On the banks of the Mae Klong River

Our day began and ended the same way, with a short trip across the width of the Mae Klong River on the small ferry. It costs us 5 Bhat each, or about 25-rrcents; the time it saves in terms of the distance we would have to travel to the nearest bridge is substantial. 

We wandered for a long time, trying to find someplace to have breakfast. While we saw a couple of coffee spots, our idea of a breakfast spot doesn’t exist. We wandered through oriental streets lined with vendors and scooters. We wandered through fresh food markets with the catches of the day, freshly slautered chickens, and exotic fruits and veggies. We wandered, getting more and more thirsty and hungry as the temperature continued to climb. Eventually we bought a couple of waters and some pre-packaged pastries.  We still have not braved one of offerings of the less hygienic street vendors. 

Having that little bit of food in our bellies made such a difference. Kilometre after kilometre we walked, eventually circling back and seeing what looked to be a sit down restaurant, resembling something we might see back home. In fact, it was a buffet place; buffet Thai style. A hot plate was on our table with a pot of boiling water. Our task was to add whatever fresh ingredients we wanted: shrimp, mushrooms, calamari, chicken, carrots, bok choy, etc.  The young waiter, clearly aware that we didn’t know what we were doing came over with some sauce, minced garlic and herbs to add to the mix. It proved to be a delightful meal and experience. We both agreed that if we have a chance to return before we leave we would happily do so.  

After a short rest back at our AirBnB spot (which we would highly recommend by the way: $140 for 5 nights), our host offered to take us on a driving trip to see a couple of local attractions, too far away to reach on our own. The first was the giant rain tree. It’s hard to capture the expanse of this 100 year old Jumjuri tree.  If you look very closely, you might see Heather standing at the trunk. 

From there Eid took us to a spot where a Buddhist and Chinese temple share a mountain top, each built in an attempt to out do the other in terms of the eight of their pagodas. The winding stairs going up left Heather and I out of breath. 

The stairs going down - almost straight down - made me rather dizzy. 

There are temples, monastaries and monuments everywhere in Thailand. There are also a bunch of Chinese graves. According to Eid, the Chinese believes that if the back of the grave faces a mountain and the front faces water it bodes better for proceeding generations. There are several spots along the Mae Klong River that offer this opportunity on land that only wealthy Chinese from Bangkok can afford. 

We returned across the river to close out our day with another riverside meal. This time we had pan fried river prawns with mixed veggies and rice. It was the perfect end to a perfect day in Thailand.