Few tourists ventured beyond the River Kwai area around the provincial town of Kachanaburi. From there, Sangklaburi is another 3hr drive north towards the Myanmar border.
Lunch break along scenic River Kwai, this boat ferry locals & motorbikes across.
The last 75km past Thong Phapum has few traffic and some of the steepest roads I've driven in Thailand. Population thins out quickly and one can feel going into another world of its own. A restaurant by the river with these inviting sights tempted me for a break.
A row of 3 Buddhas under open shed greeted us upon arrival at Sangklaburi!
What? One is a pregnant Buddha image! The one and only I've seen so far & my friend, CK living here, never notice it before!
There are several resorts & restaurants with scenic views of the lake and its communities.
At far end is the longest wooden foot bridge in Thailand, where Mon villagers cross to town for work each day.
Newer foot bridge vs the old (to the right)
The golden Mon temple stands out strikingly against its surrounds. Its founding abbot passed away short time ago and his successor was murdered by gun shot, due to some conflict of interests.. so the story goes.
Luang Por Uttama & the unique Chedi design.
Its architecture resembled one in India I was told.
After some search on Google, I think this is the original Chedi in Buddhakhaya, Bihar- India, where Buddha was supposed to reach Enlightenment here.
I find it interesting to see a mixed of small Hindu deities (on the ground too) by the side of monk sculpture .
A little drive to the border.. from a temple ground at the Myanmar border, Burmese villagers across strolled by. This fencing & gate can allow border crossing without formalities (if you dare!) Note the urns of deceased on the border wall! Nearby is a crematorium to the right.
A highlight of the trip was a night out in the lake on a house boat seen here.
As we slided out of anchorage, I was amused it was this boy who single-handedly nudged the house boat into open water before the tow boat took over!
This family greeted us as we left for the night.
Lovely sunset views with the wooden bridge on the way out.
We were well prepared with snacks and drinks, not least our laptops. With a PDA phone, we got on-line to do some Forex trades. CK continued next morning with his laptop on external battery pack.
My activity was peddling around on this boat with complete serenity .. no swift currents to worry about!
9 am, the tow boat returned to bring us back.
Others were heading out for a boat tour.
Back to civilization again!
End of journey... the boatman cut his engine. They are so skillful with their delicate maneuvers!
As my friend CK has chosen to live & devote time to help orphanages here, surely I'll be back this way many times again. His 4x4 Toyata Hilux outside his rented house with a lovely entrance.
