Just north of Ayutthaya, Angthong is both charming and authentic. Get lucky at its monumental sacred sites or just enjoy the small-town life.

If you’re on a quest for good fortune, you may have been told to “go pray at nine temples.” For the express three-temple version, Angthong’s tourism board just rolled out a day-trip to three monumental Buddha statues with the catchphrase “Big, Long and Strong” (see sidebar). The slogan refers to life, not men: “strong” for your health, “big” for your work growth and “long” for your life. But here are a few more things to check out while in the area.

Save room for spicy and authentic Thai dishes at Niramit (39/3 Moo 7, Sanchao Rongthor sub district, Wiset Chai Chan district, open daily Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat-Sun 9am-8pm. 035-631-052, 081-852-4777).

This riverside restaurant serves a host of tasty Thai plates and popular fish dishes, like shooshee planuea-on (whisker sheatfish with curry paste) or pla kang pad cha (spicy fried catfish), or go for traditional a la carte items, like pad thai goongsod, Niramit fried chicken and tom yum goong. They’re renowned for their desserts, too, such as the kesorn lamjiak (flour sheet stuffed with sweet coconut), which is Angthong’s famous treat. Niramit also offers dessert cooking classes, if you want to make your own.