One of my favourite parts of the whole country, nestled far away to the west of Bangkok, this multi-ethnic town gets surprisingly few farang visitors.
Heading west from Bangkok, Sangkhlaburi is the end of the road. Maybe that is why farang don't come much.
This is how the famous wooden Mon Bridge looked in 2000 when I first visited.
In normal times, it is still quiet as a church mouse.
But for Songkran, it comes alive.
I would rate Sankhlaburi as my favourite Songkran destination.
Celebrations here are traditional.
Much like the town itself, the celebrations are a mix of Thai and Mon and other ethnic groups.
The town sits on the man-made Lake Vajiralongkorn, formerly Khao Laem Lake.
Damning from 1979 to 84 created the lake and forced residents to relocate.
In the dry season, sunken temples emerge as the water level falls. Boatmen can take you to them.
The Mon village of Wangka was founded in 1959 by 60 fleeing families.
60-odd years on, the village retains a distinctive Burmese (not Burman....) flavour.
20km further out of town, Three Pagoda Pass, which Siamese and Mon armies once passed, is a wee market town on the Burmese border.
There is a good swimming spot about half way there, with plenty of food and drink stalls right on the river.
There are a few random roads for some pleasant village exploration outside town.
Village life here is about as village as it gets in Thailand. Raw meat anyone?
There's also a half dozen National Parks for day trips or longer stays. We managed the park roads fine, but had to admit defeat on this "road" towards Burma.
The biggest attractions in town are probably the sunken temples (which haven't seen).
Surprisingly large for a small town, daily nightmarket is the centre of the action.
And there are enough sit-down restaurants to keep you busy for a few days at least.
Traditional Thai buddhist ceremonies take place at temples around town.
And traditionally, Songkran means throwing water, drinking and lots of Uncle Dancing.
Unlike the big cities, in Thai towns, it's the older folk that dominate the dance floor, with even the oldest Grandma getting their boogey on.
In the mornings especially, the bridge fills with worshipper bringing offerings to make merit at temples.
On our last day in town, we went over to the Mon side to see Wat Wang Wiwekaram.
It is particularly large, with a spacious prayer hall, and a creepy wax monk.
There is also an excellent photo exhibition focusing on the daily life of the town and surrounding villages.
From there we figured we may as well see Chedi Buddhakhaya, whose tower is visble from across the lake.
We had no idea that Songkran festivities were still kicking on!
A half dozen bamboo pipes, 20-30m long stood in the temple grounds.
Soon all the space along the structure were filled with groups of families and friends in their hundreds.
On command, the people poured their water into the bamboo pipes.
The water flows down the angled tubes, first blessing the Buddha icons in a smaller flow.
The monks, having walked on the backs of the faithful (to keep their feet clean) are then cleansed in a proper deluge. Quite the ceremony!
The littlle town on the lake, far from the bright lights and famous sights, this could be Thailand's best kept secret.