March '06 Journey III : Laos Day 0

Laos Trip : Day 0 (12 Mar 06)

Laos, a neighbour of my country in the North-East, is a very small country and very near, but I have not been there before. I always wonder why I haven't been there even the provinces in North-Eastern Thailand, but there is no answer from myself. After I was wandering around the travel webboard called BLUE PALNET in PANTIP website for several months, I have gathered all information about three main tourist spots in Northern Laos which are Vientiane, Vangviang, and Laungprabang. A month before this trip, I began to reserve some tickets for our transportation and finally finished booking guesthouses a day before leaving because I had been so busy.

Let's start the trip...

Started with the skytrain (BTS) in Bangkok from Moshit to Phayathai.

We finally reached Hau-Lum-Pong (Bangkok) railway station around 7pm by TAXI.

We had a quick but good dinner at Anna restaurant at the 2nd floor terrace inside the station.

I ordered 'Kai-Pad-Prik-Sod-Rad-Khao'...Oishii!!

20:00...It is time to leave Bangkok to Nongkhai, a province at the border in the North-East.

We took a sitting night train which has its quality much worse than a train to the North. After talking about a plan for the next day, eating some additional food, and brushing teeth, we tried to take a rest as much as possible to save all energy for the next day. This trip has 4 Dekkansai members as below...

Trip Members: Mai and Ton

Trip Members: Bow and Nott

"Please follow DAY 1 soon,
we will cross the border to my country nieghbor, LAOS"

My Sakura 2006

Now, Spring is my most favourite period of the year for my life in Kyoto. Everything such as weather, life, love and study, is expected to be fresh and better, and to bloom like SAKURA, the symbol of Japanese flower. This year, I did not go to many places in Kyoto to see SAKURA like last year but it was just enough...

桜 by コブクロ

名もない花には名前を付けましょう　この世に一つしかない
冬の寒さに打ちひしがれないように　誰かの声でまた起き上がれるように

土の中で眠る命のかたまり　アスファルト押しのけて
会うたびにいつも　会えない時の寂しさ分けあう二人　太陽と月のようで

実のならない花も　蕾のまま散る花も
あなたと誰かのこれからを　春の風を浴びて見てる

桜の花びら散るたびに　届かぬ思いがまた一つ
涙と笑顔に消されてく　そしてまた大人になった
追いかけるだけの悲しみは　強く清らかな悲しみは
いつまでも変わることの無い
無くさないで　君の中に　咲く　Love・・・

街の中見かけた君は寂しげに　人ごみに紛れてた
あの頃の　澄んだ瞳の奥の輝き　時の速さに汚されてしまわぬように

何も話さないで　言葉にならないはずさ
流した涙は雨となり　僕の心の傷いやす

人はみな　心の岸辺に　手放したくない花がある
それはたくましい花じゃなく　儚く揺れる　一輪花
花びらの数と同じだけ　生きていく強さを感じる
嵐　吹く　風に打たれても　やまない雨は無いはずと

桜の花びら散るたびに　届かぬ思いがまた一つ
涙と笑顔に消されてく　そしてまた大人になった
追いかけるだけの悲しみは　強く清らかな悲しみは
いつまでも変わることの無い君の中に　僕の中に　咲く　Love・・・

名もない花には名前を付けましょう　この世に一つしかない
冬の寒さに打ちひしがれないように　誰かの声でまた起き上がれるように

March '06 Journey II : Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi, a province in the west taking about 2-3 hours from Bangkok, was my 2nd destination for my Thailand visit this time. Kanchanaburi is one of the provinces in Thailand excluding Bangkok that I have been for so many times like Phrae and Chachengsao, mom's and dad's hometown respectively, and also Rayong whcih was my past workplace. It is because my uncle has a farm there.

Kanchanaburi is a historic and tourist province. It used to be a historic place during the WWII, so it is no doubt that many Japanese tourists want to visit there. They also have lots of minitary service areas because of its strategical landscape. Besides, it is filled with nature such as waterfalls, mountains, and rivers.

This time, I didnot only go to the farm, which is now changed from ducks to cows due to bird flu, but also visited to the extreme western Thailand at the border to Myanmar. I spent 2 nights at the farm which is not far from the city of Kanchanaburi.

Let's go to some parts of Kanchanaburi with my photos.........

100-colour loincloth (ผ้าขาวม้าร้อยสี) at Ban Nong Khao (บ้านหนองขาว)

Black & White Buffaloas, so beautiful

Finally reached the farm by this car

Dairy cow babies

All day eating... fermented corn...

Oh!oh!....I know what you guys are doing!!!

Beautiful Eaung-Phung, a kind of orchids, at the farm

Vachiralongkorn dam, the biggest rock dam in the west

Dan-Jedi-Sam-Ong with Myanmar flag

Mon, a tribe used to live in Myanmar, (มอญ) kids with there smiles

The longest wood bridge nearby Mon village in Sanklaburi district อ. สังขละบุรี, Kanchanaburi

A palm tree still being alife in the river

This is a Buddhist church of Mon temple sinked in the river.

The way of river life

P.S. There're not famous tourist spots in Kanchanaburi for this trip bacause I already have been there for several times.

"Thanks a lot to my lovely Mom and Uncle&Aunt for being this tripmates and always my supports"

March '06 Journey I : Phrae & Nan

Such a long time that I've never come to update my blog. After taking lots of short journeys in March'06, I will try to gradually post them.

March 3rd, I finally could take a flight back home in Bangkok after waiting for the scholarship extension stuff. However, I just laid on my bed in Bangkok only one night. Then, I took a night train heading up north to Phrae province, a very small but calm town which is my mother's birthplace. I usually go there at least once a year when I have a school break to visit my relatives and especially to eat some of my favourites. As usual, when I come to Phrae, I just do nothing except staying at home and eating. But this time I had a good chance to go to the neighbour of Phrae, a small and cultural town called Nan province which takes only 1.5 hr from Phrae but I've never been there yet. Let me describe my first trip in Thailand by using some of my chosen photos as the followings.

I took a night train for about 10 hours from Samsen station in Bangkok to Denchai station, the only station in Phrae province. I have been so familiar with these two stations since I was a kid but this was my first time taking the photo of this staion. My cousin picked me up to my uncle's house in the town which takes less than to 30 mins across Denchai city and Soongmen city to a city of Phrae. After keeping my backage and greeting with my uncle and aunt, we had breakfast and left around 9am to a city of Nan.

My first impression when we drove thorugh the center of Nan city was the traffic signal which is very unique and tells its culture.

We visited lots of temples in the city which is very small and clean. Here in Nan city, it seems everything moves so slowly and people are always with thier smiles.

We can see a city view from Phra That Khao Noi temple. (วัดพระธาตุเขาน้อย)

This calls Phumint Temple (วัดภูมินทร์), one of the most beautiful, famous and old temple in Nan. The special and unique thing of this temple is the 4 doors Buddhist church. Besides, the wall inside the church still has its original colourful painting.

I went to the National Museum of Nan, just across Wat Phumint, before having lunch.

This is my lunch ก๋วยเตี๋ยวลูกชิ้นลุงซิน............so damn good.
I directly went to this restaurant from the guide book.

This is one of the symbol of Nan provice called Phra That Chae Hang (พระธาตุแช่แห้ง).

Nan in the summer filled with peanuts instead of rice because of lack of water and to increase minerals to soil. We left Nan around 5-6pm and back to Phrae city.

After dinner, I went to Pra Tu Chai or Victory Gate which is kind of food center of Phrae city at night to have the food above and some dessert... Don't miss this in Phrae ลูกชิ้นนายอ้วน และ ไอศกรีมสลิ่ม ที่ประตูชัยเมืองแพร่

The second day in Phrae, I went around to visit my relatives. Before I left in the evening, I went to the former city mayor place which now became a museum. Its building is so beautiful.

After my slow life by spending one day in Nan and another day in Phrae, I again took a night train back to Bangkok. Well, I only stayed in Bangkok not more than two days and then travelled again in............???

Please follow my next blog....." March '06 Journey II "