| 6. Bangkok and Back Home |
| Not even in Bangkok yet, but already feels like downhill to Chiang Mai. We got into the capitol and fought our way back out of it, then hit the throttle north. Some really nice quiet stretches from there, but also some inevitable busy highways. |
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| Sooner or later a tire has to pop - Sunday evening in Cha Am. A tiny roadside workshop came to the rescue but it took ages. |
| ...and then the very next day the same tire gave out on the busy highway before Petchaburi. Fortunately there are repair shops everywhere in Thailand which charge peanuts. $10 bucks for a new tube and tire + "labor" |
| The Khao Luang caves just outside Petchaburi get a miss by most foreign tourists but it's a worthwhile stop. It has many shrines and disco-lighting. We were met by hordes of young Thai students, practicing their cave guide skills. |
| There are also signs telling you not to feed the monkeys, but Thai tourists would rather amuse themselves. |
| Near the center of Petchaburi is Khao Wang and Phra Nakon Khiri - a pleasant hilltop series of viewpoints and scenic landmarks reached by cable car and walkways. |
| A place responsible for countless postcards, but I had never seen - the floating markets around Daemnoen Saduak and Ampawan. |
| Daytrippers come by the busload from Bangkok to take pictures like this. The thing is, it's all done for them - the modern road infrastructure makes canal trade obsolete these days, but yep it makes nice pictures. The market ladies are very shrewd traders and repeatedly offered me "cheap banana", etc. |
| The area is strewn with canals and on the banks of one of them I came across this huge monitor lizard - about 2 feet long. Good swimmer and he/she bolted off the moment after I got the picture. They're apparently pretty common on the canals. I've even seen them in Lumphini Park in Bangkok quite a few times. |
| We weren't even here for the floating markets, but instead have enjoyed staying by the Mae Klong river before (actually an extension of the more famous Kwai river). There are many of these canal-side "resorts" in the vicinity which get Thai tourists on weekends but are very quiet otherwise. This one is called Ban Chom Duan and is about 5km north of Samut Songkram - I have stayed there a few times - a great peaceful spot about an hour outside Bangkok. |
| Just a "documentary" photograph to punctuate our ride. Khao San Road, the backpacker ghetto of Bangkok. Hoardes of backpackers line the streets at night, shopping, surfing the net, hooking up, and drinking buckets of poison. |
| We filled a couple days poking around Bangkok - not really the point of this trip but I wanted to seek out a couple of places. We accidentally ended up here at Wat Thamma Mongkon, a huge stupa with nice views of the outer city. It's down near lower Sukhumvit road. |
| Here is one place I did want to find. It's Wat Mahabut somewhat near Sukhumvit Soi 77 in Phra Khanong district. It was/is the home of Mae Nak, a female ghost heavily-revered in Thai folklore. I've heard the story and seen the movie (there are several versions). |
| After escaping from Bangkok (difficult) we headed up to Ayutthaya to see a familar face. The Buddha image stuck in a tree is revered by Thais, and there is even a security guard who makes sure you kneel down while taking pictures, so you're not higher than the Buddha. I will leave it at that. |
| The tuk tuks around Ayuthaya are unique and worth a picture |
| On the north side of town is Phu Khao Thong (not sure why since "thong" means gold and it's mostly white) but there are many huge chicken figures around it. I will never understand the Thai way of thinking ;-) |
| The alternative road from Ayutthaya north via Ang Thong to Singburi is one of the best routes - very peaceful and I wish I had some pictures, but we just enjoyed the ride. |
| Muu Kata (Korean BBQ) on the riverside at Singburi. Another nice provincial town/city. |
| The Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province. I just wish it stayed this peaceful all the way to Chiang Mai. |
| After a LONG day of riding, we reached Nakhon Sawan - a major hub of the middle-north. As seems the norm, there is a big temple complex overlooking the city with big views. All I remember is that it was extremely hot! |
| After way more driving, we finally stopped at the major city of Phitsanulok just in time for a sunset. Not a very interesting city, and I was keen to return to the countryside the next day. |
| We picked our way out of Phitsanulok and wandered around many smaller routes. Beautiful scenery and endless provincial towns doing a double-take at the sight of a white man. |
| Another sleepy but pleasant rural "town", Uttaradit by the Ping River |
| Huge reclining Buddha near Denchai. We always stop here for a picture on our trips south and east. It must be done. |
| Bleary-eyed and exhausted, Lamphun means we are close to home. |
| Thank God - that was a LONG ride. Glad to be back home! |