Day 3, 7 November - Trat
Decisions....... Today there are decisions to make now that the prime objective has been achieved. All along I have penciled in a visit to Koh Chang for no other reason than to just chill out. However, this would not break new ground as I've been there before, covering the island on a previous tour. After some consideration, I turn down the opportunity. The accommodation, food etc. would be more expensive, then there's the car ferry and national park fee and the weather a bit iffy. I'm happy to continue to explore mainland Trat today sticking to a leisurely pace.
One thing we considered today was taking a boat ride through the amazing mangrove making up for the missed opportunity earlier but the tide is not the most favourable. Tomorrow with an earlier start it would be better and we provisionally book a boat. So today is free and there's an obvious place to start.
Trat City Museum....... Trat City Museum dates back to 1921, during the reign of King Rama VI, and was originally designed to act as a town hall. This colonial-style wooden building sits on stilts with a 'Panya' style roof construction. The building was once heavily damaged by fire, but the Fine Arts Department intervened to restore it, leaving it identical to the original, improving the surrounding landscape in the process and converting it into the City Museum to allow visitors to learn about the city's culture, geography and lifestyles.
No stranger to city museums in Thailand on this visit, I'm always open to learn something new. This museum relies on models and information boards to tell the story of Trat, but the number of exhibits is limited. The museum relates how the community has involved from ethnic and Khmer peoples to include Chinese, Cambodian Muslims and later Siamese immigrants. For this reason, traces of Buddhism don't stretch that far back: The oldest Buddhist temple dates from the 17th Century. Trat in the Ayutthaya period was a outpost and the city developed only after the fall of Ayutthaya under The Rattanakosin Kings. Much of the museum concentrates on this era when Siamese influence and power expanded.
Trat existed to protect the eastern border and saw much conflict. Under King Taksin in the late 18th Century unrest among Chinese immigrants wanting to set up their own administration had to be quelled. Under King Rama V in the late 19th century Trat came under French control and was not given back without losing much of Siamese controlled Cambodia. Siam did achieve a victory of sorts against the French at the Battle of Koh Chang.
My fascination with Thai history has kept me here far longer than I intended but in the process pointers to other sites of interest around the province has been provided.
Street Art....... I pause to take photographs of Street Art behind the museum which is entirely given over to attractions in the province. We take an early lunch armed with the new site list.
Noen Sai....... We first arrive in at a government conservation office where I can take photos of the Trat River. We take the Noen Ta Maew Alley as far as it goes taking more photos reaching Khlong Bang Phra. Here is another government conservation office set up beside the khlong in an area rich in mangrove. There is a mangrove trail here but badly neglected due to lack of interest. In fact, the walkway is covered in moss after recent rains. We just take a recce and go off searching for something more interesting back in the city.
Wat Phai Lom....... Wat Phai Lom was established in the late Ayutthaya era and served as the Buddhist school for monks for more than hundred years. The Rama III-era Ubosot features wall murals on all four sides portraying the story of Lord Buddha with Chinese floral designs as well as illustrations of foreigners which must have been commissioned after the time of his reign. There is also an ubosot of western architectural influence attesting to Chanthaburi's artistic and cultural contact with the Western World. Another temple is not far away.
Wat Yothanimit....... Wat Yothanimit or Wat Bot in Trat used to be the site to hold the Tue Nam Pra Pipat Sattaya Ceremony, or the state ceremony in which government officials had to drink the oath of allegiance to declare that they would be loyal to the country, in the time when King Taksin gathered his army officers here after Ayutthaya was broken by the Burmese army. It is believed that this site was his headquarters. Yet another temple is located nearby.
Wat Sai Thong....... The Trat Museum lists Rattanakosin temples built up to the reign of King Rama III. This means that Wat Sai Thong was built after 1851 and has no information source at present.
Laem Ngop....... It's not yet mid-afternoon and we debate as to what else we can do today without travelling too far. Although well-trodden territory for me we head to Laem Ngop to at least get a view of Koh Chang now that I've removed in from my visit list, but as we start the relatively short trip, there's a rumble of thunder in the distance. I know rain is on the way and it's keeping good time. This will be the 3rd day in a row a thunderstorm has arrived in the afternoon. The rain duly arrives before we reach Laem Ngop.
The Farthest Point of the Eastern Land....... The Farthest Point of the Eastern Land which it isn't is the site of an iconic lighthouse. It controls the straight between the mainland and Koh Chang. It isn't lit but it might as well be. Koh Chang just 8 kms away can hardly be seen though the murk. We wait in the car park for the rain to subside which doesnt take long such is the nature of these storms. It seems my decision to give Koh Chang a miss is wise as we head off to another attraction I've seen before.
Yuttanavi Memorial Monument....... Yuttanavi Memorial Monument is just a short distance to the west and is a memorial to the Battle of Koh Chang which I read about earlier at the museum. What I forgot was that on my last visit, the memorial was closed but now the information here much of it in English tells of the gallantry of The Royal Thai Navy during an attack of French warships.
The Battle of Ko Chang took place on 17 January 1941 during the Franco-Thai War in which a flotilla of French warships attacked a smaller force of Thai vessels, including a coastal defense ship. The battle resulted in a tactical victory by the French Navy over the Royal Thai Navy although the strategic result is disputed. Although all three Thai warships ended up on the bottom, the French light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, built in 1923 was damaged and the flotilla had to retire.
Mukkebi....... My deviation to Laem Ngop where I've been before has proved most worthwhile and the history revealed most thought provoking. Back in Trat I'm looking for something a bit different after living on budget food for a couple of days and end up just outside the city at Mukkebi. Here is both a sushi restaurant and Korean BBQ, the latter on the ground floor and the Japanese restaurant on the upper. The appearance looks posh, and I know it will cost more here than I'm used to for a BBQ and so it proves but now and again won't hurt. The problem is more about eating too much food when I shouldn't. The selection for the grill is just amazing. This is the sort of place you see in Bangkok not here.
Next Page.
Decisions....... Today there are decisions to make now that the prime objective has been achieved. All along I have penciled in a visit to Koh Chang for no other reason than to just chill out. However, this would not break new ground as I've been there before, covering the island on a previous tour. After some consideration, I turn down the opportunity. The accommodation, food etc. would be more expensive, then there's the car ferry and national park fee and the weather a bit iffy. I'm happy to continue to explore mainland Trat today sticking to a leisurely pace.
One thing we considered today was taking a boat ride through the amazing mangrove making up for the missed opportunity earlier but the tide is not the most favourable. Tomorrow with an earlier start it would be better and we provisionally book a boat. So today is free and there's an obvious place to start.
Trat City Museum....... Trat City Museum dates back to 1921, during the reign of King Rama VI, and was originally designed to act as a town hall. This colonial-style wooden building sits on stilts with a 'Panya' style roof construction. The building was once heavily damaged by fire, but the Fine Arts Department intervened to restore it, leaving it identical to the original, improving the surrounding landscape in the process and converting it into the City Museum to allow visitors to learn about the city's culture, geography and lifestyles.
No stranger to city museums in Thailand on this visit, I'm always open to learn something new. This museum relies on models and information boards to tell the story of Trat, but the number of exhibits is limited. The museum relates how the community has involved from ethnic and Khmer peoples to include Chinese, Cambodian Muslims and later Siamese immigrants. For this reason, traces of Buddhism don't stretch that far back: The oldest Buddhist temple dates from the 17th Century. Trat in the Ayutthaya period was a outpost and the city developed only after the fall of Ayutthaya under The Rattanakosin Kings. Much of the museum concentrates on this era when Siamese influence and power expanded.
Trat existed to protect the eastern border and saw much conflict. Under King Taksin in the late 18th Century unrest among Chinese immigrants wanting to set up their own administration had to be quelled. Under King Rama V in the late 19th century Trat came under French control and was not given back without losing much of Siamese controlled Cambodia. Siam did achieve a victory of sorts against the French at the Battle of Koh Chang.
My fascination with Thai history has kept me here far longer than I intended but in the process pointers to other sites of interest around the province has been provided.
Street Art....... I pause to take photographs of Street Art behind the museum which is entirely given over to attractions in the province. We take an early lunch armed with the new site list.
Noen Sai....... We first arrive in at a government conservation office where I can take photos of the Trat River. We take the Noen Ta Maew Alley as far as it goes taking more photos reaching Khlong Bang Phra. Here is another government conservation office set up beside the khlong in an area rich in mangrove. There is a mangrove trail here but badly neglected due to lack of interest. In fact, the walkway is covered in moss after recent rains. We just take a recce and go off searching for something more interesting back in the city.
Wat Phai Lom....... Wat Phai Lom was established in the late Ayutthaya era and served as the Buddhist school for monks for more than hundred years. The Rama III-era Ubosot features wall murals on all four sides portraying the story of Lord Buddha with Chinese floral designs as well as illustrations of foreigners which must have been commissioned after the time of his reign. There is also an ubosot of western architectural influence attesting to Chanthaburi's artistic and cultural contact with the Western World. Another temple is not far away.
Wat Yothanimit....... Wat Yothanimit or Wat Bot in Trat used to be the site to hold the Tue Nam Pra Pipat Sattaya Ceremony, or the state ceremony in which government officials had to drink the oath of allegiance to declare that they would be loyal to the country, in the time when King Taksin gathered his army officers here after Ayutthaya was broken by the Burmese army. It is believed that this site was his headquarters. Yet another temple is located nearby.
Wat Sai Thong....... The Trat Museum lists Rattanakosin temples built up to the reign of King Rama III. This means that Wat Sai Thong was built after 1851 and has no information source at present.
Laem Ngop....... It's not yet mid-afternoon and we debate as to what else we can do today without travelling too far. Although well-trodden territory for me we head to Laem Ngop to at least get a view of Koh Chang now that I've removed in from my visit list, but as we start the relatively short trip, there's a rumble of thunder in the distance. I know rain is on the way and it's keeping good time. This will be the 3rd day in a row a thunderstorm has arrived in the afternoon. The rain duly arrives before we reach Laem Ngop.
The Farthest Point of the Eastern Land....... The Farthest Point of the Eastern Land which it isn't is the site of an iconic lighthouse. It controls the straight between the mainland and Koh Chang. It isn't lit but it might as well be. Koh Chang just 8 kms away can hardly be seen though the murk. We wait in the car park for the rain to subside which doesnt take long such is the nature of these storms. It seems my decision to give Koh Chang a miss is wise as we head off to another attraction I've seen before.
Yuttanavi Memorial Monument....... Yuttanavi Memorial Monument is just a short distance to the west and is a memorial to the Battle of Koh Chang which I read about earlier at the museum. What I forgot was that on my last visit, the memorial was closed but now the information here much of it in English tells of the gallantry of The Royal Thai Navy during an attack of French warships.
The Battle of Ko Chang took place on 17 January 1941 during the Franco-Thai War in which a flotilla of French warships attacked a smaller force of Thai vessels, including a coastal defense ship. The battle resulted in a tactical victory by the French Navy over the Royal Thai Navy although the strategic result is disputed. Although all three Thai warships ended up on the bottom, the French light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, built in 1923 was damaged and the flotilla had to retire.
Mukkebi....... My deviation to Laem Ngop where I've been before has proved most worthwhile and the history revealed most thought provoking. Back in Trat I'm looking for something a bit different after living on budget food for a couple of days and end up just outside the city at Mukkebi. Here is both a sushi restaurant and Korean BBQ, the latter on the ground floor and the Japanese restaurant on the upper. The appearance looks posh, and I know it will cost more here than I'm used to for a BBQ and so it proves but now and again won't hurt. The problem is more about eating too much food when I shouldn't. The selection for the grill is just amazing. This is the sort of place you see in Bangkok not here.
Next Page.
Trat Province
Trat City Museum, Bang Phra,
Mueang Trat District
Street Art, Bang Phra, Mueang Trat District
Trat River, Mueang Trat District
Noen Sai Conservation Area,
Mueang Trat District
Wat Phai Lom, Bang Phra,
Mueang Trat District
Wat Yothanimit, Bang Phra,
Mueang Trat District
Wat Sai Thong, Nong Sano,
Mueang Trat District
Laem Ngop, Laem Ngop District
Yuttanavi Memorial Monument, Laem Ngop, Laem Ngop District
Mukkebi, Bang Phra, Mueang Trat District