🏞️ Bangkok's Off-the-Beaten-Path Gem 🌳

🌳Tired of the crowded Grand Palace and the sea of tourists? Escape to this hidden spot just an hour's drive from Bangkok—Nakhon Pathom Province, home to the world's tallest Buddhist stupa. Here, you'll find no skyscrapers, no bustling tourist crowds, and none of the overpriced traps found in Phuket. It's just a tranquil town waiting to be explored. 🌳Nakhon Pathom has more than just the Great Buddha Stupa and Samphran Temple; though these are the main attractions, a day trip is plenty. To visit the Great Buddha Stupa, foreigners are required to pay a 60 baht entrance fee, but entering through the side door allows you to bypass the fee. The site is almost devoid of Chinese tourists, mostly frequented by locals. The stupa houses a golden Buddha statue and a large reclining Buddha, which can be seen in about an hour. After your visit, try some local snacks. For 100 baht, you can get two Thai bamboo tube meals—black sticky rice with red beans, steamed in coconut milk and scented with bamboo, soft, sticky, and incredibly delicious. There are also many stalls selling pomelos, with 100 baht getting you three pomelos, sweet and juicy. 🌳Of course, a visit to Nakhon Pathom isn't complete without trying the local specialty—volcano shrimp. This restaurant, with over thirty years of history, serves cooked river prawns under a volcanic-shaped cover, doused in liquor and set ablaze again, resembling an erupting volcano. The shrimp shells are crispy, the meat is弹 and flavorful, and the salt and pepper seasoning makes for a delicious dish on its own. Don't miss the must-have Thai soup, Tom Yum Goong, packed with several fresh, large prawns. Other dishes are equally tasty, such as oyster omelettes, stir-fried Buddha's hand gourd tips, garlic stir-fried shrimp, and fried fish cakes. My partner and I ordered six dishes for just 1200 baht and left utterly satisfied. 🌳On your way, you'll also find many beautiful temples worth visiting and taking pictures at. #Thailand #NakhonPathom #HiddenTravelGem #Bangkok #ThaiFood #ThaiCuisine #OnePieceOfInformation #UnmissableScenery