Kantang District
Posted April 24, 2026 by Jan
Kantang
Kantang Province
Kingdom of Thailand
23 April 2026
Hello,
The drive from Hat Yau Beach to Trang City is uneventful. We pass through farming communities and small-towns. The main street is lined with shops selling automotive and agricultural equipment. “Not much to write home about.”
As Chan is our driver now, he is determined. He first takes Gary and me to the Kantang Hot Spring Forest Park. The spring is inviting. The forest park provides a canopy walk. The trees are clumped together in a green mass that sways with the breeze. Birds welcome us. After that lovely walk we make a stop at the Kantang Railway Station (1917). It’s still a working station. And a tourist stop.
I take the obligatory shots in both places. Even a video of bird song in the park. As is my wont, I shoot a tour group at the railway station and, naturally, pose with them as well.
Compared to the images of my sail on the Adaman Sea, the photos at the Hot Spring and the Station are underwhelming. Tentatively I decided not to post the photos.
Then it hit me! Counting! Counting Provinces in Thailand.
I have done my share of counting. Counting countries! For example, The Century Travel Club counts countries visited when you have only changed planes in an airport. They also count remote areas and territories. Alaska and Puerto Rico and mainland USA count as three countries! My count is well over a hundred, the obvious requirement for membership. But that’s not for me.
The Most Traveled People club counts not only countries but also provinces within certain countries. But how can I determine the provinces during my many visits to France? I did try. But only with some research. Finally, I became so frustrated as I tried to determine the provinces I had visited in China, I deleted the app.
My bottom line: I count only UN recognized sovereign countries.
By the way, my friend Larry proudly announced that he has visited all fifty states of the United States! He beats me by five!
Thailand has seventy-seven Provinces. How many have I seen? I started counting. I’m up to forty-nine. So…Kantang Province, the home of the Hot Spring and the Railway Station makes Fifty!
Now that’s a milestone! A worthy reason for me to post the photos!
What are you counting?
Books read so far this year?
Lifetime number of species of birds seen in the wild?
Number of Coen Brothers videos you have watched and watched again?
Number of grandchildren?
Number of visits, telephone calls made, and letters sent to relatives and friends?
My friends, here’s our secret: Let’s keep on counting!
Cheers,
Jan
PS With a bit of (delayed!) research, it took all of two clicks of my mouse, I am embarrassed to report that Kantang is not a province of Thailand. Kantang is a District of Trang Province. So I'll keep on traveling and keep on counting provinces: South again to Nakhon Si Yammarat Province or furthest south to Songkhla Province on the Malaysian border?
Travel buddies welcome!
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