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TRAVELING ASIA
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Phitsanulok, Thailand
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Chiang Rai, Thailand
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Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Mekong Delta, Vietnam
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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Phitsanulok,
Thailand
OCTOBER 16-18,
2009
We flew to Phitsanulok
from Bangkok to see the ruins of Sukhothai, the first capital
of Siam. I was not too into seeing the ruins as we have
been to so many already. However, it was already planned,
and of course it's very special to Thai culture, so off
we went. Unfortunately, the private guide that we arranged
for did not speak English very well (he was also our driver),
and although he was very nice and friendly, our experience
was somewhat limited due to the language barrier.
It took about 1.30 hours from Phitsanulok to the ruins.
Once we arrived, our guide/driver informed us that he in
turn would hire another guide, one whose English skills
were much better than his own. Well, guess what? We think
you can imagine that this wasn't the case. The language
gap made communication very difficult and it was hard for
us to get a feel for the place and its significance. After
many Buddha images and a very hot day, we were ready for
something to eat, which by the way was a lunch that was
super tasty, with traditional Thai dishes such as red curry,
stir fried beef with basil, and morning glory. Yum! That
certainly made the heart grow fonder for the place...
Overall, interesting ruins to see, however could have been
much better presented to us and therefore our appreciation
may have had a different outcome. The city of Phitsanulok
didn't have a great impression on me, pretty boring and
quite shady, though Johann keeps claiming he liked it. So
that being said, "we" were happy to be off to our next city
after our 3-day stay.
Sukhothai
Checking out what was the most important
temple during the Sukhothai area, Wat Mahathat.
One of hundreds of well-preserved Buddha
images at Sukhothai historical ruins.
Quite amazing to see these ruins in person.
Especially when you go back to the fourteenth century.
Wat Sim Chum - also known as the Talking
Buddha, as the powers that be used to walk in hollow
passageways behind the Buddha and give orders, and their
voice would seem like it was coming from the Buddha.
They would use this as a tool to keep the villagers
in line. Truly majestic!
Out & About
Johann just ate a very small, tiny, red/orange
pepper. See those eyes? These were jumping out from
his eye sockets just moments later..."Water, water,
please give me more water". Damn, that is hot! Won't
make that mistake again...
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