DESTINATION: Phum Riang River - Ban Don Bay—Surat Thani, Thailand. - River Origins, Destinations and Confluences on Waymarking.com

The Phum Riang river is one of several rivers which empty into the Bay of Ban Don, which in turn is part of the Gulf of Thailand. The river is perhaps no more than 20kms long, with a river mouth ~300m wide, but its location gives it a prominence which belies its size.

In this southern area of Thailand, between one and two thousand years ago, there was a busy 'Thai Silk Road', a trade route stretching across the peninsula, which was part of the trade link between Europe, the Middle East, and the far east/China. At that time the nearby now quiet and small town of Chaiya was a major and wealthy city of the long gone and somewhat forgotten Srivijaya empire, which controlled and grew wealthy from this trade. A millennium and more ago this river and Bay was filled with ships, merchants, and people, from all corners of the earth, and the hustle and bustle of commerce, as goods moved eastwards and westward.

There are a sizeable number of largely unexamined archaeological sites in this area, which are only now being scrutinised. I suspect that in years to come these will become tourist attractions in themselves.

In the 21st century the importance of the river is vastly less than it was. River traffic consists largely of small fishing boats, from villages along the shore, moving out into the Bay and then returning laden (one hopes) with the day's catch. On the western side of the river mouth there are several restaurants and parking areas. On the eastern a long stretch of white sandy beach. The river banks slope gradually down into the water, and there are clear signs of sizeable tidal variations in the height of the water.

While waking on this beach I came across several families who make part of their living digging for shell fish. They wanted to know what I was doing. Avoiding the linguistic and cultural difficulties inherent in explaining waymarking, I simply said that I was taking photographs, and gave them 100b ($3) for the privilege of taking their photograph. That is a guilt free way of giving a gift. Seeing these people eek out a marginal existence is one of those moments one experiences while travelling in the 3rd world.

The beach area on the eastern side of the river mouth is attractive, and worth a visit, if you are in the area and enjoy beach photography. There is also a small Muslim populated village (which is also named Phum Riang) nearby, which has a name in the tourism business for making good silk.

A good view of the river mouth can be obtained from either side of the river, both sides of which are easily accessible, and with lots of parking places. There is also a bridge across the river, ~500m back from the beach, from where photographs can also be taken. The waymark location is on the western shore of the river mouth. While not the greatest river mouth in existence, I can summarise my impression with the term 'picturesque'.

Parking Coordinates: various. Trailhead Coordinates: Not listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1. Describe your journey and visit.
2. Date of your visit.
3. At least one original photo (DO NOT include either you or your GPSr).

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