Five of us from
International Community School decided to visit a mutual friend who is located a couple hours north of Bangkok, in Lopburi. I don't usually travel inland to the central part of Thailand so I jumped at the chance to head there with friends this past weekend. Most of the time I either fly to the southern islands, drive to the beaches on the bay or fly over the central zone to places like Chiang Mai in the north.
We decided to take the 10:50 train to the inner part of Thailand instead of hiring a driver and van for the day and I'm glad we did. This time, unlike the time we took the train to Hua Hin, we agreed to ride in an air conditioned car. No third class fans and open windows this time! It was an incredibly hot day (heat index over 100 degrees F) so, needless to say, I am glad our 4 hour travel time was in an air conditioned environment. It sure was worth the price: air conditioned ticket $11.50 vs non-airconditioned ticket $1.00.
Our first stop upon arrival in Lopburi was to eat lunch at an outdoor restaurant called
NooM Guesthouse Restaurant that caters to the westerners -- everything from burgers on the menu to antique decor and genuine country music! I am continually baffled at what people call "antiques" these days, including bubble gum machines!? Doesn't seem that long ago when they were the rage on street corners and in drug stores.
By the way, Lopburi is known for gangs of monkeys roaming free around town. You don't have to venture far down any street in the central district before you see them walking the power lines or taking up residence in local stores. Interesting to watch these guys hanging around while we made our way to see the ruins at
Somdet Phra Narai (
see next post).
Amazing how the character of a place can be so different when traveling only a couple hours from your residence. Bangkok has its share of wildlife in the city -- such as monitor lizards, pythons and soi dogs -- but no monkeys hanging around!
