Lop Buri Monastery

On our second day in Lop Buri we ventured outside of the city in search of a Buddhist Monastery that I had read about while in the States. My research stated that it was built into the side of a limestone mountain and the inside of the monastery had areas that descended down into the mountain itself. However, both finding it and getting there would be a little difficult.

I inquired around until I found someone that knew some basic directions. We were recommended to take a "songtail" out of town to a specific highway which would eventually lead to a split in the road. That was where we were to get off. A "songtail" is a form of public transportation. It's basically a converted pick up truck. The tailgate is left down and to it there is welded a small step to access the bed of the truck. On each side of the bed there is a long bench seat running the length of the bed so which you now have two opposing rows. There is also welded to the bed frame a metal cover which provides protection from both the sun and rain to its passengers. These "songtails" are plentiful and each has specific routes that they run. Standing on side the road all one has to do is wave them down and they'll pull over.

After finding the right "songtail" and explaining to them where we were trying to go they agreed to let us off at the right area. From there I was suspecting that we may have to do some walking but didn't say anything to Phyllis just yet. Sure enough after about a 20 minute ride the "songtail" pulls off the side of the highway and driver points to the road we are to take. Standing there looking down the road we both got the feeling that it was a road that wasn't traveled much as the lush vegetation was hugging the sides quite close. So with little reluctance we continued on. After about 30 minutes we could see a monastery off in the distance hugging this mountain. If that was it then it was way too far away to even think about trying to get there. We decided to go a bit further as the road seemed to end not to much further and if by then things still looked bleak then we would return to the main highway. And sure enough at the end of the road we found that it turned sharply left and on the right was a large reservoir. We could see down the road that there were various little food vendors along one side. As we continued our walk a lady appeared and started walking up to greet us. We explained to her that we were headed to the large monastery and she suggested having her friend with a scooter take us. At this point it sure sounded good to us. She proceeded to yell out to her friend and soon here was this man on a scooter coming to fetch us. With all three of us on the scooter he started out. And within 10 minutes or so he delivered us right to the steps. I asked him to give us about half an hour or so and return which he agreed.

The monastery was quite large and did extend on into the mountain. While wandering around we stumbled onto a resident monk. After speaking with him awhile he asked if we would like to see more of the areas inside the mountain. He then proceeded to guide us. He had a flashlight with him as some of the areas were quite dark. One area in particular he turned his light on the ceiling and we were greeted with thousands of little eyes glowing from the light. The ceiling was covered with bats. With the light disturbing them they began their little "squeals." The air was quite pungent with all the bat guava that covered the stone floor beneath our feet. It didn't take long before Phyllis had seen enough and was ready for some fresh air.

He continued to lead us to yet another chamber that happened to be quite small. He explained to us that this one was used for meditation. Then he led us back out into the monastery and took us to an area that had the remains of a venerated monk. The body was lying in a glass coffin which was open on the top. He had me stand beside him and reach down and touch the arm which looked as though it had been preserved as you could discern the ligaments that covered the bone. This entire chamber was a memorial to this monk. As we stood there I had Phyllis take a picture of us together. It wasn't until after I saw the picture that I realized that he had his arm around me. Being inside this monastery was quite a humbling experience. I felt so fortunate to have had this resident monk take enough interest in showing us about.

Our time was running short so I explained to him that we had a friend returning to pick us up. Before departing he led us back to his room so that he could give us a pamphlet on the monastery. Of course it was all in Thai. Since I did not have a picture from afar I decided to take a picture of the cover which is the shot I used for this post. He then pointed us the way and we said our goodbyes. Sure enough once outside our friend with the scooter was waiting. And without saying a word he proceeded to take us all the way back out to the main highway where we had originally been left by the "songtail." I paid him for his service, waved goodbye, and then patiently waited for either another "songtail" to come by or a returning bus to the city. It happened to be a bus which Phyllis didn't mind as it had padded seats and proved to be a much more comfortable ride. What started out as a questionable adventure turned out better than I had anticipated. This one experience will always stand out when I recall Lop Buri.


It was time to head back to our hotel, the ThepThani. This hotel is a nondescript, very common, Thai hotel located on the main street adjacent to a university. We found it to be very clean, with air conditioning, running hot water, all for 400 Baht per night which is about $12.00 U.S. Mind you it was nothing fancy by no means. How could it be for that price...right? Anyway, it turned out to be a great day, and a great adventure. This evening we'll say goodbye to all the monkeys and head back to Bangkok.

City of Monkeys

Lop Buri, Thailand is known as the "City of Monkeys." And rightfully so, because at the center of this city is located an ancient Khmer ruin called Phra Prang Sam Yot. It occupies a large area that has been preserved and over hundreds of years monkeys have come to call this place home. They run freely throughout the ruin area while modern streets surround its perimeters.

I first visited Lop Buri in January 1974 while living in Khorat, Thailand. See the photo..yes, that's me with the leather travel bag I had made with a python head attached. As you can tell it was quite the object of attention. Now, some 34 years later I'm on a bus again headed for Lop Buri.

I had shared my stories about this city with many friends over the years, and then recently The Discovery Channel aired a special on it. It was filmed as a documentary but with a special "twist." It was a story of "Romeo & Juliet" and true to Shakespeare, it had all the romance and drama one would expect. Over the passing years there evolved another area that found home to the monkeys. Across the street and not far from the ruin grounds is the Lop Buri Train Station. Between the ruins and the train station is now home for a another entire group of monkeys that have nothing to do with the so-called temple monkeys. In fact, they are rivals and do not intermingle. This had all been well and good up until "Romeo" from the temple group fell in love with "Juliet" from the city group. Their relationship caused quite a stir and literally ended up causing an outright war between the two groups. For several weeks there was bloodshed and deaths on a daily basis as these groups would collide. The fighting spilled onto the streets and created problems for the local residents and business owners. Seeing that there was no end in sight the local residents decided to take matters into their own hands and devised a way to bring an end to this outright war. Both sides were beginning to feel the effects of all the fighting and bloodshed and were starting to suffer from lack of food. It was decided to close down the main street and use it as a central point where any of the monkeys could come for food. It wasn't long before the street was full of tables and plenty of food. This seemed to be the turning point as both sides were literally starving to death. They had to unite if they wanted to eat. It also helped that both Romeo and Juliet left town and no one knows what became of them. But the fighting stopped and life started to return to normal. Today their division still exists and they actually have two separate areas where food is laid out. Both groups co-exist but in there own areas, and they do not intermingle with one another. It truly is a sight to behold. Standing there on the temple grounds and watching all the monkeys and then looking across the street and seeing the city monkeys each in their own separate environment.

Upon entering the temple grounds there is a small manned booth where one can buy small bags of sunflower seeds for feeding the monkeys and also receive a verbal recommendation that you remove anything that can be easily stolen by the monkeys, and to take precautions in safe guarding your purse as we were warned that they were "little thieves" and very good at their jobs. We were also each given a long thin piece of bamboo that we could use to "switch" them away if they were to become to friendly. Phyllis by now had already had a close encounter. Before entering the compound one of the small monkeys that had been sitting on the fence decided to fly through the air and attach himself to the front of her shirt which immediately prompted a shriek from her. What a sight seeing her pounce around screaming with this monkey clinging to the front of her. Maybe it was his way of greeting her. He was harmless and I was so busy laughing that I didn't have time to snap a picture.

Once inside we were greeted by a teenage boy who said his name was "Boy." He lived there with the monkeys and helped the tourists if there was need. He promptly started escorting us about to show us the ruins from both outside to inside. He showed us where he slept at night, and if it happened to be raining then he had an area inside that that he used. He spoke very little English so most of his explanations were in Thai. At one point when I was taking pictures I heard Phyllis scream. Turning I found there were several monkeys hanging on to her back and from her hair. Running over I proceeded to "switch" them off. After which we discovered what they were doing. She had a white hair tie that was holding her hair in a pony tail and now it was gone. One of them managed to get it out and steal it. However, not to worry as "Boy" was on to them and he quickly disappeared only to reappear again up near the top of the temple with the elastic tie in hand. He had chased the monkey up there and retrieved it for Phyllis.

It was an invigorating afternoon and the monkeys proved quite entertaining. We finished our small tour of the ruins and "Boy" accompanied us back to the entrance. He seemed to truly like our companionship even though it was for only a short time. He never once asked or implied for any money. However, before leaving I did give him 100 Baht which was about $3.00. It doesn't sound like much but here in Thailand they can make a 100 Baht go a long way. He was most appreciative and after receiving it placed his hands together in prayer like manner, held them up to his forehead and "waied" me as he said, "kop koon mak kop." Thank you very much.

With that we were off to further explore the city.

"Time to go, the monkeys are starting to get to me..."

Bangkok Golf

The Bangkok area is a golfing paradise with more than 36 golf courses to choose from. However, on our retirement budget and with both of us golfing we try to be selective to those courses that we consider reasonable. Generally the courses we choose have green fees ranging from 400 - 900 Baht which in U.S. is $12 - $26. Add to that the normal Caddy fee of 220 Baht which is U.S. 6.50, and afterwards if they have done a good job then we tip them up to about 220 Baht. So all in all it usually averages about less than $30. U.S. each. Which isn't at all bad considering that you're able to walk the course and have a caddy to hand you your club selection, clean your club after your shot, repair your divots, carry your umbrella, mark your ball on the green, clean it, and replace it. Give you guidance on reading the green, and on especially hot days as you're standing there you discover a nice breeze on your neck only to find she is standing there fanning you. Most of the caddies know the courses very well, and when you hit an errant shot and it heads into the trees and you loose site of it...not to worry, as she will usually walk right up to it and point it out. They really are amazing. And, even though it is hot out you will find them covered from head to toe, as they do not want to be exposed to that much sun. They prefer lighter toned skin and do not want to get dark. Opposite from the thinking of most westerners as they want the darker tanned skin.

There are some other differences as compared to golf in the U.S. Here most everyone walks the course. And they can have up to a max of what they call a 6-ball which basically means a 6-some. Imagine if you will, 6 golfers and 6 caddies. Your own gallery at every tee box and on the green! One would think with that many golfers that it would take forever to play a round. But it doesn't. Play moves right along and it goes surprisingly quick. As you walk down the fairways and look around at the course it appears to be a giant park with lots of people out for a leisurely stroll.

Another little quirk is when you play the Par 3's. These are what they call "Call Hole." Once everyone is on the green the caddies look back at the group that is waiting on the tee box and if that group wants to call then one of the caddies will signal. At which time everyone walks off the green. Their balls have already been marked by the caddies. You stand off to one side or behind the green allowing the group behind you to tee off. Now, again imagine the gallery that has assembled. There are not only 12 people on the tee box, but there are 12 people standing around the green. Hmm...talk about pressure! Once the group tees off they begin their trip up to the green while your group walks back onto the green to finish the hole. Sometimes the group behind is up by the green before everyone has finished. So now, we have 24 people on and around the green. What a party! Feels like you're playing on tour.

One other thing about the golf courses...like Thailand, there is food everywhere. The golf courses are no exceptions. Every couple of holes there is always some type of stopover for either a snack, or even a quick meal. Especially around the par 3's when it sometimes can get backed up. This presents the opportunity to get a quick bowl of noodle soup, or rice dish with a curry of some sort. Additionally there are plenty of other types of food ranging from fried chicken drumsticks, to hard boiled eggs, to sweet snacks along with a variety of drinks including ice cold Singha beer. You might even see a small stand set up selling small clear plastic bags of golf balls, usually 6 to a set. These are balls that have been retrieved from the water hazards which there are always plenty of. The balls are retrieved by hand. It's not unusual to see Thai men in their colorful straw hats in the lakes with long bamboo poles that they use to retrieve the balls from the bottom. This in itself is an art to watch.

After what usually is a four and a half to five hour round you find yourself back at the clubhouse which are usually quite massive and large. All have both men and ladies locker rooms where you can shower and change into fresh clothes. Some even have on site massage parlors. After refreshing and depending on the time, you can sit in the clubhouse or outside on the covered terraces and have a cold beer and more food! What a way to end a round of golf!

Golf here is to enjoy, relax, and have a good time. Unlike the U.S. where we tend to ride carts with GPS systems that keep track of you and tell you when you're a few seconds or minutes behind and ask you to pick up the pace. And if the GPS isn't enough, there are plenty of course Marshall's that are ever present to make sure you play in the allotted time. Here it doesn't matter if you shoot a 115 or an 85 just as long as you enjoy. Enjoy, and relax...or as the Thai's would say Sabai, Sabai.

Train to Chiang Mai

While golfing a couple of weeks ago we were paired up with an American man named Bruce, and his Thai friend whose name is Pete. Pete went to college in San Francisco and speaks excellent English. Bruce lives up in Chiang Mai which is about 400 miles north of Bangkok and has lived there for about 10 years or so. He invited us to come up for a visit. Since we had not been to Chiang Mai since May of 2004 and that we're considering the possibility of relocating there once we finish our year here in Bangkok we decided to take the overnight express train up for a weekend with Bruce.

The train departed Bangkok about 7 pm and arrived in Chiang Mai the next morning about 8 am. We spent the extra money for an air-conditioned car with a sleeper that had both an upper and lower berth. Round trip each was less than $50. Once on our way they came around with a menu for us to select our dinner and then asked us at what time we wanted it served. Our two opposing seats was set up so they could attach a table between us. We told them the time that we wanted to sleep and they came back and made up the berths for us. Phyllis was a little concerned at first as she thought she might get motion sickness due to the trains constant movement and rhythm. However, she did fine and the trip went well.

Bruce met us at the train station the next morning. We didn't need to be concerned about transportation as he had his own car. After going to breakfast the remainder of the day was spent going to the various golf courses and scouting them out as to their green fees and possible membership considerations if we were to move there. After being in Bangkok we found the traffic to be a non-event. Getting around was quite easy, but one would definitely need a car.

By the end of the day we were back at his house. He is currently renting a large 3 bedroom, 3 bath, with formal dining room, living room, kitchen, and a study. It has an attached 2 car carport. Nicely furnished and the rent is less than we are paying for our small one bedroom condo in Bangkok. Like I've told many people Bangkok is to Thailand what New York City is to the U.S. Expensive.

We were able to play golf a couple of times but it was in between the rain. We had a lot of rain while there and Phyllis could feel the effect on her allergies. Not sure whether being that far up north would be a good thing. However, Chiang Mai is a lovely city as it is referred to as "The Rose of the North." There are many places in the country to consider, and we have a year to explore so at this point there is no rush to decide. We're retired...so what's the hurry?