Kamphaeng Phet
The provincial capital of Kamphaeng Phet stands amidst the jungle landscape of northern Thailand's hill country on the Menam Ping. The faded glory of the historic ruins nearby testifies to the fact that this was the site of one of the
most important cities in the Sukhothai kingdom. Close to the town is the beginning of the last of Thailand's teak forests, stretching from here well up into the north of the country. Since 1988, when disastrous landslides brought a government ban on the felling of tropical timber, teak is no longer floated from here down to Bangkok on the Menam Ping.
A visit to Kamphaeng Phet would form part of a tour tracing the history of Thailand, and it is a good base for trips to Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai, both once linked to the town by the Phra Ruang Highway, and to Tak and Phitsanulok. Itineraries of this kind are included by Bangkok travel companies in their programs.
By car: Highway 1 from Bangkok (360 km (224 mi.)), highways 117/115 from Phitsanulok (102 km (63 mi.)), Highway 101 from Sukhothai (76 km (47 mi.)).
By air: nearest airport Phitsanulok (daily flights from Bangkok).
The building of the town to serve as a front line of defense for the Sukhothai kingdom was ordered by King Liu Thai (1347-68). It was intended to replace Chakang Rao, of which little remains, on the other side of the river. Since the Sukhothai kingdom only lasted till 1376 Kamphaeng Phet's heyday was brief, but temple building continued in the 15th and 16th c. and was not halted until invasion by the Burmese in the late 16th c. when they plundered and destroyed parts of the city.
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