Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat is an interesting city that sees very few foreign tourists. There are several interesting attractions that make it well worth spending a day or two there.
Places of interest
Wat Mahathat is one of the most impressive temples I have seen in Thailand. The temple is said to be 1,500 years old. It is dominated by a 77 metre high stupa built in the 13th century C.E. Its pointy spire is covered in 600 kilograms of gold. There is a small museum in the temple grounds with an interesting, but disorganised, collection of artefacts. Entry to the museum is by donation. 
The Shadow Puppet museum and workshop know in Thai as Ban Nang Thalung Suchart Subsin (110/18 Soi 3 Si Thammasok) was another highlight. There is a small workshop where they demonstrate the making of the shadow puppets (nang thalung in Thai) from leather. The puppets are intricate and beautiful. There is also a small museum with displays of a range of puppets. They have puppets for sale with prices starting at about B300. I was also able to see a short performance while I was there. Entry to the workshop and museum was free but there was a B100 charge for the show.
The National Musem is located a few hundred metres south of Wat Mahathat. It includes an interesting range of artefacts from Southern Thailand including Buddhist and Hindu artefacts dating back to the Srivijaya period. the most interesting section was the "Local Wisdom of Nakhon Si Thammarat" which had excellent displays detailing ordination and marriage ceremonies. Entry is B30 for foreigners.
Other points of interest in the city are the shops selling silverware on Thachang Road, the Phra Buddha Singh shrine and the remnants of the old city wall.
Logistics
Nakhon Si Thammarat is long and narrow making it easy to navigate around. The main commercial area is concentrated around the railway station. Wat Mahathat and the other main attractions are about two kilometres south. Songthaews run along the main road and cost B6.
I stayed at the Thai Hotel which was centrally located near the railway station and good value. It was B220 for a single room with fan, TV and cold water. More expensive rooms with air conditioning and hot water are available. Hao Coffee in Bovorn Bazaar is decorated in the style of an old Thai-Chinese coffee shop. It sells coffee, tea and Thai and Western meals at reasonable prices. The night market one block east of the railway station serves up a wide range of cheap food.
