PART I - Exploring the THONBURI side of Bangkok [ธนบุรี]

Bangkok off the beaten track

Thonburi Yai canal area

Map exploration

The Bangkok Post article of the Gingerbread house (previous post) prompted me to return to the Santa Cruz area of Thonburi, on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River.

So, yesterday, I took my camera, put on walking shoes and went on a further exploration of this area. Thonburi became the next capital of Siam after the fall of Ayutthaya and before King Rama I settled his new area on the island of Rattanakosin across the river.

After taking two metro lines (the MRT & the BTS-Skytrain), I arrived at the pier under Saphan Taksin (King Taksin Bridge). He was an Ayutthaya army general, who became King Taksin after founding Thonburi. There, I took the water-taxi to Pak Khlong Talad (The Flower Market). I was not interested in going back to the Flower Market on this day as I went there before. They have now built Yodpiman River Walk, which is a very pleasant place despite its purpose to cater for the tourist crowds. But at this early morning hour, it was still very quiet. It is here that you can take the ferry across the river to reach Thonburi (B2.5 one way). This Thonburi pier is at Wat Kanlayanamit. These days, there is much construction going on as they are making a river walk for pedestrians and bicycles. My purpose was first to walk as far as the Memorial Bridge (known as Phra Phuttayotfa Chulalok Bridge in Thai, สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า).

→ Memorial Bridge (Wikipedia)

Wat Pratoon chedi

There are many smaller khlong (canals) on this part of the river bank. Most of the houses are made of wood. It feels far away from the hustle and bustle of the modern Thai city. It has a definite provincial atmosphere and people are so friendly! On top of that, there are absolutely no tourists there. It has retained an original atmosphere.

Before reaching the Memorial Bridge, there is an outstanding wat (temple) called Wat Prayurawongsawas Wora [วัดประยุรวงศาวาส] It is a royal temple, which has just finished restoring its huge 60.5m high white chedi (stupa) built in the Sri Lankan style. Actually, this is Bangkok's oldest religious construction, which received an honor from UNESCO:

→ Bangkok's Wat Pratoon bags Unesco award for restoration (The Nation)

Here is what the historical landmark of the temple says:

The place of the temple was originally the site of a coffee plantation belonging to Somdet Chao Phraya Maha Prayurawong. In 1828, he donated the site for the building of this temple. King Rama III gave the temple its current name but the local people preferred calling it Wat Rualek because of its big fence surrounding the temple made from iron in the form of lances, swords, and axes. Only a part of the fence remains. This is the first temple of Rattanakosin period where the chedi (pagoda) was built in the Lanka style. Inside the wiharn is a Buddha image in subduing Mara posture called Luang Phor Nark.We believe it was one of a pair with Phra Sri Sakkayamuni, the principal Buddha image of Wat Suthat Thepwararam.

Some of the rock garden turtles

Rock mountain view

Khao Mo

Besides the chedi, the other remarkable site there is its adjoining Rock garden. It is nicknamed Khao Mo (rock mountain, in Thai) or also Turtle Mountain due to hundreds of turtles swarming in its surrounding pond. It is indeed an unexpected and beautiful rock garden, extremely well-tended.

→ Wat Prayurawondsawas preserving a cultural heritage

Another historical landmark sign within the rock garden tells this story about one of the mondop:

This is the definition of a mondop [พระมณฑป] in Wikimedia Commons: « it is a specific square based building or shrine with a pyramidal roof (seemingly) carried by columns within a Thai Buddhist temple or temple complex. It can house relics, sacred scriptures or act as a shrine ».

Replica of the Gothic-style Mondop : In the North-easterly direction of the Rockery is the site of another Gothic-style Mondop, a replica of the original one. It has been assumed that the building of the replica might have been placed in 1885, when the large Mondop was built, or it might have been built by a committee that managed the inheritance of Thanphuying Phan (née Buranon), wife of Somdetch Chao Phraya Borom Maha Suriyawongse (Chuang Bunnan) at the same time when the Gothic-style concrete crematorium was built at the front of the Rockery. The construction of this crematorium was financially supported by Thanphuying Phan and it was inscribed with her name and the year of construction, « Phannakarn Ror Sor 115 » in 1896. The architectural style of the replica of the Gothic-style Mondop again resembles that of a Christian church. It is a tall building with eight spires located on a miniature mountain. The first level of the base is indented in the corner as in the Gothic architectural plan. The second level has arches to house Buddha images.

From there, I went back onto the river-walk to Santa Cruz Church and its historical Portuguese area.

And first, I wanted to have a closer look at the Gingerbread house. Here are some of the new shot I made there:

Sta.Cruz Gingerbread house

House front detail

Back window

Santa Cruz Church is the oldest Portuguese church in Bangkok as it was built in the early Thonburi age. Another historical landmark sign reads as follows:

This building (« Igreja de Santa Cruz ») is considered of outstanding interest for the 500 years long history of Thai-Portuguese relations. King Taksin rewarded the Portuguese that fought for Ayutthaya in the campaign against Burma (1767) with a plot of land, for them to settle and build a church, near his palace Wang Derm in Thonburi, the new capital of Siam. The Royal grant is dated 14th September day of the exaltation of the 'holy cross' ('Santa Cruz') in the Catholic liturgy. The first church finished in 1770 was made of wood. When the whole settlement burned down in 1833, a new church was built, already in masonry. The present building, after a near total renovation in Italianate architectural style dates from 1916.

Village narrow lane

On the right-hand side of the church front, there is a historical trail that goes through the narrow lanes of the Portuguese descendants of this village. Some houses have already been gracefully restored. One, in particular, is in total renovation at the time being. As I was photographing a gate frame with Portuguese tiles, the lady, who owns that house, came to talk with me. We had a very interesting discussion and she told me that it was her family, who was restoring the house across the alley. It will be a museum dedicated to the Portuguese heritage of this compound. She also told me that her next door's neighbor was a scholar, who was the author of the Thai-French dictionary. Amazing encounters!

There is another interesting fact. I created a Google Collection on door-knockers, which I keep updating. In Thailand, usually, door-knockers are only found at temples. But here, in this alley, two houses had door-knockers on their gates.

Lion door-knocker

Thai door-knocker

Portuguese tiles

I also went back to the little local bakery and café that keeps baking the old recipe of the Portuguese cookies. Being all alone there, I had the privilege of having a freshly cooked hot cookie with my glass of iced jasmine tea. A real treat!

As I pursued my trek on the trail, I stopped in the back of the old gingerbread house. It is still inhabited despite its crumbling state. The owner of the house just across this back alley came to chat with me for a while. It was another friendly encounter.

Then, I was back on to the river-walk to Wat Kalayanamitr [วัดกัลยาณมิตรวรมหาวิหาร], where the Rajinee pier is located. This royal temple was built in the 19^th c by a Chinese nobleman. Its name means 'good friend'. It has a massive Vihara housing a huge gilded statue of Buddha.

Wat Kalayamitr

→ Multicultural Place Along the Chao Phraya River

→ Lord of Suvarnabhumi

This is a Thai monastery with Chinese features as the buildings in the back show it. There is a temple bell tower in the back of the Vihara, which is dark blue. This is an unusual color as temple bells have normally kept their bronze color.

Chinese monastery

Blue temple bell

A large khlong separates this side of Thonburi from the other, where Wat Arun stands. It is a major khlong called Bangkok Yai.

→  Bangkok Yai District (Wikipedia)

At the confluence of the khlong with the Chao Phraya River, there is a fort, which is still used by the Thai Royal Navy. It is called Wichai Prasit Fort (built in 1688). Actually, this area gave Thonburi its name as it means 'wealth' [thon ธน] 'fortress' [buri บุรี].

→ Fort Vichai Prasit

Wat Tai Talad

This is the part of Thonburi, which was invested by King Taksin to become the site of the Siamese new capital. The former palace was built in the same compound. Another temple is located here next to the fort: Wat Molee Lokayaram Ratchaworawihan [วัดโมลีโลกยารามราชวรวิหาร]. It was also nicknamed Wat Tai Talad, literally 'the temple at the bottom of the market'. It is quite an interesting Wat. It has a sort of long white building resembling a British colonial construction. The monastery has a series of beautiful Thai wooden houses.

It is not a long walk from here to Wat Arun. On the way, there is a modern Thai place called Horse House Café that provides a nice air-conditioned break for lunch or a drink. Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) is still under complete renovation but is now open to the public. This iconic Wat will be all white emphasizing its colorful floral decorations.

I chose to go back to Rattanakosin from Wat Arun pier to Tha Tian, near Wat Pho and then walk back to Yodpiman River Walk as far as the Memorial Bridge to see the public park by the river.

Then it was time to have a coffee break at Yodpiman while waiting for the next water-taxi to Saphan Taksin.

Christian Sorand

Santa Cruz Church former pier sala.

--> A day in Thonburi (Google+ slideshow)

Old teak house in Thonburi [ธนบุรี]

Thonburi [ธนบุรี], on the right bank of the Chao Phraya River, is just another part of Bangkok nowadays. As it is close to the mouth of the river, it became an important garrison during the era of the kingdom of Ayutthaya. The other side of the river was already a trading settlement for the Chinese, the Portuguese, the French, and other western nations. As a matter of fact, in Thai, thon [ธน] means 'wealth', whereas buri [บุรี] is a 'fortress'. A fort and a garrison still exist there near Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn).

In 1767, the Burmese sacked the former Siamese capital of Ayutthaya. A year later, in 1768, General Taksin (1734-1782) sailed down the Chao Phraya River from Ayutthaya and landed in Thonburi, which became the capital of the Thonburi Kingdom as he became king until 1782. The newly enthroned king, Rama I, decided to move the capital on the left bank, just across the river. The City Pillar marks the foundation of the site of the new capital, known as Rattanakosin, Bangkok's historic district.

Thonburi finally merged into the city of Bangkok in 1971.

Taksin

Thonburi

Thonburi gingerbread house

Last August, I crossed the river in order to explore further the area near Santa-Cruz Church on the Thonburi side. Santa-Cruz stands as the oldest Portuguese church in town as the area was meant to relocate the Portuguese community of Ayutthaya.

Blog link (August 2015)

It has remained a Catholic stronghold up till now. While exploring the area, I passed by a beautiful old teak house facing the river (enclosed photo here). It was absolutely gorgeous but in a very poor condition and I felt it was a pity to leave it in such a crumbling state. In fact, this house has an owner and a story. The Bangkok Post happened to write an article a few days ago. It is called 'A crumbling gingerbread house'. I recognized the pictures of the mansion straight away.Therefore, I could not resist sharing this poignant and fascinating story, hoping someone or some organization will soon decide to restore it to its former grandeur and turn it into a museum, a charming hotel or else a guest-house.

Christian Sorand

A crumbling gingerbread house (Bangkok Post)

Sunset panorama of the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya River

Travelog - An alternative drive from northern Isan to Bangkok

When driving, the usual way to go from northern Isan back to Bangkok is to use the expressway from Udon Thani via Khon Kaen and Khorat. But there is always a lot of traffic on this road. It is full of trucks and remains hazardous at all times.

So, if, like me, you prefer a quieter and more pleasant alternative with less traffic, here is a safer alternative. As I had time, I chose to do it in three days in order to cover the distance more leisurely and to visit some less known areas.

DAY 1- 05 January 2016. Sakon Nakhon to Buriram: 400km, via Phu Phan National Park. Kalasin & Roi Et.

- From Bang Khon to Sakon Nakhon, it is now a divided road with little  traffic that allows to


Route to Roi Et
cover the 50km-distance in no time. Sakon Nakhon is the province capital. It has an airport with flights to Bangkok. It is actually possible to bypass the city and head directly southwards across the nearby mountain range.
- The main attraction is Phu Phan National Park. It is a vast area of densely forested jungle. During WW II, this area used to be a hideout and, later on, it became also a refuge for the communist insurgency [Wikipedia/Phu Phan]. There are actually two routes to go south. I chose the slightly longer one to Kalasin. At about 25km south of Sakon Nakhon, the area is known as the 'snake-like curves'. This is because the road slithers through the forested slope of the mountain. Here, the Royal Family owns their Isan Palace. It is called Rajaniwet Palace. [Lonely Planet/ Rajaniwet]. It can be visited when no one is staying there. But it is mostly a well-tended park with an abundant amount of flowers. The rest of the country road crosses the park in a rather straight way without much traffic and almost no trucks. Now, it is also quite interesting to know that the region was inhabited in prehistoric times. One can actually visit caves featuring the testimony of prehistoric paintings & carvings [Google/book]. Farther on, towards the end of this high hill area, there is a viewpoint, where they have built life-size dinosaur statues as footprints and bones of more Asian dinosaur species were found in this region [Blogspot.com/dinosaurs]. 




Life-size sculpture of a giant dinosaur

- Then the road starts winding down the hills to the vast southern plain of eastern Isan until you get to Kalasin, which, by the way, has a small museum featuring the dinosaur discoveries of the area. 




The lake of Roi Et

- The main road from Kalasin to Roi Et is good and also deprived of heavy traffic. I decided to stop in Roi Et for a late lunch. The city name in Thai means 101 [roi: 100 + et: 1 after a decimal]. In the late Ayutthaya period, it was a major city defended by a moat and a wall with


Route to Buriram
11 gates. It is thought that its name derives from number 11 as the city had also 11 vassal cities in the area. Today, Roi Et has lost all of its past glory. But in the middle of town, there is a large lake with a big island in the middle, nicely arranged as a park. I chose to stop by an Italian restaurant called Ristorante Dal Perugino. By judging the customers, it seemed that Roi Et hosts a rather important farang community.
- Buriram is only at about 60km away to the south. Again, the road is good and does not have


much traffic. Buriram is far more important than I expected. It has large avenues, imposing administrative buildings, a great number of major shops and business installations. It has a major stadium as it is the home of Buriram United, a premium football team in the country. Lately, it has also become the site of the car-racing circuit for the Grand Prix of Thailand. Its airport is on the road to Kalasin at about 35km north of the city. I chose to stay in a fine hotel called Best Western Royal Buriram. 




Pool view from the room

DAY 2- 06/01. Buriram to the 'Switzerland of Isan': 275km

In the morning, it was pleasant to have breakfast by the pool. There was a group of Malaysians obviously here for the Grand Prix. By 9.00am, I was on the road again. The Buriram infrastructures left the same impression of a fast developing city with bustling industrial activities and an impressive network of roads.

Resort cottage

It is an easy drive from Buriram to Interstate 24. But once on the major road, the traffic is as bad as on the expressway from Udon to Bangkok. Nevertheless, it gets a little bit better on the way to the west. At Chok Chai, I leave Interstate 24 to be on a great country road. My intention is to go back to the area known as the 'Switzerland of Isan'. But I will go in the wrong direction at first heading to

Lam Phra Phloeng I

Lam Phra Phloeng Dam. There, a man tells us this is not the right lake and tells us to follow him with his car till we get on Interstate 304 towards Chachoengsao. It was a fair distance away to reach Chao Por where we can finally turn right on the country road to Khao Yai. This is the right road leading to Lam Phra Phloeng I lake.

This is an absolutely gorgeous drive among hills and dales, where they grow monkey-apples and strawberries. We choose to stay overnight at a nice roadside resort a few kilometers away from the lake. It is called Baan Ton Mai Resort. It is set in a vast garden with ponds and great-looking wooden bungalows. It is hard to believe this is Thailand. The resort does not have a restaurant but they can deliver pre-ordered food to the room. This is what we did as we did not feel like going anywhere at this point. 

Resort pond at sunset

DAY 3- 07/01. Lake Lam Phra Phroeng 1 to Bangkok: 225km, via Khao Yai.

Strawberry farm

In the morning, the lake mirrors the light. Walking by the lakeshore to take photos, water birds fly off. The air is cool and feels like spring temperature. This lake is so peaceful and picturesque. The nearby strawberry farm is closed at this time. Workmen are already busy completing a concrete path along the lakeshore...hopefully, it will serve as a bike track but it may deface the pretty landscape. The Doi Café is open. Before driving on, it is time for a coffee break with a view on the nearby countryside.

No much traffic either on the nice, little country road from the lake to the valley town of Khao Yai. There, we turn left on another scenic country road that goes to the main expressway to Bangkok. Fortunately, it is not far away to reach Bangkok (about 120km) but the traffic is heavy as usual with many careless drivers zooming past. 

Morning panorama of the lake

Christian Sorand

Total: 900km from Isan.

Réflexions sur le mode de vie dans l'Isan

Le véhicule laisse une trainée de poussière rouge sur la piste de latérite. En ce début d'année, la sécheresse a envahi un paysage comparable à celui de la brousse. Quelques arbres, des buissons poussiéreux et de hautes herbes jaunies par le soleil rendent la platitude du paysage semblable à la traversée d'une zone africaine semi aride. Et pourtant ici, l'eau ne manque pas. Il y a celle de la nappe

La campagne de l'Isan

phréatique ; et puis celle, occasionnelle, de petits étangs servant de réservoirs. Par endroits, la piste devient de la tôle ondulée comme pour confirmer cette troublante illusion d'Afrique. Or, même dans ce paysage de bout du monde, l'impression n'est que passagère. Car ici les villages ne manquent pas. Ils ne sont jamais très éloignés les uns des autres. Alors, en traversant l'une de ces communautés villageoises, l'illusion initiale s'estompe comme si cela avait été un mirage. On passe devant des maisons de bois sur pilotis ; des voitures en bon état, garées en ordre ; quelques boutiques, et puis surtout des bâtiments administratifs et quelques temples bouddhistes. Aucun doute : on est tout simplement dans une Asie profonde, à mille lieues des gratte-ciel et des zones urbaines embouteillées.

La campagne de l'Isan est densément peuplée. Les villages ne sont jamais très éloignés. En cette saison sèche, les rizières sont invisibles. La zone décrite se situe à une cinquantaine de kilomètres au sud du Mékong. Si ces villages ne respirent pas le bien-être ostentatoire des villes, ils n'offrent pas pour autant une impression de misère absolue, comme en terre africaine. La base nourricière est le riz, bien sûr. L'Isan est le grenier à riz de la Thaïlande. Quelques troupeaux apportent la viande de bœuf ; il y a également le porc, le poulet et donc les oeufs. Les arbres fournissent des fruits : papayes, bananes, grenades ou mangues en saison. Il y a même du poisson. Aussi loin qu'on puisse être du Mékong ou d'un autre cours d'eau majeur, les étangs, les réservoirs sont nombreux dans l'Isan et ils recèlent toujours une quantité de poissons d'eau douce. Certains en ont même fait un commerce en créant des bassins d'élevage. Cette région possède

Marais salant

d'ailleurs une bien troublante curiosité naturelle. On y trouve en effet une zone de marais salant. Or on est à des centaines de kilomètres de la mer. Interrogé sur ce phénomène, un paysan explique le mécanisme. Les profondeurs terrestres recèlent une poche d'eau salée qui est pompée dans les bassins et où le sel se dépose naturellement avec l'évaporation de l'eau. Le sel n'est pourtant pas un ingrédient de cuisine. Toutefois, le poisson est souvent conservé dans le sel. Partout ailleurs, il y a de l'eau douce à proximité. Au beau milieu de cette campagne d'apparence aride, on peut même y faire un potager par le biais d'un arrosage programmé. On récolte alors  tomates,

Étang entre 2 villages

salades, choux, ignames, carottes, oignons verts, chilis. Tous ces légumes sont parfois vendus sur de petits étales de-ci, delà. Les habitudes alimentaires de l'Isan ont leurs caractéristiques, loin de la sophistication de la cuisine thaïe. C'est une cuisine paysanne, sans fioriture, épicée et adaptée au contexte environnant. Car, il est bon de le souligner, l'Isan, au nord-est de la Thaïlande, est à la fois la plus vaste et la plus peuplée des provinces du royaume. Cet immense territoire, s'étalant du sud à l'ouest de la courbe du Mékong, possède une frontière commune avec le Laos, dont la culture, la langue, la cuisine et la musique sont proches. La partie orientale sud reçoit une influence cambodgienne, comme en témoignent les nombreux vestiges khmers que l'on trouve dans la région de Surin. Il s'agit d'une autre Thaïlande, bien différente du cliché touristique habituel.

Que l'on ne s'y trompe pas néanmoins. Malgré, sa spécificité culturelle et linguistique, le drapeau thaïlandais, aux mêmes couleurs que notre drapeau tricolore, flotte ici un peu partout. C'est d'ailleurs l'un des aspects manifeste. En traversant les villages, il n'y a peut-être pas toujours un poste de police ou une antenne médicale, mais il y a chaque fois un bâtiment administratif, et surtout une école, vaste, bien entretenue avec un grand terrain de sport, où les enfants du village viennent jouer au ballon (foot ou hand). Ceci est le signe apparent de l'extraordinaire organisation de la société thaïe, régie par une formidable infrastructure administrative. Même le courrier postal arrive à destination dans des fermes isolées grâce au facteur doté d'une mobylette !

Les pistes de latérite sont certes une caractéristique de l'Isan. Or le réseau routier principal, dense et

Jeunes enfants d'un village

plutôt bien entretenu, n'est jamais très éloigné. Chaque village est doté d'électricité. Il y a souvent à proximité une antenne destinée à relayer les réseaux de télécommunications (télévision et téléphones portables). Poste de télé, frigidaire et même machine à laver, font partie de la plupart des cellules familiales. L'eau potable est distribuée dans de grandes bonbonnes livrées à la demande. La nuit venue, on s'assure souvent de dormir sous la protection d'une moustiquaire. Quant à la couverture médicale, octroyée par un vaste réseau de cliniques, elle est quasiment gratuite (on ne paye que quelques bahts).

Alors, on voit bien que l'impression ressentie à priori, est somme toute assez éloignée de celle que l'on a quand on est au cœur de la brousse africaine. Malgré la relative pauvreté, les gens affichent un certain bonheur étayé par des liens familiaux étroits et par une vie communautaire basée sur l'entraide et le respect des conventions inspirées par le Bouddhisme. Et même en ces lieux reculés, l'étranger reçoit toujours un accueil simple et hautement chaleureux.

Christian Sorand,

Isan,Thaïlande, janvier 2016.

Coucher de soleil sur la cmpagne