Savi and I hopped on our motorbike a while back and zoomed on up to Chaiya to see some temple ruins. It’s not hard to get to: Go north over the Don Nok bridge and hang a right on the 4112 when you reach it in Ban Nong Si. Follow that road to Chaiya. It’s not immediately obvious where these ruins might be, so let me tell you: when you get into town continue through it. Pass a set of railroad tracks and a temple shrouded in forest and turn right immediately after that temple to start back south on the road which gives access to Wat Long and Wat Kaew. If you come to a giant temple complex with a pointy golden stupa, you’ve gone too far toward highway 41.
Both Wat Long and Wat Kaew, representative examples along with Wat Suan Mok of Srivijaya empire architecture, will be on the left-hand (east) side of this road.
There is no fee for entrance and you should be surprised if there are any other tourists (or even people) in the vicinity. Pretty cool stuff. When we were there a dog had had her pups inside one of the ruined rooms of Wat Kaew, behind a headless stone Buddha.
Link to pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9889654@N03/sets/72157631030650990/
Super English Surat Thani 