The eastern seaboard of the Gulf of Thailand

The main purpose of this trip consists in exploring the coastal seaside between Rayong and Chanthaburi. This was still a missing link on my trips of discovery in Thailand

DAY 1 – 27/03/2016 : Bangkok to Klaeng & Laem Mae Phim Beach. 210Km / 4h30.

BKK to Centara Q Rayong

Despite being on a Sunday morning, leaving Rachada at 5:00am, the driving took much longer than expected. First of all, there was a heavy traffic on the expressway towards Pattaya. They have installed a new toll system in which you first take a card and turns it in at your exit point. The effect is that it slows the traffic at both ends. Then, after Chonburi, the connecting road to Klaeng is currently under renovation, which in turn slows the traffic down. Further on was fine, but I only got to my first beach destination by 9:30am, stopping once to refill the tank and take another coffee.

Centara Q Resort

The Centara Q Resort**** is a fine 4-star hotel, having its own private sandy cove. As it is standing on a small hill above the sea level, its main inconvenience is the number of stairs you have to climb down and up to get to the swimming pool or the beach. My room was not available until 11:00am. But they had provided me with a superb corner room on the top 7^th floor of the property. The sea view from the balcony was truly awesome.

View from 7F-balcony

This hotel is located at the tip of a small cape, having a fishing harbor on the left nearby side. Today's weather was not exactly the best; it was partly cloudy and quite windy, causing the sea to be quite rough. I did got into the sea for a while despite the heavy waves. Fortunately, the infinity pool of the property was a nicer alternative.

Ao Kai Beach, Rayong

This cove is called Ao Khai. There are a couple of local restaurants with seafood just by the beach. When I first came to the beach, I kind of liked the place as being secluded and cozy with very few people on it. But then later, I discovered that the upper edge of the beach was totally littered with garbage ! [Read my other report on Ao Khai]

In the afternoon, I drove to Laem Mae Phim Beach. It is less than ten minutes away. I had read it

Laem Mae Phim

was a much better alternative than say Jomtien Beach, near Pattaya. I was quite disappointed. First, as it was on a Sunday, it was heavily populated with locals favoring picnics by the beach. The whole area looked not well-frequented nor attractive. There is a long stretch of sand but at high tide, it is really narrow. I drove further on to another resort area, which I also found low-scaled.

After being back to the Centara Q Resort, I jogged Ao Khai beach, swam in the pool and used the fitness center.

I had dinner by the beach at the same restaurant I went to for lunch, then enjoyed the rest of the evening with all the amenities provided in my room

Ao Khai Beach, Rayong This is where the Centara Q Resort, a 5-star hotel, is located at the eastern end of Rayong province. It is a most beautiful sandy cove totally invaded by the human garbage of all kinds going from plastics to bottles and condoms ! What a shame ! I came to Thailand because I love this country. It is absolutely revolting to see what humans can do to our Mother Earth ! ...And please, include everybody, farang tourists as well as Thais ! I am sure many of my Thai friends would agree with me...Why not clean this mess ? WHERE are the soldiers, the school children, the students, the volunteers ? Someone needs to be blamed for keeping this mess. Something can be done - must be done - to get rid of this disgraceful sight. I am hoping that this will stir a reaction and that this beach can be entirely cleaned, knowing that tourists from all over the world visit this place. To the Thais, it is not simply your country. It is our Mother Earth. It belongs to all humans. Pic.1- first sight Pic.2 - later view

DAY 2 – 28/03: Ao Khai, Rayong to Chaolao Beach, Chanthaburi. 60km / 1h10.

Rayong to Chaolao

There was a storm during the night and the morning was humid and very hazy. So I did not really feel like going back to the beach or the swimming pool.

Fortunately, the breakfast buffet was a real great serving real juices and coffee, for once with an array of other delights satisfying most Asian and Western tastes.

I spent the whole morning to relax at the hotel and left around midday to my second beach destination. I used country roads to drive towards Chanthaburi. This area has many waterways and swamps. All the roads were good with very little traffic, which is always good for driving.

I reached Chaolao Beach after 1:00pm and went straight to the Saint-Tropez Beach Resort Hotel***. Very little English is understood here at the reception: a clear sign that not many foreigners patronize this place. The resort is modern,

Saint-Tropez Resort, Chaolao Beach

clean and quite comfortable although is is only a 3-star hotel. But is is right on the beach with a wonderful pool having a jacuzzi. I managed to get a lower room overlooking the pool and having a partial view of the Gulf of Thailand.

The beach is small and the waves don't allow much swimming. Moreover, there is a very strong current that makes it difficult to get back to the beach. At least, this beach looks cleaner than Ao Khai's.

I drove around to explore Chaolao. It looks more upscale than Laem Mae Phim Beach, but on a

Beach café

weekday – even during the picking season – it looks a bit deserted and totally deprived of any foreigners. There is a cape on the eastern side with a nature trail. However, most of the attractions are on the western side near St.Tropez resort. There's a nice public beach that provides shade under the

Hat Laem Sadet beach

tall trees. It is called Hat Laem Sadet. There is also a very interesting aquarium (free entrance) with many tropical fishes, including reef sharks and eels. There are also a beach café where I sat for a while to enjoy the view.

At the aquarium

I left the other attractions for the next day as I'll be there the whole day tomorrow. In the evening, I drove to Chaolao village to get a place to eat and there are many.

Saint-Tropez beach resort at sunset

DAY 3 – 29/03: Chaolao Beach, Chanthaburi.

Easy-going day starting at 7:00am with a breakfast that has nothing to do with the Centara Q Resort. The morning is partly sunny, so I go to the beach for a while. To my surprise, they were cleaning the garbage on the sand. The waves were still too strong to be able to stay in the water long. So, I go to the swimming-pool for a while and dry up in the sun.

Sea turtle

I left the hotel after 9:00am and drove to the other side of the peninsula on the Kung Krabaen Bayside. I visited the Sea Farming Demonstration Unit. There is much information but they are all in Thai. One tank was filled with sea turtles. It is interesting to see that this region is doing a lot to preserve its natural heritage. After that, I went back to my favorite coffee shop at Hat Laem Sadet beach and went all the way down this side of the cape to an unusual and uninteresting temple. The Bayview was good from this vantage point.

I had planned to spend the rest of the morning at the Kung Krabaen Bay Mangrove conservation trail. It was a fascinating hike on a boardwalk across the entire mangrove. Again, there were many explanations but they were only in Thai. The walk includes rest spots and a tall view tower that overlooks Kung Krabaen Bay, where apparently a colony of dugongs lives. This trail reminded me of the Everglades, in Florida. It's quite long but really worth seeing it all as most of the time you are in the shade of the mangrove forest. 

Kung Krabaen Bay seen from the mangrove viewpoint

Boardwalk

I had a light lunch by the sea at the Jungle Bay Resort. I visited their lovely jungle garden with a slight Balinese touch. The reception has three cages : one with an enormous yellow python, another one with two parrots and one keeping a small monkey.

Later in the afternoon, I drove on to explore the coast towards Trat and the far away, visible Koh Chang.

I went back to the Jungle Bay Resort for a nice seafood Thai dinner. 
--> Mangrove Forest at Kung Krabaen Bay

Beach dining at Jungle Bay Resort

Yellow python

--> Exploring the Chanthaburi Coast
DAY 4 – 30/03: Chaolao Beach to Jomtien Beach. Dep.7:00am/arr.2:30pm. About 210km.

Chaolao to Rayong

Another gloomy day starting with breakfast at 7:00am. I left the resort at about 7:30am not knowing exactly where I would go next ! My main intention was to keep exploring the eastern seaboard while driving on the way back towards Bangkok. I first drove on the same lovely country road I came on before as far as Highway 3, which I did not really like since it was busy with traffic. I had planned to go to Rayong first. So, I left Highway 3, to take another country road towards the coast past the Novotel, Rayong. I continued as far as Rayong pier, in front of Koh Samed, where I had been before. I had coffee there. Then I wanted to explore the peninsula and drive along the coast as much as I could. After Rayong pier, there is a long, shaded sand beach that looked nice and quiet on this weekday. Apart from that, the whole area proved to be a disappointment. First, it is quite an urban area including many factories and

Jomtien Beach

also a prime military and marine zone with restricted entries to the coast. So finally, I ended up in Jomtien Beach, which by the way, has quite a nice long sandy beach fringed with palm trees and pines. The only drawback is that this place is too commercial for my taste.

My best time was this beach restaurant called BB-House, where I went for dinner to chill out. The Thai owner was quite friendly and we started chatting off. I ordered one of my favorite Thai dish Tom Kai Gai (coconut milk chicken soup) with steamed rice and a wonderful glass of South-African red wine recommended by the owner. On top of that, they had a live band of western music. Dinner at a reasonable price for 400THB.

BB-House, Jomtien Beach

DAY 5 – 31/03: Jomtien Beach back to Bangkok Rachada. Dep.11.00am/arr.1.00pm, door to door:135km.

A quiet morning in Jomtien with another hazy day in perspective. I went back to BB-House for an American breakfast, served with good complimentary coffee, toast and yogurt (for 170THB).

Lots of trucks and automobiles on the turnpike to Bangkok, mostly on the first half of the trip. I chose to get to Bangkok after midday, knowing that the traffic would be lighter.

***

This trip was not exactly what I expected on the beach side. But at least now, I have a good vision of the eastern seaboard, including the islands of Koh Chang (and Koh Kud), Koh Samet and Koh Larn, where I had been before. The highlights of this trip were first the Centara Q Resort, the various sights of Hat Laem Sadet Beach and, in particular, the mangrove conservation trail there.

Christian Sorand

Beach at Saint-Tropez Resort at Chaolao Beach, Chanthaburi

Colorful resort on Kung Kraeben Bay, Chanthaburi

--> Photo album

1st Trip back to Europe in 2016

Back home again for about 12 days, flying QATAR Airways to Doha (DOH) and Amsterdam (AMS),  stopping over in Amsterdam and then flying on to Marseilles (MRS) with AIR FRANCE.

QR A388

D1- 09-10/03/2016. Waiting at the THAI lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The first leg of the trip goes from Bangkok (BKK) to DOHA (DOH) aboard an Airbus A380-800 of QATAR Airways (QR).
The upper deck rear cabin was full today. At check-in, I was upgraded to the front row (25K), giving more space for legs. The service was not as good as usual, perhaps due to the fact there were too many passengers. The flight did not leave on scheduled time but arrived right on time after a 6:45 flight from BKK. On this trip, they serve a snack after take-off and breakfast before landing. However, due to a series of turbulences, there was no coffee served at breakfast. In the middle of the night, there was a verbal row between two passengers, which compelled the crew to interfere and lodge a report! Anyway, I was able to get some sleep on this leg of the journey.

Bangkok to Doha air route

Hamad International Airport, DOHA- I have been through this airport so many times already that I now almost feel at home there. As I had a couple of hours here before the next flight, I went to the Qatar Airways Privilege lounge. There were not many passengers there this morning. Good enough to relax, get some coffee, shave and update my Emails and my Blog.

QR 'Dreamliner'

This will be a very long day. It is almost time to get to the boarding gate for the next flight bound for Amsterdam. This time, the aircraft is a Boeing 787-800 'Dreamliner'. 
The aircraft left on time and arrived a little ahead of schedule. Fine weather along the air route. Breakfast was served after take-off and a snack was provided before landing. On my seat row, there was no passenger next to me, so this provided a more comfortable flight. Qatar Airways provide WiFi in the air and this time I used it for a while. The route passed over the snow-capped mountains of northwest Iran, then above the lake of Van in Turkey and more snow-capped ranges until it reached the Black Sea towards Romania. This flight lasted 6:20. Surprisingly, the weather was bright and sunny over the Netherlands.

QR route from Doha (DOH) to Amsterdam (AMS)

It is faster to disembark this type of aircraft than on an A380. After the arrival gate, a group of armed policemen made a passport control. Then, at the immigration, there was only one line for all passports. This is most probably due to the current refugee problem in the E.U.

AMSTERDAM

It is easy to go from Schiphol Airport to the Central Station in downtown Amsterdam. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes. I chose a small hotel near the station. It was an easy walk. Consequently, by 2:00 PM, I was ready to go and take a walking tour of Amsterdam.
For tourists, Amsterdam is a must-see a city for its canal boat trips and all its fine museums (the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt museum or Anne Frank's house). But I had already been to these places before. This time, I wanted to rediscover 'the Venice of the North' for its own charming atmosphere at a simple self-walking pace with my cameras. I had planned my visit in advance so that I had an idea of where I wanted to head to and see.I enjoyed it quaint, narrow streets, its bicycle traffic, it quietness, the beauty of the shaded canals lined with fine gabled houses. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. I needed some inspiration for one of my next article and indeed, I got it.
Today, the series of pictures I've added will simply express my feelings as I trudged aimlessly along streets and canals.

House façades

Downtown canal

Colorful house row

Houseboat

Drawbridge

On the bank of a canal

Central rail station

D2- 11/03. Early morning breakfast at the dining-room at 7:00 AM. Very nice buffet breakfast. The lady is a Thai woman, originally from Udon Thani, who has lived in Amsterdam for 30 years. Of course, we sympathize and keep chatting for a while.
After breakfast, I go for a walk in the area west of the hotel. It is cool but another fine day is welcoming the morning rising the sun. This section of Amsterdam is really lovely with great reflections over the many canals. I walked as far as Anne Frank's House & Museum, where a long queue of visitors is already in place. There is an interesting museum nearby, called the Amsterdam Tulip Museum. Here is the story was written on this museum:

Amsterdam Tulip Museum From the sultans of the Ottoman Empire and Dutch merchants of the Golden Age to gardeners today, the tulip has captivated people around the world for centuries. This fascinating flower has inspired artists and brought great wealth – and at times, economic ruin – to those who have fallen under its spell. Explore the tulip's unique history and discover its remarkable journey from the wilds of the Himalayan highlands to a garden like yours. --> Amsterdam Tulip Museum

Slowly, the mist starts to wrap up the city and will hover till later in the morning. This was a great, invigorating morning walk in a lovely section of town.

Marseilles-Provence hub

Time to take the train back to Schiphol Airport by 9:30 AM.

Schiphol International Airport is a fine, modern airport. The best feature is the security. It is done very orderly in a civilized manner as if it was a check-in counter. The domestic section has many cafés and some interesting shops.

The AF flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Marseilles (MRS) is operated by Air France with an A319. The aircraft leaves and arrives right on time. The flight lasts 1:30. Before getting to MRS, we fly along the snow-capped range of the Alps.

Once at Marseille-Provence Airport, there is another passport control due to the current Schengen restrictions.

My sister is waiting for me and we leave straight away to drive to Arles under a bright sun.

D3 to D5 - 12 to 14/03. ARLES.

St.Guilhem square

D6 - 15/03. Languedoc: Clermont l'Hérault, St. Guilhem-le-Désert, Le Grau-du-Roi.
A bright and mild sunny day spent in the Languedoc province north of Montpellier with my sister and brother-in-law. We left Arles at 8:00 AM via the Camargue and reached Clermont l'Hérault by 10:00 AM. As it was a fine day, we drove to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert via the Pont du Diable (the Devil's Bridge), the gorges de l'Hérault and the entrance to Grotte de Clamousse (Cave of Clamousse). We had our lunch al fresco on the main village square under a 150-years old plane-tree.
On the way back to Arles, we stopped at Grau-du-Roi for a while.

Goat cheese salad for lunch

D7 to D9 - 16 to 18/03. ARLES.
D10 - 19/03. Lunch at Les Baux-de-Provence.
D11 - 20/03. Last day in Arles. Afternoon departure by train to Marseille-Provence Airport and overnight at IBIS-Airport hotel. 

Evening view from the 5h F of IBIS-Airport hotel.

D12 - Due to the air controller's strike, I was at the airport by 5:00AM to check whether I could catch the first flight to Amsterdam. This was probably the right move as I was able to board this first flight instead of the second, which was already delayed. 
Flight 1: Marseilles [MRS] - Amsterdam [AMS]. The flight operated by Air France with an A319 lasted 1:30.
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam: Qatar Airways business lounge. 

Schiphol lounge

Flight 2: Amsterdam [AMS] - Doha [DOH]. QATAR Airways business class on a B787-Dreamliner. Fabulous dinner on requested time. The flight lasted 5:50. 

Seat 2A

Business class cabin

Entrée

Thai green curry

Ice-cream with an expresso

3rd flight: Doha [DOH] - Bangkok

QR A388

Suvarnabhumi [BKK]. It seems difficult for the A388 to leave on time. This flight was no exception. We left the terminal about 40mn after scheduled time and it was almost an hour's late by the time the aircraft took off. It was a bumpy flight all the way to Oman as it was a rainy evening in the region. The rest of the flight went smoothly. The male flight attendant in my area of the cabin was not very efficient, which is quite unusual on Qatar Airways. However, the aircraft landed on time at BKK after a flight of 5:40.

A388 business class cabin on the upper deck.

--> Photo album: trip to Amsterdam & Arles

- End of this 12-days' trip -

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

Bangkok off the beaten track

Thonburi Khlong San area

Chao Phraya panorama from Memorial Bridge

Khlong San map

This third walking tour of Thonburi takes about 2 hours and covers a distance of roughly 5km. It starts from the Flower Market / Yodpiman River Walk. As you cross the Chao Phraya River on the old Memorial Bridge, it is the riverside area on to your left. This area is known as the Khlong San district because it encompasses the community between the canal (Khlong San) and the river bank.

Like the other sides of the Thonburi riverbank, it has retained its authenticity and its layback atmosphere. It is a real heaven for curious hikers, cyclists or people in search of peace and inspiration. Due to its past history, it has retained a definite Chinese atmosphere up to this day. This is why there are Chinese shrines and temples. However, being Thailand, one will be surprised that there is also an old mosque (currently being restored) and a huge Thai monastery.

The first street to your left is surprisingly a large pedestrian soi called Uthai

Alley, which continues as Dilok Chan Alley after the bridge over the small khlong that goes into the Chao Phraya River. This district offers 5 major attractions:

- The Chao Pho Suea Shrine: a small Chinese shrine near a smaller khlong on the way back to the river bank.

- The Goowatin Islam Mosque: is on the river bank. It has a nice red wooden building with intricate wood panel designs. At the time, it was going under a large renovation. A signboard at the entrance reads as follows:

Goowatin Islam Mosque or Tuek Daeng Mosque is a mosque that was initially built by a group of Muslims from Saiburi of Su-Ngai Pattani city and a group of Muslim traders from the city of Surat in India, who came and established themselves and made a living in the Tuek Daeng area. Jointly these two groups set up the mosque at Tuek Daeng to carry out various religious activities. The building was originally a warehouse for goods belonging to Somdet Chao Phraya Ong Noi (That Bunnag), who then gave it so that a mosque could be built. Also, a religious teacher from Saiburi was invited to be the religious leader of the community. Many members came from various family lines such as the Sasanakun, Sensat, Praphruetchop and various others. The Saiburi Muslims from Su-Ngai Pattani city were a group of people, who had the ability in making Nak (an alloy of gold, silver & copper) and established their base in the Tuek Daeng area, from the time of the reign of King Rama III of Rattanakosin. Whereas the group of Muslims from India came to Thailand during the reign of King Rama IV and opened shops to trade. Within the same area, some of them actually became foreign language translators in the royal warehouse of Somdet Chao Phraya Ong Noi. One of them was Ali Bai Nana or whom everyone knew as Clerk Ali, who was the first generation of the Nana Family. Later on, he has conferred the honorary title of Phra Phichet Sanphanit. Other than this, there were other Indian traders from a different family lineage, that is the Wong Araya Family, who came into trade within the same area, before shifting to the Si Yaek Ban Khaek area.

Mosque balcony on the riverside

Wood panel decoration

- The Princess Mother Memorial Park: This is a lovely community park well frequented by people of all ages within the neighborhood. As it is a royal park, it is well tended. However, it has kept an unusual charm due to its tall tropical trees. It feels las if you were in a remote jungle comparable to Angkor Vat's, as the roots of some of the trees have grown over the few ruins that have been kept there.

There is also a small air-conditioned museum dedicated to the King's Mother. This is what the historical signboard here says:

Nearly 100 years ago, a young girl who was then the daughter of a goldsmith, but would later be Her Royal Highness Sri Nagarindra the Princess Mother, lived in a small rented house behind Wat Anongkaram. This was the first home that she could remember, and a school near Wat Anongkaram was the first school she attended. Her Royal Highness Sri Nagarindra the Princess Mother, who was affectionately called 'Princess Grandmother' of the Thai people, remembered in great detail this simple home in a mixed community of several ethnic groups and religious faiths. Her son, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, wanted to honor his mother on her eighth 12-year cycle (96) birthday by preserving her childhood home; but unfortunately, the house had long ago been torn down. Luckily, when Mr.Daeng and Mr.Lek Nana learned of the search for the house, they donated a 4 rai (0.64ha) plot near the original home. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej decided in 1993 to renovate this plot, once the home of Chao Phraya Sriphiphat Rattanarajakosathibodi (Pae Bunnag), Director General of the Royal Cargo Department during the reign of His Majesty King Rama V, to be the Somdet Phra Sri Nagarindra The Princess Mother Memorial Park. One of the older buildings from the time of His Majesty King Rama III has been converted into a museum on the life and work of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother and in the neighborhood where she first grew up. A replica has also been built for her original childhood house while the grounds have been developed as a community park where a variety of activities are held for people of all ages of the neighborhood and other visitors.

→ The Princess Mother Museum

Lush vegetation

Tree growing through the roof

Princess Mother's statue

- Gong Wu Shrine: From the park, it is easy to walk back to the river bank in order to see a very old Chinese temple, which dates back to the time when Bangkok was just a trading post with eastern or western countries.

Gong Wu Shrine is an ancient shrine and has a history dating back to over 268 years. It is located on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in Somdet Ya (Princess Mother) community nearby Somdet Ya park, behind Wat Anong Kharam in Khlong San area of Thonburi side according to the legend. It is to be said that in the Chinese-style shrine there are altogether three Gong Wu statues. The smallest statue was brought to Thailand around the year 1736, which was during the time that Emperor Chen Long of the Qing dynasty was reigning in China. The Hokkien Chinese brought it by ship from the Hokkien Provinceand enshrined it in the shrine, which was very small at that time. Later on, in 1802 during the reign of Emperor Chia Qing of the Qing dynasty. The middle Gong Wu statue was brought to Thailand as well, and the shrine was then named Guang Di Gu Miao. Then in the year 1822, during the reign of Emperor Tao Guang of the Qing dynasty, there was a rich Chinese named Mr. Kung Seng, who renovated the shrine and made it bigger. And he brought the third statue to enshrine together with the existing ones in the shrine. Besides, he also built a bell for the shrine. Consequently, in the year 1901, the committee and disciples considered to rebuild the new shrine because the old one was dilapidated. Once it was completed, they named it Guang Di Gu Sheng Miao.

Gong Wu Shrine

Door decoration

Statue of a horse

- The community layout has its own charm with its rows of low houses. There are also fine examples of bigger old wooden houses. This community is known as Somdet Chao Phraya. Again, it does not feel like being still in the capital. Although it seems to be a predominately Chinese community, it is a mix of cultures and religions, who live peacefully together.

Somdet Chao Phraya community

After walking leisurely through this maze of narrow alleys, continue further inside Thonburi to the main street called Somdet Chao Phraya Road.

Prayer inside the Prang

Turning back towards the direction of Memorial Bridge, there is a large Thai temple on the road right side. It is called Wat Anongkharam Worawihan but offers no particular interest. However, across the street, by the khlong, there is another fascinating Thai temple.

It is called Wat Phitchaya Yatikaram Worawihan: It is an interesting example of mix cultures as it originally dates back from the Ayutthaya period. First, it has kept a Thai-Cambodian look due to its huge Prang flanked by two smaller ones. It is worth climbing the steep staircase all the way up to the shrines. But then the Ubosot has a more Chinese influence. The historical signboard at the temple explains the reason why:

This temple is one that belongs to the second category and is a Worawihan type. Originally, it was an abandoned temple. When Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Mahaphichaiyat (That Bunnag) was the Phraya Sri Phiphat Rattanaratkosa, during the reign of King Rama III, he ordered it to be restored in the year 1841. During that time, Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Mahaphichaiyat had many junk boats that were used in trade with other countries. Therefore, most of the construction materials to restore this temple were actually brought from China. Therefore, the permanent structure has a Chinese architectural style. The important feature in the temple hall is that it has a small ubosot, and has a roof that resembles a Chinese carriage hood, and there is no Chorfa (finial on the roof, typical of Thai temples). The temple's roof edging on both sides is made of cement shaped into dragons with tiles as well. The rooftop in the balcony is painted with flowers of various colors. The Phalai pillar is made from a circular stone, and on the base of the pillar, there are carvings of pictures from the Chinese legend Samkok (the romance of the three cliques). The main door entrance of the ubosot is decorated with water-coloured designed painting of a Chinese warrior stepping on a lion. The middle door is also with a watercolor design, with an angel carrying a double-edged dagger stepping on a lion. Within the ubosot, the ceilings and the pillars have beautiful flower artwork. The ceiling above the main window has drawings of various heavenly trees, such as the Nari Phon Tree and the Pink Cassia. Behind the principal Buddha image in the temple is an image of a glass arbor. The frontal area of the ubosot is paved with stone pieces from China. The leaf-like boundary stone of King Rama III's reign was a double stone, and the arbor for the boundary stone was designed by the Thai craftsmen but the stones themselves were specially ordered to be carved directly from China. The principal Buddha image is one from the Sukhothai era and is known as Phra Sittharot.

Ubosot entrance

White Chedi

Main Prang view

Small Prang

This was an interesting new discovery of Thonburi. This old river area has kept its ancient charm and is not only worth seeing but also a real pleasure to be in as it takes you miles away from the hectic city-life.

Christian Sorand