospheric (and most difficult to reach) of Surin’s Khmer ruins is a series of three sites known collectively as Prasat Ta Meuan (admission free; daylight hr), in Tambon Ta Miang on the Cambodian border. It lines the ancient route linking Angkor Wat to Phimai.
The first site, Prasat Ta Meuan proper, was built in the Jayavarman VII period (AD 1181–1210) as a rest stop for pilgrims. It’s a fairly small monument with a two-door, 10-window sanctuary constructed of laterite blocks; only one sculpted sandstone lintel remains.
Just 300m south, Prasat Ta Meuan Toht, which was the chapel for a ‘healing station’, is a bit larger. Also built by Jayavarman VII, the ruins consist of a gopura, mon·dòp and main prang, all surrounded by a laterite wall.
Nearly 1km further south, next to the army base at the end of the road, is the largest site, Prasat Ta Meuan Thom. This site pre-dates the other two by as much as two centuries. Despite a somewhat haphazard reconstruction, this one nearly justifies the effort it takes to get here. Three prang and a large hall are built of sandstone blocks on a laterite base. Several smaller buildings also still stand inside the wall. Many carvings encase the principal prang, although the best were pried or blasted away and sold to unscrupulous Thai dealers by the Khmer Rouge who occupied the site in the 1980s. A stairway on the southern end drops to Cambodian territory. Landmines and undetonated