Day 8 - Sunday 5 May

Reset…….. After six nights in Uthai Thani province, if I am to make more valuable use of my time, I have to move on but for once I still don’t know what the plan is for today except than I need new territory to explore. There are possibilities in the north of Thailand but I’m not sure how these will fit into a plan as I intended. The only safe bet seems to be to head for the only adjacent province to Uthai Thani that I haven’t explored yet. Rather late on this tour, I draw up a site list for Nakhon Sawan province to the northeast. Departing by 10am, the first site is just across the provincial border close to the main highway 1 from Bangkok.
Khok Mai Den Ancient City…….. Arriving at Khok Mai Den Ancient City as indicated by Google Map, there is nothing visible to suggest the presence of an ancient town and I wonder whether this is just another lost city. However Katoon makes enquiries and it seems we’re not quite there. As we get our bearings, the first ancient ruin comes into view fortunately with a pedestal supporting a plate with a description in both Thai and English. As with other similar sites, the monuments are numbered indicating of town of some size. The last site I visited which is similar was Muang Sema of Nakhon Ratchasima province which dates the site to the Dvaravati period.

Founded between 457 and 957 AD, locals originally called it Ban Khok Mai Den Muang Bon, borrowing its name from an indigenous tree. Without too much effort, I soon discover more monuments of the same period, making this a most fortunate find which I hardly expected. I manage to spend enough time here to record it for the addition to my already substantial list of Dvaravati sites in Thailand. Noting its location near the Chao Phraya river, I shouldn't be surprised to find one here.

Wat Phra Prang Lueang…….. As I set the route back to join highway 1 we manage to follow the Chao Phraya River along its eastern bank creating a golden photo opportunity. Then just as we’re working out a new route something grabs my attention near the river. Near the temple Wat Phra Prang Lueang is an old viharn dating from the foundation of the temple. A survey by the Fine Arts Department dates the temple to the Ayutthaya period although there have been several attempt to preserve the hall which houses a Buddha image Luang Pho Dtho built in Ayutthaya style. Further, during recent structural works to repair the roof, it was discovered that design work can be traced back as far as the Dvaravati Era. Earthenware of the sangkolok period is evidenced in the gable of the viharn. These finds date back to the Sukhothai Era. At the back of the viharn is the ruin of a chedi that seems to be from the Dvaravati. Whichever way you look at it, there is evidence of religious practice here over a very long period of time.

Nakhon Sawan Railway Station…….. As we head north towards the city of Nakhon Sawan, I note that the railway station is nowhere near the city, located southeast near the airport. Obviously if there’s a station along my direction of travel, I will want to visit it. As I arrive, two trains are due in shortly but I’m disappointed that both are delayed by up to an hour. It’s too long to wait so I agree that we should press on into the city noting possible attractions on the way. However as we arrive in the city there seems to be only one focal point to aim for.

Wat Khiriwong…….. Wat Khiriwong is located on a small mountain on the northern side of the city to spiritually stand watch and protect the city’s inhabitants. At the summit, a large seated Buddha image is situated, its golden surface glowing in the sunlight. Right above the image is the Chulamani Pagoda – a beautiful Buddhist chedi that offers excellent views of the city below and the Bung Boraphet wetlands to the east. The temple itself is popular with locals who are there to earn merit by honoring Lord Buddha, spending 2 or 3 hours exploring the temple’s three floors and nearby exhibits.
Access to the temple is via a steep road to which reaches up to a top tier allowing access to the temple without great difficulty.

Other business…….. A couple of other sites adjacent to Wat Khiriwong forming part of my list deserve a mention.
The Nakhon Sawan Tower is a 10 story viewing tower, located on top of Khiriwong mountain a few hundred metres from the Chulamani Pagoda. It provides an exceptional view of the city and the surrounding countryside from it’s 360 degree viewing platform on the top floor.
On this occasion I did not visit the tower although it seems to be modelled on the one in Suphanburi which has a similar function. Curiously with the the Chulamani Pagoda offering similar majestic views of the city one is entitled to ask, ‘is the tower really necessary?’
The Rooster Steps, I assume, refer to the roosters on the staircase leading up to the shrine at the back of the Chulamani Pagoda, symbolic of King Naresuan the Great who was fond of them.

The city pillar shrine is located at the base of Khiriwong mountain. Located in a mondrop, the pillar represents the founding of the city and is the spiritual home for citizens of Nakhon Sawan.

Finally other business means finding something for lunch. After some searching through the old town, Katoon manages to find something to her liking. We are now near the important junction of the Ping and Nam rivers which form the mighty Chao Phraya river which empties in the Gulf of Thailand south of Bangkok.
Maihom Hotel…….. With temperature back near recent highs after the storm yesterday, I declare that we should look for accommodation even though I never envisaged Nakhon Sawan to be used as a stopover. I guess that means we will be staying in the area a while now checking out at least the major sites of interest. With no shortage of accommodation in Nakhon Sawan we more or less stumble on Maihom Hotel. This is a larger more established hotel and I’m surprised Katoon as agreed to it as she normally prefers modern out-of-town accommodation. However it’s seems really cheap without compromising our usual tick box check-list and of course provides a pillow that is forced into immediate use. At about 4pm we resume our site visits.

Bueng Boraphet…….. Bueng Boraphet is the largest freshwater swamp and lake in central Thailand. It covers an area of 224 km2 east of Nakhon Sawan, south of the Nan River close to its confluence with the Ping River. Originally the area was covered by a large swamp, which was flooded in 1930 with the building of a dam to improve fishing. This is the only known site for the white-eyed river martin which used to winter there, but has not been seen since 1980, and may be extinct. One hundred and six square kilometres of the lake were declared a non-hunting area in 1975. In 2000 it was designated a wetland of international importance by the Thai government.

From our downtown location, reaching Bueng Boraphet is straightforward using the Ping River bridge, not the route Google suggests over the Dechatiwong bridge. In fact the local signs completely contradict the route chosen using GPS and these are what we use. On arrival we soon discover that attractions have been added to supplement the natural features of this location. The first stop is the visitor centre.
Bueng Boraphet Aquarium…….. The Bueng Boraphet Aquarium is ideal for families and others who are interested in the amazing variety of fish species that inhabit Thailand’s river systems. The boat-shaped building is large by comparison to other aquaria in Thailand. Unfortunately we arrive within 15 minutes of closure but then I hadn’t really expected to visit this site today. However, although the ticket office is now closed they let us in on the understanding that we exit on time at 5pm. Clearly there’s not enough time to get a real hold on this attraction but enough, I feel, to give it a good ‘thumbs up’, the extra space being used to full advantage. There’s just about enough English to identify the species and to take you through the ecosystems that work here.
Besides the aquarium, the crocodile show is not for me but the arena and habitat are still open to view, now after 5pm: Not so is the monkey arena but I’d much prefer seeing monkeys roaming around the temples than being dressed up to the nines.
Finally before departure we arrive at the visitor centre for the lake itself. Here normally you can hire a boat or book accommodation. Sadly few options are now available due to the low water level. In fact earth moving equipment is working on the dryer sections to what end I’m not sure.

On the wrong track…….. While at the crocodile enclosure, a train passes to the rear. I didn’t know we were so close to the line. That should give me the option to visit Pak Nam Pho station. However the trust in the Google navigation system has reached a low point and Katoon won’t work with it, instead asking me to advise on another route which doesn’t work either. Instead we head for an iconic location now we’re on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River.
Ping/Nan river confluence.…….. The mighty Chao Phraya starts here at the confluence of the Ping and Nan rivers each in turn substantial features in their own right flowing down from Thailand’s northern regions. Here at the confluence they’ve built an attractive walkway but now at around 6pm there is trouble brewing. Looking at the blackening sky there is another thunderstorm approaching. As we park up, I figure it will be ok. I just need to take a short walk to take some photos: But it’s too late. Thunder and lightning develops all around and I’m obliged to take shelter losing half an hour.

Disagreement…….. On the way back to the hotel relations between us are not good. Katoon has been constantly complaining about my navigation. There is further delay as I initially refuse to navigate in the busy city streets now after dark figuring she knows best. Complaining continues as I’m now accused of not helping. ‘It’s simply illogical’, Spock would have said: But the point is the issue with the navigation system has to be addressed and soon as this tour will fall apart. Back at the room, dinner is scrubbed and I fall back on my scotch whisky. Now that is logical. Next Page.