FESTIVALS
Vegetarian Festival
is a traditional Chinese festival held in Trang around October every year on a full moon night. Thais of Chinese heritage would turn vegetarian (no consumption of meat and certain kinds of vegetables) and dress in white for 9 days and nights in the belief that it brings them bring good fortune and to make merit. Throughout the 9 days and nights, the spirit in the “medium” would go out and give blessing (some call it ‘ touring’) to households where there are offerings set out in front. The procession bearing the medium must light thousands of firecrackers, creating a deafening din. The medium would also perform supernatural feats to show that the spirit is in him.
Cake Festival
derives from the fact that Trang people are well known for making delicious cakes. This is particularly true for the villagers of Ban Lam Phu Ra where making cakes dates back generations. The cakes of Trang have no frosting and have several flavours like orange, coffee, three-flavoured, etc. The festival is scheduled for every August. The cakes make ideal gifts.
Trang Roast Pork Festival
is a tourism promotion activity of Trang that is held every September. The festival features the mouth-watering roast pork made with Trang’s special recipe. The pork skin is crispy, the meat is tender, and it is delicious due to a process by which the pig is fermented with herbs then roasted whole on a specially made grill. Trang’s roast pork is sold daily and goes well with morning coffee or can be a dish at banquets.
Taphao Shell Festival
is aimed at promoting the conservation of nature and the environment. The festival is held at Pak Meng Beach every November, which features a contest of gathering Taphao shells.
Trang Products Fair
is held annually during April 2nd-13th where the fair displays a combination of the culture, traditions and provincial products to be sold in stores, contests, and pageantry.
Annual King’s Birthday and Red Cross Fair
is held during December 5th-15th every year. There are various types of entertainment and shops selling a variety of products. It is the grandest festival of Trang and of southern Thailand.
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Welcome to Trang
Source: Tourism Authority of Thailand
General
Trang or Muang Thap Thiang used to be a port involved in foreign trade. It was the first city where rubber was planted. Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi brought rubber from Malaysia and planted it here before anywhere else in southern Thailand in 1899. Rubber is now considered an important commodity of Thailand. The important Trang River flows through the province from its origin in the Khao Luang mountain range and the Palian River from the Banthat mountain range.
Trang is a coastal province on the Indian Ocean with a long western coastline of about 199 kilometres. The province consists of an archipelago in the Andaman Sea with over 46 islands. Of these, 12 are in Amphoe Kantang, 13 in Amphoe Palian and 21 in Amphoe Sikao. The best time for sea travel is during October to May of the following year.
Trang has a total area of 4,941 square kilometres and is divided into 9 districts (Amphoe) and 1 sub-district (King Amphoe); Amphoe Kantang, Amphoe Huai Yot, Amphoe Yan Ta Khao, Amphoe Palian, Amphoe Sikao, Amphoe Wang Wiset, Amphoe Na Yong, Amphoe Ratsada, and King Amphoe Hat Samran.
Attractions
Phra Non Song Khrueang Manora
Phra Non Song Khrueang Manora is at Wat Phu Khao Thong, Moo 1, Tambon Nam Phut, around 20 kilometres from the city. The Buddha image is in the death posture. The most distinctive feature is the head, which has a decorated head-dress of the Nora dance called the Throet, regarded as a holy and royal ornament of the dance that is an indigenous performance of southern Thailand.
Phra Srinagarindra Park (Thung Nam Phut)
Phra Srinagarindra Park (Thung Nam Phut) is 3 kilometres from the city. Nam Phut Road is on the right of Tha Klang Road. The park has a lovely landscape and a magnificent view.
Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Monument
Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi Monument is in Trang Municipal Park, about 1 kilometre from the Provincial Hall on the Trang-Phatthalung route. Phraya Ratsada helped to make Trang the prosperous city it is today. He developed transportation, agriculture, animal husbandry, education, and local administration. He was also the first person to plant rubber trees in the province, which contributed to its widespread planting in southern Thailand.
Sa Kaphang Surin
Sa Kaphang Surin in Trang Municipality is about 2 kilometres from the Provincial Hall on Wian Kaphang Road. This is a natural pool of about 80,000 square metres. A concrete bridge spans the pool to three beautiful connecting pavilions in the pool’s centre. The surrounding area is a public park. A zoo is not far from Phraya Ratsadanupradit Monument.
Transportation
Bus
Air-conditioned buses, varying in 3 types, depart from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok to Trang every day at the following times:
VIP Bus: 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.
Standard 1 Bus: 7 a.m., 7 p.m., 7.50 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Standard 2 Bus: 5 p.m.
It takes 12 hours for the trip. For more information, please call 0 2435 1199-200 or the Transport Co. in Trang at tel. 0 7521 8718.
Trang offers mortorised tricycles, or Tuk Tuks, for travel within the municipality at 10 baht per trip. Travel between the districts can be by buses and mini-buses or by renting vans from tour companies in the city.
Car
a) Highway No. 4 (Bangkok-Chumphon) to Highway No. 41 (Surat Thani-Thung Song- Huai Yot-Trang), total distance of 828 kilometres.
b) Highway No. 4 (Bangkok-Chumphon) to Ranong-Phannga-Krabi-Trang, total distance of 1,020 kilometres.
c) Highway No. 404-416 (Satun-Palian-Trang), total distance of 140 kilometres.
d) Highway No. 4-407 (Hat Yai-Phatthalung-Trang), total distance of 148 kilometres.
e) Highway No. 4-402 (Phuket-Phang-nga-Krabi-Trang), total distance of 312 kilometres.
Train
Rapid and express trains depart from the Bangkok Railway Station to Trang daily at 5.05 p.m. and 6.20 p.m. respectively, taking 15 hours for the 870-kilometre journey. More information can be obtained from Bangkok Railway Station at tel. 1690, 0 2223 7010 and 0 2223 7020 or calling Trang station at tel. 0 7521 8012.
Air
Thai Airways has daily direct flights connecting Bangkok with Trang with a travel time of 1.10 hours. For more information, call 0 2280 0060, 0 2628 2000 (Bangkok office), 0 7521 9923 or 0 7521 8066 (Trang office), or view their website at www.thaiairways.com.
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