Day 4 - Sunday 18 December 2016

Boonbunleng Resort second impression........ With so much activity currently, it’s easy to pay little attention to the accommodation unless there are issues. I wake and immediately start work on my blog. On a longer tour like this it’s hard to catch up if the blog gets behind and I work past my normal departure time to try and catch up. In the case of Boonbunleng Resort there is breakfast and as there’s no mention of rice soup I’m quite hopeful. When we reach the dining area the modern decor and cleanliness which has impressed me so far continues to please. The breakfast is a self service buffet consisting of toast with tuna filling or jam, various sweets and fruits and coffee. There’s no complaint about size here; just take as much as you want. With the time now moving towards 10am, a tour plan for today has still not been finalised, at least not in my mind. Katoon has a list of sorts covering the area of Sawankhalok and with uncertainty prevalent I wonder whether it’s worth moving on today. Basically the next objective from here will need a whole day’s attention so it cannot be completed today anyway. Agreement is reached to stay at Boonbunleng Resort for a second night which will allow me to catch up my blog and recover my energy hopefully. We settle up and head off finally at 10am.

Sawankhalok Airport........ With no research done on this area I’m totally in Katoon’s hands for the morning and hopefully I can have the afternoon off. We head off in the direction of the airport but when we turn onto the approach road I’m at a loss to understand what’s here of any interest but it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary airport. When we reach security I’m not the only one who questions the purpose of the visit but we’re let into the complex. Everything seems strange as buildings appear that look totally out of place. It’s a sort of catwalk of fashion for buildings. The explanation soon comes. The area is designed to promote Thai culture and art. There is a culture and arts museum here which of course is futuristic in design but it’s only open by appointment. I guess you have to be some sort of VIP to enjoy the facilities and I’m really at a loss to know what I can do with the site in my blog. One of the projects featured is a model organic farm where a cross section of Thai agricultural research is undertaken. They are happy to let us wander around and even purchase specialist strains of rice produced here to fund the project. All in all that’s taken up an hour. Returning back to the main road we head across the Yom River for our next stop.

Pho Khun Si Inthrathid Monument........This monument lies in front of Wat Khung Waree on the east bank of the Yom River 3.5 km south of the town off highway 101. Pho Khun Si Inthrathid ruled the Sukhothai Kingdom from the year 1238 to c. 1270. He is credited as the founder of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, accepted as the first historical Siamese dynasty, a region designated by foreigners as "Siam". While Pho Khun Si Inthrathid is credited as the founder of the Siamese nation, his son Ramkhamhaeng takes the credit for its development.

Sawanworanayok National Museum........Back across the river is the Sawanworanayok National Museum. This museum has a curious name as it is named after its founder, Phra Sawanworanayok who left a considerable collection of artefacts to the nation. The museum lies on the west bank of the Yom River near Wat Sawankharam opposite the town. The museum is divided into four sections: Sawankhalok History Gallery, Sangkhalok Ware Gallery, Buddha Image Gallery and Phra Sawanworanayok Gallery (his personal possessions). As with all national museums presently, it is free, normally 50 baht for foreigners.

Wat Sawang Arom Worawihan........With two sites of particular historical interest completed the next is a personal visit for Katoon for almsgiving. It could be any working temple but Katoon has chosen Wat Sawang Arom Worawihan where there is a beautiful distinctive Buddha image in the old assembly hall.
City Pillar Shrine........The pillar shrine for Sawankhalok is located at the junction of Highway 101 and Highway 1048 south of the city. All city pillar shrines are sacred representing the foundation and future prosperity of the city.

Early finish........ Although I would have liked to have returned earlier we finally stop for lunch in the city but are not spoilt for choice as most restaurants have closed being a Sunday. As well as lunch we take something for dinner back to the resort avoiding the need to return again. As we head back Katoon identifies another temple, Wat Phai Lom, quite close to the resort but there is nothing particularly ancient about it, In fact they are adding a new structure to it of curious design to me. Finally I get back to the resort at mid afternoon with quite a backlog of work to catch up with. At 6pm we take our ‘takeaway’ out onto the sala to observe the sunset. But work continues on the blog until gone 9pm. At this point it’s reasonably up to date; just needing editing and uploading. Tomorrow we head for another historic park also covered under the UNESCO grant, Si Satchanalai. Next Page.