Bus Fuss and a Khmer Temple
Bangkok -> Khorat -> Phimai -> Khorat -> Phitsanulok, 5th to 7th April 2002
Bangkok can be a very annoying city. It's public transport is both
ineffective and insufficient. There are lots or places that are
really difficult to get to. Along with the heat & the pollution, it
doesn't make for a fun time. You have to walk long distances,
sweating from the heat and dying from the smog! I needed to get to
the Northern Bus Terminal, where I could get a bus to Khorat. After
a short walk, a long bus ride, a short sky-train ride and a long
walk, I managed, with a mixture or guessing & skill, to find the bus
station.
The bus station then presents a whole new challenge! There are
dozens of different desks, on two floors, each desk is for one
destination only. That means, you have to search the whole building
to find the one desk, out of 100s, that you need. The inconveniently
located help desks, aren't very helpful. Nevertheless, I did
eventually located the desk I needed and 10 minutes later I was
sitting on a lovely air-con bus, driving towards Khorat.
In the evening, after a short transfer from Khorat, I took a short
stroll around the small town of Phimai, quite a contrast to Bangkok!
You can walk round the perimeter of the town in less than 20
minutes. The main attraction in this town are the impressive Khmer
buildings.
The next day I checked out the old Khmer temple. It's strange having
this ancient building standing right next to the town, life just
carries on as normal around it. I guess it's no stranger than the
castle at Winchester sitting proudly at the centre while city life
goes on around it. The temple is made of very old red sand-stone
blocks with some interesting carvings. But rather than describe the
temple, I took some photos that I'll put on the site when I get
back.
Phimai also has a huge Sai Ngam Banyan Tree. It's so enormous that
apparently it covers an area larger than half a football match, yes,
that's ONE tree! The walk to the tree was very relaxing. Long, quiet
gravel covered roads, untouched grass verges, the smell of freshly
trimmed trees, no sound but the silence of nature. I passed few
people on the way there, just a couple of mopeds and a temple being
tended by one or two monks.
The tree is neighboured by a few restaurants and souvenir stalls
that are trying to profit from the tourists attracted to the tree.
After dodging round them, I checked out Banyan tree, and it actually
looks like a small grove of trees, but in fact, the branches of the
one tree have dropped vertically into the soil, taken root, and
spawned other branches. It's a really peaceful and quiet place,
especially as its by a river. I sat there for a while and relaxed,
watching life go by...
On the 7th April, after Phimai, I jumped on a bus back to Khorat ( a
transport hub) and headed north to Phitsanulok - a 6 hour bus
journey.
 The
buses in Thailand aren't too bad. Although I prefer trains, the
buses run a much more extensive network and timetable, making them
more useful. The first class air cons buses are top quality, with
free snacks & drinks. The standard, 2nd class non-air-con buses
are...well...they're sufficient. The seats are much smaller, so
everyone's crammed it, it gets quite hot and it seems much bumpier!
But they did show some top quality classic kung fu films! Great fun
to watch, and you don't need to understand what they're saying to
appreciate the over-acting and fighting!
When I reached Phitsanulok, it was getting dark, so I hunted for the
youth hostel. Walking around with my huge rucksack, I always feel a
little vulnerable, so I try to find a place to say as quickly as I
can.
After a long walk around town, I was a little unsure where I was, so
I asked a samlor driver who was resting in his vehicle. He took my
Rough Guide from me and had a look, flipped a few pages and, jabbing
his finger repeatedly at a certain point on the map, insisted he
knew where we were. Seeing as the how map he was pointing at was in
fact a map of a completely different town, I was doubtful. Then I
noticed the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. "Thank you, bye!"
I eventually found it myself, and discovered it was temptingly close
to a top of the range hotel. As I walked past, to my meagre hostel,
I could just make out the 5-star rooms and the sparkling clean
mod-cons. Tempting, very tempting, but I bet it's REALLY expensive.
Luckily, the youth hostel is pretty nice. It's quite old and
furnished with antique style furniture, but it's got a certain
'homely' feel.
I covered myself with DEET (powerful mosquito repellent) and took a
walk around town. I checked out the night market, one of the best
spots for people-watching and seeing the Thai culture as it really
is. There were some really interesting open-kitchen restaurants,
making up equally interesting dishes. The whole night market was
buzzing, it must be the place to be round here!
After passing a few hours there, I headed back to my room and fell
asleep with the distant sound of Karaoke playing through the
night...
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