A view from the central building

On the road from Trat to Had lek (the Cambodian border crossing) lies the beautiful Wat Suwan pak dee (formal name), or “The Dhamma resort” (website name), or Wat tung Kai duk – as the locals call it.

Kutis by the pond

You are invited to come for a 3 days retreat (no less, but more is possible) free of charge, and spend your time meditating in a relaxing atmosphere in a nicely built Kuti (a monk’s hut – a small brick bungalow in this case) by the pond side.

Food (and even clothes, if needed) is provided by the wat. Of course you can donate to cover the expenses.

We spoke to a local monk, who told us there are no English speaking monks at the wat, but foreigners are still welcome. We saw quite a few ladies there, and the women of Trat tell us the place is well known for it’s meditation retreats.

Stuffed tiger @ main building

What a cool logo!

You can either charter a taxi from Trat or get there by car, driving about 12 KM on the road from Trat to Had lek, and turning left at the army checkpoint of ampoe thakum. The Wat is about 15 KM further down that road.

Check out Dhamma resort website for more details and pictures.

Almost everything in the night market is good, but these noodles are something else.

Opens at around 10:00 and operates until noon or early afternoon (14:00), when the chicken is sold out. Offers a very crispy fried chicken with whole garlic cloves in the batter, served with sticky rice and Isaan (north-eastern Thailand) style salads, like Laarb, som-tam (green papaya salad) and corn salad, made fresh when you order. As usual in Thailand, you can eat there or take away.

It’s in the “recommended” category because although you pay less than $3 for a visit to the doctor, you get amazingly professional treatment. Still, it’s not recommended to be sick