Thailand 2023, part 20 (Pha Taem NP, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen)
Upon finishing the sightseeing of the rock paintings in Pha Taem National Park and returning to the car and the driver who was patiently waiting for me in the shade, my first order of business was to visit the toilet. In an attempt to cool down during this walk in the heat that took over an hour and a half, I thought I had consumed enough water. The need to use the toilet led me to conclude that I apparently had excess water in my system and it hadn’t all left through sweat. However, it turned out that I had indeed become severely dehydrated during this trek. This resulted in an overwhelming sense of fatigue. I didn’t think I had sunstroke since I rarely exposed myself directly to the sun. Nonetheless, I was relieved that we were heading back and I asked the driver to stop by a convenience store where I bought a soft drink. I don’t usually drink it at home, but during travels, especially in “tropical” conditions, I consume it every day. It’s good because it provides additional hydration, active substances that are supposed to further awaken me, plus also, as the saying goes, it takes care of everything in the stomach and intestines. Since I’m not sponsored, there’s no need to advertise and disclose the specific drink.
The driver was very kind and even stopped on a large bridge so I could take a photo of the Mun River, one of the Mekong’s tributaries, which further interested me because it originates in Khao Yai National Park, where I had already been.
Later, we passed by a reservoir again, formed when a nearby dam was built. The driver offered to stop there as he noticed my interest in the lake scenes on the way to the national park. It wasn’t the most ideal spot, surrounded by trees, but I didn’t want to fuss, so I got out of the car, jumped over the fence and descended a bit to take photos of the lake and what I believe were “Chinese fishing nets,” which I had first seen in India some years ago.
In order to capture this, I had to crouch and when I stood up, I felt weakness in my legs. As I approached the road fence, I still held the camera in one hand, thinking I could easily jump over it again. It wasn’t the case. Due to the weakness in my legs, I must not have lifted the other leg high enough and it got caught by the top of the fence, causing me to simply fall. Nevertheless, I managed it quite skilfully and apart from having a large bruise on the left side of my buttocks for a few days, everything else was in perfect order.
All sort of things happen in life, including during travels...
According to the arrangement, the driver took me to the main square in the city of Ubon Ratchathani because the museum is located there. I had a desire to visit that museum and I was concerned about whether I would arrive on time. Everything turned out well and I paid the driver, telling him he could leave. He seemed a bit confused, perhaps thinking he would drive me for the entire day, but I felt there was no need for him to wait since I didn’t know exactly how long I would stay in the city centre. My plan was to explore a bit more after visiting the museum and also grab something to eat. Later, I regretted letting him go because I could have used his assistance, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.
So, I went to the National Museum in Ubon Ratchathani since, fortunately, it was still open. It’s not a large museum, but I found it very interesting that visitors had to take off their shoes before entering. It wasn’t a problem at all, just a bit unusual for me. On the other hand, places like these, where visitors are required to remove their shoes in Thailand, are maintained so well that I think the bigger concern could be someone’s feet rather than the floors of such establishments.
As I’ve mentioned, the museum isn’t large, but I noticed several exhibits there that I found particularly interesting, such as a bronze human figurine dating back to 1500-2500 years ago, from the “prehistoric period.”
I was already a bit puzzled by the use of the term “prehistoric” when I visited the Pha Taem National Park, considering it was used to describe something dating back roughly to 1000 BCE. However, that’s the boundary set by modern science. The confusion with terminology recurred here, as this figurine was crafted around 500 BCE, perhaps even in the early part of the common era (up to around 500 CE). But I soon understood the gist of it. The term “prehistoric” refers to the time before the advent of writing. This classification likely stems from the fact that writing appeared later in this region compared to some other parts of the world.
Be as it may, the figurine is certainly charming.
Here at the museum, I finally began to understand better what the stones called “bai sema” or “sema stones” were. They were mentioned in the materials I used during my travels in Thailand and are extremely important in Thai Buddhism. When constructing a ubosot, in order to signify that the space marked by the stones is sacred. Here, in the National Museum in Ubon, one can see such a stone from the 8th-9th century CE.
Here, I also saw a very beautiful Buddha figure in the Maravijaya attitude, belonging to the art of the Ratanakosin Kingdom from the early 20th century. It is made of brass, covered with gold leaf and adorned with pieces of glass.
I have mentioned earlier that Buddha is depicted in various positions and each carries its own symbolism. There are many such positions and I haven’t gone into too much detail, but here’s an example of one of them – Maravijaya, which is quite common in Thai Buddhism.
The name of the position literally means “subduing devil’s troops.” The legend has it that while Buddha was striving for enlightenment, he was attacked by Mara, an evil celestial being often represented as a multitude of demons. At the moment of the attack, Buddha touched the ground with his right hand and called upon the Earth Goddess to help him dispel the demons. Eventually, Buddha triumphed over Mara and continued his meditation, leading to enlightenment. Therefore, this position is often depicted with the right hand pointing downwards towards the ground, while the left hand is on the lap.
However, probably the most significant exhibit in the museum is the sculpture of Ardhanarishvara, which is a dual-gender representation of the god Shiva. According to the legend, when Brahma was creating life on Earth, Shiva suggested that beings should be created in pairs for reproduction. To clearly illustrate his point, Shiva transformed into Ardhanarishvara, who is half male and half female. In this sculpture, you can see that the right side of the figure is represented in a male form, which is Shiva, and the left half is his consort Uma (or Parvati). What makes this exhibit in Ubon from the 6th to 8th centuries CE unique is that it is the only representation of Ardhanarishvara in a seated position in the entire Southeast Asia.
In the museum, various other interesting exhibits can also be seen, while I took photos of just a couple more before going to retrieve my shoes and leave.
Right across from the museum is the City Pillar Shrine. In Thailand, it is a custom for larger cities to have their sacred pillars, with shrines built around them. I didn’t enter the shrine or delve into the details of its symbolism. I have realised that it’s quite complex, and that surpasses the level of my interest.
What became quite certain to me here is that I was quite exhausted, but I decided to take a short walk with the hope of finding a restaurant for lunch. The problem was that it was Sunday and many places were closed. Along the way, I bought some water and snacks for the next day.
As I first walked through the central city park, I took a few photos. However, when I later reached a temple that I thought was significant, I realised that I wasn’t in the mood for any more exploring or taking photos. Besides, the temple had already closed for visits.
Nevertheless, initially, I did make a bit of an effort. In the city park, there’s a large statue celebrating the annual Candle Festival. Every year in July, a procession of enormous candles and wax-carved figures takes place here. These wax objects are later taken to various temples. The festival lasts for a few days and involves a lot of music and dancing. In the central city park, there is also a statue dedicated to the Candle Parade.
In the park, I noticed and took a photo of a common myna (Acridotheres tristis).
Around a larger part of the park, there are also canals that almost certainly have their own Buddhist symbolism, but I just took photos and continued on towards the banks of the Mun River.
Right by the river, I saw a temple beautifully illuminated by the late afternoon sun, but there was no way I would climb up to it. Instead, I continued my search for a restaurant that might still be open.
I even stopped by a restaurant that was completely empty, but I noticed a couple of staff members who informed me that they had just closed for the day. In the end, I entered a rather modern, “Western-style” place, where I could finally order a sandwich and coffee. They also gave me a cup of green tea, which was quite pleasant.
In the meantime, the evening food market started to operate and I had to walk back to the square, located near the National Museum, where the market was organised. There, I bought some fruits that I planned to eat at the hotel. Since I was no longer hungry, I didn’t explore other food options.
By this time I finished everything I wanted to do in the city centre and all that I had to do was to catch a taxi. Easier said than done. Once again, I had to walk around in circles, passing by another temple, consoling myself that it was already late and probably closed. In the end, with the help of a kind Thai man, I managed to catch a taxi and then I returned to the hotel.
I spent the rest of the day lying down in the hotel room, completely exhausted, and even a bit concerned about my condition. In the end, it turned out that such fatigue was merely a result of dehydration and physical exhaustion in the intense heat.
I slept quite well and long that night, but in the morning, I still felt a bit heavy. Fortunately, I didn’t have to rush and with time I managed to get moving. After breakfast, I gathered my things and the receptionist called a taxi for me to take me to the coach station. Soon, I boarded an intercity coach bound for the city of Khon Kaen, approximately 290 km away from Ubon, requiring at least a 5-hour coach journey.
Although travelling by private car has its significant advantages, public transportation also has its merits. To begin with, one can relax and not worry about the route, road conditions or other vehicles. I enjoy that a lot, but then it becomes essential for me to gaze out the window, although admittedly, I often pay attention to my fellow passengers. Not necessarily because of themselves, but to observe different customs.
So, to start with, I captured a coach terminal where we briefly stopped and then I paid attention to the lunch of a young man sitting next to me.
I often saw “meal packs” like this in Thailand – a plastic bag with some vegetables, a skewer with meat and often another smaller plastic bag, likely containing some soup. Besides, on this occasion, the swaying of the bag in rhythm with the journey fascinated me and almost put me to sleep.
A little later, I once again paid attention to the landscapes we were passing by. Here, I was over 700 km away from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, but it didn’t affect the excellent development of the road infrastructure. In Bangkok and its surroundings, I had already seen how well-developed the roads were, but even here, relatively far from the capital, the roads were impressively wide – often having three lanes in one direction, especially when passing through populated areas that weren’t necessarily large cities.
While admiring the roads, at an intersection I noticed a motorbike driver carrying a sack, but what caught my attention even more was his “helmet.”
When I arrived in Khon Kaen, the first thing I did was to buy a coach ticket for the next leg of my journey. My plan was to take a coach westward two days later, all the way to Sukhothai, which is approximately 420 km away from Khon Kaen. I knew it would be a long journey due to the crossing over mountains, but I was ready for it. However, I was not prepared for the first piece of information I received, which was that there were only buses available in the evening at 9:00 PM. This absolutely did not suit my plans! Nonetheless, the woman at the counter to which everyone directed me then directed me to another place. I decided to ask for information first. The girl at that counter wasn’t quite sure, so she went to check and then sent me to a nearby table where another girl had a computer and everything else needed for an “outdoor office.” She confirmed that there was indeed a bus at 9:30 am, confirmed the bus number the woman at the counter had given me and then I bought the ticket.
After that, I took a taxi to the hotel.
Like all the other hotels on this journey, I randomly chose this one through a hotel reservation website. It turned out that this hotel had reception staff who, so far, had the best knowledge of English. They were exceptionally courteous and efficient, making my stay here delightful. All the hotels I chose were impeccably clean, so I already took that for granted, but the difference was made by details such as language proficiency and providing good and reliable information.
Here, I again asked if they could recommend a company where I could rent a car with a driver and explained what I was looking for. They told me they had such a service and while I was changing in my room, they had already checked and called me to ask if the price suited me. We quickly and easily agreed, and I was ready to start exploring the city.