20 January 2023 – RM Day 8
We skipped breakfast this morning, eager to get on the road and make the most of our day. We left our hotel in Phetchaburi at 8:20am and headed west.
Our first stop was the Phetchabura Buddhist Park. The sun was in the wrong position for photos, but Robbie and Steve took some anyway. We were all impressed by the scale and beauty of the park, and we spent a few minutes exploring the grounds.
As we continued on our journey, we saw some of the famous Thai trucks with all their bling. We also saw a few water buffalo grazing in a field.
By noon, we reached the extraordinary temple of Wat Tham Saeng Tham. This temple is built on a limestone cliff, and it has stunning views of the surrounding countryside. We all felt a sense of peace and tranquility as we wandered through the temple grounds.
We were hungry by this point, so we stopped for lunch at a cafe at the foot of the temple. We enjoyed some delicious Thai food, and we were all feeling refreshed and ready to continue our journey.
Our next stop was Wat Phra Bat Pan Kham, which is located on a mountaintop. From the viewpoint at the top of the mountain, we had breathtaking views of a nearby lake. We spent some time taking in the scenery and enjoying the fresh air.
By 5pm, we were ready for our last stop of the day. We visited the Wat Pa Tham Utthayan complex, which is a Buddhist theme park. The temples and statues in this complex are incredible, and they are all set in an artificial rainforest. We spent a few hours exploring the complex, and we all had a great time.
We arrived late at our hotel in Khon Kaen, and we were all exhausted but happy. We headed back out for dinner at the local shopping center, Central Plaza. We had a great meal, and we all enjoyed the chance to relax and unwind after a long day of traveling.
21 January 2023 – RM Day 9
Steve and I woke up early on the morning, excited to start our day trip to Nong Khai. We had been staying at the Le Cassia hotel in Khon Kaen, and we had to check out by 10am. We quickly packed up our things and headed out to our rental car.
We drove north on Highway 212, and it took us about an hour to reach Wat Thung Setthi. This relatively new temple complex is located in the middle of a small lake, and it is surrounded by rice paddy fields. We were immediately struck by the beauty of the temple, and we spent some time exploring the grounds.
After we left Wat Thung Setthi, we continued on our drive to Nong Khai. We took the back roads, so we could see some of the local villages. We passed by rice paddies, farms, and small villages. We even saw some elephants!
We finally arrived in Nong Khai in the early afternoon. We checked into our hotel, the Bualinn Resort, and then we went for a walk around the lake. The sun was setting, and the reflections of the hotels in the lake were beautiful.
We had dinner at DD Restaurant, which is located right on the Mekong River. We had a delicious meal, and we enjoyed watching the sunset over the river.
After dinner, we took a stroll down the edge of the Mekong River. We were hoping to find some celebrations for Chinese New Year, but unfortunately, there wasn’t anything going on.
We still had a great time exploring Nong Khai.
22 January 2023 – RM Day 10
Steve and I woke up early to catch breakfast before the crowds arrived. The hotel restaurant was already busy, mostly with families, many of whom were Chinese. The breakfast buffet was okay, but not as good as we remembered. We had coffee and fruit, and Mikey had some rice, coffee, and toast for Robbie.
After breakfast, we headed to our first stop of the day, Sala Keoku. Sala Keoku is a large theme park-style attraction that features massive, tall religious sculptures. This was our third visit to Sala Keoku, and we were both impressed by the park’s continued growth and development. The park is well-maintained and the sculptures are beautifully crafted. We spent several hours exploring the park, admiring the sculptures, and learning about the park’s history and significance.
We ended our day with dinner at Chic Chic Markets. Chic Chic Markets is a lively, open-air market with a wide variety of food stalls. We had a delicious meal of Thai food, including pad Thai, curry, and stir-fry. We also enjoyed some Thai desserts and drinks.
23 January 2023 – RM Day 11
Breakfast was much quieter this morning as the hotel had emptied out almost completely.
We hit the road just before 9am, heading to Loei, our next overnight stay. We drove along the road beside the Mekong River, taking in the sights of the fish farms and the dredges on the river.
By 10:30am, we reached Wat Pha Tak Suea, a temple complex with views of the Mekong River from its high vantage point. There is a glass-floored vantage point here as well, which gave us a thrilling view of the river below.
We continued on our journey, and by noon we arrived at Wat Pa Phu Kon. This temple is known for its incredible blue color temples and its enormous image hall. The image hall has three entrances and enshrines a white marble Buddha image in the posture of entering Nibbana, named “Phra Phuttha Saiyat Lokkanat Satsada Maha Muni”. The 20-meter long reclining image is truly a sight to behold.
We stopped at PTT for a quick break, where we topped up our drinks and snacks at Cafe Amazon and 7-Eleven.
In the afternoon, we visited Wat Tham Pha Pu, a temple where we were able to feed the Dusky Langur Monkeys. These monkeys are very playful and friendly, and they were a lot of fun to watch.
By 4:30pm, we arrived at our hotel, the Kirimathani in Loei. After checking in, we went to the local markets for dinner. We had a delicious meal of Thai food, and then we headed back to our hotel to relax and prepare for our next day of exploring.