Shopping / Security and smart homes

Daily 6-11pm

Rising from the hills of Chalong, forming a gleaming presence that can be seen from clear across Phuket’s south, sits the Big Buddha. A decade ago, the huge statue was commissioned for a temple in Kata, but at some point someone looked up to the top of the verdant hill rising behind the temple and thought, “Why not?” Thus, an ambitious plan was born.

On the Big Buddha hilltop there are encouraging signs to be found. In the large meditation hall on one afternoon, a small group of Thais and foreign tourists can be seen receiving blessings from two monks, a peaceful scene familiar to anyone living in Thailand, but for visitors it reveals the contemplative, tender side of Thai culture not always evident in the brash tourist areas.

Getting there
Operated only on weekends and holidays, the rail trip to the historic Bridge on the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, is entertaining and provides sobering lessons in some of the darker history of World War II.

The train leaves Bangkok's Hualamphong Station at 6.30am, returns around 8.00pm and costs only 200 baht air-con and 100 baht for a car with open windows and a fan. Although air-con is more comfortable, viewing and photography is easier in the cars with open windows.

There are guides on the train offering commentary in Thai, but they often stopped at our seat to explain things in English. Once off the train, people fend for themselves, but this didn’t present any problem as we simply followed the crowd to the various sights. It is a good idea, however, to bring your favourite guidebook along to help fill in details.

Don't make our mistake of not having breakfast before arriving at the station. Hualamphong’s food vendors don’t open for business until after the train departs! Also be sure to purchase your ticket a couple of days in advance as seats often sell out before departure.

Nakhon Pathom
Our first stop was Nakhon Pathom, one of Thailand's oldest cities and home of the world's tallest Buddhist monument, the Phra Pathom Chedi. Looming dramatically over the entire city, the 127-metre orange-glazed spire glittered in the early morning sun as we scrambled off the train. The time allotted for the stop was just 30 minutes, so we only had time to reach the base of the monument, snap a few pictures and grab some of Nakhon Pathom's famous khao laam – sticky rice and coconut steamed in a segment of bamboo – before rushing back to the waiting train. Nakhon Pathom and its colossal chedi deserve more time, but this visit was enough to whet our appetite and ensure that we would return for a more extensive visit.