Preparations……..To start a tour in March of a new year is somewhat late for me relative to other years. It puts travelling firmly in the hot dry season which has obvious disadvantages. The delay is due to unusual commitments in the UK but I’m anxious to carry on where I left off in December but not unusually I don’t have a firm plan. What is fact is that today (Saturday) I’ve arranged for a car again for my travels. However unlike the last tour I’ve come to a private arrangement with a friend of a friend. The Toyota 4 door carryboy seems to fit the bill to a ‘T’. All I need now is to work on my travel plan. As with my last tour there is only an initial destination to work on but at least there has been some research done and with a full day tomorrow there should be as least six objectives to aim for. None of these is more than two hours from Bangkok. While I don’t set out to break any records, it was clear that after my last tour I managed to review around seventy sites. This endeavor was hardly complete as this new tour was about to get underway. A couple of new features appeared on the last tour web pages which should enhance the site and a more organised approach was adopted. Adding Google maps to my review pages has been really interesting and the inclusion of slideshows to the featured sites is ongoing. It is anticipated that a similar huge number of photos will be produced on the coming tour. The tour should be of similar duration to the last, around 16 days. The only issue I have now is what to call this latest tour. It doesn’t really have a theme as yet except maybe the intention to avoid the heat. That is an issue with temperatures in Bangkok in the high 30s centigrade. We’ll just have to see.

Day 1 - Sunday 8 March 2015

Departure……..With the motor just outside the door it’s clear I can work at my own pace today. As I wake around 7am I haven’t even packed. I go through my usual breakfast routine but I’m all prepared to depart well before 10am. Katoon joins me but it seems I’m doing the driving. I soon get the hang of the Toyota diesel but I’m more apprehensive about the route out of the city. Based in the northeastern suburbs I need to make my way west. There is a natural route in this direction but it follows urban Highway 304 and it’s usually very busy. At first it’s slow reaching it but at this time of day there’s a lull in the congestion and I make good progress reaching the Chao Phraya River which opens up the western exits from the metropolis. I’ve taken the trouble to log the highway numbers I will need but it seems I should have logged the road names instead as these are preferred on the road signs. Nevertheless I figure it out without much delay. When I link with Highway 334 heading west, the job is almost done as the first stop of the day is just ahead.
Phuttamonton……..At around 11.30am I enter the complex of Phuttamonton also known as Buddha Monton. This is a significant religious site considered ‘the centre of Buddhism of the World’ according to international Buddhist leaders attending the World’s Visakabucha Day Meeting in Thailand. To casual visitors they would probably know that this site was inaugurated to coincide with the second half of the Buddhist era; year 2500 (1957). What is impressive is the sheer size of the complex, 2,500 rai (988 acres). As I make my way around the complex I take my first photographs of this tour, anxious at least to make a photographic record for my website. This will occupy an hour and a half, much as I expected but as I mentioned in ‘preparations’ a feature of my tour will be the heat. While a number of Thais have come to the site to picnic within the magnificent gardens, I don’t have that luxury. This is a significant site covered but I must move on to the next site and it’s not far away.

Talat Don Wai……..As I continue west on Highway 338 I’m looking for a left turn. This will lead me to the small town Ban Don Wai. Prior to my research I hadn’t heard of it but it is clear from Google map that the community here thrives on the popularity of the floating market (talat naam, in Thai). Due to its location on the Tha Chin River, I assume Talat Don Wai is one of Thailand’s long traditional floating markets not to be confused with the man made, hardly authentic examples that are springing up to appeal to tourists. As I reach the town I’m directed to a car park. 20 baht isn’t much but later I’m informed by a local that I could park in Tesco Lotus or in the nearby temple for free. When I enter the market complex there’s no question of its traditions for it’s totally packed with Thais who are here for the shopping experience. The layout of the market has little changed since the time of Rama IV in the 19th century. For me the heat continues to be an issue in the packed and claustrophobic passageways. It’s that intense that if someone stops to buy something there is a sudden log-jam of bodies. It’s not for me but I’m prepared to suffer if only to establish the size if this venue. Leading from the main walkways are passages leading to floating restaurants that do brisk trade. It’s around 2pm so it’s time for a break. From the restaurants there are good views of the river, almost clogged with river-weed. Nevertheless boat trips can be organised from here. The rate is 100 baht for an hour and a half which seems good value to me but I’ve spent far longer than I intended here really down to the crowds of people. I understand this market is only open at weekends. I head back to the 338.

Wat Sisa Thong……..Similarly my third stop of the day is accessible from the main road. In fact it should be right on the main road but I can’t find it. Despite searching for signs I find myself joining Highway 4 heading for Nakhon Pathom and realise I must have passed it. I’m reluctant to back track and head for site four which is to the right of Highway 4. I should be able to get my bearings from the railway line that runs nearby. But this religious site which is believed to have special powers of healing is hard to find. Again Katoon has uncovered this site and leads the way. Being a Sunday like at Don Wai there are many visitors. The odd looking hindu style image is the centre piece of Sisa Thong Temple reminding me of the huge image in Chachoengsao Province. The special powers at work here centre round the colour black with the offerings reflecting this. I set the spirits loose within my black camera. I hope that will do it. With three sites covered it’s clear not much more can be added now. I have at least obtained some clearer directions to the one I missed. However I have to back-track. It’s also clear why I missed it.

The Human Imagery Museum……..The Human Imagery Museum lies on Highway 338, 3 km from the junction with Highway 4. However it’s on the north side of the highway and is best approached travelling eastwards back to Bangkok. Now I find it quite easily off the highway. But it’s getting late, around 4.30pm. Nonetheless there is still time to look inside. However the price of 300 baht is a big deterrent and I procrastinate. It seems a lot relative to other sites and I’m wondering whether it’s worth it in the time available but just when I show disinterest a senior staff member arrives and offers me a half price ticket. This is another example of the dual charging policy between foreigners and Thai but with the concession I agree to look around the museum. The Human Imagery Museum is a small version of Madame Tussauds but what it loses in size, it makes up for in quality. Of course, the main theme of the museum about Thailand and its people with Royalty and the priesthood well represented. The arts are also represented as are examples from life past. The only foreigners represented are, Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. I was particularly interested in the role of Rama V in abolishing slavery much at the same time as Abraham Lincoln. None of the images in the museum are currently alive. I guess the visit was worthwhile and at least I was out of the heat for a while. It should now be a simple question of making a U-turn head back to Nakhon Pathom to continue my outbound journey. However I managed to miss an underpass and find myself half-way back to Bangkok before a U-turn bridge appears. At around 5.30pm I didn’t really need this. Having rejected a return to base the only option now is to head to Nakhon Pathom and put up for the night.

Nakhon Pathom……..On arrival in Nakhon Pathom, finding accommodation is not a simple task but by 7pm I’m settled in at the Whale Hotel. It will be convenient for taking in some of the sites I thought might be possible today but tonight is definitely just a stopover. My notes for today are complete and I conclude that 5 out of 10 is as much as I can offer due to the discomfort of the heat something I have to consider as I continue this tour. On the other hand the short distances between stops today did not help as I was obliged to leave the comfort of the air-conditioned Toyota. Next Page.