Samkhok

Stepping ashore at this ancient Mon town is like passing through a portal into the past. Settled by Mon refugees fleeing the Burmese in the late Ayutthaya period, Samkhok was formerly the provincial centre before it was moved to Pathum Thani. The town is not on the tourist maps, but is a living museum of Thai culture; the narrow lanes and alleyways are lined with shop-houses selling everything from gold jewellery to spices and clay charcoal burners.