Going Home From Hua Hin While Playing Tourist

I spent two nights in Hua Hin and my biggest accomplishment was finishing my 3 pack of large Chang beers. I am so proud!

My plan was to visit a few places that I had bookmarked on my map and then spend the night in Ratchaburi. My plans changed with the arrival of the rain.

My first stop was in Phetchburi and as I arrived in the city the rains came. I carry a rain suit with me but I seem to get drenched prior to finding a place to stop and put it on. Once I stopped I just put a bag over my phone and stuck my passport under the seat and proceed to Wat Kamphaeng Laeng (วัดกำแพงแลง).

This is a temple ruin from the Khmer Empire like Angkor Wat just not quite as spectacular.

While walking around this site I ran into the first 2 dogs of the day that seemed to really displeased with me. The dogs appeared to calm a bit once I found a seat out of the rain. Once the rain let up I hopped back on the bike and moved on.

My next stop was at Muang Khu Bua Ruins after passing another angry dog going down a small dirt road that lead to the ruins.

This small site was disappointing.

Off again back past the angry dog that chased me about twice as far this time. I then went about a kilometer away to the next site of the Muang Khu Bua Ancient Remains (โบราณสถานเมืองคูบัว).

This site had a sign in English that said these ruins are from the Dvaravati period and this was Wat Khlong which is the largest and best preserved site of the ruins that were once the city of Khu Bua.

I rode through the province of Ratchaburi on the way to Hua Hin but didn't stop. I felt it couldn't be checked off my provinces list until I did a bit of looking around Ratchaburi and my next stop was in the center of the capital city.

I stopped at Wat Mahathat Worawihan (วัดมหาธาตุวรวิหาร) in the city and found it an interseting temple but did not take many pictures. I think this is the best of the few I snapped.

I followed google maps to where Wat Nong Hoi Phra Aram Luang (วัดหนองหอย พระอารามหลวง) was on the map but it was just at a junction in the road and I was not sure which way to go. I had seen the Bhudda in the next photo up on the hill and assumed it was part of the temple and monastery but it was on the other side of the main road than what was marked on google maps.

I rode a ways down the left fork in the road and then came back and went down the right fork. I assume the building at the top of the hill that appeared to be partially built hotel was in fact the monastery. I made a loop around this building but did not really see anything that looked like a temple. There were a lot of monkeys around the building and I had one bag strapped to the motorcycle so did not want to leave the bike alone. I have heard to many stories of monkeys going throgh bag and stealing food or anything shiny.

I went back down the hill and crossed over the main road and found a road going up the hill to the base of the Bhudda in the following picture. I arrived at the parking area to find a pack of dogs that seemed to be unhappy at my arrival. I made a quick U-Turn and went back down the hill being chased by a noisy pack of dogs. I only stopped after the dogs gave up on the chase and I was a ways away from the hill and the dogs and took this picture.

My next stop of the day was at Big Buddha Daibutsu (พระใหญ่ไดบุทสึ). I found this blue Bhudda pretty and the setting of what I would call Japanese buildings and gardens really attractive.

The blue Bhudda and Wat Khao Sung Chaem Fa (วัดเขาสูงแจ่มฟ้า) were only about 100 meters apart and the buildings around the temple seemed to be in the same Japanese style. Also both sites had rainbow colored paths. My pictures don't capture this site very well. Doing a search on youtube of this temple there are some videos from drones that do a much better job of showing this temple.

Wat Khao Chong Phatthanaram (วัดเขาช่องพัฒนาราม) was my last stop of the day. This is not that far from where I live but just have never made the point of riding over to it. I found it to be a very colorfull temple.

I tried to take a picture of some of the birds in the rice fields behind the temple. I need to see if I can figure out the names of some of these birds but even if I do I will forget what I learned within a few minutes.

Adding this in a couple of days after posting this. I think the large birds are Asian Openbill Storks.

It turned out to be a good day even with the rain and the dogs. I got a number of places I had marked on my map checked off and with the rain making for a cooler day which helped make it an enjoyable day.

Wat Hin Thaen Lam Pachee and on to Hua Hin

I have not been up to much lately but keep saying I need to get out for at least a small road trip. I finally forced myself out of the condo and took the ride down to Hua Hin.

I set google maps to take me first to Wat Hin Thaen Lam Pachee (วัดหินแท่นลำภาชี). I did this to try and avoid the major highway going south and check off one of the place I had bookmarked on the maps.

I don't recall why I bookmarked this temple but it is an attractive place which appears to be a temple on top of a boat.

I seem to really like these Buddhist protectors that are around the temple. I am often either taking a picture of one of the four guardians of the world or a pink elephant.

I picked another spot on the road between the temple and the city of Hua Hin that would keep me off the main highway and continued my ride south. I stopped when passing another temple and snapped a quick photo but now have no idea of the name of the temple.

I stopped by Wat Yang Nam Klat Tai (วัดยางน้ำกลัดใต้) for this quick photo.

I have used a religious park as my spot on the map to keep me off the main highway but when I arrived the parking was about a kilometer away from the sites and they wanted 20 baht to take a tram to the sites. I had been out on the bike for about 4 hours in 100f/37c degrees and did not feel like sitting around waiting until enough people arrived for the tram to leave. I hopped back on the bike and went on to Hua Hin and found a hotel with air conditioning and enjoyed a beer.

Hua Hin is a beach town and I have visited it in the past. I find the beach over rated and didn't even visit the beach on this trip. I just used going here as an excuse to get out and do something. There is a saying that it is not the destination but the journey. I don't usually feel this way and I usually have something I want to see or do at the destination but this trip that saying rang true.

Wat Tham Faed or Twin Cave Temple

A Saturday with no plans and not having done a lot lately other than trying to stay cool. I hopped on the motorbike and rode south along the river. This is the ride I seem to do most often when I have no direction in mind.

Today I noticed a temple up on the hill and decided it was a good day to explore even with the temperature over 100f or 35c.

I found a dirt road leading up the hill and gunned the engine to make climb until I hit the paved road that someone who knew where they were going would taken. I arrived at Wat Tham Faed (วัดถํ้าแฝด) or the Twin Cave Temple.

I found a seat in the shade and enjoyed an ice coffee and the views over the countryside and the river.

I think the next 2 pictures are the enterence to the caves. I did not enter and they don't look like twins to me.

When leaving I stopped near the bottom of the hill to get a photo of the temple from a distance.

I stoped again when headed back to the main road and took a picture of the Tiger Cave Temple over the rice fields in the distance. I blogged about visiting the Tiger Cave Temple a few weeks ago.

An Afternoon in U Thong

Suphan Buri province is the one of the provinces that border Kanchanaburi. U Thong is the town that is just a little bit past the province border. I had saved 3 dots on my map in this town as places to visit so decided that today was a good day to check off a few dots.

After about an hour on the motorbike I arrived at the first dot the U Thong National Museum. I didn't know a lot about the museum before arriving. I was greeted by a friendly lady that wanted to take my picture and then pointed at the entrance. I was a bit surprised that there was no fee to enter and don't think they get a lot of tourist to this museum.

A lady lead me to the first room in the museum and I was surprised that she spoke English. She started a 6 minute video in English that talked about the Dvaravati era. My understanding is the Dvaravati was a Buddhist culture that spread from India across southeast Asia and there are a number of ruins in U Thong area from this era.

Most of the museum was artifacts found at the Dvaravati religious sites in the area. The 2 pictures below are some of the artifacts. The Wheel is supposed to represents the Buddhist doctrine spreading throughout the world.

The photo below is of a traditional style of home of the Laosong ethnic group living in this area of Thailand that was in front of the museum.

From the museum I made my way to the second dot on my map Wat Khao Phra Si Sanphet.

Wat Khao Phra Si Sanphet is on the top of a hill or rock outcrop and can be seen from a long ways away depending on smoke on the day due to crop burning. The following is the cave at the base of the hill with a reclining Buddha.

It was a bit of a climb to reach the top of the steps and the views of the town and countryside.

Here are a couple pictures of the temple at the top of the hill.

I think the ruins of a pagoda behind the temple may be from the Dvaravati era.

Back at the base of the hill I took a couple of shots trying to improve my luck by pitching a coin into the belly button of the happy Bhuddha. I didn't improve my luck and had 2 less baht then before.

My 3rd dot and last place to visit in U Thong was Bhunyakiri Sri Suvarnabhumi.

I am guessing that this used to be a rock quarry but have not found anything that says this. It is a impressive site with the Buddha carved out of the rock. It also has a cave or tunnel behind the Buddha so you can walk a circle around the Buddha.

Not sure if it is this busy on every Saturday but going on Chinese new year may have been a mistake. The parking lot was packed and I had to be careful to stay out of the way of the many golf carts zipping around carrying people back for forth.

This site is still being worked on and it appears the glass walkway along the right side of the quarry is about complete.

U Thong made for a good day out playing tourist.