Day 16, Saturday 15 April - Bang Khen (Bangkok)
Instant Car Wash....... Today is Saturday and the last of the three days of Songkran celebrations and I expect more of the car wash drive throughs. It's also the last day of this tour. For these three days, while we've been traveling around and not directly taking part in the festivities, we've still been caught up in them and I've been amazed at the extent of the celebrations everywhere we've visited. My only regret is that those giving us a car wash seem to concentrate only on the front of the car and not on the back. Hmmmm!
S.S. Hotel....... Overnight our stay at S.S. Hotel has been great. Of course, there is not that great breakfast to look forward to, but we have enough 7-Eleven goodies that need using up for fear of going out of date. Although today we're expecting an easy trip back to Bangkok, we're ready for an earlier start. Accordingly, I can plan a deviation from the obvious route back to the city and head for a district in Nakhon Ratchasima province, which so far has eluded me, hoping to visit three attractions. There should still be plenty of time. At 11am we arrive for our first site visit in Khonburi district.
100 Years Old Wooden Bridge....... The 100 Years Old Wooden Bridge is one location on my wish list for this massive province. It is a plank bridge extending across a rice paddy and is a pleasant alternative to access the fields other than simple using earthen dykes and tales less space. In the growing season the rice can grow higher than the plank footbridge.
With this visit taking little time, I can expand on the time here to add an unscheduled visit.
Lam Chae Reservoir....... Lam Chae Reservoir is a medium sized reservoir about 5km wide serving as a water source for the farming community and acts as a freshwater fish farm. It is fed by the Chae River which cascades over the Wang Tao Waterfall about 3 kms upstream.
Even though there are reservoirs, lakes and swamps all over Thailand's Isan provinces, many are not worth visiting. Here at Lam Chae Reservoir however, there is a freshwater beach and where there is a beach in this hot weather, there are people and where there are people there are food vendors. Familiar with this sort of attraction already, there's no need for me to get too absorbed here but we have yet to locate the dam that has created this reservoir. After a bit of searching, we relocate it and compared to the beach area, it's really peaceful. The dam is an earth and rock dam with a water gate to allow excess water to be discharged in the rainy season. Presently the water source is dry, but discharge is allowed along a small drainage channel which helps with irrigation. Now, after some local advice we head for another of the three attractions.
Mun Bon Dam....... Heading for Mun Bon Dam, I'm expecting something similar to the last but as we reach the area near the dam it's clear that that expectation was totally wrong. Geographically the profiles are very similar, this one slightly smaller, the main dam gates closed to preserve water in the dry season. What relatively small discharge there is runs along a canal but while the canal at Lam Chae is deserted this one at Mun Bon is the exact opposite. Here the procession of pickup trucks seems almost endless, each crammed with persons and ample supplies of water to engage in water fights. At this stage we are relaxed enough not to be too concerned about any delay this causes but the downside is we cannot get access to view the reservoir. There are simply too many vehicles lined up around the drainage channel. Finally, we extricate ourselves from the melee and head for the last attraction on my list today.
Prang Khonburi....... Reaching Prang Khonburi, I immediately know its style from others I have seen, one of 31 constructed in the region in the 12th/13th centuries. By its architectural style it is believed to be an arokayasala (medical station/hospital) built during the reign of King Jayavaman VII (1181-1218) who built 102 in all of this type in his kingdom. It was built of laterite with sandstone doorways and lintels. The laterite wall encloses a single tower and a banalai (library). Outsite of the wall to the southeast is the baray (pond) which is well preserved.
This last site visit in Khonburi district is almost certainly the last visit of this tour and I reflect on how appropriate this is considering my interest in ancient monuments.
Back to Base....... Finally the implications of delays in Khonburi district dawns on me and I realize we're not going to make it back Bangkok before dark. We are well aware of the possibility of heavy traffic as people return to the city after Songkran celebrations. The only consolation is that tomorrow would be even worse which is why we chose to return today. Curiously we now decide on a devious route back to the city which contradicts the advice given by GPS. Instead of heading back along the Mittraphap Road, we decide to head south to take in the scenic route that skirts Thaplan National Park. However, that advantage is neutralized as I fall asleep in the passenger seat. It's now just a question of locating Hwy 33 and after a clever diversion we head west avoiding congestion at the junction. From here my dear companion is sure she knows the best route back into Bangkok, but she's constantly overruled by the GPS navigation system which suggests we should reach our destination by 7pm. It's one of those imponderables but right on queue we arrive in the village at 7:30pm, 30 minutes later as was predicted after changing the route. It seems we managed to avoid the 30-baht toll charge on the Kanchanapesek tollway though.
At 8pm we're shopping in the village and by 9pm having a rather late dinner. It's not what I envisaged but at least we're back safely after a most fascinating 16 days on tour.
Conclusion.
Instant Car Wash....... Today is Saturday and the last of the three days of Songkran celebrations and I expect more of the car wash drive throughs. It's also the last day of this tour. For these three days, while we've been traveling around and not directly taking part in the festivities, we've still been caught up in them and I've been amazed at the extent of the celebrations everywhere we've visited. My only regret is that those giving us a car wash seem to concentrate only on the front of the car and not on the back. Hmmmm!
S.S. Hotel....... Overnight our stay at S.S. Hotel has been great. Of course, there is not that great breakfast to look forward to, but we have enough 7-Eleven goodies that need using up for fear of going out of date. Although today we're expecting an easy trip back to Bangkok, we're ready for an earlier start. Accordingly, I can plan a deviation from the obvious route back to the city and head for a district in Nakhon Ratchasima province, which so far has eluded me, hoping to visit three attractions. There should still be plenty of time. At 11am we arrive for our first site visit in Khonburi district.
100 Years Old Wooden Bridge....... The 100 Years Old Wooden Bridge is one location on my wish list for this massive province. It is a plank bridge extending across a rice paddy and is a pleasant alternative to access the fields other than simple using earthen dykes and tales less space. In the growing season the rice can grow higher than the plank footbridge.
With this visit taking little time, I can expand on the time here to add an unscheduled visit.
Lam Chae Reservoir....... Lam Chae Reservoir is a medium sized reservoir about 5km wide serving as a water source for the farming community and acts as a freshwater fish farm. It is fed by the Chae River which cascades over the Wang Tao Waterfall about 3 kms upstream.
Even though there are reservoirs, lakes and swamps all over Thailand's Isan provinces, many are not worth visiting. Here at Lam Chae Reservoir however, there is a freshwater beach and where there is a beach in this hot weather, there are people and where there are people there are food vendors. Familiar with this sort of attraction already, there's no need for me to get too absorbed here but we have yet to locate the dam that has created this reservoir. After a bit of searching, we relocate it and compared to the beach area, it's really peaceful. The dam is an earth and rock dam with a water gate to allow excess water to be discharged in the rainy season. Presently the water source is dry, but discharge is allowed along a small drainage channel which helps with irrigation. Now, after some local advice we head for another of the three attractions.
Mun Bon Dam....... Heading for Mun Bon Dam, I'm expecting something similar to the last but as we reach the area near the dam it's clear that that expectation was totally wrong. Geographically the profiles are very similar, this one slightly smaller, the main dam gates closed to preserve water in the dry season. What relatively small discharge there is runs along a canal but while the canal at Lam Chae is deserted this one at Mun Bon is the exact opposite. Here the procession of pickup trucks seems almost endless, each crammed with persons and ample supplies of water to engage in water fights. At this stage we are relaxed enough not to be too concerned about any delay this causes but the downside is we cannot get access to view the reservoir. There are simply too many vehicles lined up around the drainage channel. Finally, we extricate ourselves from the melee and head for the last attraction on my list today.
Prang Khonburi....... Reaching Prang Khonburi, I immediately know its style from others I have seen, one of 31 constructed in the region in the 12th/13th centuries. By its architectural style it is believed to be an arokayasala (medical station/hospital) built during the reign of King Jayavaman VII (1181-1218) who built 102 in all of this type in his kingdom. It was built of laterite with sandstone doorways and lintels. The laterite wall encloses a single tower and a banalai (library). Outsite of the wall to the southeast is the baray (pond) which is well preserved.
This last site visit in Khonburi district is almost certainly the last visit of this tour and I reflect on how appropriate this is considering my interest in ancient monuments.
Back to Base....... Finally the implications of delays in Khonburi district dawns on me and I realize we're not going to make it back Bangkok before dark. We are well aware of the possibility of heavy traffic as people return to the city after Songkran celebrations. The only consolation is that tomorrow would be even worse which is why we chose to return today. Curiously we now decide on a devious route back to the city which contradicts the advice given by GPS. Instead of heading back along the Mittraphap Road, we decide to head south to take in the scenic route that skirts Thaplan National Park. However, that advantage is neutralized as I fall asleep in the passenger seat. It's now just a question of locating Hwy 33 and after a clever diversion we head west avoiding congestion at the junction. From here my dear companion is sure she knows the best route back into Bangkok, but she's constantly overruled by the GPS navigation system which suggests we should reach our destination by 7pm. It's one of those imponderables but right on queue we arrive in the village at 7:30pm, 30 minutes later as was predicted after changing the route. It seems we managed to avoid the 30-baht toll charge on the Kanchanapesek tollway though.
At 8pm we're shopping in the village and by 9pm having a rather late dinner. It's not what I envisaged but at least we're back safely after a most fascinating 16 days on tour.
Conclusion.
Nakhon Ratchasima Province
100 Years Old Wooden Bridge,
Khok Krachai, Khonburi District
Lam Chae Reservoir, Khok Krachai,
Khon Buri District
Lam Chae Dam, Khok Krachai,
Khon Buri District
Mun Bon Dam, Mun Bon, Khon Buri District
Prang Khon Buri, Khon Buri,
Khon Buri District
100 Years Old Wooden Bridge,
Khok Krachai, Khonburi District
Lam Chae Reservoir, Khok Krachai,
Khon Buri District
Lam Chae Dam, Khok Krachai,
Khon Buri District
Mun Bon Dam, Mun Bon, Khon Buri District
Prang Khon Buri, Khon Buri,
Khon Buri District