The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is offering trips on a Japanese vintage train to monkey city, from Bangkok to Lopburi on the refurbished Kiha 183 diesel powered trains from Japan.
Seventeen used passenger train carriages from Japan’s Hokkaido Railway Company arrived in Chonburi last December, with the SRT paying 42.5 million baht for shipping.
The trains have been refurbished at SRT’s maintenance and repair center in Bangkok’s Makkasan area. Three of the 17 diesel powered trains delivered in December 2021 are ready to be used. The trains will be in use for another 15 to 20 years.
Carriages of the Kiha 183 series were manufactured between 1981 and 1982 and decommissioned in 2017. They had been used as limited express trains in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture.
The trains were developed specially to withstand the harsh, snowy winters in northern Japan. The driver’s cab of Kiha 183 is elevated for better visibility during snowfall. The slow train to monkey city features a ...
Rat Prakong Tham Temple It is an old temple built in 1713 and was originally called Bat Temple. The temple is currently undergoing a huge amount of new construction and renovation. They are adding some interesting elements that will be nice to see when it’s finished.
The highlight of the temple is the huge reclining Buddha image. On top of the reclining Buddha pavilion are 3 replicas of the 3 Nakhon Phi Thaku: Phra That Hariphunchai, Phra That Phanom, and Phra Pathom Chedi. These 3 chedi are famous in Thailand are 3 of the 24 1st class royal temples in the country. The chapel is behind the reclining Buddha. It is covered with a large canopy providing shade and protection from the weather while you visit the temple. Around the temple area are many small shrines and places for ceremonies. Under the roof is a Luang Pho To (Sam Po Kong). Next to a canal, fish can be fed as well as the cows and buffalo at the small zoo.
This is a nice temple that was a surprise to find.
Rat ...
Wat Prang Luang วัดปรางค์หลวง is an ancient Thai Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province, it is believed to be the oldest monastery and archaeological site in Nonthaburi and the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. It is situated along Khlong Om Non, also known as Khlong Bangkok Noi.
The temple was previously called Wat Luang วัดหลวง meaning royal temple. It was presumably built in reign of the King Ramathibodi I (U-Thong) the first monarch and founder of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, more than 650 years ago. It is believed that this location used to be his residence after the cholera evacuation, before the establishment of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.
Later in the Bangkok era the name was changed to Wat Prang Luang.
The prang is old and has had restoration work done to it due to the dilapidated state it was in. It has been archaeologically proven to date back to the early Ayutthaya period with a different structure than the other prangs of the same period.
A ...
Part two of the trip around Spain took us into the north west of the country. We got to see 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites and a few Roman bridges. The Tower of Hercules is the last working Roman lighthouse in the world. The next stop at Lugo is a town that still has a complete circle of the Roman walls. The towns of Santiago and Salamanca are both amazing and worth a visit.
Spain is a storied country of stone castles, snowcapped mountains, vast monuments, and sophisticated cities, all of which have made it a favored travel destination. The country is geographically and culturally diverse.
Spain’s countryside is quaint, speckled with castles, aqueducts, and ancient ruins, but its cities are modern.
The many and varied cultures that have gone into the making of Spain, the Castilians, Catalonians, Lusitanians, Galicians, Basques, Romans, Arabs, among other peoples, are renowned for their varied cuisines, customs, and prolific contributions to the countries heritage.
The country’s ...
