Travelling Around Britain and the World

Monday 9 November 2015

Across Isan to the Lao Border: Thailand and Laos Part 3

From Sukhothai through Dan Sai and Loei to the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong

Thailand

08-Nov-2015

We spent the next day and a half crossing northern Thailand. There was much driving to be done, but plenty to see on the way.

From Sukhothai to the Lao border at Vientiane

After retracing our steps to Phitsanulok we continued eastwards on Highway 12, a well-maintained dual-carriageway. En route Lynne sent a message to Mike and Alison in Australia using Shorty’s in-car Wi-Fi. There was no pressing need to communicate she did it because she could.

As we left the central plain and started climbing into the hills we paused for a photo. The clouds appeared threatening, but the rainy season was officially over and they knew the rules so they could only glower with frustrated malice. We would climb into higher, cooler regions, but here it was still hot, much hotter than the photo makes it look.

Leaving the central plain, Phitsanulok Province

Wat Pha Sorn Kaew - The Temple on a Glass Cliff

We continued climbing gently as we entered Phetchabun Province and soon turned onto a steep, narrow road up to Wat Pha Sorn Kaew. Established in 2004 and still unfinished, the temple and monastery sit on a hill above the main road. Somewhat off the tourist route it sees few foreigners, but is popular with locals particularly on a Sunday. Apart from the car park there are, as yet, few facilities for visitors but there was a traffic jam to savour.

Strange place Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, but at least the traffic jam looks normal

There are three main parts to the complex. The most obvious is the five-Buddha statue, symbolising the stages of the Buddha's life from birth to enlightenment. The outside is complete, but work continues on the inside which remains closed to the public. The statue is huge and impressive, by far the best part of the temple.

The life of the Buddha in one statue, Wat Pha Sorn Kaew

To reach the Temple Tower you must pass Vessavana, the Guardian of the North.

Vessavana, the Guardian of the North

The ornamentation reminded me of Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok, but whereas that merely seemed fussy this was way over the top, bordering on fantastical - a harsh critic might even say tacky. Again it is unfinished, but you can climb to a gallery giving views over the whole complex.

Wat Pha Sorn Kaew

I disliked the tower but the monastery is worse, apparently modelled on the palace of mad King Ludwig at Neuschwanstein with a nod towards Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

Monastery, Wat Pha Sorn Kaew

According to 2112design.com ‘the Wat is unique and spectacular… rivalling Notre Dame…, the Sistine Chapel… and the Taj Mahal.’ Opinion is, of course, personal and the crowds certainly flock to see it, but I thought Wat Pha Sorn Kaew had the artistic integrity of Disneyland, though unredeemed by any rides.

Sweet Tamarinds and the Cool Highlands

Ake had earlier been telling us about the sweet tamarinds for which this area is famous. Tamarinds' usual function is to introduce a note of sourness into curries but these, Ake assured us, are different and we stopped at a rural market near the temple so he could prove his point.

Ake buys sweet tamarinds
(There is no truth in the story that he was David Miliband's banana coach)

Breaking open the brittle brown shells with your fingers and peeling back the fibres reveals a fruit the colour, shape and consistency of a small turd. Undaunted, you pull off a section and suck the flesh from around the large seeds. Obviously sweet tamarind tastes far better than it looks, indeed it is very pleasant, retaining just enough acidity not to be cloying, though it does leave you with very sticky fingers.

Three quarters of an hour later we turned north off the highway and followed a winding road into the mountains. As we rose higher we passed camp sites (‘People come here for the cold,’ said Ake) and strawberry fields. It was noticeably cooler, but despite Ake's comments about snow on Thailand’s highest peaks (a counter-intuitive side effect of global warming) it was not so cool either of us thought a pullover might be a good idea. When we had enjoyed the view and drunk a cup of coffee we went back down

Looking down at the central plain

Isan and its Fiery Cuisine

We now entered Isan, Thailand's largest region consisting of the 20 north eastern provinces in land half-encircled by Laos and Cambodia. Traditionally it is Thailand’s poorest region, though recent rapid economic growth is changing that. Isan is also Ake’s home region, though he has lived in Bangkok for decades. Noting our liking for Thai food and tolerance of chillies he wanted to buy us a traditional Isan meal, so back down in the valley we stopped for lunch at one of a group of roadside stalls with formica topped tables and cheap plastic stools.

Isan cuisine, popular all over Thailand, is based on sticky rice and chillies. Ake bought a barbecued chicken, a fiery Thai green papaya salad, an even fierier Isan green papaya salad for comparison and sticky rice.

Chicken, green papaya salad and sticky rice
Roadside stall, Isan

Isan food is traditionally eaten with the hands and the trick to balling up your sticky rice is to get your fingers good and greasy, or so Ake told us, enthusiastically pawing a piece of chicken. The meal was excellent, the chicken was tender and well-flavoured, the green papaya salads were the perfect foil, especially the Isan one, and the sticky rice was ideal for soaking up the fiery sauce. Ake had shown us Isan cooking as eaten by ordinary Isan people and we had thoroughly enjoyed it, which pleased him immensely.

Dan Sai

Wat Neramit Wipattasana


Wat Neramit Wipattasana, Dan Sai

Less than an hour later we were in the Dan Sai district of Loei Province. Wat Neramit Wipattasana stands on a hill overlooking what may be the township of Dan Sai (Thai villages have a way of spreading themselves out so you never quite know where they are). All sources agree that the temple is new but nobody will tell me exactly how new. They did tell me that it is made of laterite, which we could see for ourselves as this strange, porous rock is familiar from Angkor Wat and Si Satchanalai, and that the main hall contains a copy of the Phitsanulok Buddha which we saw two days ago.

Copy of the Phitsanulok Bhudda, Wat Neramit Wipattasana, Dan Sai

There were also some pleasing paintings of scenes from the Buddha's life and, whatever its exact age, it was good to see a modern temple that had refrained from going as far over the top as Wat Pha Sorn Kaew.

Scenes from the life of the Buddha,Wat Neramit Wipattasana, Dan Sai

Phra That Si Song Rak - The Stupa in Honour of Two Loves

A couple of minutes away, Phra That Si Song Rak was built in 1560 by the Kings of Thailand and Laos to celebrate a pact of mutual defence against the Burmese.

The courtyard was packed with cyclists wearing ‘Bike for Dad’ tee shirts, part of a campaign which would climax in December with the Crown Prince leading 100,000 peddlers on a 30km ride round Bangkok to celebrate his father's 88th birthday.

We set off to climb the flight of steps to the stupa but before we could start I noticed a woman running towards me and shouting; clearly I was not satisfactorily dressed. My shorts were acceptable here, as everywhere else in Thailand, but not my shirt which was, apparently, far too red. I was loaned a pale blue jacket to wear over it, though I am at a loss to explain why this was necessary.

In a fetching powder blue jacket - and it fits so it must be kept for foreigners
Phra That Si Song Rak, Dan Sai

Unusually for Thailand the stupa was in need of a coat of paint.

The stupa, Phra That Si Song Rak  Dan Sai

We were unimpressed by the 'Lady no Entry' signs by the stupas and in front of the holiest parts of the temple. I should have stayed out in solidarity, but I didn’t, so I can inform Lynne, and the rest of the world's ladies, that they are not missing a great deal.

Lady No Entry
Phra That Si Song Rak, Dan Sai

At the front of the temple a girl was shaking out fortune telling sticks, a superstition we have seen practiced many times in Daoist temples, but not before among Buddhists.

Rattling the fortune telling sticks
Phra That Si Song Rak, Dan Sai

Eco Lodge, Dan Sai

I had been under the impression that our hotel would be in the town of Loei. I had misunderstood; although in Loei Province, it was a rural eco-lodge and much closer to Dan Sai. The setting was pleasant with water buffalo wandering round the extensive grounds (and in another form in our bedroom) but we were the only people staying there.

Buffalo in our bedroom, Dan Sai

There were plenty of staff to look after us and although the bar was not open, they brought us a beer in the library, which had an impressive collection of books and games. We ate dinner in solitary splendour. The chicken dish, which we were warned would be ‘spicy’, turned out to be somewhere between a stew and a soup and arrived in an elaborate boiler. It was well-flavoured and when I made the mistake off chomping up a whole chilli I discovered that although I am largely chilli-tolerant, I am not entirely fireproof.

Dining Alone. Dan Sai

Ake arrived as we were finishing. As Lynne chatted to him I decided the now reduced quantity of liquid was boiling too vigorously and attempted to blow out the spirit burner. Had my reactions been a little slower the resulting flare would have cost me my eyebrows.

Ake leaned forward, local expert that he is, took the burner out from underneath and proved that he could not blow it out either. He flipped it upside down onto a table. With no oxygen he - and we - expected it to go out, but when he lifted the burner he found he had merely transferred the fire to the wooden table. With a little more urgency he grabbed a napkin and managed to stifle the flames, leaving a circular patch of paraffin wax on the table, and presumably unseen burns below.

When the waitress came and picked up our plates she spotted the wax disc, looked at us with furrowed brow and swept out. She returned for the boiler still apparently fretting that, perhaps, all foreigners were arsonists. I did not want to take the blame, but nor did I want to point the finger at Ake, so I was relieved when he stepped into the awkward silence and did the decent thing. After a couple of minute’s explanation they were laughing about it.

09-Nov-2015

To The Friendship Bridge and into Laos

In the morning we proceeded to Loei. I had been disappointed we did not stay there as the guide book describes it as 'little visited' and I like being one of the few. We shot off a few photographs as we drove through and as the picture below is the least dull, perhaps Loei is little visited with good cause.

Exciting Loei

We paused for coffee at Udon Thani, the larger capital of the next province. Filling station complexes are common throughout Thailand. As well as fuel there are shops, always including a Seven Eleven and an Amazon coffee house. Small, clean, air-conditioned and modern they are unrelated to the ubiquitous on-line retailer and non-taxpayer.

At Udon Thani we turned north to Nong Khai and the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong. Here we said goodbye to the excellent Ake and Shorty the driver and checked out of Thailand.

After passport control we bought tickets for the shuttle bus and waited with a growing crowd of foot passengers. Traffic conditions made it a stop and start journey and I had to stand on the packed bus. I had wanted to see how they manage the changeover to driving on the right but the crowd obscured my view. Somehow, though, we exited Thailand driving on the left and arrived in Laos on the right.

We were met by Phim, negotiated the reasonably straightforward ‘visa on arrival’ process and emerged into the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.


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Saturday 7 November 2015

Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai: Thailand and Laos Part 2

Village Celebrations and Ancient Ruins


Thailand
After a short lived breakfast-time rainstorm, we set off for Ban Na Ton Chan, one of a group of villages participating in a project to promote local crafts.

Mr Noy (literally ‘Shorty’) drove us and Ake across flat agricultural land past fields of cotton, rice, sugar cane and neat trellises bearing dragon fruit cactus, and into Si Satchanalai, the northernmost district of Sukhothai Province. It is a densely populated rural area with almost 100,000 inhabitants though the many dwellings rarely coalesce into recognisable villages; the main town, also called Si Satchanalai, is home to only 6,000. Here, and in several other places we passed what looked carnival floats, a dozen or more of them, brightly coloured and pumping out music, surrounded by people busy decorating and organising. 'It is a special day for Buddhists,' Ake said. 'They are celebrating the end of the rainy season.' There is nothing particularly Buddhist about changing seasons but, like the Christian adoption of the pagan winter solstice and spring festivals, it was an excuse for a party.

Location of Sukhothai within Thailand
Si Satchanalai and Ban Na Ton Chan are a little to the northeast

Ban Na Ton Chan

Crafts and Plants

The highways were wide and well made, though soon after Si Satchanalai town we turned onto two-lane rural roads which eventually took us to Ban Na Ton Chan. The village, lying to one side of a country road, specialises in cotton weaving but when we arrived there was almost no one about. The caf̩ owner said everyone was at the temple celebrating the end of the rainy season. Ake made a phone call and while we waited for a volunteer local guide to extract themselves from the celebrations we had a look round the showroom. From the outside it seemed a broken down wooden hut but the inside was well-organised and slickly presented. The clothes - on the small side by European standards Рwere all cotton, the cloth soft and the colours rich without being garish.

A bespectacled elderly lady arrived to conduct our tour and led us across the road. The first house, like all the others (as we would discover) was empty. A loom sat in the yard and the house had been left open, though the downstairs, part workshop part living-room did not look particularly comfortable.

The loom and house deserted but left open, Ban Na Thon Chan

More appealing was the garden with its abundant fruit trees: pomelo, longan, jackfruit and mango. In the hedgerow we found lemongrass, galangal and spicy basil (a fiery relative of sweet basil). We enquired about a bush bearing the small pea-like vegetables we had encountered in red curries. 'Eggplant,' said Ake though the American word seemed as inappropriate for these as for the purple aubergines we are used to. In English they are usually called 'pea aubergines, though they are neither peas nor aubergines.

Lemon grass, spicy basil and galangal, Ban Na Ton Chan

The hedgerows were much more interesting than the weavers' untended looms. Our host pointed out a variety of herbs, some culinary others medicinal. As we walked we pulled off leaves, crushing and smelling them or giving them a chew. I was sorry though that I nibbled the leaf that was described as good for ailments of some organ I have now forgotten. I was warned it was very bitter; by comparison sloes are sweet.

Along the village street, Ban Na Ton Chan

'They don't need money to live here,' said Ake, buying into the rural idyll. 'They have food,' he indicated the fruit trees and the chickens scrabbling in the dirt, 'they have medicine and they make clothes,' he pointed at the hedges and the looms. We nodded wisely though quietly wondering if they knitted their own satellite dishes (every home had one) and hatched their mobile phones from eggs.

The end of the village where we turned right towards the temple

Ban Na Ton Chan en Fête

Reaching the end of the village we turned right towards the temple where we discovered the rest of the inhabitants. We were greeted warmly and offered home-made coconut ice cream with a sprinkling of peanuts - it was excellent.

Coconut ice cream, Ban Na Ton Chan

On the grassy area beside the temple trestle tables were covered with food and the ladies of the village were lined up and cooking their specialties.

The village women lined up to cook their specialities, Ban Na Ton Chan

We particularly liked the steamers, hotplates over boiling water on which they placed eggs, noodles, bean sprouts and other vegetable before popping on covers of woven rice straw.

Steamers, Ban Na Ton Chan

The local guide suggested we look at the temple. It was not open but we photographed the decorated end, and then Lynne went back with her to the celebration while I walked to the other end hoping to capture a folksy shot of the children playing.

The Village temple, Ban Na Ton Chan

A Drink with the Village 'Bad Boys'

While failing to do this I was called over by a group of men sitting in a circle on the side of the temple away from the rest of the village.

'What's my name?' the ringleader shouted. 'David,' I answered on the assumption that I had encountered a grammatical error rather than the opening gambit in a guessing game. He replied with his own name and then shouted an instruction to the man sitting by my feet. The rest laughed. These were clearly the village bad boys who had segregated themselves from the prim and respectable for some serious drinking. The man by my foot produced a shot glass and filled it with a colourless oily liquid from a bottle that had once contained water. I am familiar with rice whisky, but they thought I wasn’t, so I played along.

My new drinking buddies, Ban Na Ton Chan

Taking the proffered glass I sniffed it with exaggerated caution and found myself enjoying the sense of expectation among the circle. I had their rapt attention as I held it up to the light and examined it carefully. I sniffed it again, paused, then downed it in one, breathed out and said 'very good.' They had expected a laugh at my expense but had unwittingly challenged me on my specialist subject and their laughter turned into a roar of approval and a round of applause. I thanked them and they motioned that I should sit with them, offering me another drink, water and then food. I thanked them again, but declined; they had already seen my party trick and with no language in common they would soon tire of me; besides Lynne might be wondering where I had got to.

I left them with a cheery wave and another 'thank you' which was echoed back with various intonations and much laughter.

Lynne was now talking to the mayor, who had come over to add her welcome, and eating mushrooms and pork from a pot bearing the legend ' Merry Christmas'. Very soon a pair of chop sticks was thrust into my hand along with 'Christmas' mushrooms and a dish of Sukhothai noodles – noodles with green beans, chillies and pork crackling.

Mushrooms and Pork in a Christmas pot, Ban Na Ton Chan

With breakfast a recent memory and lunch lurking on the horizon, I tried not to eat too much, but the food was good and the villagers were extraordinarily welcoming, pressing more and more choice morsels upon us.

Ban Na Ton Chan - The Oldest Resident

Eventually we took our leave. Walking back to the car we encountered the village's oldest resident, a venerable man sitting quietly in the shade outside his house well away from the noisy celebrations. We chatted with his carer, possibly a granddaughter, who said he was a musician and toy maker. He sat in the corner, smiling but silent, and I was beginning to think that was all he was capable of doing but after a request from Ake he picked up his one-string fiddle and proved his fingers were still nimble.

Ban Na Ton Chan's oldest resident is a musician...

As we left he broke his silence saying something quietly to Ake who translated, 'He says you are very lucky to be able to travel the world and meet different people.' He was right and we felt humbled.

...and toy maker

Before leaving Ban Na Ton Chan we dropped into the village museum which explains the process of fermenting their cloth in mud to soften the cotton and enrich the colours. Because of the festival the we had not fully explored the craft aspects of the village, but as we are both more interested in food and fellowship than fabrics, we felt we had gained more than we had lost.

We bought the toy, and here is our grandson putting it to proper use

Ruins of the Old City of Si Satchnalai

We drove back towards Si Satchanalai town, turning off to the city’s historical park. Originally under Khmer control Si Satchanalai (literally the 'city of good men') became the second city of the Sukhothai kingdom – the very first Thai kingdom - around 1250 and was traditionally ruled by the crown Prince of Sukhothai.

Little of the ancient city remains above ground other than temples, of which several groups are extant. The guide book suggests the historical park is busy but we walked through the four temples forming a line from the south-east wall to the city’s central ridge, almost alone.

At the 15th or 16th century Wat Nang Phaya (The Queen’s Temple) a path through the remains of the prayer hall led to the main chedi.

Through the prayer hall to the main chedi, Wat Nang Phaya
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

The temple is noted for its window – a series of slits – on the wall of the prayer hall, which is typical of Sukhothai style and, unusually, retains the original stucco decorations.

The windows with original stucco, Wat Nang Phaya
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Wat Suan Kaeo Utthayan Yai is a little earlier and is the least well preserved. A line of columns stand before a bell shaped stupa from which the spire has long disappeared.

Wat Suan Kaeo Utthayan Yai and its spireless stupa
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Behind it the fourteenth century Wat Chedi Jet Thaeo (Temple of the Seven Rows of Stupas) is the largest of this group. The rows of stupas, which may contain the ashes of the kings of Sukhothai….

Part of the seven rows of stupas, Wat Chedi Jet Thaeo
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

….lead up to the large central Chedi.

The main chedi, Wat Chedi Jet Thaeo
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Wat Chang Lom (Temple Surrounded by Elephants) is fifteenth century. The central chedi is considered particularly fine. According to Dawn Rooney’s ‘Ancient Sukhothai’ it "skillfully amalgamates Sri Lankan and Mon [a people of southern Myanmar] influences with Sukhothai creativity."

With Ake in front of the central chedi, Wat Chang Lom
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

It is surrounded by elephants. Their legs are overlong, and where only the inner brickwork remains they look more like horses…

Looking more like horses...., Wat Chang Lom,
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

…though those in better conditions are clearly elephants.

Clearly an elephant (I think) Wat Chang Lom
Si Satchanalai Historical Park

Four temples felt like enough so we walked back to the car which Shorty had parked beneath an impressive flowering tree.

Shorty's van parked under a magnificent flowering tree, Si Satchanalai

We drove through Si Sanchanalai, the modern town as undistinguished as modern Sukhothai, and back to old Sukhothai were Ake recommended a restaurant for lunch. It was now well after two so we felt capable of eating, Ake was keen to feed us Thai cuisine and anyway the meal was already paid for. Soup with tofu and vegetables followed by green curry and minced pork with holy basil (a distant basil relative, known in India as Tulsi) was probably more than we needed, but it was very good.

Sukhothai Musuem and Historical Park

After lunch we started our tour of Sukhothai's historical park at the ‘National Museum’ which brings together the best artefacts of the whole kingdom.

Funerary Urn, National Museum, Sukhothai

The museum claims that the Sukhothai kingdom saw the golden age of Thai bronze Buddha images and there were plenty there to justify that claim.

Buddha Image, National Museum, Sukhothai

Outside, the historical park is much bigger and busier than at Si Satchanalai. It was after four o’clock and with little more than an hour’s daylight left we were only going to see the highlights.

Wat Mahathat is a vast complex at the heart of the old city. Built in the 13th century it was continually modified until flooding led to the city being abandoned in the 18th century.

There are seated Buddhas….

Seated Buddha, Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park

…gardens,...

Gardens, Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park

…standing Buddhas

Standing Buddha, Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park

…more seated Buddhas

Seated Buddha, Wat Mahathat

…and over 200 chedi, some on their own, others in clumps.

A Group of Chedis, Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park

A little to the south is Wat Si Sawai which dates from the days of Khmer rule in the 12th century. Originally a Hindu temple the three prangs, which would look more at home in Cambodia than Thailand, represent the Hindu ‘trinity’ Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu.

Wat Si Sawai, Sukhothai Historical Park

Wat Sa Si sits on two islands in an artificial lake a little north of Mahathat and is reached by a footbridge. The Walking Buddha statue - typical of the Sukhothai style - is a replica, the original is in the museum….

Walking Buddha, Wat Sa Si, Sukhothai Historical Park

The chedi behind the seated Buddha may contain the remains of the 14th century King Li Thai. It is said to show Sri Lankan influence but the many dagobas we saw there (click here and scroll down)had smaller spires and a larger, more hemispherical bases.

Chedi, Wat Sa Si, Sukhothai Historical Park

Leaving the walled city we finished at Wat Phra Phai Luang, which predates the Thai city and may have been the centre of the earlier Khmer city. It was built in the 12th century during the reign of Jayavarman VII, the so-called ‘Leper King’ who built Angkor Thom. It was huge though much is now in ruins….

Ruined chedi, Wat Phra Phai Luang, Sukhothai Historical Park

…but one Khmer prang survives almost intact.

Khmer style prang, Wat Phra Phai Luang, Sukhothai Historical Park

A Contoversial Dinner in Sukhothai

Driving back to the hotel Ake asked if we wanted to go out to eat later. I expected Lynne to feel that we had eaten enough already and left her ample space to express her view. She remained silent so I tentatively suggested going out for a small something. That was my view of the conversation, as we walked to our room I got an earful for ignoring the ‘obvious’ signals and bulldozing her into going out again when she was tired and already stuffed. We will have to agree to disagree on that one

In the event I enjoyed a chicken stir fry with cashews while Lynne ordered crispy sweet and sour fried noodles. ‘But that’s only an hors d’oeuvre,’ she was warned (in those very words). ‘That is all I want,’ she said firmly.

Lynne and a pink iceberg of fried noodles, Sukhothai

My meal was very pleasant and continued to prove to Ake that a) we like Thai food and b) neither of us are averse to a chili or four, which seemed to surprise and delight him. Lynne’s noodles were a huge pink iceberg; like a solid version of candy-floss and almost as sweet, with the colour – and very necessary sourness – supplied by tamarinds. She tried a little bit, then a little bit more and discovered it was extraordinarily moreish and soon (with just a little help from me) the iceberg had become an ice-cube. ‘It was worth coming out just for that,’ she said and peace was declared.

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Location: Sukhothai, Thailand
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