Chiang Rai - Flower Festival

Not to be out done by its bigger neighbor to the south, Chiang Mai, who has a flower festival every February, Chiang Rai has its own flower festival around New Year.

The park area in the city center is not large, but the flowers on display are truly impressive. There are plenty of photo ops.

Chonburi - Long Boat Racing

While the provincial capital has a large buffalo race festival,

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/10/chonburi-buffalo-racing.html

there is also a long boat race on Mabprachan Reservoir (covering both Nongprue and Pong municipalities) in November.

 The boats compete in two categories: 55 oarsmen or 30 oarsmen.

Run Betsy Run

The festival on the reservoir's shore is small, but there are activities for kids and also a buffalo race.

Singapore at Night

No, this is not what you may think. This is not about Orchard Road, but simply a couple of pictures snapped down at Singapore's port.

Cruise Ship

Sentosa Island

Chiang Rai - Wat Rong Khun

Wat Rong Khun is actually not a temple. Rather, it is an unconventional and privately owned art-exhibition built in the style of a temple. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat who designed the building details and who has funded most of the construction costs (by now well over USD 1 million).

The bridge of the cycle of rebirth leads to the gate of heaven. On the other side of the gate, you enter the ubosot

The "temple" opened to visitors in 1997, but has only become a major tourist attraction over the past 10 years. It is located around 5 kilometers south of Chiang Rai, so it is within easy reach for any visitor to the city.

Visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the ubosot, but the entire back wall is taken up by a painting of a red demon with George Bush in one eye, and Osama Bin Laden in the other. Inside the mouth of the demon is a scene depicting the fall of the Twin Towers.
 
Pop culture references are found dotted throughout the demon’s mouth. They include the Kung Fu Panda, Michael Jackson, Neo from The Matrix, Freddie Krueger, Darth Vader, one of the Transformers, Hello Kitty, the Hulk, Batman, the Joker, Jigsaw from The Saw movies, Ultraman, Spiderman, Superman, a couple of Angry Birds, Harry Potter, and Jack Sparrow.

Confused? 
The pamphlet from the gift shop says the painting depicts “the killing of the innocence” by terrorism and fanaticism and that no heroes can save the world.

Rayong - Sunthorn Phu

On the road from Klaeng town to Laem Mae Phim (highway # 3145), there is a small park in honor of Sunthorn Phu.

Sunthorn Phu (1786-1855) is probably Thailand's most famous classical poet - Thai school children are told that he is the father of Thai literature and all Thais know at least the main story line in his canonical 30,000 lines Phra Aphai Mani poem that describe a fantastical world, where people of many races and religions live and interact together in harmony.

Poet on a hill

Although many think Sunthorn Phu was born in Rayong, he was actually born near present-day Bangkok Noi a mere four years after Bangkok (Rattanakosin Island) had become capital. Thonburi had had the honor for a brief period after the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya.

Sunthorn Phu became a famous poets in the early Rattanakosin era. His father was from Klaeng and Sunthorn Phu wrote a poem about his first trip (1807) to his father's home.

Mesmerizing Mermaid

Rayong promotes Sunthon Phu as a native of the province and has dotted the province with statues of Sunthon Phu and characters from his literature.

Chonburi - Wat Yannasangwararam

Wat Yannasangwararam Woramahaviharn is located in Huay Yai municipality, roughly 15 km south of Pattaya. Its location is more easy to pinpoint if you continue on Sukhumvit Road (Highway 3) to the Na Jomtien area where you then soon will find signs guiding you in the right direction.

Construction of the temple started in 1976 and the Royal Family have supported this temple since then. The Supreme Patriarch intended this temple be a place for practicing Dhamma and wanted a location relatively near Bangkok.

Inside the temple compound area, there are plenty of trees to provide shade and full facilities for visitors such as food, drinks and clean restrooms. There is also a museum explaining the basic Buddhist terms to laymen.  My favorite quote is: "You alone can change yourself". You cannot blame other people for your deeds - it is up to you to avoid committing sin by choosing the right path.

Rayong - HTMS Prasae

HTMS Prasae is an old warhorse that was retired after 57 years on the high seas.

The vessel is a Tacoma class frigate of second world war design. It was built in the USA as the “USS Gallup 47″ and launched September 17th, 1943. It survived WW2 and the Korean war. Then, in 1951 the vessel was sold to the Royal Thai Navy and renamed HTMS Prasae.

An amazing rust bucket from WW2

After almost 50 years of service, it was decommissioned in year 2000. Three year later, the vessel was towed to the mouth Prasae river in the Klaeng district of Rayong and put “ashore” by means of a temporary canal being constructed.

The vessel is from an era gone by and I found it very interesting to be able to walk around the frigate and get idea of the narrow confines sailors had to fight their battles. There are still guns (or at least gun barrels) children and young-at-heart can use to aim at imaginary enemies.

There is a big area along the vessel and a nice beach for pick nicks. However, the drawback is that the mouth of the Prasae river is a bit difficult to find and next to impossible if you have to rely on public transport.

Lamphun - Khuntan Tunnel

The Doi Khuntan National Park straddles a mountain range separating the provinces of Lampang and Lamphun. As the name indicates (khun tan roughly translates into "numerous streams") there are several, but hard to reach, waterfalls in the national park.

The park also has a lot of interesting flora and fauna, which can be explored on (rough) nature trails. When trekking the 8 km trail leading to the top (1,373 meters above sea level), you will pass four camps (yaws or yutasats).

The track starts at the Khuntan railway station. It is at one end of Thailand's longest railway tunnel. The tunnel is 1,352 meters blasted through granite and it was a very costly project in terms of human sacrifice. It is said that 1,000 construction workers had died by the time the tunnel was opened for service.  The construction started in 1907 and was completed in 1918 and workers lost their lives due to work-related accidents, malaria, tigers, and internal strife.

The project started under the supervision of German Emile Eisenhofer (his ashes are at a shrine at the tunnel entrance dedicated to all those that died during the construction), but was completed by Krommaphra Kamphaengphet, a Thai engineer.  

Want a change of tracks?

The tunnel and tracks are still used - both for local commuter trains and for long distance express trains - although the technological advancements bestowed on the railway business since 1918 have not quite reached Khuntan.

Local Commuter - Next stop Lamphun City

Phang Nga – Koh Phra Thong

Koh Phra Thong Beach - White and Wide

This is a wonderful island with wonderful beaches and highly varied fauna and flora, which make the island a great destination to explore.However, visitors must be ready to accept that this island (supposedly) is the last tambon in Thailand to not have a public electricity grid, which means inhabitants only have electricity for three-four hours each evening. Although there is a ferry from the pier at Muh Koh Surin National Park’s office, there is no fixed schedule for departures. Transport to / from the island is mostly by means of long tail boats with Ban Ded being the main connection point on the mainland. After departure from Ban Ded, one passes through mangrove before crossing a short stretch of open water to reach the island.

All but one of the island’s five resorts have only basic structures (huts or tents) for rent. The Oasis Resort offers the best value for money with extremely friendly owners and large tents right on edge of a magnificent beach.

Around 600 people live on Koh Phra Thong. The island doesn’t have any paved roads, but does have some narrow concrete tracks, barely wide enough for one vehicle, that connect most of the populated locations to each other. Other locations are reached by tracks short-cutting through the wilderness. 

The eastern shores of the island are mostly mangrove forests. If you can get a local to take you around in a small boat to see birds and monkeys.The western shores of the island have kilometer after kilometer of truly unspoiled sandy beaches. There are no beach chairs or sun parasols, but plenty of crabs.

Map of Koh Phra Thong indicating savanna area in red

The interior of the island is dominated by a large sandy savanna – tall grass, shrubs, small trees (mostly pine and cajuput) – with small lakes and ponds full of mussels. The savanna is home to around 70 deer, 40 hornbills, and an unknown number of feral pigs. I borrowed a 20-year old book with information on the island. It listed eight different frogs, but 16 different snakes, so it is advisable to take due care when walking around on the savannah or in the forest on the island.To get around on the savanna is relatively easy in the dry season, but during the rainy season, the tracks turn muddy and often disappear as ponds become lakes.

The island has three villages and the southernmost village, Ban Tungthae, is basically cut off from the rest of the island during the rainy season. It had more than 300 inhabitants 10 years ago. But the tsunami dealt a hard blow to the village from which it hasn’t recovered. At present, Ban Tungthae is home to only around 60 villagers and the school is deserted.

Local Transport

The intermittent supply of electricity, poor infrastructure, and basic accommodation brought back memories of Koh Chang 20 years ago. However, even back then, Koh Chang had far more (backpacker) tourists than Koh Phra Thong has today. Back then, Koh Chang was also a popular destination among adventurous university students from Bangkok whenever there was a long weekend. Koh Phra Thong is far more quiet although it does on occasion get some visitors dropping by on their way to / from Muh Koh Surin or if boat services to Muh Koh Surin are suspended due to rough seas.

Big Bird defending its nest against nosy tourists

In any case, although Muh Koh Surin is amazingly beautiful, it is also small and it is easy to get bored. Koh Phra Thong is far larger and offers a multitude of activities, so it is far easier to spend long time on that island. I highly recommend a visit. 

Prachuab Khiri Khan - Ban Krut

South of Bang Saphan - Chumphon in the distance

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2013/12/prachuab-khiri-khan-bang-saphan.html

Ban Krut is 65 km south of Prachuab's provincial capital. It is a great oasis for people loving deserted beaches albeit it gets busy on long weekends. The small town has a train station, but most visitors reach it by car. The town's main attraction - apart from beaches - is a big Buddha overlooking the town, but activities, such as building figures (rather than castles) in the sand are also arranged to keep visitors coming.

Angry Sand Birds

The Huay Yang National Park is nearby. It is named after a seven-tier waterfall, which also gets many visitors on long weekends. These are mostly locals going to cool off and play around. In the dry season, there is not much water to play around in.

Huay Yang Waterfall

The national park also have trekking trails and - reportedly - you can cross into Myanmar after 5-6 hours on foot depending on your stamina and agility.

To me, what is so attractive and interesting about Prachuab and Chumphon provinces is that there are long stretches of deserted and undeveloped beach. There are so many places where one can pull over, set up a hammock, lay down a mat, and have a picnic. Some of the beaches may appear untidy to people that are used to beaches being "combed" by resort owners. However, flotsam and other stuff left behind by high tides or storms are part of nature.

Beach Au Natural

Thai Flora

I am by no means an expert in flora, so I will not provide any guesses at what these flowers are called.

I simply snapped some photos on occasions where I saw pretty flowers.

This blog is merely intended to share this photos.

Sa Kaeo - Pang Sida

Pang Sida National Park is not famous and doesn't get that many visitors. It is a part of the quintet of national parks that laymen simply refer to a "Khao Yai" and borders to the north and west to Tublan National Park.

Where has all the water gone?

Pang Sida Waterfall is about 10 meters tall, but it is without water flow during the dry season. Nearby is one of a handful of locations where butterflies gather by the hundreds if not thousands. Another such location is the viewpoint reached after 25 km on gravel road.

The view to be had is over the Samong River Valley, which is between 5-8 km wide, up to 500 meters "deep" and its many creeks feeds over 250 million cubic meters of water annually into the Prachinburi River.

To me, the trip to get to the viewpoint was much more interesting than the view. At the entrance to the park, the park ranger joked that I should watch out for the wild elephants. There was, however, some truth to that warning. Wild elephants had left many signs behind that they had rummaged around, but fortunately, they apparently mostly do that in the night or morning, so I didn't actually see any wild elephants. Nor did I see any gaurs. But I did see many wild boars, some pheasants, and a deer of some sort.

The road was not a challenge by any stretch of the imagination - no need for 4WD - but I did encounter some road signs that made me smile.

Somebody should bring this insubordinate road to order

Everybody needs a rest from time to time

However funny the wording in English is, the meaning did come across to me: Slow down. And the picture below shows what the signs were meant to convey.

Well, the road does look worn out

Please also note that freshwater crocodiles were "discovered" in 1991 at Huay Nam Yen Stream near the south-west corner of the park. As it apparently is the last place in Thailand freshwater crocodiles live in the wild, it is an interesting side tour to visit that site.

Nakhon Phanom - Temples

Wat Okat at Night

There are several beautiful and important temples located in Nakhon Phanom city. At night, they are lit to show their best side and it makes a stroll along the Mekong River interesting. I have chosen Wat Okat as an example of the night time splendor.

The building to the right houses two images carved in wood. According to legend, these two imaged, called Phra Tiu and Phra Thiam, floated across the river roughly 1,000 years ago. These images are very sacred and seen here with very colorful murals on the walls.

I mentioned Wat Phra That Phanom in an earlier blog

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/06/nakhon-phanom-once-upon-time-2.html

Chedi at Wat Phra That Phanon

It is located south of the provincial capital and is probably the most important Buddhist temple in eastern Isan. The 57 meter tall chedi is iconic and presumably contains a piece of the Lord Buddha's chest bone. A large festival to celebrate the temple starts the 10th day of the third lunar month and lasts for a week. This is normally in February, so in about two weeks' time, an estimated 10,000 people will make pilgrimage to the temple.

Laos - Road Trip

Last year, I took a drive from Ubon to Nakhon Panom on the Laotian side of the river. The crossing at Chong Mek was a bit hectic as I got caught up in focusing on getting the car's papers processed. It went so smoothly that I left the border crossing area and was about to start my journey when I realized I had forgotten to get myself a visa. So, I could actually have entered Laos without a visa.

Chong Mek Duty Free

Anyway, although it was surprisingly easy to get the car cleared, it did still take some time as I obviously was not the only vehicle crossing the border. All in all, it took around two hours including that I had to return and get myself a visa.

There is rain in them thar hills

A new road to Wat Phu has been built. It is a toll way costing 15,000 kip. The old (much more narrow) road still winds its way along the river, but the toll way is the best option. It runs closer to the hills where the clouds hang low in the rainy season.

Stairs to climb to reach Wat Phu

Navigating through Pakse to get on to the main road heading north was a bit tricky, but once that was done, it was clear sailing. The road is of decent quality, but it isn't wide and can be outright dangerous at night. It seemed every fifth vehicle or so did not have lights that were functioning. This can result in the unpleasant surprise of nearly plowing into the rear end of a slow moving truck. Likewise, many motorcyclists must have some sort of death wish as they were driving without lights.

Virgin Mary & Son outside Catholic church in Savannakhet

Savannakhet is a nice quaint town with several interesting old buildings and a bustling market. The promenade along the river bank was extremely under-utilized. I liked Vientiane 16-17 years ago when the river bank had a cluster of noodle shops and food stalls where one could have a meal and a cold beer or two. This was before the Vietnamese financed a major upgrade of Vientiane's roads and of the river bank. Maybe development will also catch up with Savannakhet one day. At least the visionaries of ASEAN want to link Mukdahan to the port of Da Nang via Savannakhet.

Green coffee beans

Continuing north to Thakhek brought me to the highland famous for its coffee and this was quite interesting. I did, however, not have much time to spend there. So, I returned across the bridge to Nakhon Panom. To cross back into Thailand went very fast. The bureaucracy was very light and took less than half an hour to clear.