Gar – Page 4 – Where My Whimsey Takes Me

March 15, 2014

Visiting around the Buri Ram area

Runkengnam Resort photo — Our cabin at Runkengnam Resort

The day after my birthday, we decided to visit friends down around Buri Ram, though we didn’t do anything in Buri Ram except pass through. Our friends recommended the Runkengnam Resort in Nang Rong. The stay was great; Runkengnam is on the lakeshore, and is done in a neo-traditional style. There are several small wooden cabins, with a concrete construction bathroom extending out the back. The grounds are lush and green, and the neighborhood is very quiet.

A Thai style breakfast of rice soup comes with the cabins, and there are other dining options a short walk away on the lakeshore. We went with the option of cooking for ourselves on the front porch area. There are electrical outlets on the porch and we brought our own cooking supplies.

All in all, we had a relaxing time staying at the resort, and recommend it if you’re in the area.

Phanom Rung main temple photo — Phanom Rung Historic Park

On day two of our stay, we visited two Khmer ruins to the east of Nang Rong. Our first visit was to Phanom Rung Historical Park, which is a restored temple complex on the rim of a volcano. It was open in it’s restored state in 1988. ‘Restored’ is relative, it’s certainly cleaned up, and in good shape, but it’s not returned to the condition it was in the 10th century. So far, of the few Khemer ruins I’ve seen, this one has been the best, and well worth the trip to go visit it.

Prasat Muang Tam temple garden photo — Prasat Muang Tam Temple Complex

Not far away is a smaller Khmer temple complex, Prasat Muang Tam.

This smaller temple features much more water, with four large pools arranged around the central structure. There is also a large park like open area around the temple which, at least for me, gave the area a very relaxed and tranquil feel. On the day we visited, there were very few people, so it was easy to take the time to really look around and appreciate the site.

297 steps photo — The beginning of the steps to the Big Buddha.

On day number three, we changed to modern day sights. Our first stop was the Big Buddha Statue at the top of 297 steps. You can walk up the steps to get to the statue, or you can pay a fee and drive a vehicle to the top. We took the steps, and I’m quite happy I was able to make it all the way up. I don’t think I could have done that before Cardiac Rehab, and my current exercise schedule. So while my legs felt like they were on fire, I wasn’t winded like I would have been.

Our last stop was Wat Pa Khao Noi, which is a modern temple just a few kilometers down the road. There aren’t a lot of online references for it, but we were able to see it from the top of the Big Buddha area. The design is stunning, and an interesting contrast to the 10th century work we were looking at the day before.

This was our final attraction of the visit. After one last social evening with our friends, and a good nights sleep, it was off to Udon Thani and home the following morning.

For a full gallery of our photos for the trip, you can see them on Flickr in this set.

January 26, 2014January 26, 2014

Fishing with Paul

Back in mid January, we went up to near Sakon Nakon to visit our friends Paul and Nid. I recently purchased a fishing pole, but all I’d manage to do so far was to attempt the drowning of a plastic frog. Paul said he had just the spot to break in the new pole, spend some time talking, and have a good day outing with our wives, all in one. And, in typical Thai style, while Paul and I fished, and talked about ‘guy stuff’ in English, our wives sat back in the shade, eating Som Tam, and talked about ‘girl stuff’ in Thai. It was indeed a fun day out and about. And while the wives were aghast when I threw my catch back in the pond, a trip to the local fish market solved the problem.

January 26, 2014September 8, 2016

Wat Phu Thok

Back on the 29th of December, we took a trip to Wat Phu Thok (Wat Jetiyakhiri) maybe four or five hours to the northeast of the city of Udon Thani. Bua, Pop, and I were visiting some old friends of ours from Pattaya who were staying Si Wali for the holidays. Wat Phu Thok is a good size mountain for a predominantly flat farm plain. Visually, it’s identifiable for quite a ways away.

Wat Phu Thok was, and still is, a monks retreat. It’s a bit easier to access now with the stairs and pathways, but it’s still a good trek up the sides of it. Fortunately, there are benches for rest stops along the trails. Some of the stairways are reasonable, and some seem nearly vertical. Thankfully, there are a couple of alternate paths going up, so the mountain goats can follow their inclinations, and those of us not quite so athletic can take a more reasonable climb — sometimes.

The upper levels have paths that circle the mountain. Parts of the walkways, a couple of people could walk abreast, and other areas, you almost have to lean out over the void to make your way around outcroppings. Our friend took one of the higher level tracks around the mountain. He took his jaunt alone though, since none of the rest of us felt all that comfortable joining him. If you look closely, you can see him up on the path. In case you are wondering, that is a wooden walkway anchored in sandstone, of unknown age. As and engineering feat, it’s terrific. As a walkway, parts of it border on terrifying.

All in all, it was a fun family trip, and well worth seeing. There is so much of the local area still left to discover.

sportstracklive.com

November 8, 2013January 5, 2014

Be my neighbor? Revisited

My previous post was about a home for sale. There’s a newly remodeled place down the way that is for rent. As you can see, close neighbors are not an issue with this place.

If you head left from this place, you get to the corner store about 100 meters away. If you go right, and go to the end of the lane, you get to our house.

We’ve been watching this place be remodeled since we moved up here. The inside was gutted, so it’s all new in there. While I have not been inside, there is supposed to be a big room, with an attached and enclosed kitchen out the back. The upstairs is divided into two rooms, with the upper balcony for morning coffee. The nice wall is only in the front, though the owner told Bua that when she gets renters, she’ll expedite replacing the barbed wire fence with a good wall on the other three sides.

No worries about neighbors on this side, since there is a massive pond full of water flowers. You can see some construction trash along the side of the house that is still in the process of being removed. At a guess, I think the pond is 60 meters by 60 meters, but I’m not sure. Too bad it isn’t stocked with fish, and a bit less clogged with plants. If it were, you could almost fish out the livingroom window.

This side shows much more of the construction waste that is in the process of being cleaned up.

You can also get a better view of the kitchen area at the rear of the house. I think once the surrounding walls get finished, this will be quite a nice Thai style home.

Here’s another view of the entry way, and the upper porch. In our entryway area we have a small cafe table and a couple of chairs. It really makes for a nice place to sit and enjoy the day. On this house, they should catch some afternoon sun, but the mornings should be shaded.

The owner also said she’s more interested in older, longer term renters. She’s putting a good amount of money into the house, and wants someone who is going to treat the house well.

I don’t have a name for the owner, but the Thai phone number is 087-951-4857. She told us rent was going to be 5000 baht, about $160 USD, per month. It looks like there was a DSL line to the house before, so Internet access would not be a problem.