Today has been a busy day! I got my work finished relatively quickly today, and was on my way at a reasonable time. I needed to get going because, as it turned out, I drove 265 km from Khon Kaen to Phetchabun. That’s a fair distance here and you don’t average 100 km/h.
I had my usual coffee from the Hop Inn while I got my work dine, then left and went to the Box Wood Cafe. After a good breakfast and coffee, I was on my way. The first stop was Wat Pa Phu Phrabat (วัดป่าภูพระบาท), about an hour from Khon Kaen, and in the northern part of Chaiyaphum province (number 68 for me!).
It wasn’t huge, but had some interesting architecture. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go inside. It was a bit of an adventure getting to it, as the road was quite muddy. I was out in the country here!
Right away I was greeted by a friendly young pup. I started taking photos of him, then went up closer to the main temple. I was taking photos, and started petting the puppy. All of a sudden I was surrounded by his brothers and sisters, and an older dog keeping an eye on things. I think I counted six puppies, plus the older dog (dad?), and a chicken.
Honestly, that was the highlight of the day for me. It would be nice to have a dog, but with the travel and condo, we just couldn’t.
The setting of this temple was really nice. The forest was lush and green, and the temple was set back against the mountain. I considered putting my drone up but I felt like I should get moving.
It’s a good thing I did, because I could see dark clouds not too far off. I took photos along the way; the rice paddies, muddy road, darkening skies, and the forest.
The wind was picking up and it started to rain. I was wondering if it was going to take some trees down! It was quite a deluge on this little country road, but I took it easy. I was headed towards my next stop at a reasonable pace.
The weather began to clear as I reached Chumpae. I stopped for some lunch and to pick up some snacks. After that, I was off to see Wat Chaeng Sawang Nok/ Wat Phra That Luang: Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Chum Phae Town วัดแจ้งสว่างนอก (พระธาตุหลวงชุมแพ). That’s a bit of a mouthful!
It was an interesting temple with an unusual interior that you’ll see in the photos. It’s not completely finished inside, and I went up one level but didn’t walk around it without the guard railing. The stairs went further up, with no railings, and obviously unused. Had to have my shoes off at this point too, and I’m not sure I’d want to walk on that floor anyway!
The fun part of this temple was an area in the parking lot where they had lots of bells set up, as well as a couple of gongs. Of course I had to ring the bells, and try the gongs. The big gong wasn’t my favourite. You felt it more than heard it. The smaller gong had a nice sound to it, but the phone doesn’t pick it up well.
I was back on the road for another stretch, and my next destination was Huai Tong Bridge. I drove through a couple of national parks, and the area was quite nice, with some fairly tall mountains, covered in lush forest. It’s an area I will have to come back to. I just didn’t have the time.
On my trip today I was listening to some political podcasts, many discussing the political situation of Canada’s nutty neighbour to the south, but my favourite was the $6 Billion Gold Scam, about Bre-X. One episode left, but I have to wait for a few days for that one! It’s a CBC/BBC joint venture. Worth a listen!
I reached the bridge, and it was quite nice. Very nice setting, and the weather had cleared a fair amount. I was in a bit of a hurry as it was getting late and I needed to find a hotel.
My phone has been acting up (crappy iOS update?) and in my preoccupation to just get it to show me some map locations I had planned out, I forgot to book at Hop Inn in Phetchabun. Once I tried, it was late! Full! Damn! I called. No luck. I figured I would set it as my destination, and sit in the parking lot looking for a place to stay.
When I arrived, I went in on the off chance they had a last minute cancellation. I was in luck! One room was available! Second time I have had that happen recently! I forget to book occasionally. At least I know where I will have coffee tomorrow!
I rested for a while in the hotel and went across the road for chicken steak. I had eaten at this place once before, and it’s a good deal at 50 Baht ($1.87 Cdn) for supper.
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