Chanthaburi

The town of the moon -- better known as Chanthaburi -- is a melting pot of Asian cultures whose people have flocked here seeking to find their fortune in the lucrative gems and precious stones trade.

From the faces of the inhabitants to the architecture lining the narrow streets you'll see Khmer, Vietnamese, Chinese, Burmese and even French influences.

The French, who ruled the province between 1893 and 1905, have left behind streets filled with decaying but charming buildings, mostly concentrated around the Chanthaburi river, which snakes through the town's centre.

On a tastier note, they have also influenced the local bakeries where you'll find the occasional croissant and other pastries.

An interesting part of town is the busy Chinese and Vietnamese quarter by the river. The Vietnamese, mostly Christians, arrived in droves on three separate occasions -- during the persecution of Vietnamese Christians in the 1800s, during French rule in the early 20th century and in 1975 following the reunification of Vietnam.

One hundred years ago, the best way to visit Chanthaburi, located just under 300 kilometres from Bangkok, was by boat. Visitors would be dropped at the Chanthaburi river's mouth -- Laem Singh -- from where they would travel upriver by covered sampan for three to four hours. Few foreigners then lived in the town except for a small European garrison which had been there since the French occupation in 1893.

The symbol of Chan, as it is called by the locals, is a rabbit in a full moon -- while westerners tend to spot a man in the moon, Thais see a rabbit.

Chanthaburi is also famed for being the place King Taksin assembled his soldiers before retaking Ayutthaya from the invading Burmese in 1767. The king's statue in Thonburi is built so he is facing the place from where he launched his successful attack.