Phimai’s historical park, an ancient sanctuary dating from the 11th century, was once connected by a road to Angkor (in present-day Cambodia) and exhibits many of the same Khmer-style features as its world-renowned relative. Aside from the impressively maintained ruins, this cordial little town has a few comfortable budget accommodations and enough nearby attractions to warrant a few days of sightseeing mixed with a dollop of general laziness. Rent a bike to travel the town and its surrounding farms and rice paddies at your own pace.
Buses to Phimai depart from Khorat’s Bus Terminal 2 (1hr., every 30min. 5am-10pm, 54฿). They first drop passengers off at the center of town, after crossing Moon River. Buses continue to Phimai Town bus station in a housing development outside of Phimai proper. To get to the center of town from the Phimai Town bus station, take a red songthaew (5฿), or take a right from the bus station and walk down Sra Kaew Rd. for 1km. For most destinations, travel to Khorat and change there. Buses depart Phimai for Khorat across from the clock tower or from the bus station (every 30min. 5:30am-7pm, 37-50฿). There are a limited number of A/C buses; ask on the day of travel for their schedule. To head north t o Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, or Udon Thani, get off at Talad Khae (12฿), 10km away from Phimai, and ask someone where to wait. Those moving on east to Buriram, Surin, or Ubon Ratchathani may bypass Khorat and save considerable time by taking a songthaew from the Phimai bus station to the train station at Hin Dat (30min., M-F 8am-4:30pm, 30฿). From there, catch an east-bound train (7am, noon, 5, 10:30pm; 13-23฿).
Khmer ruins crown the northern end of the town’s main thoroughfare, Chomsudasaget Road. It is at these ruins that Chomsudasaget Rd. meets Anantajinda Road, which runs along the front of the park. About 300m away from the park, Chomsudasaget Rd. intersects Haruethairome Road. The town’s clock tower sits at the southeast corner of the park, at the intersection of Anantajinda Rd. and Songkhran Road; this is also where buses often stop for passengers to disembark. Services in Phimai include: the Kashikornbank, 248 Chomsudasaget Rd., which has an AmEx/Cirrus/MC/V ATM and exchanges traveler’s checks (☎044 471 352; 30฿ per check; open M-F 8:30am-3:30pm); Phimai Hospital (☎044 471 288, emergency 044 481 908), 2km northwest of town on Route 206; a tourist police booth (☎044 341 778, open 8am-6pm), located next to the park entrance, and a good place to go for tourist information and maps; Internet at the Agfa Film Shop 100m down from the entrance to the park, on the corner of the alleyway leading to Old Phimai Guest House (☎044 471 423, 20฿ per hr.); and a post office, 123 Wonprang Rd., along the western border of the park; when facing the park gate, take a left onto Anantajinda Rd.; Wonprang Rd. is the first right, and the post office is 150m down on the left. (☎044 471 342. Open M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, Sa 9am-noon.) Postal Code: 30110.
Phimai is more backpacker friendly than most places in the northeast, with dorm rooms and English signs in the town’s guesthouses. Most accommodations are situated around Chomsudasaget Rd., which runs south, starting at the park entrance.
Your first option for eats in Phimai has to be the markets. Gathered near the clock tower, stalls serve up fresh, hot khanom kroks, bite-sized coconut treats, for 10฿ a box. The night market, also close to the clock tower, serves up treats like Phimai’s phad mee (similar to pad thai but without eggs and peanuts) starting at 25฿. Khru Pom Restaurant , 276 Moo 2 Thanon Naimuang, is at the end of a small soi, just beyond the 7-Eleven on Anantajinda Rd., in front of the park entrance. There’s no English-sign, so look for a sign that says “restaurant” and “fresh coffee.” Khru Pom has an English menu and some fantastic Isaan specialties. Try the “money bags,” filled with pork and onions (60฿), or the fresh fruit punch. (☎044 285 304. Punch 30฿. Open 8am-10pm.)
Prasat Hin Phimai Historical Park. Phimai’s main attraction is the stately Khmer ruin of Prasat Hin Phimai Historical Park, smack in the middle of town. At its zenith, the Khmer empire covered much of the mainland of Southeast Asia, and evidence of its power and wealth lingers in the form of hundreds of temples that still dot the region. The central white sandstone tower of Phimai’s Khmer temple and the red sandstone-and-laterite antechambers and walls that surround it were built in the late 11th century in a style similar to that of the Angkor Wat. The entire site was created with its central artistic features facing Angkor to the southeast, whereas most other wats in this region face east. Faded sandstone lintels are to the right of the stone causeway, while naga balustrades and four ceremonial ponds mark the corners of the outer courtyard. The temple is dedicated to Buddhism, but many lintels depict scenes from the epic Ramayana, evidence of the Hindu tradition that preceded the spread of Buddhism. (☎044 471 568. Open daily 7am-6pm. 40฿.)
During the second week in November, Phimai hosts a huge festival which ends in a boat race and involves a light and sound show at the Khmer ruin. If you miss it, however, there is a smaller light and sound show on the last Saturday of each month. (800฿ per person, with a Thai banquet dinner included. Ask at the TAT in Khorat for specific times and infomation.)
Phimai National Museum. The Phimai National Museum (in a white building with a red-tiled roof) includes an extensive collection of Khmer and Dvaravati art from all over the lower northeast, as well as exhibits documenting the social, political, and economic history of the Isaan region. Head here after the ruins to see some of the more intricate relics from the area or, alternatively, for an A/C break. The second floor exhibits the development of the northeast from prehistoric to modern times, the ground floor shows some of the archaeological and historical aspects of Phimai’s own development, and the outside exhibition displays some of the sandstone objects found in and around the region’s Khmer ruins. If you don’t want to be stuck indoors, explore the pond out front and the outdoor displays of numerous lintels depicting Hindu gods. (The museum is 500m down Songkhran Rd., which runs past the eastern perimeter of the temple complex. Facing the park, take a right onto Anantajinda Rd., then take the first left. ☎044 471 167. Open daily 9am-4pm. 30฿.)
Other Sights. For a fairy-tale experience, visit Sai Ngam (“area of splendid Banyans”), the largest banyan tree grouping in Thailand. Walking under Sai Ngam’s thick green canopy is like entering a J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired underworld. Wizened old men will read your palm for a few baht, or you can (temporarily) purchase fish, snakes, or birds (10-20฿) in order to “give freedom to the birds and fish for luck and long life.” At the center, a small pagoda houses the spirit of the 360-year-old area. (On the banks of Moon River, 2km east of town on Anantajinda Rd., past the clock tower; stick to the main road and follow the signs. It’s about a 10min. bike ride or 20-30฿ motorcycle jaunt from town.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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