The appointment time is near. I am waiting for a city tour bus to explore Phangnga town.
Few minutes later, an old Datsun truck shows up. The driver blows his horn to confirm that this is the truck we booked. The old brightly-coloured truck's bed is retrofitted with wooden benches on both sides for passengers with room in the middle for cargo. This is the pho thong truck that can be found in the southern provinces, particularly around the fresh markets.
"Guess, how old it is?," the driver asks. The last Datsun truck was produced in 1997 so it was not too difficult to offer a guess.
"Yes it is 40 years old," the driver answers. With good maintenance, the old truck brings us around town safely.
The truck makes its way through a tunnel at the town's Somdej Phra Srinagarindra Park, passing the green lawns, a small hill and caverns where monkeys make their home. Phangnga is a small town with a compact market on Phetkasem Road and communities hidden along back roads.
If you want to know this town better, Phangnga Museum is a good place to start.
Adapted from the old elegant city hall, the museum tells stories of the town through its six galleries. Phangnga is blessed with natural beauty, from lush forests and blue-green sea to minerals, particularly tin. The prosperity from tin mining and maritime commerce enabled Phangnga to develop its cultural heritage and tradition.
At the back of the museum is Khao Chang or Elephant Mountain. There is a cave called Phung Chang. Like its name, the amazing cave houses a number of elephant-shaped rock formations.
"Phangnga is pretty quiet though it is the administration centre of the province," Nalinee Chamnikarn, the native guide lady, says while walking me up Khao Lang Bat. The small hill is a nice viewpoint where you can see the entire town, flanked by the embrace of towering mountains.
"Muang Phangnga is a peaceful town with 100,000 in population. Young people who want to enjoy city life move to Bangkok or Phuket instead. After 8pm, it is quiet as a church," she said.
Nalinee asks the driver to cross the bridge, to the adjacent tambon of Tham Nam Phut. Once the truck crosses the river, I find myself within a lush plantation of tropical fruit and rubber trees. The truck stops at the Chinese shrine of Pun Thao Kong.
At the back of this shrine, you'll find a tiny spring that gives crystal clear water. Phangnga residents consider the spring's water to be holy, and it is preserved for important ceremonies such as a royal coronation. However, what interests me more is the nutmeg.
Nutmeg is an evergreen tree of which fruit can be used as a sweet spice. Tham Nam Phut houses a number of nutmeg farms where you can take a short visit and buy a sweetened sliced nutmeg.
On the pho thong truck, we scoot around while Nalinee tells us about the town's Chinese culture, and the glory days of commerce when junk ships dominated the sea. I find Phangnga to be a lovely and charming small town that is well kept away from mass tourism.
If you find Phuket and Khao Lak too busy, Phangnga can be a good choice for your next retreat.
