Sunthorn Phu Memorial Park

There is a small park in the village of Bang Krum dedicated to Sunthorn Phu, Thailand's most famous poet, who lived in Rayong province (1786-1855). There is a statue of the the poet seated and in the process of composing a poem on the side of a hill near a small pond. The memorial park is located in Amphoe Klaeng, near the place where the poet's father was born. Annually on June 26 there is a festival celebrating the life and works of the poet with poetry recitals, dramatic performances and musical entertainment.

Sunthorn Phu was inspired to write his masterpiece, "The Anthem of Phra Iphaimanee", during a visit to Ko Samet island which he called Koh Kaew Pissadan, or the island of the many jewels. The poem tells the story of a young prince, banished from the palace by his father, the King, because he wanted to study music instead of the art of war, who is kidnapped by a giantess from the sea. The giantess imprisons him in a hidden cave on a remote island because she has fallen in love with him. Eventually, with the help of a beautiful mermaid, he escapes, and they make their way to Ko Samet island, where they fall in love. One day a beautiful princess gets shipwrecked on Ko Samet and Phra Iphaimanee, smitten by her beauty, decides to sail away with her. The giantess, still in pursuit, creates a storm, but the prince is able to put her to sleep by playing his flute and they escape. The little mermaid's heart is broken, but she understands that the prince belongs to another world.

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