Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi (town of diamonds), the main town of Phetchaburi province, is surrounded by impressive mountain chains and lies south-west of Bangkok, approximately 10 km (6 mi.) from the mouth of the river of the same name in the Gulf of Thailand
Khao Khlang mountain with King Mongkut's palace towers above Phetchaburi and dominates the townscape. The temple sites in the valley bear witness to a great past; the Chinese quarter points to the fact that Phetchaburi was once a center of overseas trade. There are some beautiful, quiet beaches only a few miles away.
By car: from Bangkok Highway 4 (about 123 km (76 mi.), alternatively Highway 35.
By bus: from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal.
By rail: on the Bangkok-South Thailand line.
The town of Phetchaburi was probably founded by the Mon people in the 8th c., although there was an important base here even earlier on the trade route from Europe via India to China. In the 11th/12th c. Khmer people seized the town and established a religious center here. Around 1350 Phetchaburi became part of the Ayutthaya kingdom. In 1610 the town fell temporarily under the control of Japanese pirates whose leaders declared themselves independent princes. That, however, was not in accordance with the quite liberal-minded kings of Ayutthaya who had previously allowed numerous European trading companies to settle here. After several confrontations King Petraja drove the farang (foreigners) out of the kingdom; for the next 130 years Thailand was closed to all foreigners.
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