Kanchanaburi - The Death Railway

Kanchanaburi

Bridge over River Kwai

The Van to Kanchanaburi from Ayutthaya was around 3 hours and costed 400 Baht (around Rs. 1000/-) We were a Mother-daughter couple from New Zealand and one more lady who joined us. I was staying at a hotel called Baan Suk Soi 5 which was away from the city and in the evening I went to the Skywalk at the river and then further into the river front area near the Bridge over River Kwai, where I hired a motorcycle form OK Bike rental. It was run by a pleasant Chinese lady and costed around 700 Baht for 2 days which is Rs. 850/- per day.  

River Kwai Bridge and War Cemetery 

War Cemetery

The River Kwai bridge was a little ahead and had lot of shops leading to it. I found out that there was a sound and light show which happens annually and I was there at the right time of the year! All preparations were on for the show which was to start the next day.  

Kanchanaburi is a pleasant town with a population of 25000 and gets many tourists due to its history. It was the location where the Death Railway connecting Thailand to Burma was built by the invading Japanese. This was commemorated by the famous book and movie which was made subsequently called Bridge over River Kwai.  Almost half of the prisoners working on the project died from disease, maltreatment or accidents. 

Th Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is the main prisoner of war (POW) cemetery for victims of Japanese imprisonment while building the Burma Railway. There are 6,858 POWs buried there, mostly British, Australian, and Dutch. This Cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Beside the Cemetery is The Thailand–Burma Railway Centre which is privately funded. It is housed in the former headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Army which was constructed by prisoners of war and Asian forced laborers.

Erewan Falls and Hellfire Pass

Konyu Cutting

The next day, I left early with the bike to visit the Erawan falls which is in the Erawan National Park and the  Hellfire Pass which is the actual Thai-Burma Death Railway and there is a museum and gallery there. Both of these are around 90 Kms from the city and takes around 1 Hour 20 Min. 

Hellfire Pass, known by the Japanese as Konyu Cutting is the name of a railway cutting on the former Burma Railway in Thailand, which was built with forced labor during World War II. More than 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and 12,000 Allied soldiers built the railway line, including Hellfire Pass. Due to the harsh conditions, there was heavy loss of life during construction. It was called Hellfire Pass because the sight of emaciated prisoners laboring by burning torchlight resembled a scene from Hell. The Museum was built by the Office of Australian War Graves and as

Erewan Falls

part of the experience, one can walk through the cutting itself and along a section of the former railway track bed. It was a somber experience walking through the section.

The Erawan falls one of the most popular falls in the country and is pretty impressive. It has seven levels with emerald green ponds at each level. The views are picturesque and one can swim at various spots. It was the one of the prettiest waterfalls that I had ever seen and the site pretty well managed with good infrastructure and marked paths. The road to the National Park was also very beautiful and along the river with restaurants and resorts along the way where I stopped for lunch in one of the picturesque spots. The trick to visit these places is to start early before the crowds start coming in.  

Pyrotechnic show

Pyrotechnic Show

In the evening after I returned, went to the River Kwai bridge. Managed to get a seat to the show which was spectacular with pyrotechnics displays and enactment of the wartime bombing of the bridge. It was worth all the hype and preparations.

After spending a few days in Kanchanaburi, it was time to return back to Bangkok and catch the flight back to Bangalore.

Ayutthaya - Capital City

An Ancient Capital

Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 to 1767. It became an independent kingdom in Thailand after the fall of the Angkor kings. Previous to this the Sukhothaya kings were the rulers from further North. The city was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767, but its ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The capital then moved to Bangkok under the Ratthanosan dynasty. 

After returning back from Cambodia to Bangkok, I decided to explore Ayutthaya and from there go to Kanchanburi which became famous in world world 2 for its death railway and the famous bridge over River Kwai.

Ayutthaya is about an hour's train journey from the Don Mueng airport where I was to land. I boarded the train and reached Ayutthaya late in the night and I checked into a guesthouse called Siri Guesthouse. Run by a local family, it was spotlessly clean and very near to the city attractions. 

Exploration Plan

The historical city which is a world heritage site is spread around 12 square Kms around the Phraya Chaya river. While the palace is in ruins, the wats which were built in the Khymer style are spread around and gives a good insight into the times. 

Day 1 plan was to go to the Wats near the erstwhile Palace grounds starting with Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Monglon Bophit which is adjoining it.. Day 2,  I spent time mainly in Wat Ratchaburana and Mahathat. Day 3, I covered the temples around the river and the main Museum.

The best way to move around is by bicycle and to beat the heat, I used to start early around 0630 am. The temples all open by 8, so the trick is to complete seeing them before 11 am when the heat and the crowd starts coming in. Tourist buses ply in from Bangkok and the sites become very busy later in the day.

Prang of Wat Phutthaisawan

The Ratchaburana gold collection in the museum is a must see and gives an idea of the designs and lifestyle of the kings during this period. These are items found in the Wat crypts where the cremated remains of the kings used to be buried along with their belongings. 

Near the guest house are various restaurants and night market where local street food is available. 

Buddhist Temple Architecture

The temple architecture of the Ayutthaya kings were inspired from the Khmers who were the previous Empire builders from Cambodia. The main tower is called a Prang which is cone conical shaped with a broad base getting narrower towards the top and an entrance on one side. Prangs originate from Khmer architecture and the best known prang of Thailand is probably the main prang of the Wat Arun, one of Bangkok’s most famous landmarks on the Chao Phraya river.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Three Chedis of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet

Completed in 1448 and situated within the royal Palace grounds, Wat Phra Sri Sanphet was the royal monastery and therefore no monks were allowed to reside. The temple served to conduct ceremonies within the royal court, such as the ritual to drink an oath of allegiance. 

At the heart of the temple, there are three Ceylonese (bell-shaped) Chedis or pagodas side by side situated on rectangular platforms. It is believed that these platforms were the base of royal houses in the Ayutthaya period.

Wat Monglon Bophit

This temple lies adjacent to Wat Phra Si Sanphet and the main feature is a large bronze (gilded) Buddha image, named Phra Mongkhon Bophit. It is is one of the largest bronze Buddha images in Thailand and measures 9.5 meters across the lap and has a height including the pedestal of 17 meters. The Buddha image is seated in the position of Subduing Mara. Sculpted in 1538 A.D, this statue was later covered by gold leaf. 

Wat Ratchaburana

Prang of Wat Ratchaburana

The most popular of all the temples, it has one of the best preserved central tower (prang) in Ayutthaya and housed some of the greatest treasures uncovered in the city. 

In 1957 the temple's crypt was looted of a large number of Buddha images and gold artifacts. The thieves were later caught and some of the treasures were recovered and are on display at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum nearby. 

Subsequently, archaeologists discovered three levels in a crypt within the tower: the first covered in murals and containing tablets from commoners, the second with items from the royal family including golden tablets, and the third where there would've been relics of Buddha. Further excavations of the crypt have uncovered many more rare Buddha images and other priceless objects.

Wat Mahathat

Buddha Status entangled in roots

Wat Mahathat was built on the edge of Ayutthaya's Royal Palace and was one of the capital's most important temples, used by kings and other senior officials. Buddha's relics would've been housed, along with other important treasures of the kingdom. And important royal ceremonies and celebrations would've been held at the temple. The Prang or central tower is however destroyed and the complex is mainly in ruins.

Paintings at Wat Choeng Tha

In the southeast corner of the temple complex, one can find one of the most iconic images of Ayutthaya - the head of a Buddha statue embraced by the roots of a tree, which are entwined around it.

There are other notable temples worth visiting which are on the other side of the river. Wat Phutthaisawan is one of the temples that survived the Burmese destruction during the collapse of Ayutthaya in 1767, so the temple remains in a good condition and a complete Prang can be seen. The other temple is Wat Chaiwatthanaram which has got striking ruins and is a must see. 

Oyster Pancake

Some ancient paintings can be seen at the sermon hall of Wat Choeng Tha. 

Food

Near the Guesthouse were markets where street food is available. One of the dishes I tried here are the Oyster Pan cakes which was being made by a street vendor. This is a famous Teochew food from China and can be found in many places in Thailand and in South East Asia. Its a must try street found where ever available. 

Bangkok - Enroute to Cambodia

Overall Plan

I planned to visit Cambodia in July and decided to fly to Bangkok and then travel to Cambodia by road. This was because I was not sure how long I would stay in Cambodia and wanted the option of traveling in Thailand on my way back. I did a stop over in Bangkok for a few days and while I was there, met up with two of my ex colleagues who were currently working in Bangkok. 

Sukhumvit

I stayed in the Sukhumvit area which is a lively place and where all the major hotels, restaurants and entertainment options were. Food options are plenty and include excellent Western, Thai, Burmese, Indian, middle eastern, Ethiopian, Chinese and Japanese restaurants. I and a big fan of Adam Gottschalk who is a journalist-turned-chef and runs the OTR channel on YouTube. In one of his programs, he had covered Burmese food and I wanted to ensure that I ate at least one Burmese restaurant. One of the first things I did was to visit ThaNaKa Myanmar Restaurant and taste its food. I tried the picked tea leaf salad which was flavorful and crunchy and had Pork with sour Bamboo shoot curry with rice. It was wonderful and reminded me of North East Indian food. 

I was told Bangkok had over 20 lakhs Indians who had settled when the king had given them land near Sukhumvit at very low rates. Now this part of the city has become the main area and very expensive. These Thai Indians can be differentiated from their Indianized names. I asked my friend about his experience working in Bangkok. He said that today there are people from across the world working here including Indians. The school system is very good where the medium of instruction is Thai and there are also international schools. In many ways like India, society favors respect and politeness for individuality and creativity. Therefore while Thais are good at Tourist and services related activities, the level of innovation and use of Technology within the country is limited. Most technology companies are mostly from Singapore and Indonesia. 

City Pillar and Wat Pho

The city Pillar is where the foundation of the city is kept in the form of a Lingam and is common across Thailand and Laos. Both this temple and Wat Pho which is one of the important Wats in Bangkok are just outside the royal palace area and I spent a few hours in both these places. I had visited the Royal Palace and the Emerald Buddha temple several years back and I decided to give it a miss.

The city pillar was set up by Rama I, the founder of the Chakri dynasty and the city of Krung Rattanakosin or Bangkok. The shrine also has five guardian spirits including interestingly Chao Chettakup or Chitragupta who is an assistant to Yama, the God of death and keeps a record of all the deaths of a person. 

Wat Pho was built by King Rama I and contains his ashes. It has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand including the famous reclining Buddha. It was also a Center for public education and has illustrations and inscriptions for public instructions. 

The best time to visit these places is early morning before the day gets hot and the tourist crowds start pouring in. Before going to these places, I stopped for breakfast at the Trok Mor Morning Market which is near the Palace and has got great street food. 

Wat Arun and Souksiam

While exiting Thailand back to India, I made it a point to go to Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn which I had visited a few years back but at that time it was being renovated. It is an impressive structure on the other side of the Chao Phraya river and is very popular for photo shoots. Dedicated to Aruna, the charioteer of Surya God and the father of Jatayu, the temple is very impressive with its colorful tiles and the towering 200 ft spire of the main pagoda. 

It's a day well spent traveling along the river and the best way to do it is to buy an all day river pass on the tourist blue boat at Sathorn Pier. One can hop in and out of the various sites. One of the stops I made was to Iconsiam, a stylish mall and one of the best places to taste Thai street food from across all regions in an airconditioned Souk called Souksiam. I would highly recommend it to every visitor. 

City Parks and Art

Bangkok is a world class city with great food and entertainment destinations. What I also liked was its many parks where you could go for a morning run or evening strolls. I loved going to Lumphini park for my morning runs and Benchakitti during the evening where there is a beautiful lake, walkways all across the park and a main Amphitheater where there are free shows on Saturdays.  

If you love art and antiques, River City Bangkok is the place where I spent half a day wandering around its wonderful art galleries and antique shops. I bought a modern painting from MT Gallery which has a decent collection.

Before exiting, I had to make a stop at Thaniya shopping Center which is a mall just for Golf equipment and accessories. It is a customary place for me and my friends to visit when in Bangkok and a great place to shop for Golfing gear.

 

 

Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle

Chiang Rai

Wat Phra Kaew

Founded in the year 1262 by King Mang Rai, the 1st Lanna king, Chiang Rai is North of Chiang Mai. The bus took around 3 hours and I checked in to the Moon and Sun Hotel in a quiet street to the North of the city. Further North flows the Kok river where there are some beautiful resorts and restaurants. In the evening, I took a stroll around the city and the clock tower which is quite unique and a symbol of the city. 

The next day I started early and hired a bike as along with the city I planned to visit the countryside over the next 2 days. Chiang Rai is a small town and can be finished in a day. I started by first visiting the temples in the city. The notable Wats are Wat Phra Kaew Chiang Rai which had hosted the Emerald Buddha and Wat Phra Sing Chiang Rai which at one time housed the Phra Singh, the second most revered Buddha image which is now in Bangkok. In the outskirts of the city at the top of a hill is the Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong which has the city pillar and some good views from the top.

White Temple

However the crown jewels of Chiang Rai are the new contemporary temples. The most famous one is the Wat Rong Khun or the White Temple in the south outside the city. Then there are the Blue temple and Black house towards the North on the other side of the river. 

Blue Temple

The white temple is south of Chiang Rai and a spectacular smorgasbord of twisting figures and spires put together using cement, plaster and mirrored chips. It is built by the Thai visual artist Chalermchai Kositpipat and is still work in progress. The overall effect is impressive and its worth spending half a day there. Attached to the complex is a golden building dedicated to Ganesha and a gallery displaying the works of the artist. The road to the White temple from Wat Phra Kaew is a pleasant drive through fields taking a side road and I went back through the main road back to town.

Garden of Reeds

In the evening, after completing the Blue temple spent some time at Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House, Bistro & Bar on the river bank and later visited the Garden of Reeds where they have the annual flower festival.

Mae Salong Highlands 

Early next day, I took the bike out to drive to the border town of Mae Sai (near Myanmar border) and take a loop through the Golden triangle back to Chiang Rai. The Golden Triangle is the point where 3 countries meet - Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. I didn't know at that time, but later found out that this is an area with legendary tales of Opium smuggling, human trafficking and Casino Mafias. 

With Owner of Ming Yong Coffee and Tea

Enroute, I took a detour to the mountains to the west towards Mai Salong which turned out to be a pleasant ride through Coffee plantations. Off the main trail in the middle of the jungle with breathtaking views, I came across a well kept temple, Wat Phra That Santitham. On the return loop back, I stopped at Ming Yong Coffee & Tea, a cute tea shop with great views and run by a lovely couple. They were from the Akha tribe which is one of the hill tribe groups that initially resided in Yunnan and moved to Thailand. 

Mae Salong is known for its settlement of soldiers from the 93rd Division of the Chinese Nationalist Army that refused to surrender to Chinese communists after the Nationalist Kuomintang government was routed in 1949. They escaped from Yunnan to Burma and some left for Thailand in the 1960s. The soldiers that settled in Mae Salong kept it as a military base in preparation for an eventual counter-attack against communist China and funded their arms purchases with opium production. In the 1970s the Thai government struck a deal with the soldiers to cease opium production in favour of cultivating mushrooms and oolong tea, which is now Mae Salong's main product.

The Golden Triangle

After reaching Mai Salong, I took a side road and drove along the Ruak river which is the natural border between Thailand and Myanmar. The river then joins the Mekong river coming in from the North which is the natural border between Myanmar and Laos and the triangle where they meet is called the Golden Triangle. As I descended down a hill into the triangle point, I saw a massive set of buildings ahead of me and I was puzzled as all across there were open ground and fields and there was no big city that I was aware of. It was then I realized its actually a whole set of massive building across the river in Laos, the infamous Golden Triangle Special economic zone (GTSEZ)

Golden Triangle

Inside the SEZ's King Roman's casino which is conspicuously visible for miles around, millions of dollars are exchanged in cash for chips in what seems to be an open display of large money laundering activities. Zhao Wei, the Chinese crime boss responsible for developing the zone has been on the U.S. Treasury sanctions list for “drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, bribery and wildlife trafficking” since 2018. Recently they have moved to online fraud operations that rely on trafficked labor, putting India's phishing capital, Jamtara to shame.

On reaching the Golden Triangle, I spent a few hours and then took the highway back to Chiang Rai. Earlier, I visited the Golden Triangle Park Hall of Opium where Opium's history, cultivation & usage are explored at this museum. Even today this region especially Myanmar is one of the world's biggest drug trafficking corridor for Heroin, Opium and Meth.

After a full day's riding and a night's well deserved rest, I left the next day morning to Chiang Khong to take the land border crossing to Laos through the Thai-Laos Friendship bridge No 4.  

 

Chiang Mai

Gateway to North Thailand

A Cooking Class

Chiang Mai (which means New City) was my base for exploring Northern Thailand before entering Laos. Part of the kingdom of Lanna, Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 by King Meng Rai and is the second largest city in Thailand. The river, Ping flows through the east of the city. Further North is the city of Chiang Rai which was the capital city before Chiang Mai and which I planned to visit next.

I was staying at the Red Brick Guesthouse outside the old city walls and straight away signed up for a cooking class that evening. Our instructor picked us from the hotel and we went up to the Kad Kom market to buy ingredients and then travelled to the Thai cottage Home Cookery school about 7 Kms in the outskirts of the city. For the next 2 1/2 hours, we cut, washed and cooked a complete Thai meal of 6 dishes including soup, curry and dessert. It was a great experience and a good introduction to Thai cooking for newbies.

Doi Ithanon National Park

At a Karen Village

The next day was the weekend and I joined another travel group to go to the Doi Ithanon National Park which is located in a mountainous range around 100 Kms outside Chiang Mai. We went to a waterfall called Wachiratan and then on a trek in the National Park to a Karen village and finally to the highest point in Thailand. Nearby the summit, we visited the Royal Pagodas of Noppamethanedon and Nopphonphusiri. 

What struck me throughout the journey was the high quality of roads and infrastructure and how well the tip was organized. Everywhere there were restaurants, public amenities and adequate parking so that both individual travelers and travel groups can easily move around. I found this all throughout Thailand and even remote mountain roads and inner roads were well maintained.

The Old City 

Wat Chedi Luang

The next day was a Sunday and kept for walking around the old city. The old city is a charming area of beautiful roads neatly laid out in a grid and dotted with ancient monuments and temples. There were boutique restaurants, hotels and tiny coffee shops all across the city. The city is surrounded by a canal and an ancient city wall with entry and exit gates at various points. 

Early morning, you could see the monks walking in the city receiving alms from the residents of the city, a daily ritual in Chiang Mai. The first stop was the city pillar shrine where you can see the Intakhin or God Indra's pillar. City pillars are the foundation of the city and common in Lanna areas and Laos. Nearby is a status of Indra on his elephant carrier, Airawat. The Intakhin is in the campus of Wat Chedi Luang, one of the oldest and fascinating temple in Chiang Mai. It was here in 1468 that the Emerald Buddha was installed before it moved to Luang Prabang in Laos. Details and significance of the Emerald Buddha is explained in another section of my blog.

Wua Lai Neighbourhood 

Ganesha, the Boss

Next day, set off early to explore one of the oldest neighborhoods in Chiang Mai called Wua Lai where you have craftmanship families making silverware, bamboo and Lacquerware. Two temples, Wat Sri Suphan and Wat Muen San are spectacular examples of silver craftsmanship and are a must see. There is a large status of Ganesha at Sri Suphan and he is an important God in these areas. In one of the later temples I visited, I saw a note labelling him as the "God without a boss", a strong endorsement of his personality!

At Wat Phra Singh 

From Wua Lai, I moved into the old city to see Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan temple which houses the Phra Buddha Sihing statue which gives the temple its name. According to legend, it was based on the lion of Shakya, a statue since lost which used to be housed in the Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya. The statue is supposed to have been brought, via Sri Lanka and Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai.

The way to understand importance of Buddhist temples (Wat) in Thailand is the word "Phra". Phra means "Royal Status" and usually contains a relic of the Buddha or is considered of Royal importance.

I ended the day with a nice lunch in one of the beautiful neighborhoods and then looked for some co-working spaces which Chiang Mai is famous for and there is a large digital nomad community working from here. 

Next day, I packed up my bags and got ready to travel to Chiang Rai.