Where's James

Nan: Town and Temples

From Sukhothai I took the bus five hours North East to Nan, a small town in the center of Nan province. For most of its history Nan was its own kingdom before joining Thailand in 1931. Nan isn’t on the itinerary of many western backpackers which was clear within minutes of reaching the night market on the first evening. All menus were written in Thai script! In a country so well traveled as Thailand it’s nice to find somewhere that caters mostly to locals, though it was a bit of a shock trying to order tea that first night.

Posted by James Antrobus Friday, January 17, 2014

Sukhothai

From Ayutthaya I took the local bus six hours north to Sukhothai, the first capital of Thailand. At first glance the two towns appear similar, both were capitals and both have their fair share of temple ruins. But where Ayutthaya built a modern town around the ruin sites, Sukhothai built its “new city” about 15km away from the “old city”, now also known as the Historical Park. My guesthouse in the new city was great and each room had its own terrace in the garden, making it a good spot to take a day off and do a bit of research for my next few stops.

Posted by James Antrobus Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Ayutthaya

After leaving my hostel in Bangkok I took the MRT a few stops down to Hua Lamphong train station where most trains out of the city depart from. You don’t get reserved seating or air conditioning in 3rd class (the ticket only cost 37p!) but with Bangkok being the start of the route I didn’t have any trouble finding a seat next to an open window. Two hours went by quickly, people watching and exchanging a few words with the old chap sat next to me.

Posted by James Antrobus Friday, January 10, 2014

Bang Krachao

Separated from the rest of Bangkok by the Chao Phraya river the Phra Pradaeng district of Bangkok is a little green patch in what is otherwise a very built-up city. I’d read about a ferry going over to Bang Krachao (a subdistrict of Phra Pradaeng) from Khlong Toei pier, just past the market I’d been to the day before. Not having a decent map made it not so simple and I took a walk through a couple of small villages by the river, and right past the main cargo port before I found the little side street that led to the ferry port.

Posted by James Antrobus Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Khlong Toei market

I took a walk this morning down to Khlong Toei market, a large and busy wet market not far from my hostel in Lumpini. Though mostly offering raw meat and veg there are plenty of food stalls dotted around too for fruit and cooked meals. Being a local market I saw one group of westerners in a couple of hours there. That did mean the stall owners didn’t speak English, but I managed to get some Durian fruit and a couple of drinks for breakfast without any hassle.

Posted by James Antrobus Monday, January 6, 2014