Thailand Trip November 2016
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05/11/16, otherwise known as Guy Fawkes night and fireworks. We had fireworks but only for the Receptionist. After breakfast in the hotel, omelette on toast with coffee for me, it was back to our trusty Toyota for a trip eastwards along Highway 22. We were off to the UNESCO listed Archaeological Museum of Ban Chiang in the Nong Han district. Discovered in 1966 by accident, the site attracted enormous publicity due to its attractive red painted pottery and artifacts. |
In 1972 King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit visited the site and afterwards urged for better protection of Thailand's cultural heritage. Thailand banned the export of all items from Ban Chiang without approval, as many were on display in Museums throughout the world especially in the United States. After the visit to the Museum we walked to shops outside the grounds and then proceeded to buy souvenirs to stuff our cases with. There are two pots sitting on our windowsill right now. You can view lots more pictures in the slideshow. |
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We embarked into the Minibus with Jack at the helm and took the road to back to Udon. We were going to the Nakhaburi Resort for lunch, which is handily on the Udon to Nong Khai road. As usual, the food was fresh, healthy and delicious. See the slideshow for more pictures. After lunch we carried on northwards to Nong Khai and Phra Aram Luang Wat Pho Chai. This temple from the outside, had nothing out of the ordinary that I can recall. In fact the light was flat so I used Photoshop to give the picture a lift as the rollover shows. |
But Phra Aram Luang Wat Pho Chai is extra special. According to legend, three Buddha images, named Phra Soem, Phra Suk and Phra Sai, were made for the three daughters of the King of Lan Chang (Laos). In the reign of King Rama III, they were taken across the Mekong River to Nong Khai. However, Phra Suk was lost in the river during a storm. During the reign of King Rama IV, Phra Soem was taken to Bangkok and is now at Wat Pathum Wanaram. Phra Sai remains enshrined at Wat Pho Chai, which has become a popular pilgrimage site as a result. Another top pick by Aek. |
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The pictures above don't do justice to the very artistic murals on the walls of the temple. View the slideshow for an excellent panorama of the murals taken by Mark. We walked along what the Aek's itinerary called 'Walking Street' i.e. the riverfront. I'm assuming Pattaya had the original 'Walking Street', well almost every large town we went to seemed to have one. Obviously the idea is popular and good for the local economy. We were doing some miles in the Minibus so it was good to be stretching our legs. |
| We were back into fun mode now as we strolled along the Promenade that is the Mekong riverside at Nong Khai. We mingled with Thai people who were taking in the late afternoon river air. I think there was a mix of locals and visitors who were there for the weekend. As we ambled along, (it was quite warm) each shop front seemed to have an attraction to lure the punters in. As the rollover will reveal, the most fun attraction was extremely colourful and alluring especially for our 'Peter Pan and his Wendy'. |
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As you have seen, Peter Pan is indicating the passing of time. The Ice Cream Parlour behind had reminded him of his belly and he was signaling that re-boarding Jacks bus was desirable as it was roughly 16:15. We were some distance from the hotel and we were tiring as this picture shows. Aek got on the blower to Jack to come and pick us up. We took the opportunity to chat and cool down as the late sun sank down to the horizon. We'd had another full day and we needed to shower and rest before heading off to Udon for Dinner.
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| And so day two ended with a trip into the heart of Udon for a meal. We met in the hotel lobby at 19:30 hrs to be transported to the Central Plaza. Before we left Gill presented Rose and Kan with a cuddly Koala to show her appreciation for their hospitality and friendship. We ate in a large food hall with what seemed hundreds of other people but as usual the food was good. Our Thai friends decided on an early night and Gill decided to do the same. Us 'lads' thought a couple of beers at the Vikings bar would be good before taking a Tuk Tuk back to the Hotel and sleep. |
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0930 hrs was a nice easy start time for day three, so our late night drink shouldn't impact too much on our ability to be on parade after breakfast. We would find out on the morrow? The itinerary said we would be traveling to Chiang Khan in the Loei region and staying in a hotel on the Mekong riverside. Luvvly Jubbly! |
Slideshow
A slideshow of pictures below of day three of the tour are shown in chronological order. Place your cursor into the picture window to freeze the motion, remove it allow the slideshow to restart. Depending on your connection, it may take a while for the pictures to download and the slideshow to start |
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