The extended family that I visited in Ang Thong in April are in the process of turning a vacant lot into new accommodation/businesses. While I was there we had a blessing of the first stage by monks from two of the local wats. I was afraid that this would involve an incredibly early start,...
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Kanchanaburi is famous for the “death railway” and various National Parks. But how do Thai experience it? And how do they get there? By bus of course! Early in the morning about 35 of us packed into the bus and sped off across the Ang Thong and Suphan Buri countryside in the general direction...
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Wat Phra Non Chaksi in Sing Buri, is famous for its impressive 46m Reclining Buddha, one of the largest in Thailand. It is difficult to grasp the scale of the Buddha. In fact, it’s not easy to see the whole thing, because it is behind the columns on the right of the picture below....
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In my last blog I talked about the defeat of the Thai by the Burmese in the 1760s. Conflicts with Burma are a recurring theme in this area. A short distance away, at Don Chedi in Suphan Buri, is a memorial to the 1592 victory over the Burmese. We spent a pleasant day taking...
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One of the joys of visiting a country is the opportunity to get a feel for the history first hand. In preparation for my April trip I watched two movies based on important events in Thai history: “Suriyothai” and “Bang Rajan”. Both involve conflicts with Burma, the former a victory, the latter the “last...
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After a few days in the central countryside I was informed that we were off on a road trip to Pattaya. An overnight trip to the seaside is some sort of family tradition at this time of year. So in the early afternoon we piled three adults and four children into the pickup and...
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All of my travels around North West Ang Thong, and beyond, were done by car or pickup truck. This was comfortable and convenient, though I was often not sure exactly where I was. Also, I did not get a chance to discover whether I really could survive for long on my own devices, which...
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Most of my ten-day April trip was spent with a family in North West Ang Thong province. Less than two hours drive, but a world away, from Bangkok. I knew that central Thailand would not have hills, but it’s different to actually experience it. Like The Netherlands, this is area is flat. Rivers, canals,...
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In Mid-April I finally got beyond the transit lounge of Bangkok International Airport. I’d been in the airport several times, but always on the way to someplace else. I’d been preparing for several months for this visit to the family of a friend in North-West Ang Thong province. But I still had misgivings. Could...
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