Phitsanulok ~ A Glimpse of Chinnaraj and the City

Moving on sa adventures ni Teh sa Thailand... From Ayutthaya, samahan si Teh on my journey to the not-so-north province of Phitsanulok ~ one of Sukhothai Kingdom's outpost and the birthplace of King Naresuan.

The road less traveled ~ Phitsanulok.

At this point in time of our journey, I had noticed na walang toll fee ang pagdaan sa mga expressways nila. Well, the reason is actually logical. Thais pay their taxes, and the good thing is that, their taxes are working for them. :)

~ Buranathai Buddha Foundry ~

Thai: โรงหล่อพระบูรณะไทย

After a 2-hour journey from Ayutthaya, narating namin ang isa sa pinakasikat na bronze Buddha factory in Thailand, ang Buranathai Buddha Foundry. Tunay na bronze ang composition ng mga statues na ginagawa nila rito kaya kahit malaglag, hindi mababasag. Akala ko kasi, sa resin or ceramic gawa ang lahat ng statues, at akala ko, hindi abot-kamay ang magkaroon ng bronze statue. Hehehe...

Field trip time here in the Buddha Factory! :D

Majority ng mga nire-reproduce nila rito ay ang Phra Buddha Chinnaraj statue, na siyang kino-consider ng mga Thai na pinakamagandang portrait ni Buddha. Isa ito sa mga artistic remnants ng Sukhothai period.

Dito, na-discover ni Teh kung paano ginagawa ang mga bronze Buddha statues. Sa naintindihan ko, ito ang process ng paggawa ng Bronze Buddha:

1. Pour hot wax sa mold.

2. Lagyan ng pako ang nahulmang wax

3. Plaster-an ang nahulmang wax

4. Palibutan ng wire

5. Plaster Part II

6. Pour hot bronze sa prototype

7. Linisin at kiskisin ng sandpaper ang prototype

8. Apply lacquer paint (usually red color ang gamit nila)

9. Sanding Part II

10. Apply black lacquer paint

11. Press gold leaves against the statue

12. Tapos na, thank you! Bilhin mo na 'yung gawa ko, teh! :)

Hay napaka-tedious. All for the love of Buddha. Very dedicated, just like our local Pinoy Holy Images sculptors... ^_^

Pero sabi ni Robbie, karamihan ng nasa factory ay mga adults na usually 35 years old pataas ang edad. Dahil sa kasalukuyang generation, wala gaanong interesado sa paggawa ng Buddha kung kaya't nangangamba ang mga Thai na mamatay ang industy at art na ito. 'Wag naman sana, kasi talagang maganda ang gawa nila. Mapamaliit na size man o pang-temple size na Buddha, laging perfection ang aim! :D

Photo of King Naresuan and other sights beside the temple.

~Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat~

Thai: วัดพระศรีรัตนมหาธาตุ

Top photos: Inside Mahathat, monks preparing for the 6PM worship.
Bottom photos: Outdoor Buddha images.

Pagpasok namin sa temple exterior, nakita nina Teh ang mga nagdadasal at nagsisindi ng insenso sa mga outdoor Buddha images. Then moving further to the left, may nadaanan kaming statues ng mga manok pansabong na mukhang maglalaban. This is to honor King Naresuan's favorite sport - cockfighting. :) Pero sino nga ba itong si King Naresuan? Ito ang kuwento ni Robbie. One day, nang sinugod at sinunog ng mga Burmese ang Ayutthaya, dinakip nila ang isang batang Thai prince, who was actually Naresuan. Dinala siya ng mga Burmese back to Burma and doon na siya lumaki. Sabi niya sa sarili niya, one day, he will save his kingdom. And so, he learned the Burmese language, and there, dahil madalas siyang nakakapanood ng sabong, nagustuhan niya ito. So time came that he became a full-grown warrior that sometimes he participates sa mga pagsugod ng Burmese. Then the fateful day came. Naresuan challenged the Burmese King, who happened to be his good friend as well during his stay in Burma, in a single combat[1]. Naresuan won and was able to kill the Burmese king. (Oh well, blood will always be thicker than water.) And upon liberating Ayutthaya, siya na ang naging hari ng Thai kingdom.

Also, at this point, Robbie mentioned about the roof design of the Thai Buddhist temple. Kung mapapansin ninyo, ang mga patulis na gold ay parang mukha ng ibon. Hango ang design nito sa Garuda[2]. At 'yun namang mukhang alon na gold ay idea naman mula sa mythical creature na Naga[3].

Clockwise from Top Left: Huge Buddha standing image;
Holy Mother of Pearl; Beautiful Chinnaraj Signboard;
Rear temple Buddha image

Sa temple na nasa likod ng Mahathat, nakita namin ang isang golden Buddha (not the Chinnaraj image yet) at ang Holy Mother of Pearl na nasa pintuan. Then on the other side of the exterior, nakita nina Teh ang higanteng standing Buddha. Habang kami ay nakatitig sa malaking image na ito, in-explain ni Robbie ang different parts of Buddha's face. 'Yung patulis na portion ng Kanyang headdress symbolizes wisdom. 'Yung mga bilug-bilog sa headdress Niya depicts problems. The philosophy of Buddha says that men themselves create their own problems, which are, kung pag-iisipan nga naman, eh totoo. But then it's part of life. So kung ita-translate ang headdress ni Buddha, one gains wisdom when he or she triumphs against each problem he or she encounters or rather, creates. Ang direksyon ng mga mata ni Buddha, kung titignan, eh parang nakatingin sa ibaba. Buddhists believe kasi that Buddha watches over us from Everest or Heaven, tulad ni Lord sa langit nating mga Kristyano. Medyo parallel talaga ang Buddhism with Christianism. :)

Counterclockwise from Bottom: Singer/artist stage;
Vicinity Map of Phitsanulok center; The colorful Wat Rat Burana

Then we returned to the front of the Mahathat temple. Bago kami pumasok, napansin naming may stage na naka-setup sa gilid. May artista raw mamaya na magpe-perform after ng 6pm prayer or chant ng mga monks. 

The most beautiful Phra Buddha Chinnaraj... ^_^

Mga 5:30 PM na nang makapasok sina Teh sa loob ng Mahathat. Walang nasabi si Teh sa Chinnaraj Buddha kundi wow... as in ang ganda ng image na ito! To pay our respects, nagdasal na rin kami rito bago lumabas. Sa paglabas nina Teh, napansin naming nagpe-prepare na ang mga monks para sa pagsamba nila ng 6 PM. By the way, speaking of samba, Buddhists have no definite day of the week for worshipping, unlike sa Christians na every Sunday. Depende raw 'yon sa Buddhist calendar. Sometimes it falls on a Monday, on a Tuesday, and so on. Medyo complicated pala. Hehehe...

The Wat Mahathat of Phitsanulok

Before we left the whole temple, nasulyapan din ni Teh ang isa pang temple sa malapit - the colorful Wat Rat Burana. :) 

After that, we headed to our hotel in Phitsanulok, which is the Amarin Nakorn Hotel. Noong una, akala nina Teh sira ang ilaw. 'Yun pala eh nabobo lang si Teh. Kasi naman, indirect 'yung switches ng ibang ilaw. Dalawang switches ang kailangang i-on para mapailaw ang ibang ilaw. Naloka lang si Teh nang konti. :)))

Clockwise: Cambodian goddess at the hotel lobby; View from Teh's room;
Blowfish? Rainbowfish? Basta fish! :D

The bedroom

The bathroom

The hotel and its surroundings... :)

Anyway, so after naming mailapag ang mga gamit sa room, it's almost time for dinner. So, lumabas kami at naglakad papuntang night market. Parang Banchetto[4] lang. Napakaraming street food! Pad thai, mixed fruits, maki, exotic... basta ang daming choices! :D We were also able to taste the fish ball of Thailand... the fish triangle! Triangle kasi instead na bilugan ang shape nito, ito ay hugis-triangle. :D

The lively Phitsanulok night market! :)

Let's eat! :D

Ang ga-boteng rubbing alcohol ni beki. Bow!

And then, it so happened na naubusan sina Teh ng rubbing alcohol kung kaya't naghanap kami ng pharmacy or beauty store sa malapit. Then sa isang beauty store, naka-meet kami ng isang Thai beki na winner mag-English. Habang kinukuha ng kasama niya ang bote ng rubbing alcohol, in-entertain niya kami. Tinanong niya kami, "you're from the Philippine[s]?" So Teh said yes. Tapos bumanat si beki, sabi niya, "oh, you look like Vietnamese, and I look like a Korean!" In an impulse, sumagot si Teh ng "Perfect!" Mukha pala akong Vietnamese, hehehe... :D At sa paghahanap nitong alcohol natapos ang aming colorful Phitsanulok experience... ^_^

Let's proceed farther up north to the first seat of Thai kingdom - Teh's much-anticipated Sukhothai! Susunod sa The Adventures of Teh! Tanks for reading my travel diary... ^_^

Special thanks to the following people who made the Adventures of Teh in Thailand successful:

• Tour Coordinators Matt and Supattra of Travel Hub Thailand
• Tour Guide Robbie and Tour Driver Sakol of Travel Hub Thailand

~ Vocabulary ni Teh ~

[1] Single combat - ang labanan during early times kung saan ang dalawang warrior ay nakasakay sa elepante tapos paunahan silang mapatay ang isa. Ang mananatiling alive ang siyang winner. (Malamang!)
[2] Garuda - mythical bird.
[3] Naga - mythical sea serpent.
[4] Banchetto - Food night market sa Ortigas at sa Libis.

The Remnants of the Fallen Ayutthaya

From Kanchanaburi, let's continue our journey back to the center and one of the former kingdoms of Thailand ~ Ayutthaya!

Travelling from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya is much like going back to Bangkok. Mga 3 hours din ang biyahe usually kung kaya't bumilib kami kay Sakol na 2 hours lang nag-drive from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya. Well, going to the provinces of Thailand, hindi naman ma-traffic. And aside from that, napakaganda ng road networks among the provinces. Kumbaga yung 8-hour trip dito sa atin in terms of distance, sa Thailand, abot-kamay within 4 hours only! :)

Almost nightfall in Ayutthaya River

The main reason din siguro kung bakit pinalipad ni Sakol ang van ay dahil sa paghahabol namin ng sunset sa Wat Chaiwatanaram, or Wat Yai for short. Well this is not on our itinerary, but since Wat Chaimongkhol was closed noong nagpunta sina Teh, Robbie took us here instead. At dito, nalaman nina Teh na tubong Ayutthaya pala si Robbie so he knows the province so much.

Map of Ayutthaya and mini Wat Chaiwatanaram

~ Wat Chaiwatthanaram/Yai ~

Thai: วัดไชยวัฒนาราม

In Robbie's opinion, this is the most beautiful temple, lalo na tuwing sasapit ang sunset. This temple somehow resembles Sukhothai's Mahathat. Hindi naman malayong influence pa rin ng Sukhothai ang makikita sa Ayutthaya, dahil Sukhothai kingdom ang sinundan ng Ayutthaya kingdom. Despite the fact na binaha ang Ayutthaya 11 months prior to Teh's visit, napakaganda pa rin nito. Kaya nga lang, hindi nakapag-explore sina Teh rito, dahil pinasara ito temporarily ng kanilang local government for the safety of everyone na bumibisita rito. Lumambot kasi ang lupa within the temple, kaya hindi safe na tabihan ang mga century-old na mga Stuppas, Phrangs and Buddha images. Speaking of Buddha images, isa ito sa mga temples na may maraming images na pugot ang ulo. Ang kuwento? Nalaman namin the next morning, sa kuwento ni Robbie during our Wat Mahathat (Ayutthaya) tour... Hopefully, Teh was able to make you feel how breathtaking Wat Chaiwatanaram is, most especially during sunset. ;)

Before the sunset...

Ah ~ the much-awaited sunset... ~_~

~ Wat Lokayasutharam ~

Thai: วัดโลกสุธาราม

Another temple with a Reclining Buddha statue, ito ang isa sa mga outdoor temples na makikita sa Thailand. Shorter than the one found in Wat Pho, this statue measures 36 meters in length. Actually, dati rin daw, outdoor temple lang din ang Wat Pho, but then the government decided na pagawan ang Reclining Buddha statue doon ng parang bahay niya. And so, by then, Wat Pho became an indoor temple. At dahil diyan, tinanong ni Teh si Robbie kung bakit hindi pinagawan ng bahay ang Reclining Buddha ng Wat Lokayasutharam. Simple ang naging sagot ni Robbie, pero may pinaghuhugutan. "We did not do so because we want to be reminded of our lack of unity during the Burmese invasion."

The reclining Buddha image, damaged since the Burmese invasion...

Top to bottom:
Wat Phra Mongkhol Bophit
Wat Ratcha Burana (Night version)
Wat Phra Ram

~ The Illuminated Temples ~ 

Another perk na natanggap ni Teh for having a tour guide who is a local at Ayutthaya was a free temple tour at night. So before nag-dinner ang buong Teh Thai Tour Team, we visited 4 illuminated temples. First is the Wat Phra Ram. Dahil ang tabi nito ay ni-landscape with a swamp, sobrang ganda ng effect, lalo na sa gabi. Sayang nga lang at puro blard[1] ang pictures kasi pasmado si Teh. Plus hindi ako nagdala ng tripod kaya pagtiyagaan niyo na lang 'yan mga teh. Highly recommended ang pagte-temple hopping at night. Super mega havey! :D So ang next na pinuntahan nina Teh ay ang Wat Phra Mongkhol Bophit ('eto daan lang) at ang Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Nang lapitan namin ang temples, bukod sa sinalubong kami ng maraming lamok eh nilapitan kami ng maraming dogs na tila ba lalapain na kami sa galit. Pero nang si Robbie ay pumalo nang dalawang beses sa gilid ng kanyang hita, naging maamo ang mga aso. Siguro mga old friendships sila ni Robbie noong taga-Ayutthaya pa siya. Lakaaas!!! :D Last temple that we visited was the Wat Ratcha Burana.

The place kung saan umani sina Teh ng sangkatutak na kagat ng lamok:
Wat Phra Si Sanphet

~ Ayutthaya Street Restaurant Chat ~

After having our most healthy dinner with Robbie and Sakol, we chatted and exchanged ideas. First off, nalaman nina Teh na kasal siya sa isang Japanese at may dalawa silang anak. Isang 5 years old at isang 5 weeks sa tiyan. Omedetou[2], Robbie-san! ^_^ Maybe curious din kayo kung paano niya na-meet 'yung wife niya. Well, when he was a student, waitlisted siya sa mga exchange students na ipapadala sa Japan. Suwerte niya kasi may nag-back out so 1 week before the exchange students in their school went to Japan, he got the slot. Eh 'di ayun, naka-tumbling si Robbie to Japan so there, na-meet niya 'yung wife niya. Another omedetou, Robbie-san! :D Actually, medyo shocked lang sina Teh kasi noong una, akala namin beki siya. Huhu, judgemental much. >_<

Food + Exchange of ideas = Good time! :D

Then we exchanged our knowledge about our own countries. Medyo naawa lang si Teh kay Sakol kasi bumalik siya sa tour van. Hindi kasi siya gaano marunong mag-English. Hindi tuloy namin siya naka-chat. :( Anyway so Robbie shared that to make any tour successful, learn and try new things. Teh totally agreed, and we are glad na naging adventurous kami sa mga pagkain at nag-immerse kami sa Buddhist culture. We were also able to know about the situation in southern Thailand, being similar with Mindanao region. At napag-usapan din namin ang possibility na may napipintong World War III. Ang lahat ng ito, hindi na idi-detalye ni Teh dahil baka matsugi si Watashi. Huhu... With our exchange of thoughts, pakiramdam nina Teh suwerte sila sa guide nila dahil bukod sa knowledgable siya, very open-minded din siyang tao. And everyday, napansin din naming palabasa siya ng diyaryo. Very fit ang character niya para maging tour guide. :)

♫ Baler kuberch, kahit jutay. ♫ Zzz...

After this, hinatid kami nina Robbie and Sakol sa tinutuluyan namin ~ the Ayutthaya River Hut. Such a small world. Kasi the owner, who is a policeman, is a friend of Robbie. This place is quite far from the city center but then, sobrang tahimik dito. So if you want to escape the buzzing noise of the city and experience living in a bahay-kubo, then stay na rito and hear the singing crickets at night. Very cheap din ang lodging dito. If Teh remembers correctly, nasa less than THB 400 per night ang aircon room. ;) And so, we called it a day. Zzzzz...

The leaning Phrangs of Mahathat

~ Wat Mahathat ~

Thai: วัดมหาธาตุ

On the morning of Teh Thai Tour Team's Day 4, we visited the last 2 temples and a palace on our Ayutthaya list. Ang una naming pinuntahan ay ang Wat Mahathat. Pagpasok namin sa loob, kapansin-pansin ang deformation nito since its downfall. Isama mo pa ang fact na binaha sila almost a year ago. Wat Mahathat has a lot of leaning towers of Phrangs, making this temple Cambodian-inspired. And yep, they are leaning at para bang any minute, magco-collapse ang kahit alin sa kanila. But Robbie assured us na hindi sila basta-basta magco-collapse kasi pinatibay na ang underground foundation ng mga ito with the help of engineers. At noong nagpunta sina Teh, may mga naabutan kaming workers na nagre-restore din ng temple due to the recent flood in Ayutthaya.

Beheaded Buddha images. :(

As we continued exploring Mahathat, napansin nina Teh na halos lahat ng Buddha images ay pugot ang ulo. One reason was because around 40 years ago, the Antique Industry was really famous. Ang ginagawa ng mga magnanakaw ng temple images ay bibiyakin nila 'yung mga images then ia-assemble nila. Another reason was somewhat a local folktale. Minsan daw kasi, may isang baliw na cowgirl na napadaan sa isang temple in Ayutthaya and then naghukay-hukay siya kasi trip niya lang siguro. Tapos nakahukay siya ng ginto. Pagkatapos, baliw-baliwan ang peg ni teh cowgirl, pinagsigawan niya sa buong sambayanang nakahukay siya ng ginto. At nagsitaasan ang mga tenga ng mga magnanakaw kung kaya't sinira nila ang mga temple and their images in search of gold and other treasures. So nagtanong si Teh kung itong mga kemeloung ito eh hindi natakot kay Buddha. Malamang hindi daw, dahil they just swarmed the temples without even thinking of Buddha's possible punishment to them. Hay ang kayamanan nga naman. Nakakapagpabago sa tao. Sayang tuloy ang ganda ng mga temples...

Anyway, we did not fail to see the face of Buddha naman here in Mahathat. Nakakita kami ng dalawang sitting Buddha rito, at ang isa ay nasa ilalim ng tree shade. The sitting Buddha's head, whose image is with beheaded others on the side (right side ng picture below), ay isa lang palang replica made of plaster. 'Yung katawan na lang nito ang original, which is made of sandstone naman. Still, hindi masyadong obvious na replica lang ang head. At least they restored this image. ;)

The restored/preserved Buddha images :)

Another interesting Buddha image is the tree root Buddha head (upper left ng picture sa taas). By the name itself, ang Buddha image na ito which is composed of head only, ay napalibutan ng mga ugat ng puno. Ang chika eh, iniwan daw ito noon ng isang temple raider somewhere in the middle of the temple kasi napansin niyang damaged pala ang ilong nito. Therefore hindi na niya maibebenta ang image. Tapos one time may nagmagandang-loob na nagtabi ng image sa puno. Hanggang sa lumipas na ang panahon at nagkalimutan na, nabalutan ang Buddha head na ito ng mga ugat ng puno. By the way mga teh, 'pag magpapa-picture kayo dapat nakaupo kayo as a sign of respect. No standing up pose, please! :)

The Ratcha Burana temple undergoing restoration

~ Wat Ratcha Burana ~

The main Phrang

Thai: วัดราชบูรณะ

Sumaglit kami rito the previous night, pero sa labas lang kami dahil sarado na. This great temple actually has a great story to tell. It was September 25, 1957. May 10 temple raiders na nanloob dito at nag-explore ng malaliman sa main Phrang. Upon investigating inside, na-discover nilang hollow ang ilalim ng kinatatayuan nila. Tinusok-tusok kasi nila 'yung sahig ng insenso. Eh nabutas kaya naisip nila 'yun. Tapos itinapat ng isang matalino sa kanila ang tenga niya sa butas na iyon. In a short while, nakaramdam at nakarinig siya ng hangin and therefore he concluded na puwede pa silang maghukay sa kinatatayuan nila. So naghukay sila. Then sa kalagitnaan ng paghuhukay nila, may na-encounter silang malaking rock. Hindi nila maiangat ang bato kaya 'yung isa sa kanila, umuwi to get a pulley. Eh 'di tagumpay, nagbuksan na nila. Pagbukas nila, tah-dah!!! Bumulaga sa kanila ang napakaraming royal treasures! Sa sobrang dami, napanganga sila as in... :O Ang kuwentong ito ay galing sa isa sa 10 thieves na buhay pa noong umamin siya sa Discovery Channel. Sayang lang at hindi mahanap ni Teh kung anong palabas 'yun pero when I googled about it, Teh came across this short documentary... Same with Mahathat, this temple also is undergoing restoration.

Teh: Hello? May kayamanan pa bang natira?

Welcome, welcome! For a lazy pair of feet, rent a golf-car for THB 1000. :)

~ Bang Pa-In 

Summer Palace ~

Clockwise: Dutch Building (abandoned); King Prasat Thong Shrine;
??? (wala sa mapa...)

Thai: พระราชวังบางปะอิน

Our last destination in Ayutthaya is the Bang Pa-In Palace. Of all places here in Thailand na napuntahan ng Teh Thai Tour Team, ito ang masasabi kong distinct among them. Almost lahat kasi ng buildings dito, European-inspired. Thanks to the restoration order by King Rama V, who, of all the Thai Kings during the early times, was able to open himself to the world and explore it (though he was very busy, having 36 wives... O_O). Sa bawat gusali na napasok nina Teh, sobrang garbo and stylish ng interior designs. And may isang building doon kung saan ang ceiling design ay pareho sa floor carpet design. Cool!... 














Hindi pa nakakapunta si Teh ng Europe pero feeling ko, nakapunta na rin ako doon dahil sa mga buildings na ito. Well, walang maipakitang photos si Teh kasi bawal mag-picture sa loob. So you really have to see for yourselves mga teh. :)

Counterclockwise from upper left: Krajom Trae; Phra Thinang Uthayan Phumisathian Residential Hall;
Devaraj-Kunlai Gate and Aisawan-Dhipaya-Asana Pavilion;
Phra Thinang Varobhas Bimarn Residential Hall
Basta 'yan! Hihirap ng mga pangalan... X_X

Clockwise from Left: Bird image on the Doll bridge; Royal Raft;
Landing area

Sa loob ng mala-Parthenon (Varobhas Bimarn Hall) style na building (puma-Parthenon, meganon?), may mga paintings doon which show some pictures about Thailand during the early times. And there are three particular paintings na hinintuan namin sa loob para sa show-and-tell ni Robbie. One painting shows the King being on a boat. Because if we will recall mga teh, during the early times, by boat ang mode of transportation ng mga Thais to reach different provinces or cities. Another painting shows a certain picture of war, wherein the elephants were trained to become their battle tanks together with their elephant commanders. At 'wag kayo, dahil bonggels ang mga commanders na ito. May kasama kasi sila on board sa elephant na taga-abot lang nila ng weapon. As in 'yun lang ang trabaho nila, taga-abot. Hahaha... And the third painting na hinintuan namin shows a picture of the King in front of his constituents bowing down on him, together with the foreigners, I assume, na hindi nakayuko. Sabi ni Robbie, kung ikaw ay Thai, hindi mo puwedeng tignan ang face ng hari 'pag hindi ka niya kausap. Pero ang mga foreigners, exempted sa rule na ito. Parang sa mga Koreanovela rin pala na may hari-hari. Eh paano naman kaya kung sina Teh ay haharap sa hari on that very moment? Malamang mapapa-bow din kami kasi hindi kami mukhang foreigner. Hehe... :D

The last building na pinasok namin sa Bang Pa-In ay ang Chinese-inspired building, which was a gift from the Chinese government to the Thai Royal family. Ay, ang feeling pagpasok eh parang nagbalik si Teh sa Beijing. Nostalgic... ~_~

Counterclockwise from Left: Inside the Wehart Chamrun; Ho Withun Thasana Tower;
Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun Residential Hall

Sa lahat ng magagarbong buildings ng Bang Pa-In Summer Palace na nabisita nina Teh, I have one sentence for the King. Napakayaman niya, siya na! :D

And this marks the end of our tour in Ayutthaya. Keri pang bumiyahe pa-north mga teh? Tara na sa great temple ng Phitsanulok!... Up next in the Adventures of Teh! Thanks for visiting! ^_^

Special thanks to the following people who made the Adventures of Teh in Thailand successful:

• Tour Coordinators Matt and Supattra of Travel Hub Thailand
• Tour Guide Robbie and Tour Driver Sakol of Travel Hub Thailand

~ Vocabulary ni Teh ~

[1] Blard - matigas na pagbigkas ng blurred.
[2] Omedetou - Japanese word which means "congratulations".

Teh's Depression in Kanchanaburi

Leaving Bangkok behind by 7 in the morning, Teh Thai Tour Team headed to Kanchanaburi. The trip lasted for 3 hours and our first stop in Kanchanaburi was the War Cemetery.

@_@

~ Kanchanaburi / Don Rak War Cemetery ~

:'(

Thai: สุสานทหารสัมพันธมิตรดอนรัก

Hindi kami masyadong nagtagal dito dahil bukod sa nakakakilabot ang mga sementeryo kahit maganda ang pagkaka-landscape nito, wala namang makikita gaano kung hindi mga lapida at isang krus sa gitna ng sementeryo. Sa right side ng cemetery, lahat ng nakalibing ay mga British. And on the left hand side, magkakahalong British, Australian and others of unknown identity. This cemetery is being maintained by the British Government. And if you're wondering kung paano nabili ng UK ang lupang ito, actually in-offer ito sa kanila ng mismong Thai Government. Teh's reaction in visiting the place is that, aside from maya't maya nakakaramdam ng ginaw si Teh, naawa ako sa mga bangkay na nameless ang lapida. But then, all of them are known to God... (One minute of silence...)

~ JEATH (Wat Tai) War Museum ~

Thai: พิพิธภัณฑ์สงครามอักษะและเชลยศึก

Sa loob ng museum, makikita ang napakaraming pictures, paintings and news clippings about how Kanchanaburi looked like during the Japanase occupation sa Thailand. Tinanong ni Robbie si Teh kung paano tayo tinrato ng mga Hapon during their occupation in the Philippines. At sinabi kong napakasama ng trato nila sa atin back then, talking about the Death March and Comfort Women. In Thailand, it was the opposite. Pumayag kasi ang Thai Kingdom na maging ally sila ng mga Hapon. Eh siguro may pinaghuhugutan din (alamin sa future post ni Teh about Ayutthaya), kasi ang purpose din naman ng mga Hapon eh ang sugurin ang Burma. To summarize, ang ilan sa mga nabuong alliances noong WWII ay Japan-Thailand at America-Philippines, explicitly. But then, some Thais had formed allies with Americans in the background. In line with this alliance, they had a peace agreement. Japanese will not hurt Thais for as long as they will be allowed to construct a railway from Thailand which will extend until Burma for transporting water supply for the Japanese soldiers there.

JEATH War Museum. No pictures, please? :)

Teh: Kahit pilitin mo pa ako, hindi ako magpi-picture! >_<

Going back with the pictures inside the renovated U-shaped museum, nanakit ang puso ni Teh dahil sobrang morbid ng mga punishments ng mga Hapon sa mga Aussies at mga British, especially sa mga madaling mapagod o tinatamad. Sa sobrang morbid, panay ang iwas kong tumingin sa mga pictures. At ang source ng paghihirap nila ay walang iba kundi ang Thailand-Burma Death Railway. It was estimated by the British engineers na aabutin ng 5.5 years para matapos ang construction nito. Kaya lang pinilit ng mga hapon ang mga Briton at mga Aussies na tapusin ang planned railway sa loob lang ng 1.5 years. Lupit much! :( At kung hindi naman dahil sa parusa, sa gutom, init at malaria naman sila natsutsugi. Hay kaloka, kumbaga no way out. Maaaring ang iba sa inyo ang magtatanong kung bakit ang iba ay namatay sa init ng Thailand, kahit hindi pa uso noon ang El Nino. Ang mga Briton at Australians kasi, hindi sanay mamuhay at magtrabaho under a tropical country's sun. Samahan mo pa ng pangangayayat nila sa gutom. Kaya deadly ang tropical heat para sa kanila... :(

Sa bilis ng pangyayari, blard lahat ng pictures. >_<

~ Bridge over River Kwai ~

Thai: สะพานข้ามแม่น้ำแคว

From the War Museum, sumakay sina Teh ng speed boat papuntang Bridge over River Kwai. Before, may dalawang bridges over Kwai, isang wooden bridge at isang metal bridge. Ayon kay Robbie giniba ang wooden bridge para kahit baha sa Kanchanaburi at tumaas ang tubig sa Kwai, makakadaan pa rin ang mga bangka. And after the short, yet super fast boat ride, we had arrived below the metal bridge over Kwai. Kamukha siya ng Bannaoang bridge[1], dark version nga lang. Itim kasi 'yung trusses ng bridge. Umakyat kami sa bridge proper then Robbie gave us 30 minutes to cross the bridge back and forth. Naloka lang nang konti si Teh sa joke ni Robbie na pagtawid ng bridge mula sa pinag-akyatan namin, we will be in Burma already. Naniwala si Teh dahil sa kabilang side, kakaiba ang itsura ng temple. Mala-pagoda ang style. Shongang Teh, nayari sa joke ni Robbie. Hahaha! Akala ko makakaescapo na ako to Burma. Besides, hindi ko pa alam that time na sa bawat land border entries may immigration dapat na naka-abang kasi never ko pa na-try mag-cross ng border by land. :)))

The Bridge over River Kwai and the nearby Pagoda.

Sights while on the bridge...

Anyway, highway, so ayun mega-enjoy naman ang strolling, sightseeing at pagmo-moment nina Teh sa bridge. :D At natuwa rin kami sa nadaanan naming mamang nagva-violin. Siya na ang talagang dumayo pa rito sa bridge para mag-violin. Muhka namang hindi siya nanlilimos, kasi magiliw niyang tinutugtugan ang lahat ng humihinto para makinig sa kanya. Lakas ng trip ni kuya, havey! ^_^

Moment ni Teh sa bridge...

Pagbalik namin sa starting point ng bridge, dali-dali kaming tinawag ni Robbie, sumesenyas na bilisan namin. Noon lang naman siya nagpamadali sa amin ng gano'n kaya nagtaka sina Teh. Pero keber pa rin dahil nag-picture pa kami sa bomb statue. Lahat na lang, piniktyuran nina Teh. :))

Andiyan na ang train! >chuuu! chuuu!<

~ Thailand-Burma Death Railway ~

Ang kaguluhan sa busy stations

Thai: ทางรถไฟสายมรณะ

Kaya pala gano'n na lang kung pagmadaliin kami ni Robbie. Na-gets na lang namin noong nakita namin ang station signboard sa isang tabi.  Daanan pa pala ng operational na train ang bridge! At 'yun ang sasakyan namin for our next destination. Cool! Matibay pa pala ang bridge na 'yon... ;) We were Krasae-bound that time at kung tama ang bilang ni Teh, nasa 7 stations ang pagitan ng Kwai to Krasae. Unlike the train to Maeklong which is bumpy, the Train ride along the Death Railway is very jumpy and slow. At nataon ding mainit sa side na inupuan namin pero ayos lang kasi sabi ni Robbie, maganda ang view sa side ng inupuan namin (at malalaman niyo later kung tama siya o mali). The ride to Krasae took us about 2 hours.

While on the train, napansin lang nina Teh na halos lahat ng pananim nila, meron din tayo. Well, malamang kasi tropical country din sila. Ang pinagkaiba lang, mas mura ang presyo sa kanila ng mga na-harvey mula sa mga pananim nila dahil hindi naman uso bagyo sa kanila. Bihira silang masiraan ng mga pananim, dahil bihira ang drought/tagtuyot or baha sa kanila, as compared with the Philippines. Another similarity na napansin ni Teh, kamuhka lang din halos ng probinsya dito sa atin ang mga nadaanan naming residential areas. May bahay tapos may malalawak na bukirin. Pinagkaiba lang din, bukod sa mga sulat-uod na signboards, right-hand driving sila, like in Japan and most of the countries in mainland Eurasia. Tayo kasi, in terms of transportaion, ay influenced ng Amercians kaya left-hand driving tayo.

The beautiful Kanchanaburi by the train window...

The rock that killed a hundred men.
(One minute of silence...)

And of course, nadaanan din namin ang highlight ng death railway - ang tipak ng mukhang limestone rock na ito. Very significant ang naging role nito during the construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway dahil ito ang naging dahilan ng kamatayan ng napakaraming trabahador. Napakahirap kasing tibagin nito to the point na nakakachukchak na ito. :(

Looks fam? :)

Welcome to Krasae! ^_^

When the train ride was almost over, bumagal ang takbo ng train at dali-daling lumipat ang lahat ng sakay ng train sa side namin. May nag-aabang pala kasing breathtaking views sa side namin. At dahil bangin ang nasa tabi ng bintana, nahirapan akong mag-concentrate mag-picture sa lula. @_@ Anyway, when taking pictures here, make sure na ipulupot ang camera strap sa kamay para hindi ito mahulog. Masama kasi niyan, baka sumama sa pagkahulog ng camera ang may-ari kaya ingatan ang cameras! ^_^

:O

~ Krasae Cave ~

Thai: ถ้ำกระแซ

So after we had the best Pad Thai buffet lunch at Krasae Restaurant, we visited the cave beside the Wampo Viaduct. The Japanese stronghold during WWII ~ the Krasae Cave! :D 

The Wampo Viaduct

The deep cave portion...

When Teh went further inside, I was reminded of the caves I've visited before. Puwede pa sana akong tumuloy sa lagusan sa likod ng Buddha altar pero hindi na tumuloy si Teh kasi natatakot akong makakita ng skeleton. Eeek! >_<

Pick-up sticks fortune-telling ng hopeful na si Teh. Hahaha...

Dito sa cave, na-experience nina Teh ang total Buddhist experience. We prayed, then we tried the pick-up sticks fortune-telling. How to do it? Just shake the bamboo with the numbered sticks hanggang sa may malaglag na isang stick (pilitin na isa lang ang malaglag). Read the number written on the fallen stick tapos hanapin ang corresponding fortune na nakapaskil sa isang board sa tabi. Nag-alay din kami ng insenso pero fail kasi nalimutan naming patunugin ang bell/gong. Mula sa pagdadasal, incense burning, hanggang sa fortune telling - all done the Buddhist way! A spiritually refreshing experience for Teh... ^_^

Teh: -_- (Umuusok ang likod...)

Actually, we failed to visit the Tiger Temple, since we were chasing the sunset at Ayutthaya. Next time, maybe. Teh will visit the noble tigers... Till we meet again, Kanchanaburi. :)

On our next adventure, halina't tumambling kasama ang Teh Thai Tour Team patungo sa Second Capital of Thailand ~ the once fallen, Ayutthaya! Thanks for visiting Teh's travel journal! ^_^

Special thanks to the following people who made the Adventures of Teh in Thailand successful:

• Tour Coordinators Matt and Supattra of Travel Hub Thailand
• Tour Guide Robbie and Tour Driver Sakol of Travel Hub Thailand

~ Vocabulary ni Teh ~

[1] Bannaoang Bridge - bridge that connects the municipalities of Santa and Bantay in Ilocos Sur.