Surin, Thailand

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Surin is home to many elephants and mahouts: the sign at the town's bus station says "No entry to elephants".

Surin (Thai: สุรินทร, IPA: [suˡrin]) is a town in Thailand, capital of Surin province. It is the site of the annual Surin Elephant Round-up. The town is also an access point for the Khmer temples of Phanom Rung historical park, Prasat Preah Vihear and potentially Angkor Wat.

Surin town is located approximately 450 kilometres North East of Bangkok, about half way between Nakorn Ratchasima (Khorat) and Ubon Ratchathani (Lat 14.90, Long 103.50). The population of the town is in the region of 150,000, the majority being of Khmer and Laos decent. Thai is the main language of the area but many, particularly older residents, speak Khmer, Lao, and/or Suway. Surin can be reached from Bangkok by air (to Buriram Airport near Satuk), train (regular services throughout the day) or bus. By private car or taxi, take the route through Saraburi, Khorat and Buriram.

The main industry in Surin Province is agriculture, and the most prevalent crop is rice (khow). The land is very flat which facilitates paddy field construction. It is apparent that around 80% of the provinces population is either farming or at least involved in farming during part of the year (planting and harvesting).

There are two seasons in the Surin Province of Thailand; the hot wet season (between April and October) and the cool dry season (between November and March). The average temperature in the hot wet season is 30oC (but can rise as high as 43oC) and the average in the cool dry season is 23oC falling as low as 10oC at night. Precipitation averages in the region are 20 mm/month in the dry season and 180 mm/month in the wet season. September is normally the wettest month and January the driest.

The Surin Elephant Fair/Roundup is held every year, usually on the third weekend in November, although the elephants may start converging on the town as early as September.

The weekend proper starts with the parade of the elephants through the centre of the town on the Friday morning. The elephants and floats congregate by the railway station and thereafter parade down Tanasan Road to what is locally called the "Elephant Roundabout". Here, the local population has already set up trestle tables of food for the elephant breakfast[[1]]After a few words of welcome from the local dignitaries, the elephants are allowed to eat their fill of fruits and vegetables.

The elephants and mahoots then make their way to the "Elephant Stadium" for the rehearsal of the weekend's highlight, the "Elephant Roundup".

The official show is on the Saturday and repeated on the Sunday. Here the elephants and mahoots show their skills and strengths to both locals and tourists alike. The show culminates in a re-enactment of the historic battles[[2]] between the Thai, Laos and Khmer armies.

Surin has a substantial population of expatriate westerners married to local women. At this time, there is an estimated population of foreigners (known as farangs in Thai) of 6,000 living in Surin or surrounding villages. These men are mostly married to local Thai ladies they have met in other parts of Thailand while on vacation here. There are three "farang" restaurants located in Surin, where one could meet local expats having a beer and a chat. They are the Farang Connection and the Oasis located behind the bus terminal and Norbie's German Beer Bar located in the heart of the nightlife area known as Soi Cola.

Click for a detailed map of Surin Town:

Image:Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Surintown.jpg