Thailand 2023, part 23 (Ban Chiang, Khon Kaen, Sukhothai)
With my story-telling, I’m still in the area of the village Ban Chiang, specifically within the Wat Pa Dong Rai temple complex. After visiting the temple itself, I took a stroll around the surroundings.
Surroundings of the Wat Pa Dong Rai temple
At one point, I saw a variety of orchids flourishing in the area, indicating that the humidity is regularly high. While this is wonderful for orchids, it can be quite challenging for people not accustomed to such conditions.
Despite these somewhat uncomfortable conditions for me, I continued my walk along the pond, looking for a spot with a nice view of the temple. And I found it. In fact, I found it in two places.
But from the shore, I could also see a small island in the middle of the pond where many birds were nesting. In the next photo, you can see several great egrets and a couple of Asian openbills (Ardea alba and Anastomus oscitans).
Now, I decided to head back to where the car was waiting for me. Along the way, I noticed some trees that had more blossoms than leaves, but what blossoms they were! It was a tree called the flame-of-the-forest (Butea monosperma), which the Hindus consider a sacred tree.
As I was observing a flame-of-the-forest tree and trying to capture its blossoms, I noticed a squirrel hastily crossing some cables nearby. I even managed to capture it on camera.
I was about to see where it had hurriedly gone when I noticed that another squirrel was chasing after it over the same cables. I immediately suspected what was going on, but the situation was hopelessly amusing to me because it instantly reminded me of the cartoon with the skunk and the cat – the infamous romantic Pepé Le Pew. This male squirrel succeeded in its chase after the female and I was lucky enough for all of this to happen in a convenient spot. Not to forget, these are Finlayson’s squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii).
After this entertaining spectacle in a public place, I was ready to head back to Khon Kaen. I reached the parking area near the temple entrance, where the driver and the car were waiting for me.
However, the woman who was driving me that day, who was very kind and with whom I managed sporadically to communicate a bit in English, was clearly indicating that I should go to the other side because there was something she considered important for me to see. I must admit I didn’t understand exactly what she was talking about, but I followed her lead.
The only thing I found interesting was the nine-headed Naga snake.
The nine-headed Naga is a serpent king ruling the Earth, carrying complex symbolism often associated with water and everything related to it – from lakes and rivers to rain. Although Nagas appear in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, it was interesting for me to read that in November 2022, the Thai government declared the Naga one of Thailand’s national symbols. One peculiarity of Naga in Thailand, specifically in the north-eastern region called Isan where I stayed these days, is the belief that nagas create unnatural waves in lakes and rivers – something akin to the Loch Ness monster.
On the day I walked by the pond guarded by this nine-headed Naga, the water’s surface was perfectly calm, reflecting the beautiful lotus temple of Wat Pa Dong Rai.
I was now completely ready to head back to the city of Khon Kaen, where I was staying. On both sides of the road, there were sugarcane plantations and in some places, sweet products were being sold. Although it seemed a bit silly to bring over half a kilo of some kind of sugar from Thailand, I couldn’t resist – I bought a couple of packages of sugarcane sugar in small cakes. When I returned home, wondering what I would do with them, I was amazed at how the moment of inspiration had swept me away. Nevertheless, I managed to find ways to use them in recipes from Thailand – whenever the recipe mentions sugar, I pull out my sugarcane cakes and grate them.
Stopping at this place made a lot of sense, especially because it was a lot of fun. After paying for the goods, I noticed a motorbike with a sidecar, similar to the ones I had seen in the village of Ban Chiang. I asked the stall and the motorbike owner if I could take a photo there, and he gave me permission. I had a blast!
On the way back, I continued to notice trash bins made from old tires. I started to notice them in this part of Thailand and they seemed quite interesting to me. Enough for me even to snap a photo of one as I passed by.
After this, I simply returned to Khon Kaen, where I bid farewell to the woman who drove me on this trip. Then, I went for a walk around the hotel. I initially wanted to grab a coffee, but felt hungry in the meantime.
The walking took me past a restaurant and I hesitated a bit, but decided eventually to enter and take a seat.
The reason why I hesitated was simply because I didn’t know what to order, but I happened to come across two guests who seemed like “the authority” and they knew some English words. They recommended that I try the soup with “jade dumplings” and I didn’t regret it at all. It was excellent!
By now, I had started to grasp the details related to the restaurant customs. Here, I clearly knew that in the box on the table, there were not only some condiments, but also utensils. They also brought me ice because soon after, my water arrived.
After lunch, I did indeed go for coffee, but it was a regular Western-style coffee and a typical Western-style café, so I wasn’t interested in taking any photos there. However, a bit later, I passed by a shop that openly offered cannabis, since its sale was legalised in June 2022.
Cannabis doesn’t evoke any interest in me whatsoever, unlike food, but after that delicious soup, jade dumplings and coffee, I could peacefully pass also by numerous shops preparing food.
I went back to Kaen Nakhon Lake, but didn’t stay long as I was getting a bit tired, more precisely, exhausted from walking and doing the sightseeing in the hot weather. I wanted to return to the hotel. However, I had trouble getting a taxi and I didn’t have any apps on my phone for that purpose. Luckily, I asked for help at a tattoo shop and the girl working there was not only extremely friendly, but also spoke excellent English. We quickly agreed and she called a motorcycle taxi for me using her phone. Since I had experience with this type of public transportation in Ayutthaya, I quickly and successfully returned to the hotel. This was important for me in order to pack and rest well because the next day I continued my journey towards the city of Sukhothai.
Having a coach ticket already, I was at ease and when I arrived at the coach terminal, after handing over my large backpack to the driver, I took a picture of the spot where I had been a few days earlier and bought a ticket. At first glance, it doesn’t look like an official ticket counter, but they operate very efficiently and professionally.
The loudspeaker system at the Khon Kaen station also amused me; you know, the one that announces which coach is arriving at the station and which one is departing.
Speaking of the ordinary and everyday things related to coach travel in Thailand, here are a few photos illustrating the conditions in a typical coach. Certainly, not all coaches are the same, but I used a variety of transportation options (except for a helicopter), so it’s interesting for me to remind myself of this coach on the way to Sukhothai.
Soon after departure, we were given a bottle of water and some sweet cookies, as can be seen in the next photo. However, the main reason I took this picture is to show how much I actually struggle when travelling. This is primarily caused by my height and the length of my legs. Please note the quantity of space that an average-height Thai woman and I have at our disposal. I have to admit that I envy people who have this much space and imagine with longing how nice it must be when you can fully stretch out. If I ever become monstrously rich, I’ll order a coach with seats for my size – just to see what that feels like.
Enough legroom, and even enough for the entire body, is important, especially when it comes to longer journeys and this coach journey from Khon Kaen to Sukhothai was my longest individual trip within Thailand. It lasted for about 7.5 hours!!! However, if we overlook my thoughts about my own size and the available space, the coach was very comfortable and I mentally prepared myself for the journey to be long and enduring, so in the end everything went well. Though – it was really boring!
In the map below that shows all the places I visited during a month-long trip in Thailand, both Khon Kaen and Sukhothai can be found. At first glance, the distance may not seem so great, but the central part of the journey goes through mountains, making the road steep, narrow and winding, which is why it takes so much time.
In the beginning, the road goes through the plains west of Khon Kaen, but later on, the mountains come into play.
The mountains over which the road passes are part of the Nam Nao National Park, which can be an interesting stop as it is home to numerous animals, including wild elephants and from what I’ve read, there are also tigers. It also seems to be one of the better places for bird watching.
Thus, the coach halted at a stop in the middle of the national park where a few Thai people boarded, as well as two foreigners.
What I want to say is that this 7.5-hour coach journey can be divided into several stages, especially considering that both before and after this national park, there are numerous interesting natural and cultural sites near the main road that would be fascinating to explore. However, for such an undertaking, I would have needed at least a few months and, unfortunately, I didn’t have that much time on this occasion.
What I managed to see and even capture from a great distance was the white seated Buddha, which I later found out is a part of the Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew temple located at an altitude of 830 meters. I also learned that this was actually not just one seated Buddha, but rather five seated Buddha figures of different sizes arranged one in front of the other! From what I’ve seen in the online pictures, this is an exceptionally picturesque temple complex.
As always, no matter how slowly, time does pass and so we eventually reached the fertile plains south of Sukhothai.
Since Thailand is a part of the region where monsoon rains occur seasonally, the overhangs of the shelters at the bus stops are somewhat unusually large.
So, after a long and quite boring coach journey, I arrived in the city of Sukhothai. The first thing was to transfer to the hotel I had booked and for that, the best option was to take a vehicle that is a combination of a tuk-tuk and a small songthaew. I tossed my backpack inside and then I had to capture it all on camera.
However, the filming didn’t end there, so I recorded a bit with the video camera as well:
Upon arriving at the hotel, I went to my room, but the internet wasn’t working there. The room was relatively far from the reception, so I had to go back there to complain. They assured me they would fix it. Then I returned to the room, but again, nothing was working. And so it went on for the next 15 minutes. Due to the fatigue from the long and boring coach journey, I was in a very un-Buddhist mood, meaning I wasn’t calm at all. That’s why I grumbled to the young hotel owner (I had the impression it was a family-run hotel; I first dealt with an older woman who gave me the key and took me to the room so I wouldn’t get lost and now with one of the grandchildren). I told her I was going to eat first and if they didn’t fix the internet in the meantime, I would have to move. It was clear to me, however, that moving wasn’t an option because I was tired and I had no idea where I would move to.
I went practically to the first restaurant I came across and ordered the simplest dish, which was fried noodles with chicken or Pad Thai. Since the “kitchen” was typically open, situated between the street and the seating area, I was able to film how they prepared my meal. It was delicious, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Additionally, I was served some soup that was quite pleasant.
After returning home to Belgrade, I made my version of this dish. It was a bit more complicated than what I filmed in Sukhothai, but it was also very tasty. Here is the recipe:
PAD THAI
- 120 g dry rice noodles
- 200 g chicken breasts
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 2 eggs
- 1 red pepper
- a couple of spring onions
- 150 g fresh cabbage
- fresh hot pepper, optional
- 150 g roasted peanuts
- seasonings: salt, black pepper, cornstarch, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and hot pepper paste
- 1 lime
Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. I usually pour boiling water over them and let them stand while I prepare the rest of the ingredients, occasionally checking how softened the noodles have become. If they soften too early, immerse them in cold water or drain them and mix with 1-2 tablespoons of oil to prevent sticking.
Cut the meat into small cubes. Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with cornstarch. Mix everything well and let it sit for a while.
Finely chop the garlic, slice the bell pepper, cut the green onions into pieces, shred the cabbage and, if using, cut the fresh chilli peppers into pieces.
Combine in a bowl 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, half a tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and chilli paste (to taste).
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a wok, then stir-fry the white meat. After a few minutes, add garlic, red bell pepper, green onions and chilli peppers. Stir-fry everything together for another minute, then push it to the side or take it out of the wok.
Add a little more oil into the wok, then stir-fry the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Once the eggs are cooked, return the meat and vegetables, add the cold and drained noodles and cabbage. Mix everything well, then pour the sauce over it and combine everything.
Decorate with lime and you can also pour over some of fresh lime juice.
And after enjoying a nice meal in Sukhothai, I started to make my way back to the hotel, savouring the beautiful evening and the scenes from the main street in the city.
When I returned to the room, the internet was working and I was satisfied. I contacted those I needed to and I also had a refreshing shower. Since the “hotel” was not a proper hotel, but more of a guesthouse, I went briefly to the nearby supermarket to buy a few things and also some beer. It was enjoyable later when I drank it, while, in the meantime, I kept it in a small fridge in the room to keep it cold.
That hotel was very peculiar. Everything was essentially nice, but with flaws that would be solved sooner or later, yet everything seemed somewhat sloppy. The lamp next to the bed didn’t work, which meant I had to get up to turn off the light just when I was on the verge of sleep. There was also a leaky faucet in the bathroom and water was seeping onto the floor and going towards the shower area. None of it was dramatic and everything was fixed the next day, but it was a shame that quite a decent place with an excellent location operated so haphazardly. The next day there were a few silly things as well and everything was resolved in the end, but I had to intervene. All of it was essentially unnecessary.
On the other hand, the bed was unusually firm yet very comfortable, so I slept quite well and was ready the next day to explore the Sukhothai Historical Park.