Thailand Trip (Day 29, 30, and 31)

Day 29:
Last night I stayed in Pong Phem guesthouse and had a great sleep. I woke up early at 7 to my alarm since I wanted to get good use out of the 24 hour motorbike rental. After breakfast I headed off to the Bridge over the River Kwai. It was really neat to walk on the bridge (though the original wooden bridge no longer exists). At the site is a iron bridge which was completed at about the same time as the wooden one. Much of it was rebuilt after the Allied forces bombed it during the war. The bridge can still be used for trains (though most of them are for tourists) and surprisingly you can walk out on the track even when the trains are present since they are slow moving. After the stop at the bridge I headed to something on the map called "Don Chedi" and King Naresaun the Great Monument. After a fifteen minute drive on a main road I followed the signs down a bumpy road speckled with potholes. The monument of King Naresuan the Great was of the king (I think the fifth Rama) on a elephant ready for a battle elephant joust. The statue and the pagoda were built to commemorate the victory over the Burmese troops.It was very impressive. Also, on the land was a museum about the kind and different alter areas. There were also hundreds of roster statues. I would find out the next day that this as because thing King really enjoyed cockfighting with other royal families. After leaving the site, I headed into Kanchanaburi where the road led me through a temple's grounds. A few meters after exiting the temple I was stopped by a traffic jam and hear a lot of music. Thinking it was a parade I pulled the motorbike over and got out my camera. I ran to the front of the parade to film the excitement. People were dancing in the street with open containers of beer and behind them a marching band was dancing and playing lively music. Following the band was a pickup truck with several people seated in it also consuming alcohol. I reassessed the scenario and have decided that it was a wedding party, but I'm still not 100% sure. Shortly thereafter I headed to the JEATH war museum. JEATH stands for the five main nationalities that were used to construct the "Death Railway": Japanese, English, Australian, Thai and Holland. Inside the museum photos and drawings depict the harsh conditions that war prisoners and civilians encountered while completing the "Death Railway" and the Bridge over the River Kwai. After leaving the museum, I biked to the Chongkai War Cemetery (a different one than two days ago) and spent some time there. In the early afternoon I lounged around the pool at Pong Phem and later headed back to Bangkok for the evening. I stayed at the Merry V again in a more basic room and got average sleep.

Day 30:
I woke up at the crack of dawn today (6 am) to get ready for a day tour to Ayutaya. At first I was a bit worried that the van would not arrive to the arranged meeting point, so I began asking around. Before long I was whisked away to meet up with the van. After a half of an hour they packed 11 tourists, a guide, and a driver into a van and we were off. It was a excellent and diverse group from Spain, India, Finland, South Korea, Holland, and of course the US. Our tour guide, named "Wurie," turned out to be a character. Shortly after departing he asked where I was from and after he learned the US he told me that he was trying to perfect American style English and pulled out a practice exam that he had been working on. It was really tough! Parts of it remained me of the ACT. I helped him out with parts of it on the ride to Ayutaya, but it seemed like he had most of ti right (I'd hope so since he said he had worked on it for three days). Near Ayutaya we stopped at the Bang-Po-In Summer Place. It was really interesting since it had not only Thai and southeastern Asian influence, but also European. The close relationships of many of the Thai monarchs with their European counterparts are thought to be one of the factors that protected Thailand from colonization. The grounds were kept extremely tidy and included precisely carved bushes shaped like herds of elephants, deer, and other creatures. Two of the items that I found interesting were a statue of the King (made in France, since the French have the best sculptures) and a Chinese style palace which was presented as a gift to the King from the Chinese. It was also great to get a chance to see the King's Royal Army on patrol around the grounds. After leaving Bang-Po-In we headed to Ayutaya city, which is completely surrounded by a moat like water feature (canals and rivers). Inside and outside the city arte a number of ruins from the once mighty capital of Thailand (Ayutaya). Most of the ancient city was smashed to pieces when the Burmese troops invaded several hundred years ago. The pagodas, wats and chedis lie in ruins and thousands of Buddhas stand upright but without their heads. Looking at the old capital it was amazing to me that the Thai culture and civilization lived on past this period. The grounds reminded me of the Mayan ruins in the Yucatan only larger. One impressive place is a particular Banyan tree that has engulfed a severed Buddha head in its trunk and roots. After a lunch in the city we headed to more ruins and a massive Wat that was built by the Burmese and Thais only sixty years ago. According to Wurrie, sixty years ago the Burmese (Myanmat) paid Thailand a sum of money for the damage done to the city and looting of the past. At this site there is another statue of King Naresuan, since he was the one to finally repel the Burmese forces. Overall, Ayutaya was a place rich in history and I wish that I could have spent a bit longer there. So, sadly tonight is my last one in Thailand, but I hope to return one day!

Day 31:
Today I will make the the trek back to the US of A. Bangkok- Tokyo- Los Angeles- Denver- Laramie (via car). It will take just under two days.