....previously, the charming town of Phetchaburi, Thailand.....
We'd ridden various
parts of the “Death Railway” in Thailand years ago during trips
in and around Kanchanaburi, but this time we decided to take the
entire ride from Bangkok to Namtok, a 4.5 hour train journey, and
then continue up into the hills near the Burmese border.
The railway line is
infamous for having being built by POWs during World War Two, when
Thailand was occupied by the Japanese, and includes the well known
bridge over the River Kwae.
Discovering how
uncrowded and airy the third class trains are in Thailand was a
revelation. They're also incredibly cheap, comfortable enough for
shorter trips and have roaming food and drinks sellers. Of course,
this particular train was mostly for tourists, but was still a very
pleasant way to get to our destination and only 100 baht/AU$4. We actually found the first
part of the trip the most fascinating, on the outskirts of Bangkok,
with tiny houses in canal communities built almost touching the
tracks and train, and we were able to peer into the resident's lives
from the slow moving train. This area used to be navigable only by
boat before there were roads, and the many floating markets (which
are now only for tourists) were the only way to receive and sell
goods.
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| Riding the railway from Bangkok to Namtok, Thailand |
The scenery after the
canals was mostly flat and agricultural, with bananas, cassava, sugar
cane and rice being the main crops. Around Kanchanaburi the scenery
turned more hilly and natural, although the normally lush jungle was
incredibly dry due to the hot weather.
After disembarking the
train at Namtok, we still had a rickety bus trip to complete our
journey further west. Through the open windows we saw the many
English signs around Kanchanaburi dwindle the further west we got,
and the scenery became strawberry farms, national parks, waterfalls
and caves. Again, we loved these local buses for their fresh air,
lovely old wooden floorboards and cheap prices. They are certainly
not the fastest way to get around, but we prefer to take a slow
journey and saviour the experience- it's kind of our thing!!
Thong Pha Phum was a
tiny one street town (with three 7-11s!), and we quickly found cheap
accommodation and food in the centre.
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| Our cheap and cheerful 250 baht/AU$10 room in Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
The view of the hilltop
wat nearby was too tempting, and the next morning we set off
before the heat to have a scout around. Although we carried a stick,
the hungry temple dogs were about in huge numbers, and some became
aggressive when we passed, hoping for some food. We were struck, as
always in Thailand, at the absurdity of a religion that won't kill animals on grounds of cruelty, but is happy to feed them and keep them in a depressing state of scabbiness and disease. Thailand has a
problem with this, and it does seem especially prevalent in Buddhist temple areas. OK, rant over!!
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| Monks on a bridge, Wat Tha Kha Nun, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Morning sky, Wat Tha Kha Nun, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Cute critter, Wat Tha Kha Nun, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Wat Tha Kha Nun, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
Once having scaled the
steps and made it to the top, we enjoyed the view of the town and
surrounding hills, although the extreme heat gave everything a hazy
look. The birdlife was prolific up there, and we became nerds sitting
there alone for ages spotting different species.
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| Monks from the bridge, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Hilltop chedi, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Serene Buddha statue, hilltop chedi, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Lovely little bird, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Hazy view over Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
The small town was
interesting with the Burmese/Mon look of the population becoming more
common. The fare at the market was quite different for us, but we
found some recognizable foods to munch on amongst the bits and pieces
for sale. We followed some monks around one morning during their
morning begging session, trying to take unobtrusive photos, although
it has to be said- it's hard to get a good monk photos these days due
to them being stuck to their mobile phones (as is everyone)!!
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| Morning begging rounds, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Grumpy and mobile, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
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| Pig face, market, Thong Pha Phum, Thailand |
When the time came to
leave, a misunderstanding with bus times caused a rather long wait,
but we finally got going in another great little bus to Sangkhlaburi,
further along the twisty and turning road, up and down towards the
Burmese border.
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| Full bus to Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
Sangkhlaburi has a huge
number of Burmese Mon residents. Many are minority refugees who have
escaped from the treatment of the Burmese government, but now there
are second generation kids who have been born in Thailand.
Apparently, they aren't treated very well by the Thais, but as
tourists we didn't see that side of things. The Burmese influence is
everywhere in Sangkhlaburi- from the cheroot (cigar) smoking
ladies, the curly writing on signs, the pan stalls (betel nut
chewed as a stimulant), to the typical Burmese face paint and the
lungi worn by many.
The lake is the focal
point for Sangkhlaburi, and it's beautiful wooden bridge a major
tourist attraction for hundreds of Thais who visit here everyday,
presumably combining it with a trip to the border from Kanchanaburi.
As a result the Mon village on the far side of the bridge was chock a
block with tacky tourist trinket shops and places one could hire
“traditional dress” for a photo on the bridge. Added to that were
the huge resorts built on either side of the river, somewhat spoiling
the view.
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| Beautiful wooden bridge, Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
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| Quiet time on the bridge, Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
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| Floating houses on Sangkhlaburi lake, Thailand |
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| Early morning tourist parade at the bridge, Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
We spent a day on a
hired motorbike- the town is spread out and the guesthouse area and
lake quite far from the centre, and other sights more than a walk
away. The difference in temperature between the freezing early
morning riding on the bike, and the absolutely baking afternoons
walking the shadeless roads was ludicrous! We found all the wats
and stupas we saw in the area to be somewhat crude and cheap
looking, with out of proportion Buddhas and rough finishes. Many
were also unkempt, giving a neglected air to them. Most Buddhas were
the Burmese style, with long earlobes and some complete with flashing
halo lights around their heads. A visit to the Three Pagoda Pass on
the border was a bit of a non event, but the freedom of having our
own transport and turning off down countless little side roads was
fantastic. More dogs seemed to await us every time we got off the
bike, growling and barking at us, and some even chased the motorbike,
snapping at our heels.
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| The most beautiful Buddha we saw in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
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| Fruit stall at the petrol station, Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
A funny aside about
Sangkhlaburi, was we were to randomly meet up with a friend from
Fruitopia, who took us to his guesthouse and his favourite places to
eat. It was lovely, and unexpected, to see a familiar face, and spend
a couple of days hanging out, especially at the secret cool and
relaxing river place where we swam and hung out in shady bamboo huts
over the river, whilst local kids played Tarzan .
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| Keeping cool in the heat of the day, Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
Despite the prettiness
of the place, and it's interesting mix of people, we somehow couldn't
be drawn in to Sangkhlaburi. The huge amounts of mostly Thai tourists
and the farang Christian-y do gooders working for various
charities created a weird atmosphere, and the locals weren't at all
curious or as welcoming as other places, such as Thong Pha Phum.
Also, due to the higher accommodation prices, we shortened our stay,
so didn't explore as much as we'd planned.
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| Mystery meat sticks, market, Sangkhlaburi, Thailand |
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FOOD
The highlight of
traveling in Thailand for us, is the food, and especially the night
markets which appear in nearly every town- some even have more than
one. Having a better grasp of ordering in Thai, we now had an
amazing variety of classic Thai dishes to choose from. Favourites
included:
pad gaprao (stir fried Thai basil),
pad see you
(flat fat noodles fried),
pak boong (the tasty green vegetable
morning glory),
moo krop (crispy pork bits with crackling),
moo
kah (pulled pork leg meat), as well as the ubiquitous
khao pad
(fried rice) and
pad thai (fried thin noodles), and dozens of other dishes to choose from. Meals varied between 30 and 40
baht in the markets (AUS$1.20-$1.60). Drinks were covered with
gaa-fae yen (iced coffee) in the mornings and
paan
(fruit shakes) in the evenings (and the odd Chang beer or cocktail
whilst in Bangkok!). Iced coffee and shakes were 25 to 40 baht
(AU$1.00-$1.60), and large beers and cocktails 70 baht (at the right
bar!- AU$2.90). Probably because we generally avoided tourist
restaurants, we never thought we were being overcharged for food or
drink, and were always happy with the price asked.
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| Classic pad thai goong |
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| LOVE this typical array of condiments |
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| Pad gaprao moo (stir fry basil and pork) |
.....onward to the beginning of our Vietnam trip- The Deep South....
