Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [395]
The sites begin 10.3km south of Ban Ta Miang on Rte 224, 23km east of Ban Kruat via a winding road used by far more cows than cars. You need your own transport to get here, and a visit is usually more convenient from Phanom Rung Historical Park (Click here) than from Surin town.
Other Khmer Temple Ruins
The southern reaches of Surin Province, along the Cambodian border, harbour several minor Angkor-period ruins. The 11th-century Prasat Ban Pluang (admission 30B; 7.30am-6pm) is 33km south of Surin. It’s just a solitary sandstone prang with most of its top gone, but some wonderful carvings (including a lintel above the entrance with the Hindu god Indra riding his elephant, Airavata) make it worth a stop. A U-shaped moat rings the prang. The site sits 600m off Rte 214; the turn-off is 2.5km south of Hwy 24. Any vehicle bound for Kap Choeng or the border can drop you nearby (25B, 30 minutes).
A larger Khmer site is seen 30km northeast of town at Prasat Sikhoraphum (admission 50B; 8-5pm), in the town of the same name. Built in the 12th century, Sikhoraphum features five brick prang, the tallest of which reaches 32m. Two prang still hold their tops, including the central one whose doorways are decorated with stone carvings of Hindu deities, following the Angkor Wat style. There’s a sound-and-light show here during the Elephant Round-up. Sikhoraphum can be reached by bus (25B, one hour) or train (7B, 30 minutes) from Surin town.
If driving out here, you may as well take a 400m detour off Rte 226 for a peep at Prasat Muang Thi (admission free; daylight hr), 15km from Surin. The three remaining brick prang are in sad shape (one looks like it’s ready to topple), but they’re so small they’re actually kind of cute.
The ruined Prasat Phumpon (admission free; daylight hr) in Amphoe Sangkha, dating from the 7th or 8th century, is the oldest Khmer rah·sàht in Thailand. However, that’s its only claim to fame and you’ll likely be disappointed by this simple brick prang if you’re expecting something magnificent. Amphoe Sangkha is 9km south of Hwy 24 on Rte 2124; veer right through the village at the fork in the road.
SI SAKET
pop 42,800
There’s not a whole lot to do in the humdrum town of Si Saket, but if you’re headed to the Angkor-era temple complex of Khao Phra Wihan, you may pass through.
Si Saket is centred on its train station. The bus terminal is about 2km south on Th Kuang Heng. Banks and internet cafes are widely scattered, with the former lying mostly south of the tracks in the more commercial half of the city. Staff at the Si Saket Tourism Coordination Centre (0 4561 1283; cnr Th Lak Muang & Th Thepa; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) are enthusiastic about their province; pity they don’t have more to promote.
The city’s principal (and pretty much only) attraction is Tak Khun Ampai Panich (0 4561 2637; cnr Th Ubon & Th Wijitnakorn; 9am-8pm), a very pretty wood-and-stucco shophouse built in 1925. It now houses an OTOP Center selling locally produced silks and crafts. Upstairs is a little museum in the making with a few antiques. It’s about a 10-minute walk southwest of the train station.
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Sleeping & Eating
Si Saket Hotel (0 4561 2582; 384/85 Th Si Saket; r 150-250B; ) Just a stone’s throw north of the train station, Si Saket is a bit rough, but right for the price. Even the cheapest rooms have cable TV; that money would have been better spent on quality mattresses.
Phrompiman Hotel (0 4561 2677; 849/1 Th Lak Meuang; r 400-990B; ) This hotel, just west of the train station, offers good value, especially if you step up to Superior level (650B), which is why it’s sometimes full. Among its many on-site facilities are a travel agency, bar, snooker club, minimart and two restaurants.
There are some simple restaurants just north of the train station, but most of the city’s culinary razzmatazz is in the great night market (4-11pm) that convenes immediately to the south. For something more special, try Sisaket