~{nilheadimage~=132247~}
We continue to enthuse about this low-key, relaxed, fascinating city. It's going to be hard to tear ourselves away on Thursday...

Since my last post we've been mugging up on Nakhon Si Thammarat history, aided by a selection of interesting museums.

One is the National Museum, which has a treasure trove of artefacts (including the originals from the shrines we visited ~{purplepost~=801~;text~=earlier~;target~=nst1~}). Entry for non-Thais is a rather hefty 150 baht, but it's definitely worth a visit.

~{nilimage~=132183~;dir~=V~;alt~=Shiva~}
~{nilimage~=132185~;dir~=V~;alt~=Vishnu~}
~{nilimage~=132190~;dir~=V~;alt~=avalokiteshvara~}
~{nilimage~=132191~;dir~=V~;alt~=head~}
At the opposite end of town is the City Museum. This is much lighter on actual exhibits, but free, and notable for its good English explanations, which piece the city's history together very comprehensibly. It's situated in a rather lovely park, which would bear more exploration on a future occasion.

~{nilimage~=132224~;dir~=H~;alt~=park~}
Inspired by all this heritage, we slid a few more historic sights into our walking itineraries.

~{nilimage~=132214~;dir~=H~;alt~=ruinedchedi~;caption~=Wat Tao Kot, with its Srivijaya-era ruins~}
~{nilimage~=132215~;dir~=V~;alt~=ruinedchedi~}
~{nilimage~=132219~;dir~=H~;alt~=phrasayom~;caption~=Phra Sayom Base, another Shiva shrine (note the resident cat)~}
~{nilimage~=132250~;dir~=H~;alt~=ashhouse~;caption~=Wat Pradu, which may contain the ashes of King Taksin (it's a long story)...~}
~{nilimage~=132249~;dir~=H~;alt~=chedi~}
~{nilimage~=132251~;dir~=V~;alt~=dragons~}
~{nilimage~=132260~;dir~=V~;alt~=well~;caption~=Wat Na Phra Lan, site of one of the six sacred wells in the province~}
~{nilimage~=132204~;dir~=H~;alt~=tankhun~;caption~=Baan Tan Khun, a traditional, "Panya-style" house, now over 100 years old~}
~{nilimage~=132176~;dir~=H~;alt~=livingspace~}
~{nilimage~=132175~;dir~=H~;alt~=family~}
~{nilimage~=132177~;dir~=V~;alt~=mirror~}
~{nilimage~=132258~;dir~=V~;alt~=mosque~;caption~=Masjid Salahudin~}
~{nilimage~=132257~;dir~=H~;alt~=kingphoto~}
The third museum is the Suchart Subsin Shadow Puppetry Museum. I just can't go past puppets, and shadow puppets have been favourites since our ~{nilpost~=139~;text~=Yogya days~;target~=wayangkulit~}. There's an exhibition of puppets from various eras and locations; the resident puppet-maker will show you how the colourful figures are crafted; and for a small donation, she and her husband will stage a brief performance (which the dog will do its utmost to disrupt).

~{nilimage~=132228~;dir~=H~;alt~=suchart~;caption~=The late puppet master~}
~{nilimage~=132234~;dir~=V~;alt~=puppet~}
~{nilimage~=132235~;dir~=V~;alt~=puppet&window~}
~{nilimage~=132236~;dir~=V~;alt~=basket~;caption~=Baskets like these could carry 100 puppets or more~}
~{nilimage~=132238~;dir~=H~;alt~=memorabilia~}
~{nilimage~=132241~;dir~=V~;alt~=colouring~;caption~=Colouring the puppet~}
~{nilimage~=132244~;dir~=V~;alt~=cutting~;caption~=Making the design, with hammer and awl, or knife~}
~{nilimage~=132246~;dir~=H~;alt~=show~;caption~=The show~}
People are a bit surprised that we've spent so long in the city. Most travellers head for the hills or the beach. And we will one day too. But this time round, the city is suiting me just fine.