Si Thep to Surin

East towards the Surin

11 February 2018

Today, Steve and I headed further east from Lop Buri. Our first stop was Wat Khao Tambon. We had to climb a big hill to get to the top, and along the way, we passed through a cave where we found a lone monkey. The views from the top of the hill were excellent. We could see for miles in every direction.

We spent a few hours exploring the temple grounds, and then we headed back down the hill. It was a long climb, but it was worth it for the views.

In the car park, we struck up a conversation with a monk who recommended that we head to Wat Tham Prommalok next. He said that it was a small temple with lots of monkeys, and we thought that sounded like a fun place to visit. We stopped for a short time to explore the temple and see the monkeys, and then we headed off again. Our next stop for the day was Wimuttithum Temple.

Steve and I were driving through the countryside when we came across a surprise: a white temple, Wat Ban Don Yai. It was just gorgeous. The temple was built in the traditional Thai style, but it was entirely white. The walls, the roofs, even the statues were all white. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

We parked our car and walked up to the temple. The entrance was flanked by two large white elephants. We stepped inside and were immediately struck by the beauty of the temple. The walls were covered in intricate carvings, and the ceiling was painted with a mural of the Buddha.

Steve and I had been looking forward to visiting Wat Ban Rai, also known as the Elephant Temple, for a long time. We had seen pictures of it online and were blown away by its beauty. When we finally arrived, we were not disappointed. The temple was even more impressive in person.

The first thing that struck us was the size of the temple. It is enormous, with four stories and a basement. The exterior is covered in colorful ceramic tiles, which depict scenes from Buddhist mythology. The interior is just as impressive, with a large art gallery that features paintings, sculptures, and other works of art.

We spent several hours exploring the temple, and we were constantly amazed by the beauty and craftsmanship of everything we saw. The basement was our favorite part of the temple. It is home to a large collection of Buddhist artifacts, including statues, jewelry, and religious texts.

We both agreed that Wat Ban Rai was one of the highlights of our trip to Thailand. It is a truly unique and special place, and we are so glad that we had the opportunity to visit.

We stayed at the Romyen Garden Palace in Nakhon Ratchasima for the night. The hotel was close to night food markets and shops, which was perfect for us. However, when we checked in, we realized that the room next to us had a crying baby. We didn’t want to be kept up all night by the crying, so we requested a new room. The hotel was happy to accommodate us, and we were given a room on a different floor that was much quieter.

We were both very happy with the new room. It was spacious and comfortable, and it had a great view of the city. We also appreciated the fact that the hotel was so close to all the amenities we needed.

12 February 2018

Connies morning start off badly when we headed for the local Amazon Coffee only to find it closed!

Next stop was the Phimai Historical Park. Alison decided to head off to explore around town while Neil, Connie and Steve headed into the ruins.

After meeting back up again, we headed off to Sai Ngam, a giant banyan tree. It is 350 years old and covered about  3200 m2 (35 000 square feet) which you can walk under.

Next stop for the day was Wat Si Sawat. This site has a market which was lovely to walk through, another of those places where the tourists are not everywhere.

Hotel for the night was the NP Hotel in Buri Ram. Dinner tonight will be remembered as the “All you can eat” buffet which not one of us enjoyed. One thing we did see that we had not experienced before was a baby elephant being walked around the streets where tourists paid a few baht to feed.

13 February 2018

Feeling somewhat enthused this morning I decided to head off for my morning walk. Whilst waking though the Buri Ram railway station the national anthem played as everyone respected the flag and it was raised up the flag pole. My walk also took me via Wat Tham Theeraram. Here the locals gave me a banana to eat. Just lovely people. After arriving back at the hotel “NP Hotel” we all had breakfast before heading off.

Our first stop for the day was the Wat Phra Phutthabat. This site is set in a volcano vent. The name also given here is Phanom Kradong meaning turtle shaped hill. To the top of this hill is an enormous set of steps which we were able to bypass as we drove to the tp of the hill.

The next stop today was the Phanom Rung Historical Park. Ancient ruins are remarkably well preserved. A long walk way links the site together. Of course Neil was up to no good photo bombing tourists shots, as only he can and get away with it.

Our last for today was the Prasat Muang Tam. A square shaped temple with moats. From here we found a hotel Maneerote in Surin which gave a great view including the workers painting the Hop Inn next door. This hotel meant we only have a short walk to the local night markets. It was also here we decided to buy a kettle for use for the rest of the trip as they can be somewhat scarce in some hotels.