Nakhon Ratchasima - Sai Ngam

This public park – named after a nearby village – houses an impressive old tree. Inside the “park”, there is a number of small restaurants, a pond, and a banyan tree. The tree is said to be almost 400 years old, but instead of growing tall and fat, this tree has spent its time spreading out over a large area. According to a sign under the tree, its branches cover an area of 3,500 square feet. Why the sign writer chose to use an American measure of measure is a bit of a mystery, but the equivalent area is 325 square meters.

The pond is artificial as it is actually a small part of the Mun (pronounced moon) River that has been dammed up. That it is a banyan tree that has spread out like this is taken to be important because the Lord Buddha supposedly achieved enlightenment while meditation under the shade of a banyan tree.

The tree has not been promoted much as a tourist destination and is not that well-known even among Thai tourists. Tthe number of signs leading to the park is low and all signs are in Thai. I had not visited the tree for a very long time and passed the park and had to U-turn at the village. In my defense, I’d say that at my previous visits, there was no wall fencing in the tree so this time, I basically ignored the wall.

Anyway, the visit brought back memories of my first trips to Nakhon Ratchasima… to Sai Ngam, Phi Mai, Phi Mai National Museum, Dan Kwian pottery village, Suranaree Technical University, Korat city, and to the WorldTech exhibition. Back then, I was of course younger and was then enlisted to do the obligatory rounds under the belly of the elephant monument downtown.

Back then, construction work at Suranaree Technical University’s campus was only half finished, but classes had started. Today, Suranaree Technical University is in full operation. On campus is the unusual Northeastern Museum of Petrified Wood. Apparently, there are less than ten museums in the world focused on petrified wood, so if that's your thing, it is a must see. 

The museum is in fact well-organized and interesting. A visit is worthwhile. 

Nakhon Ratchasima - Phimai Historical Park

The park is one of the grandest and certainly the most famous Khmer historical site in Thailand. It was one of several sites where pilgrims traveling between the Khmer/Angkor kingdom and India could seek sanctuary.

Despite the Phimai Historical Park being under the same regional head of national parks as Khao Phanom Rung (another famous Khmer sanctuary), the staff at Phimai are more willing to listen to arguments that foreign visitors can enter paying a “Thai” ticket price of 20 baht instead being forced to pay 150 baht.

The Phimai Sanctuary is rectangular in shape, 565 meters wide and 1,030 meters long. It consists of ornately carved structures made of sandstone and laterite. From stone inscriptions and the architectural style, it is surmised that the Phimai Sanctuary was built at the end of the 11th century.

The Naga Bridge is near the park entrance, south of the main pagoda. The intention was for the bridge to represent a link between earth and heaven. The main pagoda is on an open area in a curved walkway. It is the centre of the site and is made entirely of white sandstone and is different from the porches and walls that are made primarily of red sandstone. The pagoda is 28 meters high, has a square base, a portico and stairways and doors in all 4 directions.

The pagoda consists of a base, outer walls, columns, and porches with beautiful designs and lintels. The layout is (of course) like a direct replica of what can be found at Angkor. Of vital importance are the lintels that mostly recount the tale of Ramayana from Hinduism and tales of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.

Near the historical park is Phimai National Museum. The museum houses exhibits on the past cultural prosperity of the Northeast.

Bangkok - Crystal Design Center

I realized I haven't blogged much about Bangkok, the center of the (Thai) universe. There are so many diverse things to do in Bangkok that it doesn't make sense to me to write about it. 


However, I will mention Crystal Design Center. Partly because it was a very trendy place in 2011 -- who knows about 2012? -- and partly because the name is totally misleading to an ignorant person like me. At first, I heard about it as CDC, so I thought of Commonwealth Development Corporation (UK) and Centers for Disease Control (US). Then I thought it would be a center showcasing artsy crystal design.


Alas, Crystal is just a name and doesn't refer to any glass products. And the focus is on selling rather than on being artsy.

CDC is the most comprehensive and integrated Design Center in Southeast Asia showcasing architectural, interior, decorating and construction brand name or "designer" products. Or put it another way, it is a lifestyle home department store for people that want stylish and expensive stuff for the home.


There are more than 500 shops and 10,000 brands across 22 buildings. Ad on top the outdoor market stalls that open up late afternoon and you can easily shop until you drop. 


http://www.crystaldesigncenter.com/


Now, since this is a destination for Thais, there are of course also plenty of food outlets including some very hip pubs, bars, and bistros, such as "WINEILOVEYOU", which in 2011 has been one of the must-visit places for young trendy Bangkokians.


http://wineiloveyou.com/


It is definitely advisable to book a table in advance on weekends and better come before dark falls if you want to easily secure a parking space instead of having to fight to get on. That being said, wineiloveyou was not quite up at par with similar venues (Wine Fusion or Wine Connection) in Bangkok proper (i. e., Thonglor / Ekamai). But I assume wineiloveyou was popular because it was new and because it is located a bit out of town, yet close to an expressway exit.


It may well turn out be be a fad like Mansion 7 in Ratchadapisek Soi 14


http://www.themansion7.com/index.html


This "boutique thriller mall" combined food, fashion, and fear and was the talk of the town for about 7-8 months, but has now slipped into obscurity.

Kanchanaburi - Off the Beaten Track (Part 2)

Since my blog
http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/05/kanchanaburi-sangkhlaburi-4wd.html
that contained my opinion about Toyota Fortuner's (relatively) limited off-road capabilities, I have been asked to retract such "derogatory remarks".


So let me elaborate.
I have driven many SUVs and baby-SUVs and clearly vehicles with automatic gearshift and gasoline engines (such as Nissan X-trail and Honda CRV) fail miserably when facing real 4WD challenges like rocky or muddy mountain roads. The same can be said about a Toyota RAV4, but (at least with manual gearshift) it can be driven quite sportily, e.g., doing power slides through sharp turns on gravel roads. 

A Kia Sorento is also a 4WD vehicle, but it doesn't have the feel of a vehicle one would like to take off road. That being said, it's an awesome feeling to have a 3.5 liter gasoline engine rumbling under your foot. The 3.5 liter Mitsubishi Pajero has since 2008 strayed from being an off-road vehicle and is now a full option boulevard cruiser feeling under-powered compared to the Sorento.


Such baby-SUVs cannot hold a candle against rough-and-rumble vehicles like the Mercedes G-Wagon - it drives like a tank (heavy and unstoppable) but you can enjoy the ride in comfy leather seats - or the Toyota Landcruiser. Both, but especially the G-Wagon, are so superior off-road that they almost make such driving boring. 


(Let me add that I have a job situation that allows me to not worry about costs related to car ownership, maintenance, insurance or fuel consumption, and that has provided me with access to use a large number of different vehicles and drive in different countries over the years).


A Fortuner is not a baby-SUV, but a real SUV. That is, it is quite capable of handling relatively rough terrain while at the same time being quite comfortable on the hiway. Especially the version  powered by a 2.7 liter gasoline engine is a good drive on normal roads. Since that is where it's used most by most people, the lack of torque (compared to the 3.0 liter turbodiesel) for off road challenges is not that relevant. However, the increased fuel consumption probably is if one has to pay for what one consumes - something I fortunately don't have to, so I had great fun in the gasoline powered Fortuner also off road.

My points actually are:
* the Fortuner is an SUV, i.e., a multi-purpose vehicle rather than a dedicated off-road vehicle
* a Fortuner is mostly bought by people that use is on public roads, which is why the recently launched 2WD versions have been highly popular
* a Fortuner is a mechanically highly reliable vehicle; the model's initial flaw re weak brakes has been fixed but the suspension is still uncomfortable and far inferior to the Isuzu pick-up
* it is a good Thai product and at par with Toyota Prado models sold in the Middle East and superior to the Prado models sold in Africa.


So, my Fortuner loving friends can calm down. I support the notion that the Fortuner is a great all-round SUV. Join the club:

http://www.fortunerclub.com/main/index.php

Thai Noun Classifiers

Thai is difficult to pronounce correctly, but foreigners are generally pleased that the grammar is so easy. At least, until they really start to learn Thai.

Since I have never attended a language school, I'm not about to teach anybody about Thai language. However, I want to point out the impossibilities of learning Thai noun classifiers as there don't seem to be any rules of how/why. One simply has to memorize the noun classifiers - what is the classifier for that noun. 

The classifier "lem" is used for books, so one book = năng-sŭh-nùng-lêm. But it is also used for notebook, candle, and knife. "Toor" is used for table and cat, while "taeng" is used for pencil and gold bricks, but don't ask why it is so..

If we talk about vehicles in Thai, we have to use different classifiers. Car and bicycle are "khan" (e.g., rót-nùng-khan), but for boats and airplanes, the classifier is "lam". 

Thai noun classifiers for fruits are “phŏn  or “bai or “luuk" however way you please. "Luuk" is used for many round things such as footballs and bowling balls while “bai” is Thai noun classifier for bag, basket, and banknotes.

And so it continues. So, you have to learn and memorize the classifier for each noun as well as learning and memorizing the noun itself.

To make things a little bit more complicated in terms of learning, but a lot more specific in terms of communication finesse, if one wishes to express that one thinks the quantity of the noun discussed is insufficient or too many, then .. add a word to classify the classifier.

For example

káo mii sûa kâe săam dtua   I only have three shirts

dtua is the classifier.  sûa is noun. kâe indicates that I don't think three is a sufficient number of shirts for me to have.

káo gin sôm dtâng yîi-sìp lûuk  I ate 20 oranges (which was too many for me) lûuk= classifier.  sôm is noun. dtâng indicates that 20 was too many for me to eat.

Buriram - Khao Kradong

Buriram has many attractions.


Khao Phanom Rung is but one of them and it is one that forces foreigners to pay five times what Thais have to pay – yes, the Thai prices are of course written in Thai script to keep unsuspecting foreigners unaware of this racist policy.

So, a less historically significant, but free sight, is Khao Kradong near the provincial capital.

It is a rocky hill that once in prehistoric times was a volcano. Now, a temple, a large Buddha statue, as well as the remnants of the crater are the main attractions.

At the foot of the hill is a small reservoir where families can relax in the shade of trees while youngsters can paddle around.