There are places in Thailand that you visit because they are famous.
And then there are places that you visit because someone invites you — and somehow, those places become memories that stay with you for a very long time.
For me, Surin was one of those places.
I travelled from Bangkok to Surin on an invitation, taking an overnight bus for what turned out to be an unexpectedly wonderful journey. The trip took almost twelve hours, but honestly, I hardly felt that it was such a long journey.
The bus was comfortable and surprisingly spacious. There was water, food, Wi-Fi and enough room to stretch out and relax. For a journey of almost twelve hours, it was a remarkably pleasant way to travel — and the price was very reasonable.
Travelling overnight also has its own special charm. You leave the enormous energy of Bangkok behind, settle into your seat, watch the city disappear into the darkness and wake up somewhere completely different.
This time, that place was Surin.
And Surin has something very special.
Elephants.
Surin is not Bangkok.
And that is precisely why I liked it.
The city feels calmer, cleaner and more relaxed. People are friendly, and there is a feeling that life here moves at a more human pace.
I stayed in three different hotels during my time in Surin. What impressed me most was how affordable accommodation could be. My hotels ranged from roughly 12 US dollars to around 20 dollars a night. Two included breakfast, while another had a swimming pool.
It was a reminder that travelling in Thailand does not necessarily have to be expensive.
You can find comfort without spending a fortune.
And once you start exploring Surin, you quickly discover that there is much more here than elephants.
One of my visits was to the Surin National Museum.
The entrance was free when I visited, which made it an especially pleasant stop for anyone interested in understanding the region.
The museum tells the story of Surin's natural environment, archaeology, history and the different communities that have shaped the province, including Thai-Khmer, Lao, Kuy and other cultural traditions. The elephant-raising heritage of the region is also an important part of the story.
If you are planning to visit Ban Ta Klang, I would recommend seeing something of Surin first.
The museum gives you a little context.
Then, when you finally meet the elephants and learn about the people who have lived alongside them for generations, the experience becomes much deeper.
Surin is also a wonderful place for temple lovers.
There are beautiful Buddhist temples and religious sites throughout the area, sometimes appearing almost unexpectedly as you travel through the city and countryside.
One of the places I visited had a large Buddha high on a hill. Walking through the temple area was an experience in itself.
And then there was something I will not easily forget:
bells.
Hundreds and hundreds of them.
In fact, around the temple area there are said to be about a thousand bells, and visitors can ring them as they walk up and down.
You hear one bell.
Then another.
And another.
Soon the whole atmosphere seems to become part of the soundscape — bells, footsteps, wind, birds and the quiet rhythm of a Buddhist temple.
It is one of those simple experiences that costs nothing but gives you a memory.
Of course, travelling in Thailand is never only about temples and sightseeing.
Food matters.
During my stay I was taken to a fantastic and popular restaurant beside a river.
Sitting there, eating good food with the water nearby, surrounded by the atmosphere of Surin, was another reminder that some of the best travel experiences are not necessarily found in famous tourist attractions.
Sometimes it is simply a table, good food, friendly people and a beautiful view.
That is Thailand too.
But the real reason I wanted to come to Surin was waiting outside the city.
Ban Ta Klang.
The Elephant Village.
Ban Ta Klang, in Tha Tum district, is closely associated with the Kuy people, whose culture has a particularly strong connection with elephants. The Tourism Authority of Thailand describes the Elephant Study Centre at Ban Ta Klang as one of the world's largest elephant-raising villages, where visitors can learn about the traditions and way of life of the Kuy people and their relationship with elephants.
And when you arrive, you begin to understand that this is not simply a place where tourists come to see elephants.
The elephants are part of the identity of the community.
They are part of its history.
They are part of its culture.
For generations, Kuy mahouts have developed knowledge and traditions surrounding elephants. Thailand's government also continues to highlight Ban Ta Klang as an important centre of elephant culture, including traditional ceremonies involving elephants.
That makes Ban Ta Klang different from simply visiting an elephant attraction.
Here, the story is much older.
What fascinated me most was the connection between the people and the animals.
In many places around the world, we see elephants as something exotic — magnificent animals that we go somewhere to photograph.
In Ban Ta Klang, the relationship is much more complicated and much more personal.
This is a community where elephants have been part of people's lives for generations.
The village has become internationally known for its elephants, and the surrounding Surin region has a particularly important place in Thailand's elephant culture.
Standing there, I found myself thinking about how different Thailand can be from one region to another.
Bangkok is skyscrapers, traffic, shopping malls, trains and millions of people.
Surin is temples, countryside, local food, traditions and elephants.
And the distance between these two worlds can be travelled on a comfortable overnight bus for the price of a very ordinary journey.
That contrast is one of the things I love about Thailand.
There is an important point worth making when talking about Ban Ta Klang.
Elephant tourism in Thailand has a complicated history, and visitors should think carefully about animal welfare and how elephants are treated.
Ban Ta Klang itself has also been the subject of reporting about the realities of captive elephants, including the challenges faced by mahouts and the tourism economy surrounding the animals.
For me, this makes the visit even more meaningful.
Seeing elephants should not simply be about getting the perfect photograph.
It should be about understanding.
Understanding the animals.
Understanding the people.
Understanding the history.
And understanding that the relationship between humans and elephants in Thailand is neither simple nor something that can be reduced to a tourist attraction.
Looking back at my journey from Bangkok to Surin, I realise that the invitation gave me much more than a trip to see elephants.
It gave me a glimpse of another Thailand.
I experienced a twelve-hour overnight bus journey that was far more comfortable than I expected.
I discovered inexpensive hotels where a traveller can stay without spending much money.
I walked through temples.
I heard hundreds of bells.
I visited the National Museum.
I ate beside a river.
I met friendly people.
And eventually, I found myself in Ban Ta Klang, surrounded by one of the most extraordinary examples of Thailand's living elephant culture.
Surin is not necessarily the first destination that comes to mind when people plan a trip to Thailand.
Perhaps that is part of its charm.
There are no crowds like Bangkok.
There are no endless rows of tourist shops.
Instead, there is history, culture, food, spirituality, countryside and an extraordinary connection between people and elephants.
Looking back at my journey from Bangkok to Surin, I realise that the invitation gave me much more than a trip to see elephants.
It gave me a glimpse of another Thailand.
I experienced a twelve-hour overnight bus journey that was far more comfortable than I expected.
I discovered inexpensive hotels where a traveller can stay without spending much money.
I walked through temples.
I heard hundreds of bells.
I visited the National Museum.
I ate beside a river.
I met friendly people.
And eventually, I found myself in Ban Ta Klang, surrounded by one of the most extraordinary examples of Thailand's living elephant culture.
Surin is not necessarily the first destination that comes to mind when people plan a trip to Thailand.
Perhaps that is part of its charm.
There are no crowds like Bangkok.
There are no endless rows of tourist shops.
Instead, there is history, culture, food, spirituality, countryside and an extraordinary connection between people and elephants.
If you have already seen Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya or Chiang Mai and you are looking for something different, perhaps it is time to look towards Isan.
Surin is a wonderful place to begin.
And Ban Ta Klang should be on the list.
Come for the elephants.
Stay for the people.
Explore the temples.
Listen to the bells.
Eat by the river.
Walk through the museum.
And most importantly, slow down.
Because sometimes the most memorable journeys are not the ones where you rush from one famous attraction to another.
They are the journeys where you sit on a bus at night, wake up in a completely different part of Thailand, and discover a world you did not really know existed.
For me, that world was Surin.
And at its heart stood Ban Ta Klang — the Elephant Village.